BusinessMirror January 23, 2023

AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE minority leader of the House of Representatives on Sunday said 50 percent of all flights in and out of the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) should be transferred to Clark International Airport (CIA) by 2025.

M inority Leader Marcelino Libanan, in a statement, said the projected full recovery of global air travel from the Covid-19 pandemic is 2025.

“Assuming all flights are divided evenly between NAIA and Clark by 2025, only half of all flights

would be cancelled, diverted or delayed in the event of a sudden emergency in either gateway,” Libanan said.

For instance, if NAIA has another air traffic system glitch, or if a large aircraft suddenly has a runway excursion there, only 50 percent of all flights would be disrupted once the other 50 percent is already operating out of Clark,” Libanan said.

T he lawmaker said Clark is capable of operating more flights, offers good connectivity to Metro Manila via modern expressways, and is only 90 kilometers away from Quezon City.

We have no choice but to fully harness Clark, which has been up

and running for years,” Libanan said.

L ast week, civil aviation officials told the House transportation committee that NAIA’s air traffic system is now fully functional, but that the country’s busiest airport still has no back up in case the system breaks down again as it did on New Year’s Day.

“ If we do not take full advantage of Clark as alternate gateway, there will be chaos at NAIA once global air travel explodes,” Libanan warned.

T he International Air Transport Association (IATA) sees international traveler numbers reaching 82 percent of pre-pandemic level this year, 92 percent in 2024

and 101 percent in 2025.

Alternate gateway LIBANAN said the government, through the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), had invested P10 billion to fully develop Clark as an alternate gateway “precisely to alleviate congestion at NAIA and accommodate growing  passenger traffic.”

In fact, on top of the BCDA’s investment, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) also spent billions of pesos to modernize Clark,” Libanan said.

L ibanan said the DOTr’s plan to privatize NAIA “won’t solve the airport’s congestion.”

‘ABSOLUTELY,’ THERE’LL BE NO RECESSION IN PHL’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

AN economistlawmaker on Sunday seconded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement in the World Economic Forum that the Philippine growth outlook remains bright despite global recession fears, with the House tax panel chairman asserting that, “absolutely there will be no recession for the Philippines in 2023.”

R eturning to Manila at the weekend from the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the country has improved its international reputation as an investment destination.

During the business forum, Marcos said the country showed itself as an attractive location for multinational firms and is now tagged as one of the best-performing economies in Southeast Asia.

“ It is good we were able to go here since it allowed us to be included in the so-called VIP club.... This includes Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These are what they considered the most promising economies in Asia,” Marcos said in Filipino during an interview.

W hile in Davos, Marcos and the Philippine delegates, which accompanied him, were able to secure investment pledges in mining and processing, digital solutions, logistics, telecommunications, and renewable fuel.

ENVOYS WOOING ‘VIPS’ TO COME HOME, TOUR ISLANDS

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

THE

BusinessMirror , after a twoyear hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the former Ambassadors and Consuls General Tour has been relaunched as the Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour, and will be held from July 16 to 24 this year.

least 300 Filipinos residing in the United States and their family members and friends to visit the country. Or, if they have visited before, explore our other unique and exciting destinations,” he said.

R

“ Now that the Philippines has fully reopened to international travelers, we hope to attract at

W ith the theme, “See, Taste, and Feel,” the VIP Tour offers balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos) not just a trip around Manila,

but to Iloilo and Boracay Island as well. The tour will also feature a visit to Malacañang, and a possible audience with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

6K participants since 2005

THE annual tours have been a project by Rajah Tours for the Department of Foreign Affairs,

‘China Plus 1’ policy among Euro firms to benefit PHL’

By Andrea E. San Juan

PHILIPPINE companies stand to gain from European companies that are adopting the ‘China Plus-one policy’, as they look to diversify their resources, according to the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

We see a lot of efforts with the China plus-one policy here with the geostrategic way of going forward and we do see a lot of chances here for the Philippine companies to have a boost also from companies from Europe, not only from Germany, looking a bit over the edge of China to invest in the future and we are here to help,” Christopher Zimmer, Executive Director of GPCCI, told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Outlook 2023 on Thursday.

Z immer divulged that while he cannot reveal figures and the names of German firms willing to invest or expand in the Philippines, he said the German companies are “selecting now other investment places outside China.”

A s to the Philippine sectors that German companies plan to invest in, Zimmer said, “Energy for sure because this is one of the strongholds of the German economy.” Still, the GPCCI official said other sectors that the companies are looking at are: business process outsourcing (BPO), medical companies, and manufacturing, although he said that German companies are on a “high competition” with European firms in terms of manufacturing.

See “Envoys,” A2 See “China,” A2

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

Philippines is relaunching a foreign visitor program in cooperation with Philippine diplomats in the United States and Hawaii.

ajah Tours Philippines President Jose C. Clemente III told the

CNY ENTERTAINMENT Street performers entertain Chinese New Year revelers in Manila’s Chinatown in Binondo, considered the world's first and oldest Chinatown. The Year of the Water Rabbit is predicted to be a year of hope, as the sign of the Rabbit in Chinese culture symbolizes longevity, peace and prosperity. NONIE REYES

Senate wrapping up POGO inquiry, mounts last hearing

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATE probers are set to wrap up their inquiry into the issues surrounding the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), amid calls from some quarters to completely ban them despite strict regulatory measures taken in the past three years by three line agencies and local government units.

S en. Sherwin Gatchalian, probe chairman, said a committee report is set to be circulated for signatures of senators prior to submission to the plenary to consider the need to craft remedial legislation.

“[There is a] committee report [already],” Gatchalian said, adding: “we already have recommendations that we will circulate to probe panel members this week.” He said in a radio interview on Sunday, “our target is Tuesday, latest Wednesday.”

T he chief POGO prober recalled that in December, as the

Move...

senators were reviewing the draft committee report, they saw a “new angle” but did not elaborate, saying only, speaking partly in Filipino, that “we saw something new that we. Want to  tackle in tomorrow’s [Monday] committee hearing.”

A dded Gatchalian: “In the spirit of fairness and transparency, mas magandang ilabas ito sa pagdinig [it is better to surface [this new issue] in the hearing,” adds Gatchalian. He explained that there are multifaceted provisions on Republic Act 11590, the law covering PO -

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“NAIA’s problem is lack of land for expansion. No new parallel runway can be built there because the

area around the airport is already highly urbanized,” Libanan said. L ong before the pandemic,

GOs, involving “tax payments and governance.”

He recalled that “when we reviewed the Committee Report and compared it with the law,” the senators saw several points to question, “particularly with the third party auditor, and we wish to hear from PAGCOR and the third-party auditor and other resource persons the issues about this.”

Moreover, Gatchalian said they saw “a lot of points in the law that must be discussed.”  This includes the income tax that foreign workers under POGOs must pay.

R eminded that both the Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) acknowledged that the POGO issue also “involves social cost,” he aired a warning: “hindi sulit yung social cost, yung masamang dulot ng POGO doon sa kita mula dito. [The social cost is not commensurate to the benefits. The evil wrought by the POGO presence is not offset by the gains].”

T he senator also recalled that “actually, as early  at the first hear -

Libanan said a study by the International Finance Corp. (IFC) had declared that: “Clark is the only immediate solution to address congestion in NAIA and expand airport capacity serving

ing, the DOF was very firm that POGO should be banned. So, he added, the senators need to get their arguments.

`Earlier hearings tackled the possible dire impact on the property sector and the entire economy of an abrupt, total ban on POGOs; the crimes being fueled by POGOrelated parties or entities; the safeguards taken by labor and immigration agencies, as well as LGUs, to guard against human trafficking, and Pagcor’s roadmap for the POGO sector.

I nvited by the Gatchalian committee to Monday’s hearing are: Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Bureau of Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Marissa Cabreros, Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco, Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Emilio Aquino, Anti-Money Laundering Council executive director Atty. Matthew David, and the mayors of Makati, Paranaque and Manila, respectively: Abby Binay, Eric Olivarez and Honey Lacuna.

the Greater Capital Region (comprising Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon).”

“ NAIA is running over its design passenger and airside capacity, respectively. The current situation is unsustainable and can significantly undermine the Philippines’ competitiveness and economic growth,” according to the IFC study.

Currently, flight delays and cancellations have become commonplace, as well as negative passenger experience. Having to fly through NAIA adds roughly four hours more to passenger travel time, having to pass through the highly congested roads of Metro Manila,” the study pointed out.

O utside of NAIA and Clark, Libanan said it would take 10 to 15 years to build another major aviation hub serving the Greater Capital Region – whether in Bulacan or Cavite.

B esides the New Year’s Day air traffic system malfunction that displaced 350 flights and 66,000 passengers, NAIA had also been paralyzed by runway excursions in the past.

Sugar...

O fficials have earlier disclosed that it is still ironing out the guidelines for the proposed import program. Officials also noted that they would consider the recommendations and insights of concerned sugarcane industry stakeholders.

T he United Sugar Producers Federation earlier threw its support behind the national government plan to import as much as 450,000 MT of raw and refined sugar.

Meanwhile, the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters recognized the need for importation and the necessity of a buffer stock of the commodity.

T he latest sugar import proposal came at a time when the country’s total sugar production would fall below 1.84 million metric tons, the second-lowest output in the past 22 years. (Related story: https:// businessmirror com.ph/2023/01/19/2nd-lowest-output-in-22-years-sugarproduction-hovers-below-1-84mmt-in-2022-and-2023-sra/)

Recession...

The President also noted the event gave the country an opportunity to “help mend the fissures that have fragmented the world” by pushing for restoration of normalcy in international geopolitics and global trade.

M arcos said he is confident the country’s “successful” participation at the WEF will translate into concrete gains.

“Our WEF engagement has enabled the many leaders and experts in government, in business, civil organization and in the academe that were in attendance to receive the good news that the Philippines is leading economic recovery and performance not only in the Asia-Pacific but also in the whole world,” Marcos said.

T his was also echoed by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in a media forum during the weekend, saying the participation of the President at the WEF greatly helped in boosting investment confidence in the country.

Growth despite recession elsewhere

RELATEDLY, House Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said the Philippines will be in positive growth territory regardless of what happens for the rest of the world.

“ We have removed restrictions on so many key sectors – public services, the retail trade sector, the energy sector – that the country will offset global recessionary forces,” he said in a statement.

Pent up demand will also ensure that our economy, which is at least 70 percent driven by domestic demand, will have plenty of growth runway,” he added.

A ccording to Salceda, the Philippines has many promising sectors, including mining and electronics, that will remain resilient through the pandemic.

Semiconductor demand will remain strong and above supply regard-

Envoys...

less of the global growth average. We saw that during the pandemic, when everybody thought the sky would fall,” he said.

And, if the world doesn’t go through a recession, there is definitely room to grow beyond the 6.5-percent projection of our economic managers. We can go for 8 percent,” he added.

Salceda also sees inflation tapering off in 2023.

“WE’RE getting a better hold of agricultural smuggling issues. I’m confident that Congress’s efforts to expose how artificial onion and meat prices are, will help pop the bubble,” the lawmaker said.

Salceda sees 2023 inflation hitting the 4.0 level by mid-year, saying such will boost consumer demand further.

Salceda said that “therefore, our strategy now must be, ‘how do we sell the Philippines as a safe haven for investments when the world feels fearful of putting money everywhere else’?”

B esides the liberalized sectors, the President’s marketing of the Philippines through avenues such as the Maharlika Investment Fund will help direct investments towards “agriculture, energy, climate change adaptation, and digitalization.”

“ If we will pursue the strategy of being a safe haven, a place where investors can make a return despite global prospects, then we should have avenues to channel those investments.

That’s why the Maharlika Investment Fund, among other investment prospects, is crucial,” he said.

As I said then, I think Vietnam and India will be our biggest competitors for both growth levels and for foreign investments. That’s why we to be more creative,” he added.

I ndependent think tank IBON Foundation, however, noted the optimistic forecasts by the current administration are not backed by data. See related story in Banking, page B3.

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in cooperation with the Department of Tourism since 2005. According to Clemente, the program been able to bring in “an estimated 6,000 participants, since we started. Not only have balikbayans joined the tours, but a number of mainstream Americans have participated as well.”

He added, they are now targeting the third- to fifth-generation Filipino-Americans, “so we have post-tours for the younger crowd” to Leyte, Camiguin, Palawan, Laoag, and Cebu/Bohol.

C lemente, who is still in the US drumming up interest in the VIP Tour, said he was encouraged by the “enthusiastic response” of the stateside travel agencies and the “admirable cooperation” of the Filipino consuls general in several cities he has already visited. “Maraming excited for the program (There are many excited for the program). Kasi nga naman, nawala kami for two years (It’s because we were  gone for two years). And now everyone is ready to come home and visit,” he noted.

O f the 2.65 million foreign tourists who visited the Philippines from February 10 to December 31 last year, 628,445 were overseas Filipinos.

2022 arrivals impact: 5.2M jobs

MEANWHILE , Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed her appreciation to the country’s travel

China...

agents for helping the Philippines breach arrival targets last year. “We would not have been able to breach our targets last year had it not been for your partnership and collaboration. Last year we set a target under the DOT of 1.7 million international arrivals. We breached that by almost a million having reached 2.65 million international arrivals, over 75 percent of which constitute international travelers. What does that tell us? It tells us that the Philippines continues to be a top-of-mind destination all over the world and that our travel agencies are hard at work in bringing international travelers into the Philippines and ushering in domestic travelers across our country.”

Speaking at the induction ceremony for the new officers of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association on January 19, the DOT chief added, “over 5.2 million tourism jobs across our 16 regions” have been able to benefit from the recovery of the tourism industry. “There really is no other industry that has had such a great economic trickle-down impact down [on] the grassroots and therefore the success of the tourism industry is our country’s success,” she stressed.

T he DOT targets the arrival of 4.8 million foreign tourists this year. Prior to the pandemic, 8.26 million international travelers visited the Philippines.

Continued from A1

While Zimmer expressed optimism, he stressed that the government should focus on how to implement key economic reforms such as the Foreign Investment Act, among others.

“ We are contacted by a lot of companies asking for … so the laws are in place but missing the guidelines of how to implement it, and this is the main focus that we have to address in the future,” Zimmer said.

A t a recent chance interview with Philippines’s Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, the Trade chief underscored the importance of diversifying supply, noting that it’s risky to just rely on a single source country especially with the recent “geopolitical developments.”

For the Philippines’s part, Pascual said the country is looking at capitalizing on investors with production

operations in China to have alternative production operations in the Philippines.

“ We want them to consider the operation here so we will provide an alternative supply source for their components and inputs to their assembly operation,” he said last December.

Meanwhile, according to a Bloomberg report published on June 20, 2022 which cited a report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, “Some 23 percent of the businesses that responded to the survey are thinking of moving their current or planned investments away from China.”

Moreover, the Bloomberg report noted that the survey showed that Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Europe are “among most considered alternatives.”

The Nation

Mindanao provinces post high teen pregnancy cases

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

NORTHERN Mindanao and Davao Region account for the largest percentage of teen girls aged 15 to 19 who were ever pregnant, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Data showed that 10.9 percent of teens in Northern Mindanao and 8.2 percent of teens in Davao Region were ever pregnant.

There were a total of 196 teenagers aged 15 to 19 years old who were ever pregnant in Northern Mindanao and 265 teenagers in the Davao Region.

“We will look into empiricalbased decisions on the PPDP: where to start, and what to prioritize in accordance with the new Philippine Development Plan,” Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) Executive Director Lisa Grace S. Bersales said in a recent statement.

“Data and statistics will be used as the basis for prioritizing, for focus, and for monitoring successes,” the newly appointed Population and Development Program (POPDEV) undersecretary added.

Rep. Duterte irked by fixers using his name

DAVAO CITY—First District Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte has warned of serious repercussion to anyone he would catch using his name to fleece money from indigents who only want to avail of medical and food assistance from his office.

His warning came after he was informed of alleged fixers using the name of the First Congressional District Office in their nefarious activities.

He was visibly irked by an information reaching him that a woman has been claiming to be an employee at his congressional office here and who had been reported recruiting people who needed medical assistance from his congressional office.

The fixer was claiming that the congressional office would be releasing P30,000 medical assistance with P3,000 automatically going to the fixer.

Duterte has instructed his staff to report the information to the police.

“Paludhon nako ni atubangan San Pedro Church duha ka gabii [I will have her kneel for two nights in front of the church] and the appropriate charges will be filed,” Duterte was quoted in a statement issued over the weekend.

He also urged Dabawenyos to report to authorities anyone claiming to be an employee of the First Congressional District Office and offering assistance for a fee.

“If naa mahitabo susama ana sa uban, i-report dayon sa police ug sa congressional office sa numerong 09667510792 [If this would happen again, please report it immediately to the police or the congressional office],” he said. Manuel T. Cayon

Some 7.3 percent of teenagers in Northern Mindanao ever had a live birth and 4.1 percent are currently pregnant at the time of the data collection.

The PSA also said 0.4 percent of teenagers in this region experienced a pregnancy loss which refers to stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion, according to the PSA.

The data also showed 7 percent of the 15 to 19 year olds in Davao Region ever had a live birth; 1.1 percent are currently pregnant; and 0.3 percent experienced a pregnancy loss.

Based on the data from the PSA, there were a total of 5,531 teenagers aged 15 to 19 years old who were ever pregnant in the Philippines in 2022.

Of this number, based on region, Calabarzon had the highest number at 805 teenagers followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) at 663 teenagers and 651 teenagers in Central Luzon.

However, the number of teenagers who were ever pregnant in Calabarzon only represented 4.9 percent of the population of 15 to 19 year olds and 2.8 percent in NCR or Metro Manila. Nonetheless, the number in Central Luzon represented 8 percent

of the total population of teenagers in the region.

“Among women aged 15 to 19 years who have been pregnant as of 2022, the highest percentage was recorded in women aged 19 years (13.3 percent). This was followed by women aged 18 years (5.9 percent) and women aged 17 years (5.6 percent),” PSA said.

“As expected, the lowest percentage of women aged 15 to 19 years who have begun childbearing was for those who were aged 16 years (1.7 percent), followed by women aged 15 years (1.4 percent),” it added.

Meanwhile, Bersales conveyed her goal of steering Popcom in further fulfilling its mandate through the ongoing programs on family planning and reproductive health, adolescent health and development, as well as Popdev integration.

Bersales said that every Filipino family will live decently. This, she said, could be achieved by “putting faces behind population statistics and demography figures.”

“Previously having POPCOM as a partner with friends in research, demography and population, I was really struck by the agency’s tagline

of ‘Empowering Filipino families and communities,’” the newly installed ED disclosed. “It was similar to my personal advocacy when I retired from the State University last year.”

The undersecretary envisions Popcom as a government agency effecting positive impact to the citizens, notwithstanding the various socioeconomic challenges the nation is currently facing.

For external linkages, Bernales will harness her involvement in global organizations to strengthen the agency’s international collaborations toward advancing Popdev in the national setting.

She has witnessed how international countries and partners help each other achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

The new chief of Popcom vowed to build upon the agency’s core value of teamwork not only with its internal human resource, but closely with the local government units, the academe, as well as civil-society and nongovernment organizations, among many other allies, while further enhancing the commission’s strength in research and development.

600 decommissioned MILF combatants to avail of EU’s technical skills project

DAVAO CITY—About 600 decommissioned combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front would undergo technicalvocational training to prepare and help them adapt to civilian life under the normalization scheme of the peace agreement.

T he assistance was extended by the European Union’s (EU) “Programme on Assistance for Camp Transformation through Inclusion, Violence Prevention and Economic Empowerment,” or “Proactive,” following the ceremonial signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) and United Nations Development Programme in Cotabato City January 16.

UNDP Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran said the EU’s “generous support” to the Philippines, amounting to $4.6 million in two years, would contribute to “creating enabling environment for sustainable employment and enterprise development, delivered initial peace dividends and promoting confidence-building, through improved access to basic communal services

and facilities.”

Ramachandran said the project would facilitate social cohesion and community resilience by enhancing the capacities and participation of women, youth, and faith-based leaders in peace-building.

“This would also promote a culture of peace and conflict transformation,” he added.

The UNDP and MBHTE’s partnership involves vocational skill development training and accreditation to pursue “richer environment for income source” for the 600 decommissioned combatants, he said.

The project wanted to facilitate the transition and transformation of the six major declared camps of the MILF into peaceful and productive communities, the Bangsamoro Information Office said.

MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal said the “Government of the Day’s engagement with the EU has been very productive”.

“We hope this partnership will continue until the exit agreement is signed between the Philippine Government and the Moro Is -

lamic Liberation Front. In terms of governance and peace, we journey together between the EU and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” Iqbal said. He also chairs the MILF Peace Implementing Panel.

Iqbal said the international community, especially the EU has been a steady partner in the search for the elusive peace in Mindanao.

“The participation and role of the EU are very crucial and one of the highlights of this engagement is the decommissioning of combatants of the MILF. We are very happy one of the interventions of the EU is the skills training for the decommissioned MILF combatants,” he added.

EU Ambassador Luc Véron, Head of EU delegation Christoph Wagner, Member of Bangsamoro Parliament Ali Salik, who is co-chairman of the Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation-MILF, MP Aida Silongan, who is co-chairman of Task Force Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities-MILF, and Programme Manager of EU delegation Sakura Moretto. Manuel T. Cayon

4 Maguindanao del Sur barangay health centers

opened by BARMM

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Four remote barangays in Maguindanao del Sur have their new barangay health stations (BHS), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

T his would now provide easier and proximate access to health services in Maguindanao del Sur, a new province carved out from the lone Maguindanao province, where before residents have to travel to the town centers to seek medical care in hospitals.

MOH Minister Rizaldy Piang inaugurated on January 11 the health stations in Barangay Manindolo in Datu Paglas town, Barangay Muti in Guindulungan town and Barangay Kakal and Kapinpilan in Ampatuan town.

Each barangay health station was constructed with a budget of P2.5

million and installed with equipment worth P500,000. Two of the stations were funded under the Tiyakap Bangsamoro Kalusugan Program (TBKP), while the other two were under the Special Development Fund (SDF).

Piang said the inauguration of the new health stations “is a milestone in the goal to provide optimum health and wellness services for the Bangsamoro people”.

“Our constituents here in Ampatuan will no longer find it difficult to go to distant RHUs [regional health units] or hospitals as they already have BHS available here to cater to their health care needs. There is someone here who will look after them,” Piang, a physician, said.

MOH Director for Operations Tato Usman said the health stations have the equipment and there were personnel hired to manage and provide health services to residents.

SC to hear arguments on NCAP’s pros, cons

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court is set to continue on Tuesday (January 24) the oral arguments on the petition seeking to declare as unconstitutional the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) being implemented by several local government units (LGUs).

T he first oral argument was held on December 6, 2022, where Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra maintained that NCAP’s implementation is in accordance with the Constitution.

C hief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo earlier said the resolution of the petition will be prioritized by the SC this 2023 since it involves public interest.

Gue varra also assured the 15man High Tribunal that NCAP does not violate privacy rights of motorists under Republic Act (RA) 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) contrary to the claim of petitioners Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon Inc. (Kapit), Pangkalahatang Sangguniang Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide (Pasang-Masda), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Altodap) and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) and Lawyer Juman B. Paa. These groups and Paa content that the NCAP can

be used to conduct unlawful surveillance and monitoring of people’s movements by private individuals.

Guevarra pointed out the cameras being used to monitor motorists are neither designed nor capable of obtaining facial recognition of the drivers but merely captures images of vehicles that violate traffic rules.

Furthermore, the Solicitor General pointed out that in assessing any claim of violation of privacy rights by the State, the Court has always looked into whether the person claiming violation of such right has shown reasonable expectation of privacy and, if so, whether the expectation has been violated by unreasonable government intrusion.

The OSG maintained that petitioners failed to establish an expectation of privacy while exercising the privilege of openly using vehicles in public roads.

The transport groups, on the other hand, argued that NCAP should be declared unconstitutional for: violating motorists’ constitutional right to due process; being oppressive and confiscatory; and, violation of privacy rights.

Lawyer Greg G. Pua Jr., who represented the petitioner during the December 6 oral argument branded NCAP as “oppressive, unreasonable and disadvantageous to motorists.”

Pua added that the exorbitant fines and penalties imposed under NCAP should be enough basis to invalidate the program.

Group calls for proper disposal of busted lamps with mercury

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

ALOCAL waste and pollution watchdog on Sunday called for the proper disposal of mercury-containing lamp wastes. The call was issued by the group to highlight January as “Zero Waste Month.”

A ccording to the Ecowaste Coalition, better enforcement of existing regulations aimed at protecting

citizens including waste workers against harmful exposure from spent mercury-containing lamps is needed, noting that there are, in fact existing laws against the indiscriminate dumping or disposal of such hazardous wastes, particularly in Quezon City.

T he group was referring to Quezon City (QC) Ordinance 1483 (series of 2005) and QC Ordinance 2350 (series of 2014).

T he group said they observed several broken fluorescent lamps last Friday, January 20, at a sidewalk along Aurora Boulevard near corner Doña Hemady Street.

“ There is an apparent need to remind the public about the provisions of these two important ordinances in relation to the disposal of busted lamps containing mercury,” Aileen Lucero, the group’s National Coordinator, was quoted in a statement

as saying. “Improved enforcement of current regulations will prevent the breakage of such lamps and the vaporization of their mercury content, which can endanger human health.”

Eliminate exposure

QC Ordinance 1483 (series of 2005), approved by then-Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on March 11, 2005, declares busted mercury-containing lamps as “hazardous wastes,” and

obligates “all residents to segregate spent fluorescent light bulbs from common garbage so as to eliminate exposure from mercury.”

On the other hand, QC Ordinance 2350 (series of 2014), approved by former Mayor Herbert Bautista on November 4, 2014, provides for the adoption of the QC Environment Code, which includes provisions on how busted fluorescent lamps are to be managed.

Senator continues push for learning recovery on ‘Int’l Day of Education’

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SEN. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, in advance of the January 24 observance of the International Day of Education, prodded the Marcos administration to pursue the government’s learning recovery programs expected to mitigate the

effects of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic that extended lockdowns of regular face-to-face classes.

While the resumption of five days of full in-person classes is a significant step in the restoration of normalcy in the basic education sector,” Gatchalian warned adding that “failure to address learning loss will lead to a

deepening of economic scars.”

T he senator cited the World Bank’s simulation analysis of learning losses, noting the learning adjusted years of schooling, or “Lays,” will decrease from 7.5 years to around six years, adding this would mean “12 years of basic education will only be equivalent to around six

years of effective schooling because of the pandemic.”

Moreover, Gatchalian noted the revised estimates of the National Economic and Development Authority’s (Neda) “further show that the Philippine economy will lose P10.1-trillion over the next 40 years because of the suspension of

in-person classes.

T he senator suggested that in order to avert the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, “the establishment of a national learning intervention program, known as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program” was filed embodied inthe proposed ARAL Program

outlined in Senate Bill 1604 (Aral program) that Gatchalian authored.

“ This proposed measure will be grounded on premises such as wellsystematized tutorial sessions, welldesigned learning remediation plans and resources, and the careful determination and assessment of learners, among others,” he added.

Listing in govt housing program free–DHSUD

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) disclosed that no membership fees are needed in order to be listed in the government’s housing program.

DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar said the agency received reports that unscrupulous individuals are using the national housing program to collect payments from the public.

T hese “payments” were being collected in exchange of being included in the list of those joining the “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino” (national housing for Filipinos) program.

I would also like to emphasize that we are not soliciting any donations from the private sector or government officials for the program. For such information, please directly report this to any of our offices nationwide,” Acuzar also said.

T he DHSUD chief added that Filipinos who would like to list for the “Pambansang Pabahay” program should approach the local government unit (LGU) to enlist. The DHSUD will be coordinating directly with the LGUs.

Acuzar also emphasized that interested beneficiaries do not need to

be members of housing associations or groups in order to be part of the President’s housing program.

However, he suggested that they instead become members of the Home Development Mutual Fund or PagIBIG Fund which has various financial schemes that can assist them in availing “Pambansang Pabahay” units.

A side from the DHSUD, the public can also inquire details of the program from the National Housing Authority, Social Housing Finance Corp. and National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.

T hese are all key shelter agencies of the DHSUD and are also working with the government in advancing the national housing program.

M eanwhile, Acuzar said the “Pambansang Pabahay” program was devised primarily for the less privileged working force, especially those employed in urban areas but do not have their own houses.

T his is highlighted by the program’s thrust to build in-city resettlements where workplaces and trade hubs, as well as educational and health institutions are located.

T he program also promotes township development to ensure sustainability and economic activities within the housing sites. Cai U. Ordinario

Labor groups see SC ruling a legal aegis for delivery riders

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

RIDERS of e-commerce firms will now enjoy better legal protection after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a landmark decision during the weekend involving the reinstatement of five Lazada EServices Philippines Inc. employees, according to a labor group.

T he Federation of Free Workers (FFW) lauded the high court ruling, which upheld the security of tenure of the said riders.

“ The FFW, the Nagkaisa (labor coalition) and other trade unions are pleased with this decision and believe that it sets an important precedent in protecting the rights of workers,” FFW President and Nagkaisa Labor Coalition President Jose G. Matula said in a statement issued last Sunday.

In its decision on the Ditiangkin vs Lazada E-Services Phils case, the SC Second Division ruled in favor of the five delivery riders, whose employment were terminated in 2017.

T he High Court noted Lazada failed to prove that the affected delivery drivers are independent contractors.

Furthermore, it pointed out the riders have an employer-employee relationship with Lazada under the

“four-fold test” and the “economicdependence test.”

Under the four-fold test, such a relationship exists if a concerned employer has the authority over its worker in terms of their selection, payment of wages, dismissal, and conduct.

A s for the economic-dependence test, the Second Division said the riders performed tasks, which are an integral part of Lazada’s business.

T he SC Second Division ordered the reinstatement of the affected workers with full backwages from the time of dismissal up to the actual reinstatement.

Matula said the ruling can be used by other delivery riders of ecommerce firms since the High Court ruling “has the force and effect of law” as stated under Article 8 of the Civil Code of the Philippines.

“Delivery riders similarly situation may use this precedent in their complaint for regularization,” the labor leader said.

T he ruling also compliments the Labor Advisory (LA) 14-21, which was issued by the Department of Labor and Employment on July 23, 2021. LA 14-21 provides guidelines in determining the employment relationship between delivery riders in food delivery and courier activities with their employers.

Ibon: Expect new taxes, more borrowings, less ayuda in ’23

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

WHILE the price of onion is expected to decrease, Filipinos will still be facing a number of challenges this year including new taxes, more borrowings, and less ayuda, according to Ibon Foundation Inc.

I bon Executive Director Jose Enrique A. Africa said the economy is also expected to post slower growth this year and, given this, joblessness and informality are expected to follow.

A frica said the country’s infrastructure challenges are also expected to worsen; climate action will be “all talk;” corruption will worsen; and that “falling economic fundamentals” may largely be dismissed or ignored.

Still, nothing is ever completely fixed. The government is still the single most powerful economic entity in the country with immense resources, machinery and regulatory powers. The problem is not that it is powerless but on what it is choosing to use its powers for,” Africa said.

“ The rebound from reopening last year was the easy part and it’s this year that Marcos Jr and his economic team will really be tested. Hopefully the president will do better than when he failed his economics exam during his university days,” he added.

I bon said in order to survive the year, the administration must first remove its “narrow-minded concern for credit ratings and socalled fiscal consolidation.”

Job losses

THE government cannot implement austerity measures given the expected impact of elevated prices on Filipino’s purchasing powers, the nongovernment group said.

T he slowdown in the economy could lead to job losses and an increase in low quality jobs through the informal sector. This, Ibon said, could compound the already difficult labor conditions in the country.

I bon noted that the first few years of the Duterte administration saw the worst average annual job creation in 3.5 decades.

With this, in 2019, before the pandemic began, Ibon estimated that 29.3 million Filipinos or 69.9 percent of total employment was accounted for by informal work.

I bon said this included the 16.8 million openly informal workers such as domestics, family farms and business, and self-employed workers as well as 12.6 million in precarious work in unregistered establishments.

“Growth this year will be inhibited by scarring that includes weaker household incomes, depressed spending and consumption, and

widespread small enterprise closures. There are also a few more factors inhibiting growth,” Africa said. “ The growth slowdown will underscore the structural inability of the economy to create enough productive employment – and make more people poorer, hungrier and discontented,” he added.

Binding constraint

DOCUMENTS from Ibon said that debt and debt service will also increase this year. It said that the national government’s debt has already reached P13.6 trillion as of November 2022 and is projected to grow to P14.6 trillion by the end of the year.

A frica said there could be over P2 trillion in gross borrowing but at least P1.6 trillion of this will go straight to debt service. As much as P582 billion could be for interest payments and P1 trillion for amortization.

He added that revenue generation efforts are also weak. The recent proposal to tax luxury items is meager compared to a wealth tax and that efforts to increase the value added tax and oil excise taxes will only burden the poor and the middle class even more.

Improving revenue generation, Africa said, must be to improve tax administration and efficiency. Raising taxes will only mean less income for lower income Filipinos.

The binding constraint to steadi-

er progress and development is the outdated faith in market forces. The blindness to the state’s responsibility to intervene will mean worse times in 2023. It will also reopen lockdown wounds that were hidden by last year’s rebound but haven’t really healed yet,” Africa said.

‘Louis Vuitton’ tax

EARLIER, House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jose Sarte Salceda estimated that a “Louis Vuitton” tax could generate P12.4 billion in revenues, a wealth tax can raise more than 10 times the amount.

However, Ibon said a billionairewealth tax can raise at least P468.8 billion annually from the country’s estimated 2,945 billionaires who collectively have P8.2 trillion in wealth. The proposed “Louis Vuitton tax” will be levied on the purchase of luxury lifestyle items such as jewelry and bags, wines and art, cars, private jets, residences and others.

T he wealth tax, meanwhile, is a tax on not even one-third of onethousandth of a percent (0.0026 percent) of the country’s population and will still leave them with P7.7 trillion.

I bon proposed a graduated wealth tax of 1 percent on wealth above P1 billion, 2 percent on wealth above P2 billion and 3 percent on wealth above P3 billion.

PPA eyes ₧10 billion in profit as revenues up in 2022

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is expected to net some P10 billion in profits in 2022, a value that is more than a third larger than its net income before the pandemic hit the Philippines three years ago.

In a spot interview, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago said the port agency’s revenues rose by as much as 15 percent last year on the back of robust volumes of cargo.

In terms of revenues, we’re already at the P16 billion to P17 billion range or around [a] 14-percent to 15-percent increase year-on-year for 2022,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Taking into account its expenses and other charges, the PPA expects to net roughly P10 billion in profits for 2022.

T he estimated value represents a 39-percent difference from the P7.2 billion it recorded in 2019, the year before the pandemic wreaked

havoc in the Philippines and the rest of the world.

T his also represents a 90-percent surge from the P5.2 billion net income it reported for 2021.

“ From our end, cargo volume

is robust that’s why we had a good performance last year. Now is that reflective of the total economy? I don’t know, but it definitely signals that our consumption is huge,” Santiago explained.

With this trend, he said the PPA aims to grow its revenues by as much as 8 percent this year.

For 2023, we expect to increase by 7 percent to 8 percent—that’s the target that we always exceed,” Santiago said.

Agriculture/Commodities

BusinessMirror

Solons file resolution to suspend onion imports

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE Makabayan bloc has filed a resolution calling for the immediate suspension of the onion importation ordered by the Marcos administration, as this “will seriously affect the livelihood of the already marginalized local farmers.”

I n House Joint Resolution 18, Gabriel Rep. Arlene Brosas, Act Teachers Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said contrary to the supposed supply problem in onions being projected by the Marcos administration, price manipulation, profiteering, and hoarding of onions by cartels and large traders caused the price of the commodity to skyrocket.

T he bloc added that Marcos, who acts as Agriculture Secretary, approved in January 2023 the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of onions—at a time when the country is entering the harvest season for onions.

The rising prices of onions in the market is not merely a problem on the supply but a manifestation of the long-standing issue of price manipulation, profiteering, and hoarding of onion cartels and large traders,” Assistant Minority Leader Brosas said.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

FORMER officials and employees of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) called for an investigation into the “ongoing row” between the agency’s current chief and key officials.

In their open letter, the former officials and employees, including two former heads of PhilMech, expressed concern over the current state of affairs in the agency.

T he employees said their concerns stemmed from the issues surrounding the procurement of tractors last year, which had alleged pricing issues (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/09/06/philmech-holds%e2%82%a71-7-bpayment-fortractorson-overpricing-issue/).

T he open letter was signed by 26 former employees of PhilMech from administrative assistants to division chiefs and retired directors. Former

In 1995, the Philippines joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and abolished most of its quantitative restrictions on agricultural products. It then introduced tariffication and tariff reduction programs for all

PhilMech Directors Rex L. Bingabing and Raul R. Paz were among the signatories. The open letter was disseminated to the media recently.

“ We were later glad when the media reported that Director IV [Dionisio G. Alvindia] retracted his statements in which such a misdeed was not done. Thus, we were dismayed when four PhilMech officials were placed on preventive suspension because of their participation in the said procurement which was earlier cleared of anomaly,” the letter read.

T he former employees also expressed alarm over the relief of several key officials of PhilMech who were placed on “floating status.” These officials included division chiefs and were allegedly replaced by “junior staff.”

“ Thus, 9 out of 11 Divisions (including the two Divisions vacated by the earlier resignation of 2 division chiefs) are presently run by acting chiefs,” they said.

While we do not wish to malign the capability of any of these newly

agricultural products, signaling the full liberalization of agriculture.

Brosas also said relying on importation as supposedly a means to control prices and address the gap in supply contradicts the long-term in-

designated personnel, we do like to ask for clarity on what prompted such a drastic overhaul of the existing leadership structure of the agency.”

T he former PhilMech employees called for an “immediate study” on the agency.

“ This is not a partisan move to find fault that might further worsen a badly fractured organization,” they said.

“ Rather, this pleading is for an objective action to ensure the continued viability and integrity of the agency to fulfill its strategic role in the country’s agricultural productivity and agri-based industries’ development.”

A lvindia told the BusinessMirror that the preventive suspension of some PhilMech officials and the subsequent replacement of heads of divisions are “above board.”

He said the officials who are on preventive suspension are facing administrative cases.

T hree PhilMech officials are being investigated due to their involvement

terests of the people for agricultural local production development.

What the government must do is to strengthen local production and provide subsidy for distraught farmers. But with Marcos Jr. resorting to

importation, big cartels and hoarders are now off the hook in this issue that has gravely affected the poor.”

B ased on the approved order signed on January 6 but only released publicly on January 10, the Makabayan bloc said the importation is supposed “to address the supply gap prior to peak harvest in 2023 and to stabilize the continuous increase in price of fresh onions in the market.”

Of the total 21,060 MT of onions to be imported, 3,960 MT will be fresh yellow onions, and 17,100 MT will be fresh red onions.

T he solons said the local production of agricultural products is also threatened by the uncontrollable smuggling of onions and other agricultural products from China.

T he bloc said farmers of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro have asked the government to halt the importation of onions ahead of the harvest season as this could cause them to incur losses.

Instead of resorting to importation, the lawmakers said farmers should be provided with product subsidies and “intensive support” to strengthen local production.

A lso, the bloc said the President only eliminates the liability of the hoarders and cartels responsible for manipulating the supply and price of goods by importing agricultural products to solve inflation.

In a Senate hearing last week, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Glenn Panganiban disclosed that importers only applied to bring in 25 percent of the volume approved under the importation program. This would translate to about 5,000 MT in applied import volume.

T he BPI only entertained applications for the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for the onion import program until January 13.

Panganiban also said importers usually use up to half of the approved and issued SPSICs. This would mean that the actual onion import arrivals this month could be even lower than 5,000 MT.

Only half applied [for the onion importation]. And usually, that [approved volume] does not arrive in the country totally. So we are expecting less than 5,000 MT [to arrive],” Panganiban told the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, which heard stakeholders’ views on a Senate resolution inquiring into soaring prices of local onions.

He assured lawmakers that the BPI would follow to the letter the onion import rules, particularly rejecting late SPSIC applications as well as denying the entry of any shipments that would enter the country beyond January 27.

in the alleged procurement of overpriced tractors last year while four former division chiefs are currently on “floating stuatus” due to a different administrative case, he added.

The division chiefs were replaced with qualified people who have PhDs,” he told the BusinessMirror on Sunday.

A lvindia said the reorganization at PhilMech was approved by the agency’s mother department, the Department of Agriculture.

He said Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban is aware of these developments. Alvindia said it was even Panganiban who replaced one of the high-ranking officials of PhilMech.

N onetheless, Alvindia said he is open to the possible scrutiny of PhilMech.

The replacement of people made the performance of PhilMech better; it became faster and more efficient. The former officials were the ones slowing down the procurement of machinery.”

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—A consortium of cooperatives is being organized at the Davao City Food Terminal Complex (DFTC) in Toril to ensure the steady flow of agriculture products assist farmers in securing a fair price for their produce.

T he Davao City Cooperative Development Office (CCDO) has listed the farmers and agricultural cooperatives that will form the consortium.

CCDO head Luzminda Eblamo said her office has identified 20 cooperatives that will become part of the consortium. “We are organizing the consortium, we already have interim officers,” Eblamo said.

T he consortium would serve as the trading partner of the DFTC and it would adopt the agricultural supply chain model “wherein agricultural producer cooperatives would supply

agricultural products.”

There will also be consolidators, the big cooperatives, that will buy the products of the other cooperatives. Marketing cooperatives will help (sell the products).”

C ooperatives that are already working with the DFTC include the Manuel Guianga and the Sirib Growers and the Employees Multipurpose Cooperative (Magsige).

Other cooperatives that will be tapped to join the consortium are the Davao Region Agriculture Cooperative (Draco) and the Biao Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (Barbco). More cooperatives may still join and expand the consortium’s membership, according to Eblamo.

She said the composition of the consortium would be completed in February.

A memorandum of agreement is also being finalized. It will be signed by the City Agriculturist Office as operator of the DFTC, and the trading partners.

ABOOST in investment is essential to transform the world’s agrifood systems to become more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive, while supporting countries’ access climate finance and ensuring that appropriate financial resources reach small and medium-scale food producers.

T hat was the key message from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo who was speaking at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) held in Berlin, Germany.

S he was the keynote speaker at a FAO organized event titled “Financing sustainable transformation in the agrifood systems: Gaps and Opportunities.”

“ This event comes at a critical time as the current food crisis is far from over. This is particularly concerning as the world’s most vulnerable countries and communities struggle with increasing hunger in the face of climate and biodiversity challenges,” Semedo said.

S he highlighted FAO’s role in launching global initiatives to examine these issues and emphasized on the need for climate finance to trans-

form agrifood systems by 2030. At COP 27 last year, FAO launched the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative (FAST), along with the government of Egypt, to improve the quality and quantity of climate finance contributions to the agricultural sectors.

“ While overall climate finance flows have increased over the past decade, the share targeted to agriculture has been steadily decreasing,” Semedo said.

T he agriculture and land use sector received $122 billion in financing between 2000 and 2018, representing 26 percent of the global climate finance flows to all sectors.

Wolfgang Zornbach from the Germany Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the moderator of the event, announced that his government would contribute $3 million to the FAST initiative, $1 million a year for three years, to ensure “a more coherent approach in global climate change related initiatives.”

E xperts at the FAO panel event included Iride Ceccacci, Associate Director, Head of Advisory—Agribusiness at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Martina Fleckenstein,

Global Policy Director Food at WWF International; and Ritsuko Yoneda, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries of Japan.

T hey discussed concrete ways in which to promote adaptation to and mitigation of climate change whilst ensuring food security and nutrition, with a focus on FAST’s three pillars, namely: access to climate finance, knowledge and capacity; policy supports; and dialogue.

I ride Ceccaci emphasized the importance of partnerships in realizing the goals of the FAST initiative, and the collaboration of the EBRD with FAO. In this regard, Martina Fleckenstein pointed out that the initiative provides an umbrella and offers several opportunities to address climate change impact.

Semedo also reiterated how climate-resilient agrifood system responses are fundamental to achieving the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

We are faced with a doubleedged challenge that requires a two-pronged approach: addressing climate change impacts on agrifood systems while reducing the carbon footprint of agrifood systems.”

ONION rings and fries will be tight this year, according to Portillo’s Inc. Chief Executive Officer Michael Osanloo—another challenge for restaurant operators that are grappling with high food and labor costs.

T he limited supply is largely due to a bad crop year for the onions that are used for the fried appetizers. The cost and availability of French fries are also a concern, Osanloo said in an interview in Chicago, adding that prices for the two items have gone up dramatically.

It’s French fries and onion rings that have been the biggest nightmare in terms of both supply and cost increases, and that’s industry-wide,” he said.

W hile inflation-rate increases are slowing compared with 2022, food expenses are still a top area of concern for restaurants this year. The industry has been steadily raising prices in spite of tighter family budgets, economic uncertainty and a decline in consumer sentiment.

Data from the National Onion Association shows that 2022-2023 production levels for the United States are almost 5 percent lower

than the prior year. Restaurant distributor US Foods Holding Corp. has reported that onion harvests are lower than last year, while sellers are expecting tight supply this summer, according to its January 13 Farmer’s Report.

“I’m nervous about onion rings,” Osanloo said. “There’s a certain type of onion that makes onion rings really good and apparently 2022 was a really bad year for these crops.” He added that frying oil has also gotten more expensive.

O nion rings and fries are important menu items for the chain that was founded in 1963 as a hotdog stand in Villa Park, Illinois. Since then, Portillo’s has grown to about 71 locations in the US, with a focus on Italian beef sandwiches and burgers.

Osanloo predicted that commodity costs would be up in the mid-tohigh-single digits in 2023 and further price increases are coming for diners, after the Oak Brook, Illinoisbased company raised prices by about 8 percent last year. Portillo’s favors using multiple smaller increases instead of brusque jumps, Osanloo said. Chief Financial Officer Michelle Hook said earlier this month

the company would raise prices by about 2 percent in mid-January.

Sunbelt expansion

MEANWHILE , Portillo’s is looking to the US Sunbelt region to add more locations, while it also continues to grow in the Chicago area and in Michigan. The chain is looking to cluster between 6 to 8 stores in cities in Arizona, Texas and Florida to achieve scale, Osanloo said. That helps to increase revenue and improve profitability, in part because the chain’s long-haul distributors can send an entire truck of supplies just for Portillo’s.

Portillo’s last year introduced a plant-based hot dog and will offer a new Rodeo Burger in May following a test in Florida. It’s a bacon cheeseburger topped with onion rings and barbecue sauce, and will be a permanent item, Osanloo said. The burger will include an upgraded cut of bacon from what the chain previously offered.

Bacon isn’t bacon. There’s great bacon, and then there’s OK bacon,” he said. “We’re not proud of our bacon right now. We’re going to the highestend commercially-available bacon—a dramatic improvement.”

A VENDOR preps newly delivered onions from Nueva Ecija before selling them at the Balintawak Public Market in Quezon City in this BusinessMirror file photo. NONOY LACZA

Ex-workers push for probe on PhilMech reorganization Consortium of coops organized for Davao City food terminal

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Chris hipkins’ journey from police cell to new zealand’s next prime minister

By Tracy Withers

New Zealand’s next prime minister credits time spent in a p olice cell for sparking his interest in national politics.

Twenty-five years after his brush with the law as a student protester, Chris Hipkins i s set to become the nation’s 41st premier.

The ruling Labour Party’s caucus on Sunday unanimously endorsed his promotion to leader following the s hock resignation of Jacinda Ardern. He will be sworn in by the Governor-General on Jan. 25.

Hipkins, 44, faces an uphill battle to win Labour a third term in office at the Oct. 14 election. The party trailed the main opposition National Party in polls last month, and the new prime minister has less than nine months to revive its support in the absence of A rdern’s star power.

“ w h oever was going to take this role on knew that they’d be filling big shoes,” said Lara Greaves, a political scientist at Auckland University. “It’s hard to tell exactly h ow the public perceive him at this stage and whether he’s prime ministerial enough.”

Nicknamed “Chippy”— an amalgam of his first and last names—the youthfullooking Hipkins presents as a likable, enthusiastic character with an ability to laugh at himself. But he also has a ruthless streak, and was often the minister Ardern turned to when problems arose.

“I like to think I’m pretty upfront and pretty straight with people,” Hipkins told reporters on Saturday. “I’m decisive and I can get things done. People won’t die wondering what I think.”

A sked whether the nation was ready for a red-haired leader, he quipped: “I think it was about time we had a ginger at the top.”

Less charisma H I Pk I NS cur rently holds the weighty ministerial portfolios of education, police and p ublic service. He was also the minister responsible for the government’s Covid-19 strategy during the most intense period of the pandemic.

B ryce e d wards, a lecturer in politics at Victoria University of we llington, said Hipkins is less charismatic than A rdern but has the ability to connect with everyday people and win back voters who are deserting Labour.

“He doesn’t come across as cosmopolitan, he doesn’t wear the designer clothes,” e dwards said. “He likes sausage r olls and coke, and that’s desperately what Labour needs at t he moment.”

Hipkins is also more centrist than Ardern and better placed to jettison some of t he less popular policies she championed, which will be necessary to win back the political middle-ground and give Labour a chance of victory, he said.

T hat will be a tall order.

The economy is forecast to enter a recession this year as the central bank hikes interest rates at record pace to regain control of inflation.

Student protester

H I Pk I NS became a household name during the pandemic when he fronted frequent news conferences in his role as Covid-19 response minister.

He lightened the nation’s mood during a lockdown in 2021 when he spoke of New Zealanders getting outside to “spread their legs”—he meant to say, “stretch” them.

But being so closely associated with Covid restrictions, w hich the public ultimately grew frustrated with, could also prove to be a hindrance.

Hipkins was born and raised in the largely working-class Hutt Valley region n ear capital city we llington. After being head boy in his final year of high school he studied at Victoria University, where he completed an arts degree majoring in politics and criminology.

It was during a 1997 demonstration outside parliament over the government’s t ertiary education policies that a teenaged Hipkins and dozens of other students were arrested and taken to we llington’s central police station.

The charges were found to be unjust and were dropped, and a subsequent court ruling helped to enshrine students’ right to protest.

The experience led to Hipkins becoming more involved i n politics, he told parliament in his maiden speech.

‘Mr. Fixit’ He became president of the students’ association, and after graduating had an advisor role in ministerial offices i ncluding that of then-Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Hipkins entered parliament in 2008, the same year as A rdern, winning the electorate of Remutaka even as Labour lost the treasury benches. He has retained the seat at four subsequent elections.

He spent nine years in opposition, including time as chief whip and education spokesperson.

After Ardern took Labour back into power in 2017, Hipkins built a solid reputation as a reliable minister and “Mr. Fixit” for the administration.

He led reforms in the education sector and became health m inister for a period when the incumbent was forced to resign. Last year, Ardern handed h im the police portfolio when concerns about law and order were denting the government’s popularity.

H is father told Newshub that the family has mixed feelings about what lies ahead given the torrent of abuse faced by Ardern.

However, he said politics had always been his son’s passion, revealing that a poll of s tudents taken in a 1996 high school magazine concluded he was the most likely to become prime minister.

“I am here to make sure that New Zealanders can go out there and work hard to make a better life for themselves and for their families,” Hipkins said. “That’s what Labour h as always stood for and that’s absolutely why I’m in politics.”

Lula fires Brazil’s army chief in aftermath of capital uprising

By Carla Bridi The Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil—President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired Brazil’s army chief Saturday just days after the leftist leader openly said that some military members allowed the January 8 uprising in the capital by far-right protesters.

The official website of the Brazilian armed forces said Gen. Julio Cesar de Arruda had been removed as head of the army. He was replaced by Gen. Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who was head of the Southeast Military Command.

Lula, who did not comment publicly on the firing, met with Defense Minister Jose Mucio, chief of staff Rui Costa and the new army commander in Brasilia at the end of the day. Speaking to journalists afterward, Mucio said the Jan. 8 riots had caused “a fracture in the level of trust” in the army’s top levels and the government decided a change was needed.

In recent weeks, Lula targeted the military with criticism after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed through government buildings and destroyed public property in an attempt to keep

Bolsonaro in office.

The uprising underlined the polarization in Brazil between the left and the right.

Lula said several times in public that there were definitely people in the army who allowed the rioting to occur, though he never cited Arruda. During a breakfast with the press, Lula said earlier this week that “a lot of people from the military police and the armed forces were complicit” and had allowed protesters to enter the buildings with open doors. In another interview, the president said that “all the military involved in the coup attempt will be punished, no matter the rank.”

The comments were followed by Lula scheduling several meetings with the defense minister and the armed forces’ commanders. Mucio denied they had mentioned the Jan.

8 rioting, but he said relations between the military and the government needed adjustment.

On the eve of Arruda’s firing, a video of a Paiva speech earlier in the week was released in which he said the election results should be respected in order to guarantee democracy.

Rioters who stormed through the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia sought to have the military intervene and overturn Bolsonaro’s loss to Lula in the presidential election.

In a video posted on social media from inside the presidential palace on the day of the attack, a colonel is seen trying to stop police from arresting Bolsonaro’s supporters who had invaded the building. He asks for patience from the military police, which report to the federal district’s government.

More than a thousand people were arrested on the day of the riot and the morning after the dis -

turbance, which bore strong similarities to the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Congress by mobs that wanted to overturn former President Donald Trump’s election loss.

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice earlier this month authorized adding Bolsonaro in its investigation into who incited the rioting in Brasilia as part of a broader crackdown to hold responsible parties to account.

According to the text of his ruling, Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted the request from the prosecutor-general’s office, which cited a video that Bolsonaro posted on Facebook two days after the riot. The video claimed Lula wasn’t voted into office, but rather was chosen by the Supreme Court and Brazil’s electoral authority.

Lula has been trying to reduce the high number of military officers in the government administration left by Bolsonaro. At least 140 military officers have been dismissed since Lula took office January 1.

FBI searched Biden home, found documents marked classified

By Zeke Miller, Michael Balsamo & Colleen Long The Associated Press

wASHINGTON—The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s home in w i lmington, Delaware on Friday and located six additional documents containing classified markings and also took possession of some of his notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday.

The documents taken by the FBI spanned Biden’s time in the Senate and the vice presidency, while the notes dated to his time as vice president, said Bob Bauer, the president’s personal lawyer. He added that the search of the entire premises lasted nearly 13 hours. The level of classification, and whether the documents removed by the FBI remained classified, was not immediately clear as the Justice Department reviews the records.

The extraordinary search followed more than a week after Biden’s attorneys found six classified documents in the president’s home library from his time as vice president, and nearly three months after lawyers found a “small number” of classified records at his former offices at the Penn Biden Center in wa shington. It came a day after Biden maintained that “there’s no there there” on the document dis -

coveries, which have become a political headache as he prepares to launch a reelection bid and undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public after the tumultuous presidency of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

we fo und a handful of documents were filed in the wrong place,” Biden told reporters Thursday in California. we i mmediately turned them over to the Archives and the Justice Department.”

Biden added that he was “fully cooperating and looking forward to getting this resolved quickly.”

The president and first lady Jill Biden were not at the home when it was searched. They were spending the weekend at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

It remains to be seen whether additional searches by federal officials of other locations might be conducted. Biden’s personal attorneys previously conducted a search of the Rehoboth Beach residence and said they did not find any official documents or classified records.

The Biden investigation has also complicated the Justice Department’s probe into Trump’s retention of classified documents and official records after he left office. The Justice Department says Trump took hundreds

of records marked classified with him upon leaving the w h ite House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government, and that it had to obtain a search warrant to retrieve them.

Bauer said the FBI requested that the w h ite House not comment on the search before it was conducted, and that Biden’s personal and w h ite House attorneys were present. The FBI, he added, “had full access to the President’s home, including personally handwritten notes, files, papers, binders, memorabilia, to-do lists, schedules, and reminders going back decades.”

The Justice Department, he added, “took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, some of which were from the President’s service in the Senate and some of which were from his tenure as Vice President.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed former Maryland US Attorney Robert Hur as a special counsel to investigate any potential wrongdoing surrounding the Biden documents. Hur is set to take over from the Trumpappointed Illinois US Attorney John Lausch in overseeing the probe.

“Since the beginning, the President

has been committed to handling this responsibly because he takes this seriously,” w h ite House lawyer Richard Sauber said Saturday. “The President’s lawyers and w h ite House Counsel’s Office will continue to cooperate with DOJ and the Special Counsel to help ensure this process is conducted swiftly and efficiently.”

The Biden document discoveries and the investigation into Trump, which is in the hands of special counsel Jack Smith, are significantly different. Biden has made a point of cooperating with the DOJ probe at every turn—and Friday’s search was voluntary—though questions about his transparency with the public remain.

For a crime to have been committed, a person would have to “knowingly remove” the documents without authority and intend to keep them at an “unauthorized location.” Biden has said he was “surprised” that classified documents were uncovered at the Penn Biden Center.

Generally, classified documents are to be declassified after a maximum of 25 years. But some records are of such value they remain classified for far longer, though specific exceptions must be granted. Biden served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009. Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, contributed to this report.

China rings in Lunar New Year with most Covid rules lifted

BEIJIN g People across China rang in the l unar New Year on s u nday with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict "zero-Covid" policy, marking the biggest festive celebration since the pandemic began three years ago.

t h e l u nar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China. Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle, with this year being the Year of the r a bbit. For the past three years, celebrations were muted in the shadow of the pandemic.

With the easing of most Covid-19 restrictions, many people could finally make their first trip back to their hometowns to reunite with their families without worrying about the hassles of quarantine, potential lockdowns and suspension of travel. l a rger public celebrations

also returned for what is known as the s p ring Festival in China, with the capital hosting thousands of cultural events—on a larger scale than a year ago.

In Beijing, many worshippers offered morning prayers at the l am a te mple but the crowds appeared to be smaller compared to pre-pandemic days. t h e t i betan Buddhist site allows up to 60,000 visitors a day, citing safety reasons, and requires an advance reservation.

t h rongs of residents and tourists swarmed pedestrian streets in the Qianmen area near t ianan men s q uare. m an y of them enjoyed snacks from barbecue and New Year rice cake stands, and some children wore traditional Chinese rabbit hats. o t hers held blown sugar or marshmallows shaped like rabbits.

Beijing resident s i Jia said she felt that life in Beijing was back to normal in general, pointing

to the return of tourists. s h e said she brought her 7-year-old son to Qianmen to experience the festive vibe in Beijing and learn about traditional Chinese culture.

" h e has never experienced what a traditional new year is like because he was too young three years ago and he had no memory of that," she said. "But this year I can show him around here."

At ta oranting Park, there was no sign of the usual bustling New Year food stalls despite its walkways being decorated with traditional Chinese lanterns. A popular temple fair at Badachu Park that was suspended for three years will be back this week, but similar events at d i tan Park and l o ngtan l a ke Park have yet to return.

t h e mass movement of people may cause the virus to spread in certain areas, said Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at China's Center

for d i sease Control. But a large-scale Covid-19 surge will be unlikely in the next two or three months because about 80% of the country's 1.4 billion people have been infected during the recent wave, he wrote on the social media platform Weibo on s at urday.

t he center separately reported 12,660 Covid-19-related deaths between Jan. 13 and 19. t h e statement on s at urday said those "deaths related to Covid" occurred in hospitals, which means anyone who died at home would not be included in the tally. l a st week, China reported nearly 60,000 deaths in people who had Covid-19 since early d e cember. Associated Press researcher Henry Hou, video journalist Emily Wang and video producer Olivia Zhang in Beijing and video journalists Alice Fung in Hong Kong and Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.

BraziL S President Luiz inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the swearingin ceremony of Tarciana Medeiros, the first woman to preside the Banco do Brasil, one of the country’s main public banks, in Brasilia, Brazil on Jan. 16, 2023. Lula fired Brazil’s army chief Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, amid concerns over threats to the country’s democracy following the Jan. 8 uprising in the capital by far-right protesters. AP Photo/Er A l do P E r E s

ChriS hiPk inS speaks to members of the media in Wellington on Jan. 21. Bloom BE r g P h oto

editorial

Be careful of taking too much credit

There are many elements that are part of a nation’s economy and many ways to measure them. None of them exist independently, nor individually create an accurate picture of the health, resilience in periods of domestic and external stresses, and benefits to citizens and participants.

It is simple to speak of economic growth as measured by the gross domestic product. However, there are several ways to measure both the size and the growth of the GDP. Individual worker productivity matters, as does the amount of population.

Singapore has the 37th largest economy but is number 6 in per capita GDP due to its 5.4 million population. The Philippines ranks at 38 and 126, respectively. But measure the GDP size based on Per Capita Purchasing Power Parity (measuring the absolute purchasing power of the countries’ currencies) and Singapore is number 2.

Price inflation seems simple enough to measure and that is important to every consumer. But the composition and quality of even products that should be the same as food or clothing vary widely. Even the “Big Mac,” “KFC” or “iPad” (or an item that formally all came out of the same factory) index can only show differences in different currencies’ domestic purchasing power and say little about an economy.

Detractors tell us that the one problem with the Philippine economy is that it depends too much on consumer spending. The reality is that the whole world is a “consumer economy,” except of course for the countless millions of fishers and farmers who harvest just enough food to eat in their “subsistence economy.”

China’s economy depends on consumer spending not just from the Chinese. They depend on the consumers in the US and Europe. Certainly, it is advantageous to be self-sufficient for your manufactured goods. Japan built its miracle economy selling stuff to the rest of the world. That is until about 2012 when it started importing more than it exported and that continued until today, except for a brief period from 2016 to 2018 and during Covid. Plus Japan imports 60 percent of the food it eats.

The South Korean export miracle has also turned negative as the economic slowdown of its trading buyers made its trade balance negative in 2022.

Therefore, one way to look at an individual economy—and by extension the global situation—is to look at its consumers.

The supposed “economic engine of the world,” the US, has major consumer problems. The US savings rate has moved from a high of 30 percent during Covid—with a historical average of about 8 percent—to the current 2.4 percent, half of what it was 112 months ago.

A credit card is the fastest way for consumers to spend money they do not have. In Canada, 82 percent have a credit card, against 67 percent in the US. Less than 10 percent of Filipinos have a credit card.

Individual credit card debt in the US is at a historic high as is the credit card interest rate. Yet the amount of US credit card debt is at a historic high. Further, US credit card companies are looking at historically high “net charge-offs”—provision for writing off debt they figure will never be paid. Subprime delinquent automobile loans are at the highest rate since 2006.

An economy can be in trouble when the government has too much debt service that drains revenues. But far worse is when the economy has too much unpayable consumer credit. The Philippines, despite Covid, is still maintaining the same consumer and business credit growth as it has for 25 years and that is a strong economic positive for the future.

Cory remains in the hearts of Filipinos

RISING SUN

ON Wednesday, January 25, we remember the

anniversary of the country’s first

“Cory”

in Paniqui, Tarlac, and was dearly

her people. She is known as the Mother of Democracy for she restored democracy to our land after the long reign of former president Ferdinand Marcos.

C ory led Edsa People Power, a peaceful revolution admired and duplicated in many parts of the world, just before she became president. And so for her valuable contribution not just to her country but also to the whole world, she was recognized by TIME Magazine as Person of the Year in 1986. It was a major thing because, at that time, the only other woman who received the same honor was Queen Eliza-

beth II in 1952.

Her people loved her because they were able to witness and feel her genuine love for her country and fellow men. Despite all odds, she made sacrifices and took risks to lead the country selflessly. Cory successfully united and inspired many Filipinos from all over the globe. The people were enthralled by her charisma and character. Filipinos from all walks of life were rooting for her. I have read

Cory successfully united and inspired many Filipinos from all over the globe. The people were enthralled by her charisma and character. Filipinos from all walks of life were rooting for her. I have read more than a few personal accounts written by Filipinos about how Cory affected their lives and inspired them to love the Philippines with greater fervor.

more than a few personal accounts written by Filipinos about how Cory affected their lives and inspired them to love the Philippines with greater fervor.

One of her leadership features, which we don’t see very often, is her prayerful nature. Cory showed us how she placed God in the midst of her presidency and demonstrated love for the country, love for family, and love for God as the centerpiece of her leadership. There are not a

New conflict may engulf Philippines

LITO GAGNI

The hullabaloo over the supposed communication link between President Marcos and Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when taken in the context of a frank interview that top Marine Corps General for Japan, Lt. Gen. James Bierman, gave to the Financial Times should be a cause of concern for us, given the Ukraine crisis now engulfing the world.

That interview has been widely commented on and it signals a worrying sign that a new theater of war looms in the Southeast Asian region, with the Philippines seen being drawn into the conflict as host to US bases. While the assertions from Gen. Bierman, and the supposed snubbing of a call between Zelenskyy and Marcos that was released to the media and later denied are miles apart, there is something peculiar that fuses the two disparate issues.

For one, Gen. Bierman said a mouthful about preparations that were done by the US for Ukraine months before the Ukraine crisis and which is now apparent in the joint USJapan military exercises seemingly aimed at preparing the region for what is projected as another theater of war in Taiwan. Thus, Zelenskyy’s initiative to call Marcos should be viewed in that context.

According to Zero Hedge’s Tyler

Durden, despite Chinese leadership insisting that the Taiwan and Ukraine situations are not comparable, this is precisely how Lieutenant General James Bierman presented the situation, even going so far as to admit the Pentagon is preparing a counter-China “theatre” by cultivating military ties with southeast Asian allies.

Durden cited the FT about the fact that “the US and Japanese armed forces are rapidly integrating their command structure and scaling up combined operations as Washington and its Asian allies prepare for a possible conflict with China, such as a war over Taiwan. For the Zero Hedge columnist, “while it’s no secret that Tokyo has been more and more openly siding with the US stance on arming Taiwan over the past year, also abandoning its historic post-WWII neutrality by drastically ramping up defense spending, Gen. Bierman

So, in a nutshell, the US has been preparing way ahead for another theater of war and the Philippines form part of those preparations. “As part of those preparations, the Philippines plans to allow US forces to preposition weapons and other supplies on five more bases in addition to five where the US has already access,” Durden said.

confirmed “exponential increases” over the past year in joint US-Japan operations.”

The FT interview has rankled Beijing officials, given how explicit the theme of the “Ukraine-ification of Taiwan” is throughout Bierman’s statements, especially given it’s coming from the commanding general of Third Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) and of Marine Forces Japan. There were two main concerns that Durden posited in his piece in commenting on the General’s interview. And this is where the Philippines come into the picture.

Bierman said: “Why have we achieved the level of success we’ve achieved in Ukraine? A big part of that has been because after Russian aggression in 2014 and 2015, we earnestly got after preparing for future conflict: training for the Ukrainians, pre-positioning of supplies, identification of sites from which we could operate, support, sustain operations.”

Bierman expanded this with this

lot of presidents who would do such a thing. But Cory showed the Filipinos—and the world—how important prayers are. She rekindled that fire in our hearts so we could rediscover prayer and its powers. Her character shone brightly because of her kindness. This did not reflect as weakness, mind you, but came out as a manifestation of her character’s strength. Cory gracefully balanced that scale between kindness and strength in a way that only she could have done.

So now as we remember a great lady in Philippine history and politics, I hope that we may continue to pray for her soul and for guidance over our nation’s current leaders. As we remember her deeds and achievements, may we also be inspired yet again to continue her work in our own ways. Cory said that we must forget ourselves and just think about our fellowmen. I do hope that this nation will have more selfless leaders who can really forget themselves and just think about the welfare of the people.

assertion: “We call that setting the theatre. And we are setting the theatre in Japan, in the Philippines, in other locations.”

For Zero Hedge, Bierman’s interview “as applied to Ukraine itself, the comments (were) highly revealing, given the casual admission that US defense planners were busy inside Ukraine years ago “earnestly preparing” for war with Russia, even down to the “pre-positioning of supplies” and readying the battle space. So, in a nutshell, the US has been preparing way ahead for another theater of war and the Philippines form part of those preparations. “As part of those preparations, the Philippines plans to allow US forces to preposition weapons and other supplies on five more bases in addition to five where the US has already access,” Durden said.

Another interesting part of the interview, according to Durden, comes in him cautioning regional US allies, including Taiwan, not to overestimate the Chinese military, asserting that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army  should not be fearfully seen as being “10 feet tall.”

The FT interview has received scant attention here given the hefty surge in the prices of onion and President Marcos’s Davos trip where initiatives were made for the possible entry of foreign investments into the country. But with the onion price going back to earth, a plethora of conspiracy theories may come by and with them the next Southeast Asian crisis.

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

birth

female president, Maria Corazon

Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino. She was born in 1933

loved by

The AP Interview:

Yellen says debt standoff risks ‘calamity’

By Fatima Hussein | The Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal—uS Treasury Secretary janet Yellen said in an Associated Press interview Saturday she expects Congress will ultimately vote to raise America’s debt limit, but demands by house Republicans for spending cuts in return for backing an increase are “a very irresponsible thing to do” and risk creating a “self-imposed calamity” for the global economy.

The Biden administration and Republican lawmakers have been at loggerheads over how to increase the government’s legal borrowing capacity. On Thursday, the government bumped up against the $31.381 trillion debt cap, forcing the US Treasury Department to take “extraordinary” accounting steps to keep the government running.

Asked in the interview, conducted during her trip to Africa, about such talk of withholding approval for a higher debt limit unless there are accompanying spending cuts, Yellen called that stance “a very irresponsible thing to do” and said it could have serious consequences even before “the day of reckoning.”

“It is possible for markets to become quite concerned about whether or not the US will pay its bills,” she said, pointing to the negative economic impacts of a debt showdown in 2011.

As for a potential default, she said, that “would impose a self-imposed calamity in the United States and the world economy.” The Treasury’s extraordinary steps so far mean that the US government should be able to operate until some point in June, when the limit would need to be increased to avoid what could be significant economic damage.

Yellen said she has not spoken with the US Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the newly elected Republican speaker of the House. McCarthy has yet to spell out the size and target of the spending cuts that he contends are needed to put the federal government on a healthier financial path.

President Joe Biden and administration officials have called for a “clean increase”—not linked to cuts—to the borrowing capacity, saying that the risks of an extended impasse could lead to a deep recession that would echo dangerously worldwide if faith is lost in the credit of the US government.

“Congress needs to understand that this is about paying bills that have already been incurred by decisions with this and past Congresses and it’s not about new spending,” Yellen said. She said she believes in making sure that government debt levels are sustainable, “but it can’t be negotiated over whether or not we’re going to pay our bills.”

Despite the dire warnings, Yellen said she believes the situation ultimately will be defused because lawmakers can appreciate the escalating danger if the federal government was unable to pay all of its bills: crashing financial markets, mass firings, and an economic downturn that could jeopardize America’s place in the world hierarchy.

“I believe in the end we will find a way around this,” Yellen said.

The treasury secretary said that White House and officials from her department “are meeting to discuss possible paths forward. And we will have discussions with members of Congress to try to understand what they see as a path forward.”

The White House said Friday that Biden “looks forward” to sitting down with McCarthy to discuss a range of topics. But its statement came with no invitation or a date for a meeting.

Yellen said the administration’s position remains to not negotiate over the debt limit, but she did not detail possible strategies being discussed inside the White House to ensure the ceiling is raised.

“Congress has to do it,” she said. “It has to be done. It can’t be something that’s contingent on cuts.”

Yellen sat down for the Saturday

interview in the middle of a continent-spanning trip, in which she met with her Chinese counterpart in Switzerland before heading to Senegal, Zambia and South Africa.

The Biden administration is trying to signal its support for improving the economies of African countries, many of which have young populations that will eventually make those nations the drivers of growth in decades to come. At an African nation summit held in Washington last month, Biden said he would visit the continent this year in a sign of the desire to increase engagement with the United States.

Before the interview, Yellen went to Senegal’s Goree Island, touring a building known as the House of Slaves that was a center for the Atlantic slave trade that defined much of American history.

The economist and former Federal Reserve chair has emphasized her desire to reduce racial and income inequality, an element of the systemic racism tied to slavery and its aftermath of segregation. For Democrats, the issue of how to bridge that divide is not just a matter social justice but political pragmatism, given that Black voters are a key constituency for winning elections.

Yellen said the administration has not turned to reparations—payments and other programs intended for the descendants of slaves—to address the inequality.

“The administration has not embraced reparations as part of the answer,” said Yellen, adding that “we have a program to try to address these issues that involves many positive steps and adjustments and increasing opportunity.”

America is trying to appeal to African countries on moral terms, saying that aid and loans from the US will be transparent and fair in ways that Chinese investments have not been.

Relations between the US and China—the world’s two largest economies—have taken on an increasingly antagonistic streak amid the geopolitical fallout from China’s friendship from Russia, the persistence of the coronavirus and an era of open globalization that has given way to national security priorities.

The past two US presidential administrations have challenged China’s trade practices, with the Biden administration limiting the export of advanced computer chips as it simultaneously tries to boost the US sector.

“This is not competition with China—we want to deepen our engagement with Africa,” Yellen said.

“We want to make sure that we don’t create the same problems that Chinese investment has sometimes created here. That we have transparency, that we have projects that really bring broad based benefits to the African people and don’t leave a legacy of unsustainable debt.”

Yellen said she had been struck during her time in Senegal by “a sense of dynamism and optimism among all of the government officials and private sector people that I’ve met with.” She pointed to female entrepreneurs who received seed money through the Senegalese government.

“There’s a kind of vibrancy about the country and a can-do spirit that we saw,” Yellen said. “They’re coming up with very innovative and original ideas about what they can do to both satisfy local needs and could easily find a global market.” Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Baltimore contributed to this report

Ah-10-shun!

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

The command of “attention” in the Army is given with much authority that those who hear it truly give their full and undivided attention lest they be punished! Nobel Laureate herbert A. Simon said that attention was the “bottleneck of human thought.” Attention limits what we can do as in the case of multitasking, which seems to make people do many things at the same time albeit improperly if not poorly. In an article posted in Berkeley economic Review way back in 2020, Ally Mintzer, echoing what Simon said, wrote, “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

In that same article, theoretical physicist Micheal Goldhaber was said to have warned, way back in 1997, that the international economy is slowly evolving into an attentionbased economy. As many have proclaimed that information or data is the new gold, information is not as scarce as gold, but attention is.

The attention span of my law students to focus on specific topics cannot exceed two hours. As such, Ateneo Law, as in most schools, discourages sessions that exceed 120 minutes. Given that technology allows an overwhelming amount of information to be available to my law students, I prohibit the use of any electronic gadget as well as books during classroom recitations. Prior to this restriction, I allowed laptops, only to reinstate the “no gadget policy” after one of my students was caught browsing through her social media while in class. In some corporate meetings, especially those marathon ones, I noticed that some participants check social media from time to time, especially when the discussion deserves less focus or little attention. Succinctly put, a lot of people suffer from what is more commonly identified as divided attention.

The Philippines faces extreme attention inequality as some celebrities attract much attention from their many followers compared to the ordinary Filipino. What I noticed so far is that among the celebrities, the more controversial they get, the more followers they generate. And, unfortunately these days, sensationalism

can sometimes be achieved through disinformation disguised as free speech. While a handful of journalists remain true to their profession by sharing accurate information to the public, others have turned into hired character assassins that fabricate false or fake news in exercising their press freedom. Worst of the media “practitioners” are some unscrupulous bloggers whose troll armies give them a sense of credibility for optics purposes. They recklessly malign public figures using unverified sources of information or baseless opinions as their way of getting “likes” and “shares” in this attention economy.

A few weeks ago, a multi-sectoral group of professionals, mostly lawyers, members of the academe, and media, convened a campaign against disinformation.

Since social media has been weaponized to spread disinformation, the Movement Against Disinformation was formed to combat the disinformation pollution that has permeated a good cross section of society. MAD historians are locked in an “attention battle” against propagandists/revisionists who author misleading and deceiving narratives that distort reality. MAD lawyers have filed cases against individuals who have fabricated, if not circulated, fake news. One of MAD’s objectives is to bring to the attention of the public the reality about disinformation, the modus operandi of its authors (especially bloggers) enablers (“likes”) and propagators

Power industry pandemic

(“shares”). Founded by Dean Tony Lavina, MAD counts on a team of volunteers who decided to share their professional time and interest to this worthy cause as most Filipinos have been victimized by this disinformation menace!

Disinformation is just as abundant as information. While the former promotes distrust and undermines our democracy, the latter can overwhelm many and distract their attention from the more important issues in society. For a large majority of Filipinos, they must focus on heeding what they pay attention to. Unfortunately, their world seems inundated enough by too many concerns as to warrant their focus on what truly matters. In the military where I spent most of my significant time and concentration, nothing much is left for a subordinate’s option when a superior hollers “Attention!” (Ahten-shun). Immediately, one should drop everything like a hot potato and face his officer with confidence —body upright, head held high, eyes front, and mind focused on the orders to follow.

The same degree of thought and interest is expected of us when it comes to our faith. While the world can easily pitch many an information to catch our attention, we are directed to first lend our ears, and our hearts, to God’s Word. There are benefits from doing so that no amount of restriction from this attention economy can hinder or spoil. If we are to practice our faith and reliance on one Almighty God as found in the preamble of our Constitution, the first order of business is to “Pay Attention” to His Word, then we can be blessed as the Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:20 —“Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful; trust in the Lord and you will be happy.” Proverbs 1:33 amplifies this, hence—“but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” In the Message Bible translation, which is more apt for this millennial generation, the same verse reads—“First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.” Even the ministry of spreading the Gospel is not spared by falsities as seen in false prophets. Yet, if we remain faithful to the Word,

and not this world, then we should “take it easy.”

Those who aspire to combat the growing number of attention getters through scandalous if not libelous words must understand the biblical truth in 1 John 4:5-6 as it says, “You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world’s language and the world eats it up. But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.”

In this attention economy where social media has played a huge role in providing the Filipino a wealth of information, MAD advocates are in a constant struggle to fight against disinformation. These MAD advocates should not be mad (pun intended) against government propaganda or private strategists but should remain calm and “take it easy” while resting on God’s promises. Each step, carefully taken and sensibly done, could go a long way. Again, the adversary here goes beyond the glut of information thrown our way minute by minute. It is our penchant for a lack of focus on what should be prioritized that MAD advocates should wrestle with and address. And, humbly speaking, the best weapon is going back to the basics – paying attention to God’s Word, daily and with deliberate intention to obey! Everything else will follow naturally.

Whenever our Commander in heaven hollers “Attention!”, shouldn’t we direct our focus on Him with sheer abandon?

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

Alfredo J. Non

DEBIT

CREDIT

IjuST received another bill from Meralco. Immediately, the joy from the festive season disappeared as I was reminded of the amount I have to pay. It is not the amount to be paid that irritates me—it is the fact that it should be a few thousand pesos less. Yes, for the past 10 years, we are being billed much more, but Meralco and the regulator—energy Regulatory Commission—appear to be insensitive to the plight of the consumers and to their responsibilities under the law (epira), which is to protect and bill the consumers on the least cost basis.

Meralco has always denied that there were overbillings. However, this contradicts what was presented in its financial statements. There, Meralco claimed as part of operating expenses, a provision for claims and losses in the amount of about P10 billion annually. The Notes to the financial statements mentioned that this provision was supposed to cover any amount of over recoveries. Later, ERC ordered Meralco to implement interim cash refunds amounting to P48 billion covering the regulatory years 2012 to 2022. The amount may appear significant, but the final validation by the ERC has not been completed. Based on best estimates, the unpaid balance of the overbilling could still reach P100 billion.

For clarity, the interim refunds meant a monthly reduction in the electricity bills of consumers by about P1.809 per kWh during the refund period. For consumers av-

eraging 200 kWh, this translated to about P360 reduction in their monthly bills. If ERC could hasten the decision on the unpaid balance, this could mean an additional reduction of electricity bills by at least twice the amount of the interim refund—a big relief from the anticipated cost increases starting the new year 2023.

Somehow, I wonder why consumers do not seem to care because very few raised the issues to the ERC. Even the media (print and TV) showed no concern at all for this plight of the consumers. Except for one entity, the expose fell on deaf ears. I wonder, is there really no story or, is the value of stories from distribution utility owners more valuable?

The halls of Congress and the Senate sometimes were filled with the angry voices of some lawmakers—accusing Meralco of overbilling as a result of the use of a high

and unvalidated rate of return. But the lawmakers now have long been silent.

The ERC appears very slow in rendering its decisions. Ten years is a long period. The ERC is under the office of the President, and he can demonstrate his real concern for the plight of consumers by ordering ERC to hasten their evaluation of the cases involving the remaining balance of over-recoveries as soon as possible. This is of utmost importance because:

The issues involved an error. It cannot remain uncorrected for a long time.

The impact on the economy and individual consumers is quite significant, which necessitates an early resolution.

During the past 10 years, consumers have been paying more than they should. As a result, Meralco is able to unduly accumulate funds from consumers giving it a very big advantage. By accumulating the funds, it is like borrowing funds with no contract, no collateral, no interest, and no repayment period.

Even if ERC eventually decides to order Meralco to implement a refund, this normally comes in the form of bill reduction over a period of 12 to 24 months.

The early resolution of the cases by ERC could provide the muchneeded relief consumers needed to cope with the unabated cost increases during the year 2023.

This situation is the same for the rest of the 20 other private distribution utilities. The impact, therefore, is nationwide.

Meralco is a listed company. Any effect of this overbilling and sub-

sequent correction on the traded Meralco shares needs to be resolved and known to the investing public as soon as possible to avoid any untoward situation in the stock exchanges.

Has Meralco grown to a point where it is considered too big to fail that even regulators try to soften the impact on the utility entity for fear of a failure that could affect the economy? This fear should be unfounded, especially since a distribution utility has limited risks. It has an assured return on capital and an inflation-adjusted return on capital. Combining these with an assured recovery of efficient operating costs, the net income of a utility company is almost 100% assured.

While PBR is considered a good methodology, the way it is being implemented in the Philippines needs to be revisited and amended, since it appears to be more protective of, and advantageous to investors while the consumers’ interest is less protected—a situation contrary to the provisions of Epira.

If Meralco has grown too big, probably it is the time for legislators to consider breaking up the franchise for better regulation, and distribution of wealth. This can also put an end to the exploitation of consumers. This also reduces the risks of regulatory capture and possible ineptness on the part of the regulator and the external auditors.

Management at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

Alfredo Non is a CPA by profession and a former Partner at SGV & Co. He served as Commissioner of the Energy Regulatory Commission till he completed his term in 2018. He also served as Director and Executive Officer of several private companies and was a former professor in Financial

52-MAN LABOR CONTINGENT SET TO MEET WITH ILO TEAM

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

A52-MAN contingent will represent labor groups before the International Labor Organization-High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM), which will arrive in the country on Monday.

I n an SMS, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) Vice President Julius Cainglet said the contingent will include representatives from both local and international labor groups.

T he Mission will be interviewing the members of the contingent at the Makati Diamond Residences.  “This is the official and only time the HLTM [will have] with workers,”Cainglet said.

D uring the event, he said the contingent will also submit their comprehensive report of Freedom of Association (FOA) violations to the HLTM.

T he report includes the alleged killings, red tagging, trump up charges and forced disappearances of trade unionists in the country from 2016 to 2021.

T he said incidents prompted the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to place the Philippines in its list of 10 worst countries for workers for six consecutive years.

Aside from labor groups, the HLTM, which will be in the country from January 23 to 27, will also interview representatives from the government and employers.

T he deployment of HLTM was ordered by ILO’s Committee on the Application of Standards in 2019 after local labor leaders reported the killing of 43 unionists—a number disputed by Philippine government officials—during the International Labor Conference that year.

T he arrival of the mission was postponed until this year primarily due to the pandemic.

L ocal labor groups have called for concrete government measures to prevent more labor rights violations in the country as well as the swift resolution of pending labor-related cases.

M ajor employer groups, namely, the Employer’s Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT), which are part of the Leader Forum (LF), also the backed position of labor groups on the matter in a joint statement last week.

T he members of the LF said it will “push for the rule of law, dispensation of justice, speedy disposition of cases, in the course of its forthcoming meetings with the HLTM.”

A side from ECOP, PCCI, and PHILEXPORT, the Leaders Forum also includes the FFW, Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Sugar imports plan will worsen plight of planters

AGROUP of sugar industry workers warned that the proposed import program by the government would worsen the situation of planters displaced by the closure of Central Azucarera Don Pedro Inc.’s (CADPI) mill.

T he Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) opposed the national government proposal to import as much as 450,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar, calling it “ridiculous, ineffective, and a callous” measure in the wake of the closure of CADPI’s sugar mill, where “massive” job losses are expected.

T he latest sugar import proposal on the table, according to officials, is a joint recommendation by both the Palace and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA). (Related story: https://businessmirror com.ph/2023/01/19/phl-keenon-importing-450000-mt-ofsugar/)

The group proposed that the national government take over CADPI’s sugar mill to save the livelihood of Batangas sugarcane industry workers and improve the country’s output of the commodity.

U MA lamented that CADPI’s sugar mill closure was a “blow” to the livelihood of Batangas workers, particularly to small planters whose produce could no longer be accommodated by other mills.

T he group claimed that CADPI can mill as much as 12,000 metric tons (MT) of sugarcane daily, allegedly three times bigger than the capacity of Universal Robina Corp. Sugar and Renewables Balayan (URC-SURE) sugar mill, the nearest to the former facility.

“ Is the SRA so keen on sabotaging the sugar industry?” UMA spokesperson and National Federation of Sugar Workers President John Milton Lozande said in a recent statement.

“ Domestic sugar production

needs state support, not statesponsored competition brought about by wanton importation. It can provide this through subsidies for fuel and fertilizer, as well as taking over ailing sugar mills like CADPI,” Lozande added.

U MA urged the national government to intervene in CADPI’s sugar mill closure and provide affected planters with necessary subsidies, such as fuel and fertilizer, to help them in the next cropping season.

Fuel and fertilizer subsidies are urgent. Stopping the importation of agricultural goods we can produce ourselves is urgent. And [President] Marcos Jr.’s resignation from the [Department of Agriculture], even more so,” Lozande said.

T he BusinessMirror reported last week that CADPI, a subsidiary of listed firm Roxas Holdings Inc., has decided to permanently close its sugar mill due to operational and financial challenges . (Related story: https:// businessmirror .com.ph/2023/01/16/cadpimilling-ops-closure-has-sugarplanters-worried/)

Sinag blasts import default

IN a related development, the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) aired concerns about the proposed sugar import program of the national government.

Sinag did not mince words in saying that it is the “DA” itself that causes the depression of farm-gate prices due to ill-timed importation programs.

“ Without even trying, [the DA] is the reason why local producers are losing profit. Why don’t they wait for the end of the harvest and milling season of sugar?” the group said in a statement.

The DA, it seems, is now the biggest enemy of the local producers,” the group added.

PIDS: Right investments key to more affordable food

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE government must focus on improving productivity, particularly identifying the right investments along the value chain, among others, to make food more affordable to Filipino consumers, according to a recent study published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Identifying the right investments and suitable actors along the value chain, to realize these productivity improvements, poses a real challenge to agroindustrial policy; however, the potential benefits are too large to ignore this particular approach to food policy,” Roehlano M. Briones said in his paper, titled “Food and Nutrient Intake Response to Food Prices and Government Programs: Implications for the Recent Economic Shocks,” published in December 2022.

T he senior research fellow at PIDS said productivity improvement, beginning from farm production, and extending throughout the food value chain, has the

potential of boosting competitiveness against cheap imports. He also noted that improving productivity comes with raising incomes of food producers, processors, and distributors.

By lowering production and logistics cost, productivity improvements also tend to make food more affordable,” Briones stressed.

W hile the research paper acknowledged that the Bayanihan programs, social protection programs by during the Covid-19 pandemic, were an effective way to counter the “adverse nutrition impacts” of economic contraction brought about by the pandemic, Briones said these programs a “very expensive and are not sus -

tainable.”

T he study aimed to determine the significant role of Covid-19 social protection programs in preventing further deterioration in nutrient intakes and worsening of malnutrition. The research paper also noted that despite the rapid economic growth, the recent inflation episodes “pose a major threat to nutrient intakes and nutrition security.”

A lso among the recommendations provided in the study was to “aggressively” pursue trade liberalization when nutrition security is under threat. Briones said this is a “cost-effective” policy to improve food affordability.

The sooner the government dismantles high tariffs and overly strict [often arbitrary] application of sanitary and phytosanitary standards on these major consumer goods, the more affordable these items become especially to the poor,” Briones said.

T he senior research fellow said the food groups that contribute most to the energy, protein, and micronutrient intake of Filipinos such as rice, other cereals, fish, meat, and poultry, are all produced under “high levels of trade protection” against cheaper imports. Briones said this will unfortunately result in reducing affordability of

nutrient-rich foods.

A ccording to Briones, a “common tendency” of policymakers is to favor price subsidies in order to keep food affordable. However, he noted that consumer subsidies are “financially unsustainable”; for instance, the “tantalizing promise” of P20 rice.

He said such could not in fact be delivered because of “high fiscal cost and the opportunities foregone from an expensive food subsidy scheme.”

A ccording to a recent statement by Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport), Asean academicians who spoke at a recent e-forum on food security said Asean policymakers must strengthen the implementation of policies, regulations and pacts that promote food security especially after the Covid-19 pandemic exposed how “severely vulnerable” the food and agricultural sector is to global disruptions.

F or the Philippines, Ramon Clarete, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines, highlighted that low productivity and high population growth have pressured the country to turn to food imports, including rice, making it vulnerable to international trade disruptions.

Senators to tackle Maharlika fund bill, says Zubiri

SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed Sunday the senators’ readiness to tackle the Maharlika Investment Fund Bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, a pet legislation backed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Zubiri said in an interview at the weekend the Senate bill has been filed and will be taken up by the senators when they resume sessions Monday (January 23) after the holiday break.

Though the filing of the bill surprised some quarters—with Sen. Mark Villar having done it—senators who have been

skeptical of the MIF’s viability or source of funding indicated that its passage in the Senate as targeted would happen. This, even as  changes are still being introduced in the bill.

S en. Sherwin Gatchalian, in a separate radio interview, said in mixed English and Filipino that he was “open” to the idea of a wealth fund,  but that “certain issues must be thoroughly discussed.

First of all, he said, is the issue of funding. “where do we get the funds? Until now that’s a point of debate. I’ve seen the arguments of fellow lawmakers, many say that if we get from GOCCs, that won’t go

to the General Fund.”

T hen, he added, “if it does not go to either the general funding or the GAA, the general appropriations, we cannot spend that to build schools, roads, or buy medicine.”

T hen, added Gatchalian, “assuming we can source the funds, is that enough to earn something from this fund?” He explained that usually sovereign wealth funds, “the way I see it, must be huge; meaning, one must put in millions in dollars in order to generate substantial returns.”

“ Asked if creating such a wealth fund is counterintuitive given widespread projections of a

global recession,” Gatchalian said that while there is such threat of recession“especially in the West, in America and Europe,” the good thing is that “our economy is strong despite such threat,” and that, “despite high inflation, at 8 percent, our economy grew and it will grow further.”

L ast year, the projection was 6-6.5 percent growth, and similar growth is projected this year, indicating , “the economy is resilient because of many factors.” He cited these as the predominantly young population, the Philippines’s being a consumption economy, among others.

affected by CADPI–grp

HAPPY CHINATOWN! Eng Bee Tin, one of the oldest Chinese delis in Binondo, Manila, is visited by Chinese New Year revelers for its tikoy (nian gao), a sticky sweet snack believed to bring luck when eaten during the Chinese New Year. The snack is believed to be an offering to the Chinese Kitchen God Zao Jun. It is said that the aim is to get his mouth stuck with the sticky cake, so that he cannot badmouth the human family when he returns to Heaven to give his New Year’s report to the Jade Emperor. BERNARD TESTA

SteelAsia, BaoSteel to put up ₧108-B integrated steel plant

SteelASiA Manufacturing Corp. and China’s BaoSteel Group have entered into an agreement to build a P108-billion integrated steel facility.

The deal was signed by SteelAsia Chairman and C e O Benjamin Yao and Baowu Group Zhongnan i r on & Steel Co. Sr. Vice President Li hu aidong during President Ferdinand m a rcos Jr.’s 3-day state visit to China early in January.

The facility will produce 3 million tons of liquid steel that can be converted into almost any finished steel product that can then feed and strengthen other industries such as the construc-

tion sector, automobile industry, appliances and ship building to name a few.

“This project will spawn new industries and wean the country from its perennial dependence on imports. i t will generate about 2,000 jobs, including for professionals who in the past have had to work abroad and leave their families,” Yao said in a statement.

Baowu will be fielding a team next month to jointly explore with

SteelAsia a possible suitable location for this project.

SteelAsia operates 6 manufacturing plants in Bulacan, Batangas, Cebu, d a vao and m i samis Oriental. i t is set to open its seventh plant this year in Compostela town in Cebu. This will increase its output from 2 million metric tons ( m m T ) of steel annually to 3 m m T

SteelAsia is the largest steel producer in the country while the Bao Group is the world’s largest. i n 2020, China Baowu produced 115 million tons of steel, realizing the historic leap of “100 million tons Baowu” and becoming the top steel enterprise in the world. i n the Fortune Global 500 list released by Fortune in 2022, China Baowu ranked 44th, enter-

ing the top 50 for the first time. d u ring his state visit in China from January 3 to 5, m a rcos was able to secure $22.8 billion worth of investment pledges.

These investment commitments include $1.72 billion for agribusiness, $13.76 billion for renewable energy, and $7.32 billion for strategic monitoring (electric vehicle, mineral processing).

Also signed during the visit are deals related to investments in coconut and food processing; development of durian production; and processing and marketing, as well as alternative green technology for animal feeds and other agriculture related products; and the sustainable supply of agriculture inputs, especially fertilizers.

Shell to build more service stations

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Amid volatile oil prices, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. (PSPC) said it plans to add more service stations and import terminals.

The oil firm has committed to put up as many as 60 retail stations yearly until 2025. it has more than 1,000 stations to date.

“We have over 1,100 stations at the end of mid-last year. We will continue to grow that 40 to 60 sites year-on-year until 2025. To do that, we’ve committed to have five medium-range capable import terminals,” said PSPC President Lorelie Quiambao Osial.

The oil firm broke ground on its 4th terminal last year. details on the fifth terminal will be announced this

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK

Last week

Share prices rose last week, with the main index closing at the 7,000-point level, on favorable inflation outlook and promising corporate earnings.

The benchmark Philippine Stock exchange index (PSei) gained 105.08 points to close at 7,056.62 points.

The main index was up for only two days, but it was enough to allow the trading week to end in the green.

average daily trading for the week was high at P7.15 billion, with foreign investors cornering 41 percent of the trades and were net buyers at P4.53 billion.

Sub-indices posted gains, with the exception of the Industrial index that fell 57.37 points to close at 9,916.19 points. The broader all Shares index rose 45.24 to 3,682.86, the Financials index gained 20.72 to 1,812.06, the holding Firms index climbed 135.30 to 6,842.79, the Property index increased 70.86 to 3,123.64, the Services index was up 48 to 1,775.05 and the Mining and Oil index surged 281.09 to 11,818.90.

For the week, gainers edged losers 146 to 83 and 25 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were Premiere horizon alliance Corp., Discovery World Corp., Imperial resources Inc., Figaro Coffee Group Inc., Millennium Global holdings Inc., Cemex holdings Philippines Inc. and SOCresources, Inc.

Top losers, meanwhile, were Berjaya Philippines Inc., anchor Land holdings Inc., MJC Investments Corp., Macay holdings Inc., Primex Corp., asiabest Group International Inc. and Dizon Copper-Silver Mines Inc.

year. “By 2025, we will have five,” Osial said.

She also said the additional stations and terminal will cost “a lot.”

Osial noted that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a “big disruptor” in terms of price volatility.

if that’s continuing, a number of macroeconomic conditions still changing, you can probably venture to guess what will happen. Still, volatilities (are) determined by market factors, macroeconomic conditions, geopolitics,” she said when asked how the conflict will affect the company’s profitability.

At end-September last year, the oil firm registered an increase of 31 percent in net income to P4.4 billion from the P3.4 billion reported in the same period a year ago.

Sales jumped by 71.5 percent to P213.25 billion from P124.32 billion

as a result of higher pump prices, driven by the increase in global oil prices.

Osial expressed confidence that the company would finish the year with strong volume delivery.

“Our strategy, together with our drive and agility, enables us to remain resilient through challenges and sets us to thrive, as we continue to deliver high-quality products and services for the growing and evolving needs of our customers.

in terms of the strategy that we want, it’s powering progress and they are continuing the journey and we are not there yet. There is a lot to work on. Powering progress strategy is really around creating value for our customers, our investors and for the society. Sustainability is a part of the strategy,” she said.

this week

Share prices may continue its upward trend this week, but analysts said volatility could run high in the trading on speculations in the run up to the United States Federal reserve’s first policy meeting during January 31 to February 1.

Broker 2Tradeasia said expectations on the US Federal reserve’s messaging will gyrate over the data releases prior to its meeting.

“Only time will tell with full certainty whether the recent rally (of the PSei) back to 7,000-point level has legs or not. The more important question is whether there are catalysts that can be exhausted in the medium-term to fund a jump towards 7,500,” it said.

Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc., said the main index may continue to test the 7,000 to 7,100 resistance range.

“For catalysts, investors may look towards our upcoming fourth quarter, full year 2022 GDP data. Strong GDP figures may raise expectations that full year 2022 corporate earnings will also be robust, which in turn may help the market get past its current resistance range,” Tantiangco said.

he said, however, that the recent hawkish signals from the Federal reserve despite the moderation in the US’ inflation may weigh on sentiment.

The local market’s 10-day exponential moving average is seen as its immediate support followed by the 6,800 level, he said.

stock picks

MayBank Securities Philippines Inc.

gave a buy rating on the stock of Bloomberry resorts Corp. as its share price is traded at a 57 percent discount compared with its gambling peers in Macau.

Based on its income for the nine months of 2022, Bloomberry outperformed its Macau peers when it posts faster gross gaming revenue growth, it said.

“BLOOM’s share price performance is highly correlated to the performance of Macau and regional gaming stocks. With the projected reopening of China boosting sentiment on Macau gaming stocks, BLOOM has high potential to rerate, particularly given its superior GGr growth,” it said.

It placed a target price on Bloomberry at P11.30. Its shares closed at P9.09 apiece on Friday.

The broker also maintained its buy rating on GT Capital h o ldings Inc. (GTC a P ), as automotive sales of its unit Toyota Motors Philippines has outperformed the industry’s growth in 2022, despite elevated oil prices, record high inflation rates, rising interest rates and a weak peso against the US dollar.

“We think this sets GTC a P up for an even stronger 2023, during which inflation, oil prices and the Philippine peso are all expected to stabilize. Trading at a wide 51 percent discount, GTC a P is one of our 2023 top picks as it provides strong exposure to autos and overall mobility,” it said.

It gave a target price on the stock at P870 per share. Its shares, meanwhile, closed last week at P495.80. VG Cabuag

Ex-ICTSI exec joins board of Prime Infra

The former executive vice president and chief financial officer of international Container Terminal Services inc. (iC TSi) has joined the board of directors of Razon-led Prime infra.

m a rtin O’Neil replaced Rafael Consing Jr., who was recently tapped to join the Office of the Presidential Adviser on investment and economic Affairs.

martin brings with him a depth of expertise to help execute Prime infra’s strategic priorities in expanding the business, focusing on solidifying the company’s capital strength to maximize value for our stakeholders,” Prime infra Chairman enrique Razon Jr. said in a statement.

Led by Razon, the other members of the Prime infra board are Christian Gonzalez, Guillaume Lucci, Stephen Paradies, and independent directors Panfilo Lacson and danilo Feliciano. Aside from being a director, O’Neil was also named Senior Financial Advisor to the Prime infra management.

“With over 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles, martin’s wealth of knowledge and insight will

prove invaluable to the company’s finance and business operations,” said Lucci, president of Prime infra. he is a great addition and a strong asset to the team, and we are very pleased to have him on board.”

Last week, Prime infra said preparatory measures are being undertaken in relation to the 2-week scheduled maintenance shutdown (SmS) for the ma lampaya deep Water Gas-toPower (ma lampaya) project.

Beginning on February 4 until 18, the SmS is part of a planned maintenance activity in ma lampaya to ensure that the equipment and assets within the facility operate safely, reliably, and efficiently to avert any untoward incidents that can affect the continuous supply of gas to the power plants.

“The scheduled maintenance shutdown is a preventive maintenance activity that is executed at regular intervals to ensure that the m a lampaya project continues to produce safe and reliable energy to supply the grid and meet the power requirements of the country,” Prime energy General manager Sebastian Quiniones said. Lenie Lectura

Banking&Finance

Perspectives From words to action

FOR an effective “Environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) game plan to take shape, leaders must first understand ESG-related risks and opportunities, not only across all parts of their value chain but also specific to their organization. This means taking a fresh look at current operations, evolving regulations and stakeholder requirements to explore potential strategies and implement the related processes for each of the “E,” “S” and “G” pillars.

Only then can organizations complete a materiality assessment that prioritizes the most critical ESG risks and opportunities and decide where to focus initial efforts. This can lead to improved profitability, value, and other less tangible (social) benefits. Either way, it’s important to prioritize ESG objectives from the onset.

KPMG in the Philippines Advisory Partner and ESG Lead Kristine I. Aguirre stressed that the call for Net Zero among companies is growing to cope with the adverse impacts of environmental changes and the demands of stakeholders.

“Heeding the call to reducing carbon footprints is more than just a statement of support but must be coupled with concrete and sustainable actions,” Aguirre said. “Moreover, decision makers and corporate leaders must ensure that such actions and decisions are appropriate and relevant in their jurisdiction,” she added.

Building the team

DEVELOPING and implementing an ESG strategy requires team members who understand and will champion the transformations required to achieve an organization’s objectives across each of the ESG pillars. This inevitably requires additional time and effort for individuals throughout the organization to raise internal awareness of what ESG is, why it’s important to the organization and how to maximize the benefits.

Partnering with ESG specialists, whether new team members or external consultants, can significantly accelerate this process by bringing those industry insights, best practices and credibility to the decision-making table.

Not surprisingly in today’s environment, talent shortages are making it difficult to find and retain experienced individuals who can lead an effective ESG strategy. This should motivate organizations to improve their understanding of their needs now. Organizations that wait will likely end up scrambling to fill gaps as they appear.

Making it count

FOR stakeholders, proof that an organization is meeting its ESG

commitments requires more than handshakes and press releases. Investors, for one, want quantifiable evidence that the organization is moving the needle when it comes to factors that matter most to their portfolios (e.g., greenhouse gas reductions, energy savings, social impacts, etc.). It’s therefore critical to establish the metrics and frameworks your organization will use to report on its ESG strategy.

Reliable data is central to ESG reporting. Once an organization decides which ESG-related factors it will measure, consideration must be given to how it plans to go about doing so in a way that ensures accuracy, integrity and relevance. Efforts must also be made to ensure ESG data collection practices adhere to evolving data privacy and security rules.

Location, location, location

AN ESG transformation is neither an overnight affair nor a side project that can be pushed off to one department or team. Making good on ESG commitments means planning for a multi-year journey defined by agreed-upon roadmaps, roles and processes for measuring progress. Moreover, it’s a transformation that requires the ongoing dedication of all internal players, from board members and C-suite executives to front-line professionals and everyone in between.

That’s not to say the journey needs to be difficult or costly. In many cases, acting on ESG is a matter of making small but meaningful changes in operations or supply chains. Done right, these changes can pay off in greater efficiencies and savings.

The corporate world has long felt the push for effective ESG strategies to strengthen its business resilience and, ultimately, shape a more sustainable future. Many organizations have made genuine and successful efforts to adapt rather than wait for government and regulators to dictate their path. As these ESG strategies build momentum, industry participants will be challenged to continue exploring the technologies, frameworks and processes that drive their unique “E,” “S” and “G” objectives. It’s no short journey but one that is sure to benefit all who take it.

© 2022 KPMG Intl. Ltd. is a private English company limited by guarantee.

R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG Intl. Ltd. All rights reserved.

This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror , KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines.

GSIS leads govt agencies in anti-red tape survey

STATE pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) received the Silver Award from the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) for obtaining the highest rating of 92.8 percent or “Very Satisfactory” among 50 government agencies in the ARTA Report Card Survey (RCS) 2.0.

“We are honored to receive this recognition that affirmed our efforts to provide the most responsive customer experience to our members and pensioners. They can rest assured that GSIS will continue to find ways to make its services more convenient, seamless, and maginhawa,” GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso was quoted in a statement as saying.

Inspected during the 2022 ARTA survey were the GSIS’s head office in Pasay City, and the GSIS branch offices

PHL bags $52M from climate fund, one of largest in region

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Philippines continues to receive one of the largest allocations in Southeast Asia from the Global Environment Facility, according to GEF CEO and Chairman Carlos Manuel Rodriguez.

Under the 8th replenishment cycle of GEF (GEF-8), the Philippines will have a total allocation of $52 million (about P2.831 billion at current exchange rates). While the latest amount is a 38-percent increase from the last replenishment cycle, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the total $5.33-billion made available for GEF-8.

Rodriguez made the announcement through a recorded message for participants of the GEF National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue who gathered last January 18 at a hotel in Taguig City. The dialogue was organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in preparation for the country’s portfolio of environmental projects

for consideration under the GEF-8. These projects will be implemented during the 4-year cycle covering 2023-2026.

According to Rodriguez, the Philippines has had over 120 projects and programs totaling over $700 million to date

National commitments

THE Philippines has been “heavily involved” in global projects from artisanal mercury mining to agrochemical pollutants, according to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga. Loyzaga said the fund would be used to “build resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities postpandemic.”

Prior to the dialogue in Taguig, the GEF Secretariat paid a courtesy visit on the DENR Secretary on January 17.

Loyzaga said the Philippines “deeply values the consultative process in designing integrated approaches necessary to address the intersectionality of development, climate change, biodiversity and disaster resilience and adopt a comprehensive risk management approach that integrates a system lens and optimizes the resources available to improve quality of life.”

The latter, she said, “will ensure that no community and ecosystem is left behind.”

Loyzaga said the Philippines shall work with the GEF in strengthening national commitments and institutionalizing capacities to translate these commitments to meaningful actions to support sustainable development since the GEF-8 calls for a systematic and transformational strategy that responds to the urgency of raising global climate ambition.

Tackling the drivers

IN GEF-8, member countries are encouraged to move more of their programming through 11 Integrated Programs, including food systems; landscape restoration; clean and

healthy ocean; circular solutions to plastic pollution; elimination of hazardous chemicals from supply chains; net-zero, nature-positive accelerator; sustainable cities; greening infrastructure development and wildlife conservation for development.

By implementing GEF-funded projects, the DENR “hopes to advance the country’s efforts to address environmental challenges by tackling the drivers of ecological degradation, supporting integrated approaches, ensuring that programs are inclusive and are prioritizing the most vulnerable, strengthening the country’s commitments to multilateral environmental agreements and contributing to global environmental benefits.”

Since 1992, the GEF has become one of the major driving forces supporting the country to achieve global environmental benefits embodied in various international environmental agreements.

In the Philippines, a total of 128 GEF-funded projects across the five focal areas of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, land degradation, chemicals and waste and international waters have been approved since the pilot phase up until its Seventh Replenishment Cycle (GEF-7).

Decade-old Sin Tax Law earns praise from WHO

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE Philippines’s tobacco-tax policies have earned kudos from the World Health Organization (WHO) as organizations marked the 10th year of the Sin Tax Reform Law (Republic Act 10351).

In a message to a forum, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Philippines is a great example for other countries as it proved that raising tobacco taxes can save lives.

Ghebreyesus congratulated and commended the Philippines “for putting this tax reform law in place in the face of enormous pressure from the tobacco industry.”

Last Friday, members of the Action for Economic Reforms (AER) and the Sin Tax Coalition (STC) and representatives from the WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Asia Foundation, medical societies, youth groups and other civil-society organizations marked the 10th year anniversary of the passage of RA 10351.

The Sin Tax Reform Law significantly increased the excise taxes levied on tobacco products and reformed the antiquated tobacco tax regime.

“[Smoking] is the leading cause of preventable death globally and raising tobacco taxes is the more effective tool to reduce its use,” Tedros said. “Taxes have a clear impact. More workers are trying to quit because of the high price of cigarettes.”

The WHO official added that since 2005, the Philippines has been an active party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Tedros said tobacco use has dropped from 70 percent in 2009 to 20 percent

in 2021.

“This is great progress,” he said. “The WHO will continue to support you in your fight against tobacco.”

Four reforms

IN a decade, the Philippine government has passed four reforms increasing taxes on sin products.

Aside from RA 10351, there is also RA 10963 (the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law of 2017), RA 11346 (Tobacco Tax Law of 2019) and RA 11467, which increases excise taxes on alcohol and e-cigarettes.

Citing the Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in 2021, the AER and STC said in a document that the number of Filipino adult smokers has significantly dropped.

The groups said the reforms achieved twin revenue and health objectives by tripling the country’s health budget and significantly lowering the prevalence of cigarette smoking among Filipinos from 28 percent in 2009 to 19.5 percent in 2021.

This means 2.2 million Filipinos have decided to quit smoking since 2009, the groups’ joint statement read.

“We can attribute this win to the four laws increasing sin taxes in the past decade, which have raised cigarette prices and deterred Filipinos from smoking.” the groups said. “As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sin Tax reform Law, we can further raise the taxes on sin products to strengthen our commitment to enhancing the health and welfare of the Filipino people.”

Sustain, defend

STC Co-convener and physician Anthony C. Leachon said the sin tax law was the most important health reform passed

in the last 10 years as the government received over P200 billion yearly in revenues from these reforms, with 80 percent allocated to public health services.

“The substantial revenue it generated greatly improved our fiscal standing. More importantly, we have lowered our smoking prevalence by a third and saved 6 million Filipinos from the health hazards of smoking,” he said.

“We commend the late President [Benigno] Aquino [III] and our champions from the Aquino administration for paving the way for these 10 years of remarkable reforms,” Leachon said. He also commends the Duterte administration “for building on reforms, legislating the consecutive increases in 2017, 2019 and 2020, as well as the passage of the longawaited Universal Health Care Law.”

Leachon said the sin tax is the result of “a strong, committed, fruitful and productive collaboration among the health sector, civil society, the government, the Department of Health and Department of Finance.”

“It was not just a narrow or a small group of people advocating for an increase in sin taxes, but the whole of civil society,” he said.

“Most importantly, our main message is: while we joyfully celebrate the gains of the sin taxes, there is an urgent need to sustain, defend and further these reforms today,” Leachon added.

Covid pandemic

ACCORDING to Leachon, the weakness of the country’s healthcare system during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the need for full implementation of Universal Health Care, which derives its funding from the sin tax.

“The pandemic exposed the need for healthy Filipinos to enable a healthy and booming economy. This gives us an impetus to further raise revenues and one way to do this is through sin taxes,” he added.

Meanwhile, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda vowed to work on the passage of bills further imposing higher taxes on these sin products.

Salceda said lawmakers already filed a bill imposing higher tax rates on electronic cigarettes; another tax bill putting alcomixes (alcohol mix) at par with beer tax rates.

“And soon, I will be filing a bill imposing a non-essential goods tax on distilled spirits and other beverages above P20,000 per bottle in price,” the lawmaker said. “That last item, of course, will help correct the problem with tax rates in distilled spirits, which is that they are too low considering that they are possibly the most harmful among all alcoholic products.”

According to Salceda, he is also studying a junk-food tax, as well as an updating of rates of the sweetened beverage tax.

“Obesity kills just as alcohol or tobacco kill,” he added.

The lawmaker added his committee will be working on smuggling issues, particularly in tobacco.

Salceda said he is also working on the problem of misclassification and the abuse of de minimis privileges for imported electronic cigarette products.

“In large online shopping sites, electronic cigarettes are apparently being classified as ‘toys’ or ‘electronics’ so that they can bypass health regulations as well as duties,” he added. “This, of course, is a mockery of the Sin Tax Laws.”

in Cebu, General Santos, and Palawan.

Done in coordination with the Civil Service Commission and the Philippine Statistics Authority, the ARTA-RCS 2.0 is a holistic tool that “measures the effectiveness of the Citizen’s Charter in reducing regulatory burdens and the impact of government programs in delivering efficient government service.”

The Citizen’s Charter provides details on all of the agency’s frontline services, including the step-by-step procedures, showing the requirements, time, and fees involved for clients to get what they need.

In assessing an agency’s performance in service delivery, RCS 2.0 is used to determine if the provisions of the law are being followed and to gather feedback through customer satisfaction measurement survey.

Binance: Signature Bank sets transaction minimum

BINANCE, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said Signature Bank will only handle user transactions of more than $100,000 as the bank decreases its exposure to digitalasset markets.

“One of our fiat banking partners, Signature Bank, has advised that it will no longer support any of its crypto exchange customers with buying and selling amounts of less than 100,000 USD as of February 1, 2023. This is the case for all of their crypto exchange clients. As a result, some individual users may not be able to use SWIFT bank transfers to

buy or sell crypto with/for USD for amounts less than 100,000 USD,” Binance said in a statement sent to Bloomberg News on Saturday.

No other banking partners are impacted, a Binance spokesperson said. SWIFT is a network used by financial institutions to transmit information and instructions.

Contagion fears in the digital assets market have reached traditional finance companies such as Signature and Silvergate Capital, which saw its shares tumble as much as 40 percent after the bank disclosed its customers withdrew about $8.1 billion of digital-asset

deposits during the fourth quarter. Signature’s shares fell 64 percent last year.

Signature, which is based in New York, said in December that it intended to shed as much as $10 billion in deposits from digital asset clients as it embarks on a widespread pullback from the cryptocurrency industry in the wake of the FTX blowup.

The shift comes after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation warned of crypto-asset risks. The

FDIC is the primary US federal regulator of banks that are chartered by the states that do not join the Federal

Reserve System. While banking organizations are neither prohibited nor discouraged from providing banking services to customers of any specific class or type, business models that are concentrated in crypto-asset-related activities or have concentrated exposures to the crypto-asset sector raise significant safety and soundness concerns, FDIC said in a Jan. 5 statement.

Binance said it’s “actively working to find an alternative solution,” in the statement. And that “0.01 percent of our average monthly users are serviced by Signature Bank.”

By Lynne Parker, University of Tennessee; Casey Greene, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Daniel Acuña, University of Colorado Boulder; Kentaro Toyama, University of Michigan, & Mark Finlayson, Florida International University

The Conversation

From steam power and electricity to computers and the internet, technological advancements have always disrupted labor markets, pushing out some jobs while creating others. Artificial intelligence remains something of a misnomer—the smartest computer systems still don’t actually know anything—but the technology has reached an inflection point where it’s poised to affect new classes of jobs: artists and knowledge workers.

Specifically, the emergence of large language models—AI systems that are trained on vast amounts of text—means computers can now produce human-sounding written language and convert descriptive phrases into realistic images. The Conversation asked five artificial intelligence researchers to discuss how large language models are likely to affect artists and knowledge workers. And, as our experts noted, the technology is far from perfect, which raises a host of issues—from misinformation to plagiarism—that affect human workers.

To jump ahead to each response, here’s a list of each:

n Creativity for all—but loss of skills?

n Potential inaccuracies, biases and plagiarism

n With humans surpassed, niche and ‘handmade’ jobs will remain n o l d jobs will go, new jobs will emerge n Leaps in technology lead to new skills

Creativity for all—but loss of skills?

Lynne Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Tennessee

Large language models are making creativity and knowledge work accessible to all. Everyone with an internet connection can now use

2 to

express themselves and make sense of huge stores of information by, for example, producing text summaries.

Especially notable is the depth of humanlike expertise large language models display. In just minutes, novices can create illustrations for their business presentations, generate marketing pitches, get ideas to overcome writer’s block, or generate new computer code to perform specified functions, all at a level of quality typically attributed to human experts.

These new AI tools can’t read minds, of course. A new, yet simpler, kind of human creativity is needed in the form of text prompts to get the results the human user is seeking.

Through iterative prompting—an example of human-AI collaboration – the AI system generates successive rounds of outputs until the human writing the prompts is satisfied with the results. For example, the (human) winner of the recent Colorado State Fair competition in the digital artist category, who used an AI-powered tool, demonstrated creativity, but not of the sort that requires brushes and an eye for color and texture.

While there are significant benefits to opening the world of creativity and knowledge work to everyone, these new AI tools also have downsides. First, they could accelerate the loss of important human skills that will remain important in the coming years, especially writing skills.

Educational institutes need to craft and enforce policies on allowable uses of large language models to ensure fair play and desirable learning outcomes.

Second, these AI tools raise questions around intellectual property protections. While human creators are regularly inspired by existing artifacts in the world, including architecture and the writings, music and paintings of others, there are unanswered questions on the proper and fair use by large language models of copyrighted or open-source training examples. o n going lawsuits are now debating this issue, which may have implications for the future design and use of large language models.

As society navigates the implications of these new AI tools, the public seems ready to embrace them. The chatbot ChatGPT went viral quickly, as did image generator Dall-E mini and others. This suggests a huge untapped potential for creativity, and

Explainer

AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORK:

5 experts on what ChatGPT, DALL-E and other AI tools mean for artists and knowledge workers

able new ways of working, and also lead to new and as yet unimagined jobs.

To see this, consider just three aspects where large language models fall short. First, it can take quite a bit of (human) cleverness to craft a prompt that gets the desired output. m i nor changes in the prompt can result in a major change in the output.

Second, large language models can generate inappropriate or nonsensical output without warning.

Third, as far as AI researchers can tell, large language models have no abstract, general understanding of what is true or false, if something is right or wrong, and what is just common sense. Notably, they cannot do relatively simple math. This means that their output can unexpectedly be misleading, biased, logically faulty or just plain false.

These failings are opportunities for creative and knowledge workers. For much content creation, even for general audiences, people will still need the judgment of human creative and knowledge workers to prompt, guide, collate, curate, edit and especially augment machines’ output. m a ny types of specialized and highly technical language will remain out of reach of machines for the foreseeable future. And there will be new types of work—for example, those who will make a business out of fine-tuning in-house large language models to generate certain specialized types of text to serve particular markets.

In sum, although large language models certainly portend disruption for creative and knowledge workers, there are still many valuable opportunities in the offing for those willing to adapt to and integrate these powerful new tools.

Leaps in technology lead to new skills

the importance of making creative and knowledge work accessible to all.

Potential inaccuracies, biases and plagiarism

Daniel Acuña, Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder

I am a regular user of GitHub Copilot, a tool for helping people write computer code, and I’ve spent countless hours playing with ChatGPT and similar tools for AI-generated text. In my experience, these tools are good at exploring ideas that I haven’t thought about before.

I’ve been impressed by the models’ capacity to translate my instructions into coherent text or code. They are useful for discovering new ways to improve the flow of my ideas, or creating solutions with software packages that I didn’t know existed. o n ce I see what these tools generate, I can evaluate their quality and edit heavily. o v erall, I think they raise the bar on what is considered creative.

But I have several reservations.

o n e set of problems is their inaccuracies—small and big. With Copilot and ChatGPT, I am constantly looking for whether ideas are too shallow— for example, text without much substance or inefficient code, or output that is just plain wrong, such as wrong analogies or conclusions, or code that doesn’t run. If users are not critical of what these tools produce, the tools are potentially harmful.

r e cently, me ta shut down its Galactica large language model for scientific text because it made up “facts” but sounded very confident. The concern was that it could pollute the internet with confident-sounding falsehoods.

Another problem is biases. Language models can learn from the data’s biases and replicate them. These biases are hard to see in text generation but very clear in image generation models. r e searchers at o p enAI, creators of ChatGPT, have been relatively careful about what the model will respond to, but users routinely find ways around these guardrails.

Another problem is plagiarism. r ec ent research has shown that image generation tools often plagiarize the work of others. Does the same happen with ChatGPT? I believe that we don’t know. The tool might be paraphrasing its training data – an advanced form of plagiarism. Work in my lab shows that text plagiarism detection tools

are far behind when it comes to detecting paraphrasing.

These tools are in their infancy, given their potential. For now, I believe there are solutions to their current limitations. For example, tools could fact-check generated text against knowledge bases, use updated methods to detect and remove biases from large language models, and run results through more sophisticated plagiarism detection tools.

With humans surpassed, niche and ‘handmade’ jobs will remain Kentaro Toyama, Professor of Community Information, University of Michigan

We human beings love to believe in our specialness, but science and technology have repeatedly proved this conviction wrong. People once thought that humans were the only animals to use tools, to form teams or to propagate culture, but science has shown that other animals do each of thesethings.

m e anwhile, technology has quashed, one by one, claims that cognitive tasks require a human brain. The first adding machine was invented in 1623. This past year, a computergenerated work won an art contest. I believe that the singularity—the moment when computers meet and exceed human intelligence—is on the horizon.

How will human intelligence and creativity be valued when machines become smarter and more creative than the brightest people? There will likely be a continuum. In some domains, people still value humans doing things, even if a computer can do it better. It’s been a quarter of a century since IB m s Deep Blue beat world champion Garry Kasparov, but human chess—with all its drama— hasn’t gone away.

In other domains, human skill will seem costly and extraneous. Take illustration, for example. For the most part, readers don’t care whether the graphic accompanying a magazine article was drawn by a person or a computer – they just want it to be relevant, new and perhaps entertaining. If a computer can draw well, do readers care whether the credit line says m a ry Chen or System X? Illustrators would, but readers might not even notice.

And, of course, this question isn’t black or white. m a ny fields will be a hybrid, where some Homo sapiens

find a lucky niche, but most of the work is done by computers. Think manufacturing—much of it today is accomplished by robots, but some people oversee the machines, and there remains a market for handmade products.

If history is any guide, it’s almost certain that advances in AI will cause more jobs to vanish, that creativeclass people with human-only skills will become richer but fewer in number, and that those who own creative technology will become the new megarich. If there’s a silver lining, it might be that when even more people are without a decent livelihood, people might muster the political will to contain runaway inequality.

Old jobs will go, new jobs will emerge

Mark

Casey

Greene, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Technology changes the nature of work, and knowledge work is no different. The past two decades have seen biology and medicine undergoing transformation by rapidly advancing molecular characterization, such as fast, inexpensive DNA sequencing, and the digitization of medicine in the form of apps, telemedicine and data analysis.

Some steps in technology feel larger than others. Yahoo deployed human curators to index emerging content during the dawn of the World Wide Web. The advent of algorithms that used information embedded in the linking patterns of the web to prioritize results radically altered the landscape of search, transforming how people gather information today.

Finlayson, Associate

Professor of Computer Science, Florida International University

Large language models are sophisticated sequence completion machines: Give one a sequence of words (“I would like to eat an …”) and it will return likely completions (“… apple.”).

Large language models like ChatGPT that have been trained on recordbreaking numbers of words (trillions) have surprised many, including many AI researchers, with how realistic, extensive, flexible and context-sensitive their completions are.

Like any powerful new technology that automates a skill—in this case, the generation of coherent, albeit somewhat generic, text—it will affect those who offer that skill in the marketplace. To conceive of what might happen, it is useful to recall the impact of the introduction of word processing programs in the early 1980s. Certain jobs like typist almost completely disappeared. But, on the upside, anyone with a personal computer was able to generate well-typeset documents with ease, broadly increasing productivity.

Further, new jobs and skills appeared that were previously unimagined, like the oft-included resume item m S o f fice. And the market for highend document production remained, becoming much more capable, sophisticated and specialized.

I think this same pattern will almost certainly hold for large language models: There will no longer be a need for you to ask other people to draft coherent, generic text. o n the other hand, large language models will en -

The release of o p enAI’s ChatGPT indicates another leap. ChatGPT wraps a state-of-the-art large language model tuned for chat into a highly usable interface. It puts a decade of rapid progress in artificial intelligence at people’s fingertips. This tool can write passable cover letters and instruct users on addressing common problems in user-selected language styles.

Just as the skills for finding information on the internet changed with the advent of Google, the skills necessary to draw the best output from language models will center on creating prompts and prompt templates that produce desired outputs.

For the cover letter example, multiple prompts are possible. “Write a cover letter for a job” would produce a more generic output than “Write a cover letter for a position as a data entry specialist.” The user could craft even more specific prompts by pasting portions of the job description, resume and specific instructions f or example, “highlight attention to detail.”

As with many technological advances, how people interact with the world will change in the era of widely accessible AI models. The question is whether society will use this moment to advance equity or exacerbate disparities.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/ ai-and-the-future-of-work-5-expertson-what-chatgpt-dall-e-and-otherai-tools-mean-for-artists-and-knowledge-workers-196783.

Bashta Dreamstime.com

THOUGH he had a thriving career in Manila’s Tinseltown, Elmer Laron Catungal knew that his makeup artistry was of international caliber. So early on, he set his sights on the showbiz capital of the world.

“Ever since I worked with models for editorials and runways, and actors for films and TV productions in the Philippines, I dreamed that someday I would work in Hollywood as a hair and makeup artist,” says the Mandaluyong City-born but Makati-raised Catungal, 42. “I first became interested in makeup when I was a child. I remember watching my mom powder her face and putting lipstick on. I remember her using Avon and Johnson & Johnson compact powder. Pag may pagkakataong maaabutan kong naglalagay ng makeup ’yung auntie ko, nanonood din ako lalo na sa paglalagay ng eyeshadow,” he recalled. “Sa mga pangyayaring ito, naging curious ako at interesado sa makeup. Nabighani ako na kung ano ang nagagawa ng makeup para pagandahin ang isang tao.”

The first makeup products he ever bought were compact powder (Johnson & Johnson) for everyday use, cake foundation (Kokuryu) and liquid foundation (Hazel Bishop) when he joined gay beauty pageants.

Among his influences and inspirations are celebrity makeup artists Jomel Razon, Edwin Aguilar and Alex “Bo” Vicencio. He also admires Gilbert Soliz of Marc Jacobs Beauty, Make Up For Ever founder Dany Sanz, and the legendary Kevin Aucoin.

Catungal has worked for Star Cinema (Love Me Again, One More Chance), ABS-CBN (Lobo) and GMA (Station ID 2008 and Sa Kamay ng Diyos). He counts Gretchen Barretto and Kristine Hermosa, whom he worked with in Enteng Kabisote (parts 2, 3 and 4), as the most beautiful Filipinas. He also finds Whitney Houston stunning. But the one he dreams of painting her face is Madonna:

“I’m so in love with her character and personality. When it comes to her appearances and music videos, her looks are always one of a kind. I would love to do her makeup someday, in music videos, concerts and even films.”

Manila to ManaMa

AS the breadwinner, it was Catungal’s responsibility to take care of the financial and medical needs of his family. “Mahirap ang buhay sa Pinas. As a makeup artist, hindi sapat ang kinikita ko para sa pamilya. At para matupad ang pangarap ko na makapunta sa Hollywood, I started working with Sephora Bahrain,” the Jose Rizal University computer science graduate said.

Part of the LVMH family, the world’s leading luxury goods group, Sephora “is a powerful presence in markets around the world, constantly transforming and elevating the beauty shopping experience.”

Catungal worked for the prestige brand from March 2009 to April 2022. “As the territory’s brand senior makeup artist, I was responsible for giving professional beauty consultation advice that would secure the client’s loyalty and deliver the highest standard of customer service that guaranteed customer satisfaction,” he shared. “My period of time working with Sephora was so hard in the beginning as it was my first time working in retail. I began learning new things with makeup, skin care and fragrances.”

In between was a stint at Marc Jacobs Beauty in

ONE of the biggest beauty trends in 2022 was the glowy blush. Think Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Highlighter Wand in Pinkgasm, or Benefit’s now discontinued Bella Bamba which is similar to NARS Orgasm.

Lush lashes, whether because of mascara or lash extensions, were also very popular, probably as a result of the pandemic when people were mostly masked. New Lounge was the favorite go-to of those who regularly got lash perms and/or extensions.

Another trend were glossy lips. Every self-respecting beauty girl had a tube of lip gloss and/or lip oil. It’s not that matte lips were out in 2022; it’s that lip glosses and oils were preferred not just for the look but also for their moisturizing benefits. The Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb and the Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil were the beauty girls’ favorites in 2022.

Brow lamination was a big thing. A professional brow lamination uses a chemical straightening treatment that fixes the hairs in place making them look thicker and perfectly groomed. You can do the look at home with Benefit 24-hr Brow Setter.

For 2023, “Y2K beauty” will still be on-trend. As someone who lived through Y2K, I don’t even know what “Y2K beauty”

Dubai from June 2014 to February 2016. “I assisted clients in achieving desired looks for everyday wear and special occasions by creating ideal makeup strategies. I also generated additional revenue by upselling complementary products using friendly sales tactics and product knowledge, and held consultation with clients to learn about their desired outcome and assess their skin type and facial structure,” he added.

ElmEr in Paris

TO test and improve his makeup skills, Catungal joined competitions. In 2012, he was a finalist at the Sephora/DIOR Makeup Master for the Middle East and placed second at the Sephora/Chanel Makeup Master for the Middle East in 2013.

He finally won in the Sephora Beauty Masters for Middle East in 2016. In 2017, he was awarded a Sephora One Year Development Program in Paris, France, and given a senior makeup artist certification.

“I love to compete to gain more knowledge, wisdom and meet professionals in the industry. It was an amazing journey. I’m blessed, grateful and overwhelmed with these experiences,” he related.

“While in Paris, I learned that to become a strong communicator. I needed to be self-confident and trust myself. I have to be a good listener and be like a ‘sponge’ to absorb all the information whether it is good or bad.”

California DrEamin’ CATUNGAL admitted that he flew to the US just to do the hair and makeup for his cousin’s wedding. As it turn out, her reconnected with a friend, former Viva Hotbabe Ella V, who now owns Esthemax Philippines, and Vglow Beauty Bar and Vglow Skincare based in California.

“I visited Ella in California and she’s the one who is helping me and pushing me to extend my makeup career in the US,” he shared. “But since I am still a tourist here in the US, I am not allowed to work doing paid jobs. So I’m doing free makeup for editorials just to again practice and explore my makeup creativity.”

Catungal also receives support from Los Angelesbased celebrity photographer Filbert Kung and Pinay publicist Tash Greizen, who is the creative director of NOWPRLA, an agency based in Beverly Hills.

Now that he is steadily realizing his Hollywood dreams, Catungal is excited to expand his beauty horizons further:

“I love all the areas of makeup categories—bridal and debuts, events, editorials and runways, cinema and TV. That’s because I’m really excited and very much interested in creating different looks. It is always nice to meet and talk with different kinds of people and personalities. The more connections, the better path for me to explore the world of makeup. Kahit saan ako isabak, laban ako!”

DESIGNER THOM BROWNE BESTS ADIDAS

NEW YORK—Smiling, fashion designer Thom Browne emerged from a New York courthouse on Thursday victorious over sportswear giant Adidas in a grand battle over signature stripes. Browne told The Associated Press that he hopes the preservation of his striped designs on luxury athletic clothing and accessories inspires others whose work is challenged by larger clothing producers.

“It was important to fight and tell my story,” Browne told The Associated Press after a Manhattan federal court jury sided with him. Adidas had claimed that the striped designs used by Thom Browne Inc. were too similar to its own three stripes.

“And I think it’s more important and bigger than me, because I think I was fighting for every designer that creates something and has a bigger company come after them later,” he said.

Adidas indicated in a statement that their fight might go on. “We are disappointed with the verdict and will continue to vigilantly enforce our intellectual property, including filing any appropriate appeals,” Rich Efrus, an Adidas spokesman, wrote in an e-mail.

Browne, a highly creative designer known for his theatrical runway shows, began selling clothing in 2001 at a boutique in Manhattan’s West Village. He has since become hugely successful, especially after a 2018 deal with luxury brand Zegna. His company is now featured in over 300 locations worldwide, including Tokyo, London, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Milan.

Adidas sued Browne in June 2021, saying his “Four-Bar Signature”—along with other products featuring parallel stripes on activewear including T-shirts, sweatpants and hoodies—infringed on its own well-known trademark.

The two-week trial concluded when the eight-person jury returned its verdict in less than two hours. Browne’s courtroom supporters erupted in joy before US District Judge Jed Rakoff scolded them for violating courtroom decorum. Supporters later spilled into the hallway, some celebrating with hugs and tears.

The dispute goes back 15 years. In 2007, Adidas complained that Browne was using a three-stripe design too similar to theirs on a jacket. Browne agreed to stop using it and shifted to a four-stripe design. For years, Adidas did not argue with that—but as Browne became more prominent after the 2018 sale, he began expanding further into activewear and the sportswear giant took notice.

Adidas argued in its lawsuit that Browne’s stripes could confuse customers. Browne, in turn, has argued that the two companies are not direct competitors and don’t serve the same market. A pair of women’s compression tights on Browne’s web site costs $725, for example. A pair of Adidas leggings is well under $100 on that company’s site.

Jeff Trexler, a faculty member at the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, said the trademark landscape has become more nuanced in a shifting marketplace where companies expand regularly into new categories—in both content and price—and collaborate on special lines with others. More and more, he said, companies aren’t staying in the lanes they began in, whether it’s fashion or soda.

“It’s like in Ghostbusters where you know if you cross the streams, everything will blow up,” Trexler said. AP

Must-tries are NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation, Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 25, and Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Medium Coverage Liquid Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid. Also in this category is a new generation of perfumes that are considered wellness fragrances. Estée Lauder recently launched a line of eight fragrances under the Luxury Collection range. For this collection, the brand hired an independent neurosensorial study to find out the emotional effects of each scent on the wearer. My favorite in the line, Blushing Sands, claims to put the user in a state of sensuality and relaxation.

looks mirror-like in places is an example of this trend. Ampedup glass skin can be achieved with highlighters and pearlized skin creams.

I’m not sure if the viral TikTok “I’m Cold” makeup trend will still be carried to 2023. This trend is inspired by being out in the cold when your skin gets a natural flush.

The main technique required is to apply a cream blush on the apples of the cheeks and cheekbones and blend it upward with a brush or your fingers. Usually, makeup artists also apply blush to the tip of the nose and around the mouth.

Perfect for this trend is the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. The lips must look chapped and frost-bitten.

is. I just remember my best friend’s then-teenage daughter in 2000-2004 wearing mostly The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain. Today, “Y2K beauty” includes holographic shadows, metallics and frosted details.

I thought the wolf cut was over but I guess it’s not— thanks to Billie Eilish, who still wears an edgy and shaggy variation of this cut.

Hybrid beauty products, such as foundations and skin tints with skin-care properties, will be big this year.

Grunge makeup—smudged eye makeup and makeup that looks lived-in—is also one of 2023’s biggest makeup trends. For eyeliner, smudging it deliberately with a brush after application and cleaning up the excess with a cotton bud does the trick. Or you could fake the look of smudged black eyeliner with black eyeshadow.

Vinyl red lips take glossy lips to another level. Maybelline Super Stay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick is a product that will give you the desired effect.

Iridescent makeup is also a big trend for 2023. Skin that

Another TikTok beauty trend is “I’m Crying” makeup with rosy cheeks and glistening eyes in shades of pink.

I’ve noticed that many of these trends are anchored on blush, which has seen a renaissance in the last two years. Blush is back and it’s bolder than ever. As someone who has a tendency to use too much blush, I am happy with these trends. I’ve never seen so many new blushes from different brands and there are so many textures and colors. Tower 28 BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush in After Hours and Benefit Flora Tint are favorites.

FASHION designer Thom Browne leaves Manhattan federal court, Thursday, January 12, 2023, in New York, after a jury decided he did not infringe the trademark of sportswear giant Adidas. AP

ELMER CATUNGAL

BPI partners with fintech solutions specialist Euronet Worldwide; expanding ATM network in Southeast Asia

Multi-sectoral group signs statement of cooperation against content piracy

REX Education hosted a press conference recently, bringing together key organizations committed to educating people about piracy and stopping the illegal reproduction and distribution of copyrighted content.

Present at the event were leaders and representatives from the Philippine Association of Law Schools, the Association of Law Students of the Philippines, the Legal Education Board, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, the National Book Development Board, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation, Association of Administrators in Hospitality Hotel and Restaurant Management Educational Institution, the Philippine Librarians Association, the Philippine Council of Deans and Educators in Business, the Philippine Association of Collegiate Schools of Business, Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators, Professional Criminologists Association of the Philippines, Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities and the Philippine Educational Measurement and Evaluation Association.

Piracy is defined as the unauthorized

reproduction and distribution of copyrighted content, including but not limited to books, movies, music, and the like. In the Philippines, anti-piracy legislation is strengthened by Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines that protects and secures the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations.

The press conference is part of REX’s anti-piracy campaign, which was launched last September 16, 2022 at the Manila International Book Fair. The primary objective of the campaign is to curb, if not eradicate, content piracy by educating, communicating, and instilling among our colleagues, families, and children a true appreciation of the value of one’s own work. REX’s efforts in this direction are also in recognition and support of the relentless hard work of intellectual property law enforcement agencies in the country.

“We should continue to educate, communicate, and instill among our colleagues, families, and children a true appreciation of the value of one’s own work. In this sense, we are all duty-bearers. But above that, we are Filipinos,” said Atty. Dominador Buhain, chairman of Rex

Education. “ Aside from our laws, what also binds us are our values, our sense of pakikipagkapwa, of pagpapakatao, our pride in our own work, and our respect for each other and of each other’s work.”

Over the past year, the campaign has gained the attention of various organizations with similar sentiments. Stakeholders from the education sector, along with consumers and learners, have all come together to express their support for the movement. Above all, there is a call to protect creators and all their intellectual property in all its forms.

“Throughout our rich history, we recognize and respect one truth about what we do: We are able to accomplish so much because of our people. REX has immense pride for the talented and hardworking individuals who pour their creativity, knowledge, and skills in the development of our learning materials, and these are not limited to books,” said Atty. Dominador Buhain, chairman of Rex Education.

For more information regarding REX’s efforts, feel free to watch the “Proud Ako” anti-piracy campaign video that was launched at MIBF 2022. Visit www.rex.com. ph to support Rex Education in its endeavor of protecting the publishing industry.

Big Travel Fare Discounts, Incredible Travel Deals

Await Visitors at the 30th Travel Tour Expo 2023

airline companies have come up with their respective entertaining shows to promote their services and product offerings.

To make your travel as convenient as possible, several retailers on travel accessories are available at the venue. They offer luggages, bags, backpacks, jackets, and walking shoes at very big discounts. So if you are going to finalize your travel plans might as well include in your shopping list these travel accessories.

THE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has partnered with Euronet Worldwide Inc., a leading global financial technology solutions and payments provider, for its ATM management to acknowledge the need to enhance its ATM infrastructure to better serve customers who still rely on cash.

The expansion of its ATM network into Southeast Asia includes the installation of the company’s independent ATMs in the Philippines as well as the acquisition of 500 non-branch ATMs from BPI.

“The diversification of our ATM network outside of Europe where we already have a strong presence is an important element of our growth strategy,” said Michael J. Brown, Euronet Chairman and CEO. “This agreement positions us as a catalyst of ATM consolidation with our superior technology, operational services and extended presence globally. The new geographies we entered are already proving to be solid investments, and we will continue to be aggressive in seeking similar opportunities in all parts of the world.”

This announcement is a further manifestation of Euronet’s global expansion to territories outside of Europe with a diversified go-to-market strategy that includes the deployment of the company’s Independent ATM Networks (IAD) followed by strategic agreements with financial institutions for ATM asset purchases and provision of advanced operational services.

Euronet will assume full responsibility for managing 300 of the acquired ATMs and integrating them with the company’s IAD in the Philippines, which will more than double Euronet’s ATM footprint in the country. The remaining 200 ATMs will continue to operate under the BPI brand with end-toend operations outsourced to Euronet. BPI customers will not be charged to use these ATMs through a network participation arrangement.

EURONET expands ATM Network Into Southeast Asia

Meanwhile, BPI will continue to own and operate more than 2,500 ATMs located across its extensive branch network in the Philippines.

“We are excited to partner with one of the most reliable financial institutions in the Philippines” said Himanshu Pujara, Managing Director, Euronet Asia Pacific. “The ATM estate of BPI is one of the best-managed networks in the country, and through this partnership, we are committed to providing the highest standards of service to the customers of Bank of the Philippine Islands and other customers using these ATMs.”

“BPI’s partnership with Euronet reflects our strong commitment to continuously enhance the banking experience,” said Ramon L. Jocson, Chief Operating Officer, BPI.

“Euronet’s global expertise in managing ATM operations ensures that our clients will continue to experience secure and convenient banking through our ATMs. We look forward to the many client-centric innovations that we can provide through Euronet in the future.

HONOR Philippines is ready to dominate 2023 with new smart devices, events, treats

HONOR SuperCharge power brick. The screen of HONOR 70 5G supports 1.07 billion colors, 100% DCI-P3 and HDR 10+, bringing users vivid colors in sharp and crisp detail. Available in Midnight Black, Titanium Silver, and Emerald Green, you can get the HONOR 70 5G for P26,990.

HONOR X Series

To excite HONOR fans, the leading global smart devices provider teased that 2023 will be a very busy year for them – more launches, events, and exciting treats for consumers.

IF you’re planning to take your family for a vacation, or visit your loved ones here or abroad or go for on an adventure with your friends, do not forget to check out the 30th Travel Tour Expo 2023.

The 30th Travel Tour Expo 2023 is one of the much-anticipated travel events that features incredible travel deals and travel packages. It offers not only discounts in transport fares but also price markdowns in accommodations from different hotels and resorts.

The 30th Travel Tour Expo 2023 occupies two sprawling floors of the huge SMX Convention Center enough to house hundreds of participating exhibitors ranging from travel agencies, hotels, resorts, local tourism offices, embassies, airlines, cruise liners, travel insurance companies, food concessionaires, theme park operators, tour operators, and retailers of travel related good and accessories.

The 30th Travel Tour Expo is scheduled to open on Feb. 3 to 5, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay

At the event, bargain hunters can have a field day looking for discounted transport fares among the many participating exhibitors. Visitors can inquire with travel agencies for their group travels with advance bookings. Furthermore, one can finalize their travel plans at the venue as travel agencies can help firm up their itineraries and bookings with airlines, hotels, resorts, tour operators and travel insurance. At this travel expo, you not only get budget friendly transport fares but also enjoy the convenience of planning for your vacation trips.

To spice up the event, organizers have lined up several programs and entertainment numbers for the total enjoyment of the crowd as several embassies, national tourism offices, and

Visitors at the venue need not worry of getting hungry or thirsty after walking non-stop at the expansive two floors of the venue as several food concessionaires will set up shops to offer wide array of food choices and drink. One can have a sumptuous lunch or hearty dinner or just take a light snack at one of the food stalls at very reasonable prices.

With this year’s theme, “Better and Stronger Future of Travel is Here,” it proudly announces that the travel industry is back in business. The 30th Travel Tour Expo 2023 will take the lead in promoting the tourism industry as it encourages people to travel both local and international and generate business for its stakeholders and eventually pave the way for its full recovery.

The event sponsors are Department of Tourism, Tourism Promotions Board, Citibank, Philippine Airlines, Airswift, United Airlines, PLDT, Hotel 101, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Guam Visitors Bureau.

For more information, please go to www.traveltourexpo.ptaa.org.ph and contact organizers at tel. nos. 8831-0124, 8997-2063, 8846-8373, 09178071514

“The year 2022 is just the beginning for HONOR Philippines and we are taking the brand to even greater heights come 2023. We have a very solid lineup for the whole year and you definitely don’t want to miss what we will be bringing from the HONOR ecosystem.” said HONOR Philippines Vice President for Marketing, Stephen Cheng. “The expansion of our markets and channel partners is in the works already, and we will stay committed to focusing on creating innovations for everyone. For us, there’s really no way to go but up.”

Since the relaunch, HONOR has opened and established more than 600 stores composed of kiosks and multi-brand stores. In fact, HONOR is now present at 17 dealers: Abenson, Cellboy, EC Panda, MemoXpress, Octagon, Present, Rules, Silicon Valley, Globe, Lazada, Shopee, and Kimstore.

HONOR indicated an increase of 366 percent in its manpower since its launch to augment the workforce for the company. Now, in three months’ time, HONOR currently has at least 1,000 employees including promoters to cater to newly opened stores in the country.

HONOR recently hinted the launch of its highly anticipated foldable flagship HONOR Magic Vs, and while fans patiently wait for it, here’s a rundown of what HONOR has launched so far.

HONOR 70 5G

HONOR 70 5G carries the industry’s first 54MP IMX800 Super Sensing Main Camera, bringing users incredible enhancements in smartphone photography. It also takes pride in the revolutionary Solo Cut Mode, an innovation enabling users to simultaneously produce a group video and a portrait vlog that spotlights a specific person.

#BestVloggingPhone HONOR 70 5G is equipped with a 4800mAh large-capacity battery supported by high performance 66W

HONOR X6, X7, X8, and X9 boast SuperCharge feature for all-day connectivity and productivity. The series also offers big screens providing better display, most especially the HONOR X9 which has 90hz refresh rate and 94% screento-body ratio. The X series brings promising camera features for mobile photography and videography. HONOR X6 and X7 have a 50 and 48MP main camera respectively while both HONOR X8 and HONOR X9 have 64MP. All are packed with wide and macro lenses and bokeh effect.

Available in Midnight Black and Titanium Silver, the HONOR X6 is priced at Php 7,490 while HONOR X7 and X8 is at P9,990 and P12,990 respectively. The HONOR X9 debuted at P14,990 in Midnight Black and Ocean Blue colors.

HONOR Magic4 Pro

THE Power of Magic. HONOR Magic4 Pro introduces one of the most powerful and versatile camera systems on an HONOR smartphone to date: 50MP Wide Camera with customized 7P Lens, 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 64MP Periscope Telephoto Camera, a Flicker Sensor, and an additional brand-new custom-made image processor.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G Mobile Platform, the HONOR Magic4 Pro delivers blazing fast performance and incredible battery efficiency across all typical usage scenarios. The 6.81-inch next-generation LTPO Display delivers fluid, vibrant visuals with support for adaptive refresh rate to help users conserve battery.

Available in Black and Cyan, the HONOR Magic4 Pro is priced at P52,990.

HONOR Pad 8

AS the first HONOR tablet in the Philippines, the HONOR Pad 8 delivers an exceptional entertainment experience with all-round smart features and a sleek and premium design. Boasting an impressive 12-inch 2K HONOR FullView Display. The HONOR Pad 8 pushes industry benchmarks to deliver an immersive visual and audio experience.

The tablet packs an extra-large 7250 mAh battery for all-day connectivity that supports up to 14 hours of offline local video playback, or 10 hours of learning online. HONOR Pad 8 is available in Dawnlight Blue for P17,990 with a FREE Smart Keyboard worth P5,990.

FROM left to right, Jesus Manapat of the National Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Floyd Abuso Gopez, Executive Vice President, Association of Law Students of the Philippines; Atty. Rowel Barba, Director, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines; Dean Lilibeth Aragon, President, Association of Administrators in Hospitality, Hotel and Restaurant Management Educational Institution; and Atty. Dominador Buhain. Chairman Rex Education.

DUBBED as a magical comeback, HONOR officially set foot in the Philippine market again in August 2022 and has been unstoppable since then, launching a tablet, two smartwatches, and six mobile phones in just a span of four months.

The coronavirus chronicles: Things To decluTTer in 2023

STARTING on a clean slate. Out with the old, in with the new. Many of us like cleaning our closets, homes, and mindsets at the start of the year. We can do the same at work. In an Inc.com article 5 Things to Declutter to Prepare for a Productive 2023, organization and productivity consultant Rashelle Isip points out the importance of decluttering unnecessary items from our dayto-day routines.

PR Matters By Millie F. Dizon

Here are her 5 tips to help you declutter unwanted, worn out, and stagnant items in our work or business.

n d e clutter your mindset.

T HE s ingle most important thing that will determine your future success is your mindset, says Isip. If you've been doing work or business with a mindset of lack, hardship, and struggle over the past several months, it's time for a reset. Take stock of what you've been recently thinking or believing about your business. Once you have those beliefs in mind, the next step is to do a 180-degree rewrite of that belief.

You will be surprised at how things can be transferred. “Marketing is a struggle,” becomes, “We educate our customers and clients so they can get results.

“Productivity is so difficult,” becomes, “We create systems to make our business run like clockwork.” See if you can come up with at least 10 mindset shifts you can work on and improve in your work or business over the next several months.

n d e clutter your computer desktop.

It would be good to start the year on a clear workspace slate. It can be difficult to do your best work if your workspace is a visual cacophony of documents, files, images, and videos, says Isip.

Here are some tips: Make the most of your digital filing system and take time to properly store digital materials. Get in the habit of digitally "putting items" away when you're finished using them.

You can also create a set of minirules to follow whenever you're working on a new project, such as creating a new project folder and subfolders.

Schedule regular desktop decluttering sessions and don't forget to move unnecessary items over to the recycling or trash bin.

n d e clutter your business relationships.

It’s no surprise that draining or toxic relationships can jeopardize your business’ success. But when was the last time you took stock of your professional relationships?

Isip believes we can start by identifying any relationships that are not serving you and your works best interests. These relationships may be found with vendors, partners, staff, customers, and clients.

Do what's needed to reduce or

eliminate contact with the party, terminate the relationship, or otherwise find a solution that will allow your business to move forward.

n d e clutter your office space.

Look for areas in your office or workspace where items tend to pile. This could be the corner of a break room, an unused office or cubicle, a conference room closet, a suite entrance or a hallway.

This is the best time to remove items that are no longer needed, used, or functional. Place archival client files in secure permanent storage, dispose of dried-up markers, pens, and correction fluid, shred and recycle paperwork, and return electronic equipment to storage closets.

If you're having difficulty decluttering your space, imagine

yourself walking into your work area as if you were a potential new client. What would they see immediately? Would it be stacks of files, office supplies strewn about, and unwashed dishes in the break room? Keeping your potential client in mind, do what's needed to tidy up and declutter your space.

n d e clutter your business operations.

Review your existing operational systems and structures. This can be as basic as a filing system, client intake process, project meeting agenda, or vacation time policies.

Do a check for unclear instructions, confusing wording, redundant systems, and unnecessary steps. Simplify information as necessary, without losing the ba -

sic functionality of your systems and structures.

If your business is currently lacking in business policies and procedures, then take time to create some. Happy New Year! Happy decluttering!

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

n Matt Bar B e lli launches all-new digital agency w o nderful

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—Wonderful, a digital agency merging design, technology and performance marketing to scale businesses at speed, has launched by Matt Barbelli, the founder and managing director of award-winning Frank Digital.

Wonderful is an agency and consultancy hybrid, using human-centered design matched with unique insights informed by data and the latest technology to drive business and brand growth.

Combining design, technology, and performance marketing, Wonderful offers datadriven research and insights, experience design, paid media, search, social, e-commerce, and digital-first band solutions.

Matt said, “Wonderful pairs

specialist expertise and strategic thinking to build brands and businesses that want to succeed across the digital ecosystem. It’s rare to find an agency with our unique service mix typically agencies excel at one or the other. We’ve seen dramatic increases in uplift when it all comes together.”

Opening its doors in mid2022, Wonderful is working with a number of clients including the largest precious metals services group in Australasia, Pallion Group and its subsidiaries Pallion Foundation and ABC Refinery; online art auction house, Luxebid and retail chain Gregory Jewellers, on a range of projects including digital transformation, UX and UI design, digital-first branding and platform development and full go to market strategies.

Vaughan Moffitt, former lead designer at Deloitte Digital, who has worked on brands including Virgin Money, NRMA, Westpac, Foxtel, and the World Health Organisation, has joined Wonderful as Head of Design alongside Nick Miers as Digital Director.

Matt added, “We’ve developed our service offering to reflect today’s digital economy. We want to diverge how clients think about performance marketing to focus it through a lens of high-performance creativity backed by insights and data.

n t hi s week in ads B rings us l un ar n e w y e ar cele B r ations, an invite into the world of s u garlandia, and an i M p ortant pledge fro M p u B l icis g ro upe

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—The creative industry is brimming with tons of amazing ideas, so it’s no surprise that there’s never a shortage of great campaigns to admire and celebrate.

From gripping stories and new perspectives that embody what a brand stands for to new fun ways people can engage with a brand, here are campaigns that caught adobo Magazine’s eye this week:

e l evating traditions for the l una r n ew y e ar W I TH its latest campaign by Ogilvy Shanghai, Coca-Cola

focuses on how the spirit and joy of the Lunar New Year still remain even amid generational shifts and the reimagining of traditions. An adorable animated spot featuring a family of rabbits highlights this as it shows the celebration through the marrying of the traditions and desires of each generation.

To highlight how tradition still has its place in this hyper-digital world, Coca-Cola also implemented digital activations that integrate practices such as the yearly family portrait and the culture of gift-giving.

d i ve into the M es M erizing world of s u garlandia

T O celebrate 10 years in the market, Don Papa launched a short animated spot that welcomes you into the tropical paradise they want everyone to get immersed in when they try a Don Papa drink—Sugarlandia. The animation pulls you into a lush, mysterious fantasy world with sugarcane spanning the wide plains, representing the Philippine and Negrense flavors that the premium single-island rum incorporates into every bottle.

eMB r acing the dating journey this l una r n ew y e ar T O help singles on their dating journey this Valentine’s and Lunar New Year season, the women-first dating app launched the Bumble Love Letters campaign. With love letters being both a big part of the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, users will be able to initiate dates with treats that they can claim and have delivered via the app. As part of the campaign, Bumble also launched Breaking Barriers: Getting Real About Dating During CNY With Mum, where a mother and daughter have a heart-to-heart conversation about dating and the pressure from families to start relationships, especially during this time of the year.

e r asing the stig M a around cancer in the workplace

R E CENTLY, P ublicis Groupe launched a pledge inviting businesses to commit to being a supportive and recoveryforward workplace for employees with cancer and other chronic illnesses. As part of this launch, Publicis released

a campaign film depicting the different ways the illness affects people at work and the various things cancer patients hide from coworkers and employers—from the fact that they can’t keep the lunch being served at the meeting down to their using up of their vacation days for treatment—because they’re scared of losing their job.

c e le B r ate the l una r n ew y e ar B y cele B r ating yourself

W I TH today’s fast-paced hustle culture, it’s no surprise that the younger generations feel too busy planning for tomorrow and getting ahead to take some time to celebrate their achievements. So, Tiger Beer and Le Pub launched a campaign that calls on Millennial and Gen Z professionals to pause and celebrate the achievements that got them where they are today through a motivational film and a promotional stunt Tanjong Pagar in downtown Singapore wherein hundreds of rushing people suddenly freeze, bringing one of Southeast Asia’s busiest downtown areas to a standstill.

WEAR-AND-TEAR TOLLS ON MURRAY

EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL spars at the Top Rank Gym.

Marcial, wife Princess learning ropes of pro boxing career in US

By Josef Ramos

JUST like any other boxer aiming for the big time in the US, Eumir Felix Marcial has to go through a daily grind coupled with having to earn his keeps to survive in the US.

Even Olympic medalists like him aren’t exempted.

It’s really tough and you really need to save a lot of money,” Marcial, 27, told BusinessMirror after a break in training at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marcial remains atop the list on the national boxing team as a priority athlete with his bronze from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. But because he turned pro in October 2020, he no longer a receives monthly cash allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission.

“ But I don’t have any regrets. No problem,” said Marcial, who has yet to know his opponent in his fourth professional next month after his supposed Mexical foe wasn’t cleared by the Nevada Athletic Association.

M arcial, one of several outstanding athletes from Zamboanga City most notable of whom is Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, has already learned so much both atop the ring and in life while in the US.

We just have to be smart, be professional and mature in dealing here entirely, not just about boxing,” he said.

P rincess, also a former amateur boxer, serves as Marcial’s manager. She checks on his husband’s regimen and fight contracts and as importantly, the duties of a wife which, she said, revolves around their home and budgeting daily expenses.

We really need to save whatever money we have from Eumir’s previous fights here,” Princess said, adding she also makes sure Marcial gets the proper nutrition every day. “It’s balancing beef, chicken, milk, fruit juices, among other nutritional needs.”

Marcial, a four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist at middleweight, thanked his promoter, MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, for chipping in on their daily expenses.

“All expenses are mine, but I’m thankful to Sean [Gibbons] for helping us out with the rent and for lending me his car while I’m here,” Marcial said. “It’s no longer Sean’s obligation to pay some of our bills, but he’s always there for us.”

Despite being under contract with MP Promotions, Marcial doesn’t receive a regular salary. He needs to fight to get paid.

M arcial’s trainer, coach, conditioning coach and promoter are mandated to get cuts from his purse—the amount of which neither he nor Gibbons refuse to divulge.

M arcial trains six days a week under Mexican Jorge Capetillo in preparation for his February fight. He now spars regularly with fellow middleweights or heavier boxers with Reggie Hobson keenly monitoring his strength and conditioning.

He said training in the US has more advantages than in Manila, or in Imus City where he and Princess built their home.

“ It’s cheaper back home, but with the daily distractions and lack of quality training sessions and sparring partners, it’s way fat better here in the US,” he said.

Marcial began his pro career in December 2020 by beating Andrew Whitfield in a four-round unanimous decision in Los Angeles. His second fight was almost a disaster when he was knocked down thrice, but still got up and scored a fourth-round technical knockout win over Isiah Hart last April 10 in Las Vegas.

He fought with a nasty cut above his right eye and beat Steven Pichardo last October 8 in Carson City via unanimous decision in his third fight.

His fourth fight—a six-rounder—is set February 11 in San Antonio, Texas.

A ll of those fans, and Murray himself, could have been excused in that moment for thinking, “Here we go again!”

Except there would be no fiveset thriller this time for Murray and his many backers. No aftermidnight finish. No classic comeback. And no victory. No, the wear-and-tear of Murray’s two previous unending, unyielding, performances simply took too much out of his 35-year-old body and metal hip, leaving him with more than a half-dozen blisters and an aching lower back during a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round Saturday night.

You can’t always control the outcome. You can’t control how well you’re going to play or the result. You can control the effort that you put into it, and I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I’m very proud of that,” said Murray, a fivetime finalist at Melbourne Park and the owner of three Grand Slam titles from elsewhere. “But, yeah, I’m also disappointed.”

This match ended a minute shy of three-and-a-half hours, which seemed rather short and sweet when compared to Murray’s exhausting trek that took more than 10 and a half hours earlier in

the week: He beat 13th-seeded Matteo Berrettini in a five-setter in the first round on Tuesday, then eliminated Tha nasi Kokkinakis in another five-setter in the second round that began on Thursday night and concluded a little after 4 a.m. on Friday.

Murray then slept from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., showed up at the tournament site to get his blisters drained, and returned to his hotel for a nap, before getting on court to hit for just 15 minutes or so.

He got off to a slow start against Bautista Agut on Saturday, made a strong push to grab the second set, and faded down the stretch. When the match was over, Murray was given quite a send-off.

Today (there) was a lot of love for Andy,” the 24th-seeded Bautista Agut said afterward. “I think maybe next round, a little bit more for me.”

These two had played six times previously, including Bautista Agut’s win at the Australian Open in 2019, a year after Murray had his first of two hip operations—and days after he tearfully acknowledged he thought he was on the verge of retirement.

A fter that loss to Bautista Agut, a video tribute to Murray was played in the stadium, and he himself uttered the words, “If today was my last match...”

Not much later came Murray’s second procedure, this one to fit him with an artificial hip, and he eventually returned to the tour.

I n the time since, he has wondered aloud whether the work it takes to be competitive now is worth it. After Saturday’s loss, he was asked how moments such as those this week make him feel.

I would like to go out playing tennis like this, where I’m competing with the best players in the world in the biggest events and doing myself justice. There were maybe times, the last year or so, where I didn’t really feel like I was playing well, and I didn’t enjoy the way that I was playing,” said Murray, whose exit Saturday leaves Novak Djokovic as the lone major champion still in the men’s field.

A t this Australian Open, though, he explained: “It’s more enjoyable for me when I’m playing like that, when I’m coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage.” AP

All systems go for Victoria pro cycling team

THE Victoria Sports Cycling Team (VSCT)—the country’s newest professional cycling team—was launched over the weekend with high goals in sight for the current season.

“ This team will work to open a ‘new chapter in Philippine cycling,’ as we aim to regularly and actively represent the country in major international cycling tournaments in Asia and around the world,” said Pako Ochoa, one of VSCT’s lead riders who rode for a continental team in Portugal the past three years.

Saturday’s launch was well attended with Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, PhilCycling Chairman Bert Lina and former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa gracing the event at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City. The team will lead a community ride in

The Country Club Invitational unveils new tour season with record purse

THE Country Club (TCC)

Invitational braces for a grand return after a twoyear hiatus with the best and the brightest eager and ready to fuel their respective title drive in the richest-ever edition of the flagship tournament of each Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) season.

Featuring an elite cast made up of past winners or the Top 30 players in last year’s PGT Order of Merit (OOM), the blue-ribbon event firing off February 8 will now stake a whopping P6 million in total prizes, topping the previous high of P5 million in the 2020 edition before it was put on hold due to

Prochazka in UFC 280 in Singapore, he was seconds away from retaining the title, when the latter got him in a submission hold to win.

E ven as he staggered on several occasions and was getting teed on by Hill, Teixeira never gave up. That was like Rocky Balboa getting tenderized by Apollo Creed.

A s a fan of Teixeira who I had the honor of interviewing twice now and having my picture taken with this all-time mixed martial arts great, it was tough to watch. On the other hand, I was also extremely happy for Hill who became the first graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series to win a UFC title belt.

pandemic the last two years.

But the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., in its continuing commitment to help the pros and the entire golf workforce during the health crisis, still held two tournaments in bubble setup in late 2020 and one in 2021 before staging seven legs last year capped by the

Quezon Memorial Circle on Sunday.

A lso in the team are Filipino riders Luis Krog, Ean Cajucom, Jhay Oconer, Kelvin Mendoza, Daniel Ven Cariño and Jerry Aquino and Portuguese Márcio Barbosa, Pedro Paulinho, José Mendes and André Cardoso.

The officers of the VSCT are Atty. Franco Lacandalo (team representative), Jobert Catina (rider care and mechanic), Rayzon Galdonez (assistant sports director) and Portuguese Micael Isidoro (sports director).

“ It is an exciting time for Philippine sports. Our country won its first gold medal in the Olympics two years ago, and this year the country will be represented in both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the FIBA Basketball World Cup,” Ochoa said.

Mendez is a former WorldTour Rider for Bora-Hansgrohe and two-time Portuguese national road champion, while Cardoso is a former WorldTour rider for Trek Segafredo.

first-ever Match Play Championship at the Villamor Golf Club.

G uido Van der Valk topped last year’s PGT OOM by winning two of the six tournaments at various championship courses. The Manilabased Dutchman also edged Clyde Mondilla by one to snare the last TCC diadem in 2020.

career. And true to his classy form, he called on the crowd not to pelt Hill with beer and popcorn as they did to Brandon Moreno who earlier defeated Deiveson Figueiredo via third round technical knockout when a punch closed the latter’s right eye and was declared unable to continue.

Teixeira implored the crowd—or what was left of it as they hastily made their way out of the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro—to show some respect for the new champion who came all the way to Brazil to win it.

A nd if that is his last act inside the Octagon, how classy was that?

Tears and class in UFC 283

WHEN have I teared up in a UFC fight?

Watching Glover Teixiera getting beaten up by Jamahal Hill in UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro was painful to watch.

And that was the second time that Teixeira went the distance and got beaten up.

W hen he lost the light heavyweight title to Jiri

T here were so many questions about Hill heading into this fight—can he last five rounds, how can he cope with a submission specialist like Teixeira when he has questionable ground skills, and can he withstand the pressure of a title fight in his opponent’s home country?

Well, he answered that and all as he took the light heavyweight crown. The emotion he displayed was overwhelming as well.

B ut as for tearing up—that came when Glover placed his gloves in the middle of the ring to end his fight

I n spite of mixed martial arts being brutal, I love the sportsmanship when the final bell is rung, when all the trash talking ends.

But some fighters do not do this for show. It is because they are classy individuals.

A nd Glover is one.

M any have also sounded off when Ukrainian Ihor Potieria celebrated his win over the also retiring Brazilian legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. They deemed it tasteless.

Baisa sustains form, Diaz tops in Roxas City

BRICE VINCENT BAISA pulled off another “double,” crushing a couple of top-ranked rivals to claim the boys’ 16- and 18-under titles with Jana Jelena Diaz matching the feat in the girls’ side of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Gov. F. Castro national juniors tennis championships at the Villareal Stadium courts in Roxas City, Capiz over the weekend.

Baisa proved his exploits in Iloilo last week were no fluke, blasting his way to the 16-under finals with shutout wins over John Guilaran and Jake Frial, before toppling No. 1 Reign Maravilla, 6-3, 6-2.

The Puerto Princesa City find also swept his way to the 18-under championship with one-sided victories over Juirus Cantor and Jann Guillano, then beat top seed Vince Serna, 7-5, 6-3, to complete a second straight two-title sweep in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

Th at makes the 16-year-old Baisa a solid favorite when the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro moves to Bacolod from January 26 to 31 and Bais City in Negros Oriental from February 2 to 7.

For listup and details, contact tournament organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Diaz, meanwhile, cashed in on the absence of Ormoc’s Kimi Brodeth as she lived up to her top billing to reign in the girls’ 16-under with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Louraine Jallorinia.

The rising Bacoor, Cavite star then routed Feonne Suace, 6-1, 6-2, in the 18-under finals to share MVP honors with Baisa in the tournament sponsored by Gov. Fredenil Castro with support from sports coordinator Matty Viterbo and consultant Atty. Rudy Alba.

Yes, but give the kid a pass. He was just lost at the moment. He lost his previous fight—his UFC debut— and a loss could probably mean getting cut. I do not believe that he danced to spite or show up Rua. The Ukrainian did pay respects after when his emotions subsided.

You want a lack of class—how about the fans who booed and pelted Moreno after he defeated Figueiredo? That was way more lacking in class. Why don’t the other fighters call out the crowd?

Th at wasn’t a heat of the moment thing. They were booing every non-Brazilian fighter in UFC 283. Even when Hill was being interviewed post-match, applause was hard to come by.

So let’s not be selective about this “class” thing.

But what an event. Two title bouts. One found his mojo again (Johnny Walker after his TKO win over Paul Craig). Another looks for revenge (Jessica Andrade who called out Wang Zheili.).

another looks for a white hot war (Gilbert Burns calling out Colby Covington).

Th at’s all good, but I would like to think that at the end of the event, class prevailed.

And

B8 | Monday, January 23, 2023 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

MELBOURNE—Andy Murray evened his Australian Open match at a set apiece and stood in a corner of Margaret Court Arena with his hands on his hips, staring up into the stands, where spectators were jumping and screaming, pumping their arms and waving blueand-white Scottish flags.

ANDY MURRAY: I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I’m very proud of that. AP

THE Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team is launched Saturday at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City. They are (from left) Jay Oconer, Jerry

Aquino, Marcio Barbosa, Pedro Paulinho, Andrei Cardoso, Jose Mendes, Daniel Carino, Pako Ochoa, Ean Cajucom, Luis Krog, Kelvin Mendoza,  Micael Isidoro (Sports Director), Jobert Catina (Rider Care and Mechanic) and Rayzon Galdonez (Assistant Sports Director).