BusinessMirror January 31, 2021 by BusinessMirror

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are eager to spend Christmas

this could help prevent placing the country in another strict lockdown,

this newspaper, is for travel restrictions to be put in place swiftly and

quences on the economy.” See “Omicron,” A2

NATL GOVT BORROWINGS PHL BANANA EXPORTS FOR 10 31%, MOS A DIP TO P2.75T DOWN 5-YEAR LOW w w

Monday, January 29, 31, 2021 2022 Vol. 17 No.52 No. 115 Monday, November

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P25.00 P25.00 nationwide nationwide || 22 sections sections 18 20 pages pages ||

By Bernadette D. Nicolas By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Omicron risk Water Tiger spurs revival may not be of quarantine so kind to rules in PHL Pinoys in ’22

@BNicolasBM @jearcalas

HE Philipnational HE government’s pines’s gross of its exports borrowings as of prized bananas last end-October shrank year plunged by 31 by almost percent percent to 6a five-year year-on-year low of $1.123 to billion P2.75 trillion. as the industry was plagued Latestlogistical data from the Bureau of the with Treasury showed that the governproblems and during the ment’s gross borrowings 10-month period fell by 5.99 percent stiffer competition, from P2.92 trillion a year ago. resulting inmonths left for With only two this year, the latest figure lower volume ofis already equivalent to 89.6 percent of its shipments. P3.07-trillion borrowing program.

Broken down, gross domestic borrowings from January to October settled at P2.23 trillion, down by The double-digit decline of ba5.08 percent from P2.35 trillion nana exports last year marked the in 2020. second consecutive year of sagging The bulk of the amount was performance by one of the country’s sourced from Fixed Rate Treasury top agricultural products, historiBonds (P1.19 trillion), followed by cal Philippine Statistics Authority short-term borrowings from Bang(PSA) data showed. ko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP (P540 PSA data obtained by the Busibillion), Retail Treasury Bonds/PrenessMirror showed the counmyo Bonds (P463.3 billion), Retail try’s full-year banana exports last Onshore Dollar Bonds (P80.84 bilyear was $521.012 million lower lion). In the same period, there was than the $1.644 billion recorded also a net redemption of Treasury in 2020. Bills amounting to P43.94 billion. The value of total banana shipNet debt redemption means ments last year was lowest since there were more debts repaid comthe $1.128 billion recorded in 2017, pared to the amount borrowed durPSA data also showed. ing the period. The total volume of bananas Meanwhile, gross foreign borexported by the Philippines last rowings in the same period also year reached 2.419 million metric contracted by 9.7 percent to P518.7 tons (MMT), which was 36.46 perbillion from last year’s P574.4 billion. cent lower than the 3.808 MMT This was raised through global recorded volume in 2020. Likebonds (P146.17 billion), program wise, historical PSA indicated the loans (P139.98 billion), euro-devolume of banana shipments last nominated bonds (P121.97 billion), year was the lowest in the past a project loan (P86.41 billion), and five years. yen-denominated samurai bonds (P24.19 billion).

Top market: Japan See “Borrowings,” A2

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

I T

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

PEOPLE walk past the mural of Gat Andres Bonifacio at Manila City Hall Underpass. The country will celebrate the 158th birth anniversary of Filipino revolutionary FILIPINOS spendBonifacio nearly half year online and more DOMINGO hero Gat Andres onthe Tuesday, November 30. ROYthan a third of that time is spent on social media, says Brusselsbased marketing and advertising consultant Sortlist. This makes the Philippines the country that spends the most time online and on social media. See boxed story below.

NTER NATIONA L concerns @akosistellaBM over the possible spread of the Special to the BusinessMirror more infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant prompted the govHE year of the Water Tiger ernment to reimpose mandatory may not bode well for the facility-based quarantine for all Philippines, as the character arriving passengers in the country. of the animal may get the better of Acting Presidential spokesperus, and will likely result in arguson Karlo B. Nograles announced ments, misunderstandings, and on Sunday that the Inter-Agency breaks in relationships. Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) suspended the implementation of its Resolution No. 150A (s.2021), effectively imposing stricter protocols for all inbound travelers. To note, IATF Resolution 150A had allowed fully vaccinated non-visa travelers from Green List areas to enter the country without the need for facility-based quarantine as long as they secure negative Reverse Transcription“METAL is like magnet—it represents Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTconnections—connecting people,prior and PCR) test within 72 hours to their departure. therefore its absence indicates many “Except for countries classified them. This allows everyone to see programs as President Duterte forms of separation.” as ‘Red,’ the testing and quarantine who are listed in the registry and if is expected to sign the industry —Feng shui practitioner Marites Allen protocols for all inbound internafarmer doesn’t see his name then he development plan in early 2022. tional travelers in all ports of entry shall coordinate with the PCA imRosales said the PCA will not “Tigers are very energetic. They shall comply with the testing and mediately,” he explained at a recent stop updating its list of coconut don’t want to be kept caged and quarantine protocols for ‘Yellow’ dialogue with coconut farmers. farmers and enjoined them to regBy Cai U. Ordinario “In today’s world the mawhen provoked, they will attack list countries,” Nograles said, citing “On the other hand, if people ister in order to reap the benefits @caiordinario jority of day-to-day tasks are with swiftness,” said popular feng the provision of IATF Resolution would see names on the list and of the decades-long idled coconut completed online and this isn’t shui practitioner Marites Allen. The No. 151-A. they think they are not coconut levy fund. “We will not stop at 3.1 ILIPINOS spend nearly half a bad thing, but it’s important Tiger is the third in the 12-animal He noted Hong Kong, which has farmers or their details are incormillion. We hope that more indithe year online and more that we remind ourselves that Chinese zodiac cycle, and begins on confirmed a case of the Omicron rect, they can report it to the PCA viduals will register in our coconut than a third of that time is there is more to enjoy than just February 1. variant, will also fall under the Yelfor immediate action,” he added. farmers registry,” he said. spent on social media, according social media and online browsThe Philippines’s main destilow list countries. The PCA official noted that The updating of the coconut to a Brussels-based marketing and ing,” he added. ny chart also shows an excess of The suspension of the rules for the completion of the initial list farmers registry is mandated by advertising consultant. The top 10 economies, apart wood and water, some earth and “Green List” countries will be in of coconut farmers registry would Republic Act (RA) 11524 or the Based on a study by Sortlist, from the Philippines, include fire, but an absence of metal. “The effect from November 28, 2021 to be just in time for the expected Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act. Filipinos spent 10 hours, 56 minBrazil, Colombia, South Africa, missing metal element will result December 15, 2021. See “3-M farmers,” A2 rollout of coconut levy-funded utes per day online or 166 days Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico, Inin a tendency for people to act and Continued on A2 per year. Of this time, four hours donesia, Thailand, and Taiwan. do things independently; thus, and 15 minutes are spent on social In terms of the percentage of more division rather than partper day which population who usenthe in- ARABIAnership,” she BSP explained. nmedia SINGAPORE 36.8968is equivalent n AUSTRALIA the 36.2807 n EU 56.5758 SAUDI 13.4531 Source: (November 26, 2021) to 65 days in a year. ternet, Taiwan had the highest “ Met a l i s l i ke m ag net — it This placed the Philippines as at 90 percent of its population represents connections—conthe country that spends the most using the internet followed by necting people, and therefore its time online and on social media. Argentina at 80 percent and Braabsence indicates many forms of Sortlist estimated that 67 percent zil at 75 percent. separation.” of the country’s population use The data also showed the averOn the upside, Tigers, in genthe internet. age person spent around 52,925 eral, are also a symbol of bravery “Over the past 18 months or so minutes scrolling social media and independence. we have spent more time behind each year. This translates to 36 “They are great adventurers a screen than ever. As a result of days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes on who never back down from life’s the pandemic, many people have social media. challenges. Thus, they represent been forced to work from home, creativity, dynamism, and power,” Sports games spend copious amounts of time she said. on Zoom calls and used their SPORTS games are also the apps free time to scroll social media taking up the most of people’s Misfortune Star 5 and utilize the array of apps at time, as the average user spends HOPEFULLY, those positive Tiger our disposal, but all of this time around 23 minutes on these apps, traits rub off on us this year, espespent online can build up,” Nicofollowed by casual gaming at 21 cially since the “Misfortune Star las Finet, Co-Founder and CMO minutes. 5” is present in the country’s chart at Sortlist, said. See “Pinoys,” A2 from February 1, 2022 to January 21, 2023.

OVER 3-M FARMERS LISTED FOR P75-B COCO LEVY FUND PHOTO BY FERLI ACHIRULLI KAMARUDDIN | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

dating its registry following the enactment of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund law. Rosales explained that about 500,000 coconut farmers and workers were added to the PCA’s 2018 list that had about 2.5 million coconut farmers and farm workers. The PCA’s next step is to conduct an exclusion-inclusion procedure by making the updated farmers’ registry public, providing everyone the opportunity to check the veracity of the list, Rosales added. “The list will be posted in public spaces where people can easily see

PINOYS SPEND MOST TIME ONLINE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA M ORE than 3 million coconut farmers and workers are now registered with the government’s registry, which serves as the basis for the number of people to be covered by the utilization of the P75-billion coconut levy fund. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Deputy Administrator Roel M. Rosales said about 3.11 million coconut farmers and farm workers have been registered with the government since it started up-

JAPAN was the country’s top importer of bananas last year, accounting for 38.14 percent of the total volume of exports last year, per PSA data. T he Ph i l ippi nes e x por ted 923,060.755 MT of bananas to Japan last year—34.75 percent lower compared to the 1.414 MMT recorded in 2020. In terms of value, banana exports to Japan fell by 31.92 percent year-on-year to $486.422 million from $714.517 million. China was the second biggest buyer of bananas from the Philippines as it imported 907,440.895 MT of the fruit worth $387.427 million, according to PSA data. The volume of banana exports to China declined by 25 percent year-on-year while the value of total shipments plunged by 21.57 percent on an annual basis.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.4600

See “PHL banana,” A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.3930

n JAPAN 0.4374 n UK 67.2329 n HK 6.4722 n CHINA 7.9013

See “Water tiger,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4456 n UK 68.8101 n HK 6.5976 n CHINA 8.0693 n SINGAPORE 38.9957 n AUSTRALIA 37.1344 n EU 57.2878 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6982

Source: BSP (January 28, 2021)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Monday, January 31, 2022

IATF puts NCR, 7 provinces under AL2 from Feb. 1-15

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

ETRO Manila and seven other provinces are to be placed under Alert Level 2 from February 1 to 15. Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) CoChair and Acting Palace Spokesman Cabinet Secretar y K arlo Nograles announced on Sunday that the IATF has placed Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Southern Leyte, Biliran and Basilan under Alert Level 2. Metro Manila was previously under the stricter mobility restriction at Alert Level 3 following the surge in Covid-19 cases earlier this month. Under Alert Level 2, intrazonal and interzonal travel shall be allowed subject to reasonable restrictions based on age and comorbidities as may be determined by the local government units. Those below 18 years old and those belonging to vulnerable populations shall also be allowed access to obtain existing essential goods and services, or for work in permitted industries and offices. Individual outdoor

exercises shall be allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status. Government agencies shall remain to be fully operational and shall adhere to at least 50 percent on-site capacity while applying work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements. Meanwhile, the IATF also placed several cities and provinces under Alert Level 3 for the same period.

These are:

■ Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga and Mountain Province; ■ Region I: Dagupan City, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan; ■ Region II: City of Santiago, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino; ■ Region III: Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales;

■ Region IV-A: Batangas, Laguna, Lucena City and Quezon Province; ■ Region IV-B: Marinduque, Romblon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Puerto Princesa City; ■ Region V: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Naga City and Sorsogon. ■ Region VI: Aklan, Antique, Bacolod City, Capiz, Iloilo City, Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Guimaras; ■ Region VII: Cebu City, LapuLapu City, Mandaue City, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor; and ■ Region VIII: Ormoc City, Tacloban City, Eastern Samar, L e y te, Nor t he r n S a m a r a nd Western Samar. ■ Region IX: City of Isabela, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay; ■ Region X: Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental; ■ Region XI: Davao City, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro; ■ Region XII: General Santos Cit y, North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat; ■ Region X III: Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Butuan City; and ■ Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao:

Maguindanao, Cotabato City and Lanao Del Sur. Under Alert Level 3, intrazonal and interzonal travel are allowed, and those below 18 years old and those belonging to vulnerable population get access to obtain essential goods and services, or for work in permitted industries and offices. Individual outdoor exercises are allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status. However, specific establishments, or activities may operate or be undertaken only at a maximum of 30 percent indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and only 50 percent outdoor venue capacity. Employees for these establishments should also be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and minimum public health standards shall be strictly maintained. Government shall also remain fully operational and adhere to at least 30 percent on-site capacity while applying work-fromhome and other f lexible work arrangements.

DOTr eases curbs

FOLLOWING the Palace announcement, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the policies limiting the mobility of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals will be lifted. “Once we de-escalate to Alert Level 2, the No Vaccination, No Ride policy shall automatically be lifted,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said. The policy, which took effect on January 17, essentially barred unvaccinated individuals from riding public utility vehicles while Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 for Covid-19. It aimed to reduce the mobility of unvaccinated individuals, which, the agency said, are more susceptible to severe infections from Covid-19. Should the government decide to raise the alert level anew, the policy will automatically be in effect. With Lorenz S. Marasigan

Pinoys… Continued from A1

Looking at specific apps, YouTube is where most people spend their time accounting for 11 days and 14 hours. This is almost double the time spent by people on TikTok at 6 days and 16 hours. “Taking a digital detox can be extremely beneficial and there are a number of steps you can take to have some time away from your screen including deleting social media apps for a short period of time; removing notifications from apps to avoid temptation; and setting aside some ‘phone free time’ each day to enjoy other activities,” Finet said. “Taking a digital detox isn’t always easy and temptation can get the better of us, but if you’re persistent and enjoy some time away from your screen, it’s very likely you’ll reap the benefits from doing so,” he added. Sortlist said the average daily time spent using the internet and social media was sourced from Hootsuite’s Global State of Digital 2021 and refers to internet users aged 16-64. The most popular social media and video streaming apps and the average monthly time spent on these were also sourced from Hootsuite’s Global State of Digital 2021. Time spent on different categories of apps was sourced from Statista’s data on average app session length per user worldwide from 2019 to 2020, by vertical.

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Water tiger...

Continued from A1

This, Allen said, indicated more impact from climate change such as tsunamis, along with other water-related tragedies. As such, she underscored the urgent need to preserve the environment and the natural resources. “There should be less waste, less carbon footprint, and less harm to nature.” Her remarks come right on the heels of government’s recent announcement overturning a fouryear-old ban on open pit mining, and the devastation wrought by typhoon Odette in many parts of the country. Most scientists believe climate change is the reason cyclones are packing more power and thus, devastating communities on a larger scale. As if these problems were not enough, the feng shui mistress also cited the presence of this misfortune star may indicate the continuation of the Covid-19 problem throughout the year, increasing illnesses, as well as issues with the digestive system. Banks, beware! THE lack of a metal element will also have a significant impact on the country’s financial institutions, she averred. “They need to be careful and always be on guard,” constantly protecting their system from vulnerabilities and weakness. Only recently, some banks and their clients became victims of cyber criminals. But because of the Water Tiger’s dynamism, Allen said new financial innovations such as crypto currencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and blockchain technologies will gain more hold of our daily lives. “There will also be major changes, including the wider use of electronic banking and digital currencies. After El Salvador announced the use of cryptocurrency as a legal tender, it will probably only be a matter of time before other countries will follow suit. Crypto will surely be a reserve currency of the future, alongside the US Dollar, silver, and gold,” she noted.

The property markets will be volatile, she also warned. “A possible bubble [will emerge], where buyers enjoy good deals and sellers incur losses. The first quarter may be quiet, with things perking up later in the year.” Overall, Allen said there will be fewer opportunities to make money and attract good fortune, “especially for the less-privileged. This is another year when the rich may become richer, while the poor may become poorer. But beware! This can also be a time where the fall of the rich could happen instantly.”

Industries that may prosper

THE country’s excessive water and wood elements this year, along with the presence of the Sky Horse Star, suggests constant movement and traveling, she said. While it will mean a lot of travel, “however, sea and land disasters are also likely.” Among the industries that will likely pick up this year are those dominated by the water element: maritime, transport, aquaculture, tourism, and shipping. “They can explore new markets and have the potential to enjoy sustainable and profitable activities.” Thus, she pointed to favorable outcomes in investments relating to ports, rivers, travel, and maritime businesses. “Businesses developing innovative solutions and technologies should also be profitable,” she added. Allen stressed that feng shui “is not fortune telling because the future is uncertain, really. Feng Shui provides guidelines on how specific life energies can impact on our lives, and how we can balance those energies to help us achieve our goals. We only look at how we may navigate through another uncertain year by making insights on the character traits of the year’s ruling zodiac animal.” (For animal sign forecasts, see “When the Water Tiger roars, everyone should remain calm and stay positive,” in the BusinessMirror, January 27, 2022.)

PHL banana...

Continued from A1

T he country’s banana exports to South Korea, the third biggest market of the fruit, declined by 37.99 percent to 270,247.299 MT from 435,827.485 MT in 2020. Value-wise, exports fell by almost 30 percent to $139.281 million from $198.622 million, based on PSA data. In November last year, local banana exporters urged the government to initiate talks with Japanese retailers as they want to raise prices to offset rising costs. In a letter to Philippine Agricultural Attaché to Japan Jose I. C. Laquian, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) sought the government’s support in seeking higher prices for Philippine bananas. The move, the PBGEA said, would help the local banana industry cope with the many challenges it faces today, including disease outbreaks and rising production costs. Zero duty in Korea IN October last year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that local bananas will enter South Korea at zero duty following the conclusion of the negotiations for the Philippine-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told reporters that South Korea will allow the duty-free entry of Philippine bananas in five years. In a recent statement, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will do its best to “maintain” the country’s

Ping...

position as a major exporter of banana by containing the Panama disease. “We enjoy a comparative advantage in banana and pineapple, and for this reason, we at the DA invest in the development of the high-value crops subsector through our High Value Crops Development Program. Undoubtedly, high-value crops can provide farmers and their families, entrepreneurs and other players in the agriculture value chain sustainable income,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said. Last year, PBGEA revealed that the Philippines is losing market share in key banana markets to Latin American producers as well as prospective investments. These, the group pointed out, threaten the domestic banana output, which is considered the second biggest in the world. The BusinessMirror broke the story last year that the Philippines is losing market share for the prized yellow fruit in key Asian markets to neighboring countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as Latin American producers. Trade map data of the multilateral International Trade Centre analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that the Philippines’s market share for bananas in China, Japan, and South Korea has been shrinking in recent years, as domestic exporters have warned. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/05/04/ phl-bananas-losing-out-in-asia-tolatin-america-asean-producers/).

Continued from A10

In sponsoring the National ID measure in the Senate, Lacson cited its value in accelerating the delivery of public services by the government, as well as access of the public to services from the private sector—all without having to bring several different ID cards issued by various agencies, not to mention providing government authorities the added tools to fight crime and corruption, as well as better revenue collection. Meanwhile, Lacson said he will check with the PSA on the delays in

the delivery of the National ID cards after netizens asked about the delays while some OFWs asked him how they can apply for their PhilSys cards. “I applied last February 4, 2021. Last time I checked with PSA, they told me that they’re prioritizing 4P’s beneficiaries and similarly situated segments of our population. I stopped following up. Now that I received mine, I will ask again for the others like you,” he replied to a Twitter who is still waiting for her National ID after applying for it last year.

The Nation BusinessMirror

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US, PHL marines to test mettle as exercise moves to Palawan By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

ARINE forces from the Philippines and the United States would test today (January 31) their level of interoperability and capability in amphibious operations as the ongoing Marine Exercise (Marex) 2022 shifts to the waters of Palawan. The Marex, which began last week in the country and one of the series of military exercises involving Filipino and American troops planned this year, hopes to further improve the joint capability of both countries in maritime security operations. The training, which is being held under the overall auspices of the Mutual Defense Treaty and governed by the Visiting Forces Agreement, involves Filipino marines and their US counterparts as well as American sailors. Both the Philippine Marines and the Armed Forces Western Command (Wescom) said today’s seato-land operations would be held at Sitio Cabcabin Beach at Barangay Samariñana in Brooke’s Point, Palawan. The seaborne operations are just part of the war games, which include amphibious assault coordination and execution, subject matter exchanges and integrated maritime operations such as search and seizure and tactical maneuvering. Due to the pandemic, the US Embassy in Manila said that both forces would minimize contact during the duration of the Marex and would observe protocols in order to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19. “During Marex 22, the US and the Philippines will conduct maritime operations training to boost their joint ability to enhance mutual defense capabilities and respond to national disasters,” the embassy said in a statement.

“We appreciate this opportunity to strengthen our enduring alliance with the Philippines in the IndoPacific region through combined amphibious operations,” the statement quoted Capt. Karry DeWayne Sanders, commander of Amphibious Squadron One, as saying. “Our goal is to successfully integrate our forces during planning and execution to conduct a full-scale expeditionary amphibious operation, side-by-side with our Filipino partners. Marine Exercise 2022 Philippines will further strengthen our commitment in the Indo-Pacific region as well as be a memorable experience for our Marines and sailors,” added Col. James Lively, commander of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit of the US Marines. American assets participating in the Marex include the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, which is composed of the USS Essex, the USS Portland and the USS Pearl Harbor, with the embarked forces of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Philippine Marines Commander, Major Gen. Ariel R. Caculitan underscored the importance of training to equip the Marines with better skills and knowledge and to achieve a “Smarter Marine Corps.” “We must continue to conduct relevant trainings that will improve our individual and collective capabilities. MAREX is joined by our foreign counterpart and our major ally, the United States Marine Corps, that has long been training with us and sharing with us the duty to preserve regional peace and security,” Caculitan said. More than a month from now, Army forces from both countries would also undertake more than two weeks of military training in selected sites in Central Luzon and within the operational area of the 7th Infantry Division.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, January 31, 2022 A3

PopCom: Lockdowns cut cases of teen pregnancy

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE lockdowns imposed by the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19 also reduced the number of teen pregnancies nationwide, according to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom).

Popcom Executive Director Juan Antonio A. Perez III said the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed births among adolescent mothers in the country in 2020 declined by 23,855 births. This represented a 13-percent contraction from 2019, a 17-year record for the sharpest decrease in births in women under 20 years of age since 2003. “(The sharpest decline in births was in December,) which also shows the impact of Covid-19, the lock-

downs and schools shifting away from face-to-face delivery of learning,” Perez said. A substantial part of the decrease occurred in the 15-yearold to 19-year-old age bracket, as there were 23,557 mothers in that group, constituting 98.7 percent of the decline. Meanwhile, among 10-year-olds to 14-year-olds or the very young adolescents (VYA), there were 298 fewer births, with the downtrend slightly lower at 12 percent.

“This is good news for us and our partners who have been advocating for a reduction in teen pregnancies, as well as the health, population and social workers in local government units (LGUs) who stepped up their services in adolescent health to achieve this result,” Perez said. Based on PSA data, there were 157,060 births registered to teenage mothers or those under 15 years old as well as the 15 to 19 years old. This was lower than the 180,915 births recorded in 2019. In terms of daily average, the data showed 430 births per day was recorded to mothers who were below 20 years old. This means adolescents give birth to 17 to 18 babies born per hour. Of this number in 2020, some 154,947 births were to mothers aged 15 to 19 years old. This translates to 425 births per day or around 17 births per hour. The rest of the births were for mothers aged under 15 years old at 2,113. This translates to 6 babies born to mothers under 15 years old per day or 1 baby born to these girls

every four hours. “Parents and their adolescent children have internalized an increased awareness about the problem of teen pregnancies with regard to the health and wellbeing of girls having children as minors,” Perez said. “The decline noted throughout the year serves as evidence that things are slowly changing for the better for our young women,” he added. The Philippine Statistics Authority also announced that adolescent birth rates were at 31 per 1,000 girls in 2020—significantly lower than 47 per 1,000 as stated in the 2017 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS). The Philippine Development Plan targets a rate of 37 per 1,000, while PopCom is aiming for a 50-percent reduction: from the baseline of 57 percent as stated in the 2013 NDHS, to 28 percent by 2022. A comprehensive action plan to address adolescent pregnancies was called for by virtue of Executive Order 141 issued in 2021 by President Duterte, which is due for implementation this year.

Davao City to open hotline service for OFWs, families By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

AVAO CITY—The city government would soon install a hotline service for migrant workers and their families with the implementation of Ordinance 0411-20, the local law creating the

Overseas Filipino Workers’ Families Welfare and Crisis Center. Marlisa A. Gallo, head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said the hotline service would link OFWs to their families back here, “especially when they face problems abroad.” The direct services for the OFW and theirfamiliesincludea24-hourhotline,

she said. A crisis intervention program available to families are welfare and crisis assistance, financial assistance during emergencies, financial literacy seminars, livelihood workshops, business and economic workshops and personal development workshops. The City Health Office is also offering basic health-care services, according to Gallo.

She said psychiatric and legal services would also be provided for the OFW and their distressed families through partner agencies. Since the hotline service would be still be launched, OFWs and their distressed families may report or send messages to the CSWDO Facebook Page or contact 09088184444 for child rescue concerns.

DENR establishes regional hubs for typhoon-hit areas Lacson prods Duterte to lure Musk, By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

O fast track the government’s recovery and rehabilitation programs in typhoonravaged areas, Task Force (TF) Build Back Better (BBB) Chief Roy A. Cimatu has ordered the creation of regional BBB TFs (RTFBBBs), which will be chaired by the 16 regional executive directors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) within their respective jurisdictions. The TF BBB was created through Executive Order 120 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on November 18, 2020. The TF aims to expedite and lead the preparation, implementation and monitoring of post-disaster rehabilitation and recovery program for typhoonravaged areas. “The creation of RTFBBBs is in response to the intention of EO 120 for government entities to work with a clear unity of command and in a sustained and cohesive form in relation to current and future post-typhoon recovery and rehabilitation efforts,” Cimatu, who also heads the DENR, was quoted in a statement as saying.

ARTISTS AT THE GATES

This undated photo courtesy of KuritLagting Art Collective of Bicol shows a creation of its members on a gate to a private compound in a village in Sorsogon City. The young artists call their work as “Bugkos,” “a Bicolano term for unity in the upcoming elections.” The Kurit-Lagting is a collective artistic collaboration of Bicolano artists from Sorsogon, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate and Camarines provinces with art advocacies on human rights and the environment. CREDIT: KURIT-LAGTING ART COLLECTIVE OF BICOL

The DENR chief said he made his plans known during the DENR Expanded Executive Committee Conference held last January 18. The national TFBBB is co-chaired by the secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways with 26 national government agencies as its members tasked to assist the task force. The DENR heads the Intensified Environment and Natural Resources Management, which is one of the six key result areas (KRAs) of the TF BBB.

KRAs

OTHER TF BBB KR As include the following: “ better and resilient infrastructure” under the DPWH; “stronger shelter and resilient settlement” given to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development; “improved systems and essential services” through the Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense; “restored sustainable livelihood ” under the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry; and, “strengthened governance through broad-based citizen” through the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Last January 17, Cimatu issued DENR Special Order (SO) 2022-32 to provide the mechanism by which the RTFBBBs will “organize and convene” in coordination with the RTFBBB-member line government agencies “as may be applicable.” Cimatu said the creation of RTFBBBs draws inspiration and lessons learned from the success made in the first three focus areas of TF BBB in rehabilitating the Marikina, Cagayan and Bicol river basins after they were ravaged by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses in 2020. Some of the RTFBBB’s tasks are to identify rehabilitation and recovery measures in typhoon-affected areas and formulation of the KRA implementation plans, budgetary requirements and funding proposal for the areas in their respective regions.

Priority

IDENTIFIED as a priority for the implementation of the order are areas that bore the brunt of Typhoon Odette in December 2021. Beginning with those hardesthit by Typhoon Odette, the DENR regional executive directors for Caraga, Regions 6, 7, 8, 10 and Mimaropa as chairpersons of the

Regional TFBBB in their respective regions shall, in coordination with the concerned regional line agencies and local government units, conduct damage assessment and identify appropriate interventions for recovery and rehabilitation. Cimatu’s order underscores the urgency for a clear mechanism on how to have a “total response” at the regional level based on the mandate of EO 120, including the need to strengthen the link between the national and local levels to efficiently respond to the demands and realities in typhoon’s post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation phase as shown in Odette’s aftermath, according to DENR Undersecretary and TFBBB Secretariat head Analiza Rebuelta-Teh. With the mechanisms in place, RTFBBB can link directly with concerned TFBBB member national agencies “in case their regional members are not responsive” through the concerned DENR undersecretaries and assistant secretaries who have been designated as focal persons responsible for coordination with the concerned agencies as head of each of the six TFBBB KRAs concerned lead as per DENR SO 2020-470, Teh added.

tech investors with R&D spending By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

EN. Panfilo M. Lacson suggested last Sunday that the Philippines can attract billionaire Elon Musk and other known technology investors with “better spending” on research and development (R&D). “Instead of Filipino inventors, scientists and other experts leaving the country to seek greener pastures abroad,” Lacson prodded the Duterte government to consider inviting noted businessmen like Musk to invest in the country. Lacson, Partido Reporma chairman running for president in the upcoming national elections, affirmed in a radio interview over the weekend that tech investors would look more favorably on the Philippines if the government strengthens its support for research and development. “If investors see there’s real support from the government and we can produce and enhance the Philippines’s homegrown talents, maybe Musk will come over here because the talent is here,” the senator said. “Maybe he (Musk) would even invest here,” Lacson suggested, adding: “Instead of recruiting our investors, our scientists going to America and earning a living there, Musk would probably build a factory here in the Philippines so our countrymen could work in them.” But Lacson, a 3-term senator, observed that the Philippines is not likely to attract any tech investors to the country if research and development continues to take a backseat in the country. “The future-proof strategy I mentioned… Do you know what

our country’s greatest asset is? Our people. We are not harnessing them, so they are leaving.” The Senator recalled that even when he was chief of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, he was pushing to “strengthen the organization’s R&D” because he experienced the problems related to low funding for innovation and improving processes and services. “That was why a big part of the institutional amendments I made (in the Senate) are additional budgets for research and development. That’s where we will prosper. It may be for the long term…. But we have so many talents that we’re wasting; they’re going abroad and their (output)— they are part of the inventions we are buying, which are expensive,” he said in Filipino. Lacson laments that “the problem is the government is only spending 0.4 percent of the national budget on R&D.” He said this should be raised to at least 1 percent so that Filipino homegrown talent can be harnessed with more government support. “We will be the ones to reap the fruits (of their inventions) as we progress,” the senator-presidential bet said. Noting that China was spending significantly on their R&D, which is reflected in their high gross domestic product (GDP), Lacson said: “Why is China so prosperous? Their GDP is so high, they keep on exporting because they are focused on research and development.” Citing tech company Huawei alone, he added: “Do you know how much they are plowing back into R&D? 15 percent of their profits go back to R&D; so their technology investments are always competitive.”

A4 Monday, January 31, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

DTI eyes further easing trade restrictions as exports grow

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is keen on keeping the momentum for Philippine exports after registering double-digit growth last year as some commodity groups’ revenues returned to pre-pandemic levels already. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said in a statement on Sunday that the DTI intends to further help exporters maximize the opportunities amid the improving global market performance by eliminating hurdles in trading. “Our focus for the first half of 2022 is to unlock the unrealized export potential of the country and empower our exporters in seizing opportunities in the recovery of global markets,” Lopez said. “Unlocking trade barriers or frictions alone could add another $20 billion to our export earnings.”

The Trade official was referring to a study by International Trade Center (ITC), which computed $49-billion worth of unrealized export potential for the Philippines, $20 billion of which is due to product-market-specific frictions. The remaining $29 billion is attributed to the projected growth of the economy and export markets. Citing the study, the DTI noted that the trade barriers are “often linked to lack of market knowledge, difficulties in complying with market requirements and difficulties in

matching buyers with the right suppliers, among others.” The department also aims to highlight the export potential of coconuts after being identified as a key product among agricultural products with more complex value chains. It noted that coconut oil is one of the significant contributors of export revenues last month. “As sales of coconut oil continue to accelerate, other coconut products are also gaining traction in the global market,” Lopez said. The demand for coconut products is seen to rise substantially as the growth of urban population will result in more consumption of processed food products, the DTI said, citing a report. The DTI, in promoting coconut as an export product, will target the health and wellness market and other non-food uses for the produce, as well as the traditional food product segments. Undersecretary for Trade Promotion Abdulgani M. Macatoman said the DTI will extend assistance to coconut exporters through technical and marketing support, includ-

ing training on export management and marketing and support to their participation in international trade fairs and business matching seasons. “First for this year will be the export promotion activities in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region, including in-store promotion of Philippine food products in leading supermarkets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), participation in Gulfood and a business matching session in Dubai,” Macatoman said. Bananas, pineapple and tuna were also cited as products with high export potential. According to the ITC study, Philippine agriculture, food and beverage exports have an unrealized export potential of $5.2 billion. For manufacturing, the study also highlighted motor vehicles and parts, plastics and rubber, optical products, watches and medical instruments and machinery and electricity as export growth drivers. Philippine merchandise exports grew by 14.5 percent to $74.6 billion last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Top export markets for 2021 include the United States, China and Japan.

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DOLE to employers: Pay workers addl wages on Feb. 1, Feb. 25 By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Sunday reminded employers that employees who will work on the special non-working days on February 1 (Chinese New Year) and February 25 (Edsa People Power Revolution Anniversary) are entitled to additional wages. This was emphasized by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III in a statement after issuing Labor Advisory 3 (series of 2022) to guide employers and employees alike on the proper computation of premium pay for the said special nonworking days. February 1 and February 25 are declared Special (Non-Working) Days under Presidential Proclamation 1236 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on October 29, 2021. According to Bello, premium pay refers to the additional compensation for work performed within eight hours on non-workdays, such as special days. Under the Labor Advisory, employees who will report for work on the said days shall be paid an additional 30 percent of their basic wage on the first eight hours of work. The

computation is [(Basic wage x 130 percent) plus cost of living allowance, or COLA]. Meanwhile, employees who will render overtime work shall be paid an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate on the said day. Their compensation is computed as follows: Hourly rate of the basic wage x 130 percent x 130 percent x number of hours worked. The Labor Advisory also states that those who will render work on a special day that also falls on their rest day shall be paid an additional 50 percent of their basic wage on the first eight hours of work. The computation is [(Basic wage x 150 percent) plus COLA]. The DOLE said employees who will work overtime during a special day that also falls on their rest day shall be paid an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate on the said day, saying this is computed as the hourly rate of the basic wage x 150 percent x 130 percent x number of hours worked. However, for employees who did not work, the DOLE said the “no work, no pay” principle shall apply unless there is a favorable company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day.

‘Scrap cap on deployment DTI ready to enforce intl treaty vs illicit arms trade of health workers abroad’ T By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

S a fresh batch of nearly 10,000 Filipino nurses tries to enter the US labor market, a lawmaker said last Sunday that the enforcement of a cap on overseas deployable healthcare workers is against the Constitution. Rep. Michael T. Defensor of Anakalusugan renewed his call for the scrapping of the 7,000 annual cap on overseas deployable healthcare workers. “We maintain that Filipinos enjoy the right to live and work wherever they can achieve the best quality of life for their families,” Defensor said in a statement his office issued last Sunday. “Our healthcare workers are entitled to sell their skills to the highest-paying employers around the world— whether in the United States or in the United Kingdom.” According to the solon, another batch of 9,788 Philippine-educated nurses managed to take the US licensure examination for the first time in 2021, despite tough movement restrictions associated with the lingering pandemic. The number is higher by 63 percent compared to the 6,004 Philippine nursing graduates that took America’s eligibility test, or the NCLEX, for the first time in 2020, excluding repeaters, Defensor said citing figures from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. The NCLEX, or the National Council Licensure Examination, is usually the last hurdle in America’s nurse licensure process. Nursing

graduates pay $200 to take the NCLEX in a testing center in Makati City and other locations around the world. Defensor said the number of Philippine-educated nurses taking the NCLEX for the first time is considered a good indicator of how many are trying to obtain employment in the US. “If we want at least some of our future nursing graduates to practice their profession here at home, we really have to improve in a big way their starting pay and benefits,” the solon said. Defensor, meanwhile, renewed his call for the passage of House Bill 7933, which seeks to increase by 78 percent, or to P62,449, the entry-level monthly pay of all nurses employed in Philippine government hospitals. At present, he said their initial monthly pay is only P35,097 at Salary Grade 15. Under the bill that seeks to amend the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, the starting pay of government nurses shall be bumped up by six notches to Salary Grade 21. Soon after the Covid-19 pandemic began in April 2020, the lawmaker said the government banned 14 groups of newly-hired healthcare workers with missioncritical skills—doctors, nurses as well as operators and repairmen of medical equipment—from leaving the country. Defensor explained that ban was lifted in December 2020 and replaced with an annual cap of 5,000 overseas deployable healthcare workers. The yearly limit has since been enlarged to 7,000 but remains in force.

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is ready to enforce an international pact called the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that seeks to prevent illicit conventional arms trade after a recent Senate concurrence. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said in a statement described the ratification of the ATT as a “watershed moment” in the country’s fight against the illegal trade of weapons. “The Philippines has once again demonstrated its commitment to effectively regulate the transfer of conventional weapons, ammunitions and/or munitions and their parts and components thereby enhancing the country’s international credibility in the cross-border trade of such items,” Lopez said in the statement he issued over the weekend. The Trade Secretary also noted that the Philippines also became the first member-state of the Association

of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to ratify the multilateral treaty. The Philippines signed the pact a year before it came into force in 2014. “By setting an example, we hope to inspire our Asean neighbors to ratify and implement the ATT and to collaborate in preventing and eradicating the illicit trade in conventional arms, their diversion to the illicit market, or for unauthorized end use and end users, including the commission of terrorist acts,” Lopez said. The trade official added that the country’s Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA) and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) have outlined the provisions necessary to carry out the treaty. For example, the STMA’s Annex 1 covers the conventional weapons covered by the treaty’s scope, such as ammunitions/munitions, as well as parts and components, as defined in Article 4 of the ATT.

was quoted in a statement as saying that the P7.38-billion project is “progressing at a brisk pace, having attained a weighted average of 41.83 percent to date.” The DPWH said it is targeting to reach 80.47-percent project accomplishment this year, with completed approach bridge from Abutment 1 to Pier 10 at Tangub side, Main Bridge Pylon 1 and 2 and Pier 23 to Abutment 2 at Tubod side.

of strategic trade control. The PPI report rates 200 countries based on their strategic trade control adoption and implementation. The DTI defined strategic goods as “items with civilian and military applications,” noting that many of them “can be used as materials or parts of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).” Among the five super criteria under the PPI, the Philippines saw the biggest improvement in ability to prevent proliferation financing. Score for this pillar rose to 113 from 29. For adequacy of enforcement, score increased to 282 from 109. Ability to monitor and detect strategic trade was better at 129 points from 102 points previously. However, the country saw a slight drop in international commitment to 58 points and legislation to 174 points. Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Balita: Fuel price hikes show relevance of Isko’s proposed cut on excise tax

HE latest string of gasoline and diesel price increases has placed more relevance to the proposed cuts by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso in the excise taxes on petroleum products and electricity, according to Senatorial Candidate Carl E. Balita. Balita made the assertion in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, last Thursday after reporters asked him what legislation, if any, could be enacted to balance the call of tricycle drivers for a fare hike and the calls of commuters to hold off fare hikes amid the incessant rise in fuel prices. “Maganda ’yung programa ni [Mayor Isko) na tatanggalin niya ’yung excise tax kasi kontrolado naman ng gobyerno ang

excise tax. Malulugi ang gobyerno, totoo ’yun, pero naibalik naman sa tao, at yung pera umiikot sa tao,” Balita said. [The mayor’s proposal to remove excise tax is good; it’s the government that controls the excise tax. The government will lose money, true, but it would be returned to the people, and the money will circulate among the people.] “Hindikailanganangbatasnaspecific to a particular group kasi pwede naman na ’yung batas na ’yon, tanggalin mo lang ’yung tax, at gagawin ni Yorme, aba e pati koryente natin ay bababa. Pamasahe sa tricycle,pamasahesa inter-island crafts, lahat bababa dahil lamang sa isang desisyon na tanggalin mo muna, magparaya muna ang pamahalaan para ’yung pera, umikot muna sa tao,” explained Balita

Construction of Panguil Bay Bridge at full steam–DPWH HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Sunday it targets to substantially complete a portion of the Panguil Bay Bridge—connecting Tubod, Lanao del Norte and Tangub City, Misamis Occidental—within the year, as construction works goes “at full steam.” DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain

“Additionally, acts defined as transfers in the ATT are already included in the scope of STMA-covered acts,” Lopez said. “Further, the STMA and its IRRs already take into account all relevant factors in assessing the export and import of items as provided in the ATT.” The chief of the trade and industry department (DTI) said that the ATT ratification “assures exporters worldwide that the Philippines maintains national controls in accordance with international standards.” For its part, DTI’s Strategic Trade Management Office has committed to work with relevant government agencies and industry stakeholders in the issuance of related guidelines. The “2021/2022 Peddling Peril Index,” or PPI, report showed the Philippines jumped to the 49th rank from 86 after scoring 482 points. This made the country the most improved nation in the implementation

THIS undated photo courtesy of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shows officials during an inspection of the P7.38-billion Panguil Bay Bridge construction project.

CREDIT: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

added. [There is no need for a law specific to a particular group because in the law, it’s possible: you just remove the tax. And [Mayor Isko] will do it and even our electricity bill will go down; tricycle fare, inter-island crafts fare: all will go down when government decides to let go of the money.] Moreno has continuously vowed that, if elected president, one of the first economic policies his government would introduce is to cut taxes on oil products and electricity by 50 percent as this will translate into immediate and tangible economic relief for ordinary Filipinos, particularly farmers, fishermen and public utility vehicle drivers and operators. The 47-year-old presidential as-

pirant pointed out that the positive effects of the tax cut on fuel will be immediately felt by operators and drivers of PUVs who will now forego their demand for fare adjustment, which would be detrimental to the commuting public, mostly the poor and middle class. Moreno said bringing down the cost of fuel would also bring down the cost of food production, especially rice, raise the income of farmers and fisherfolk, bring down the prices basic commodities and sustain food production. In the same manner, Moreno said that a 50 percent tax cut on electricity would mean more food on the table and more money to spend on basic needs, including medicines.

The whole project will be completed by December next year, “with full year activities centered on the approach bridge from Pier 10 to 17 Tangub side and Pier 18 to 23 Tubod side, 320 meters Main Bridge and the approach roads,” the DPWH statement read. The high-level bridge across Panguil Bay in Northern Mindanao “will end the decades-long wait for better connectivity between Tubod and Tangub City,” the agency added. “This new bridge that would usher in development and progress, will reduce travel time of 2.5 hours through Roll-On, Roll-Off (RORO) vessels from Ozamiz City/Tangub City to Mukas Port/Tubod to just

seven minutes,” Public Works Secretary Roger G. Mercado was quoted in the statement as saying. Panguil Bay Bridge will connect Tangub and Tubod. Currently, motorists travel between the two areas for 100 kilometers. It will uplift the economic condition and will also encourage growth of tourism between Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte, according to the DPWH. The project is funded by a loan agreement between the Government of the Philippine and Korean Export Import Bank. Namkwang-Kukdong-Gumgwang Joint Venture is the contractor for the project. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Agriculture/Commodities BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, January 31, 2022 A5

Sugar planters to govt: Freeze fertilizer prices By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) on Sunday joined calls for the government to immediately impose a price freeze on fertilizer to help sugar planters, particularly small-scale farmers, cope with soaring fertilizer prices. UNIFED urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry to immediately issue a price freeze on fertilizer products. The group noted that the cost of fertilizer in the market has “almost tripled” in less than two years. UNIFED President Manuel Lamata said his group has been appealing to the government since last year to implement the price cap on fertilizers or at least subsidize the cost of the farm input. “When we first asked for help, the cost of urea fertilizers was already at P1,900 per 50-kilogram bag from P800-P900 just a year ago. Now, it is being sold at P2,300-P2,400. With the start of the planting season, there will be many farmers who may not be able to afford fertilizers and this will affect production in the next crop year,” Lamata said.

A WORKER holds a handful of refined potash in a storage barn at the Nutrien Ltd. Cory potash mine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on August 12, 2019. PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES MACDONALD/BLOOMBERG

“Remember, the sugar industry is composed of 85 percent small farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries and our worry is that, with the high

price of fertilizers plus the high cost of fuel and other agricultural inputs, these small farmers may not be able to survive to see another crop year.”

Lamata said the rise in sugar prices is not enough to compensate for the high production costs that sugar farmers are incurring today.

“The DA and DTI have to move and address this before it gets out of hand.” He added that the surge in oil prices is also putting pressure on sugar production as higher diesel or gasoline prices “affect all aspects of sugar planting from land preparation to milling.” “Diesel prices were less than P30 per liter two years ago and now it has breached the P50 per liter mark. How else can our small farmers survive when the price of fertilizers, fuel and other inputs is equal to or even more than the price of their produce,” he said. “This is unacceptable and something has to be done. Worse is the inaction coming from the Sugar Regulatory Administration which should have addressed this before it reached this situation.” Last week, the DA announced that it is preparing to implement a P500-million fuel subsidy program. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/01/24/dareadies-%e2%82%a7500-m-fuelsubsidy-program-for-farmersfisherfolk-amid-oil-price-hikes/) In a statement, the DA said the government has allotted P500 million this year to bankroll a fuel subsidy program for the agriculture sec-

tor to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices on food production. The fund is stipulated in Special Provision 20 of the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022 or Republic Act 11639. “We sincerely thank President Duterte and the honorable members of the Senate and House of Representatives for approving the fuel subsidy program that appropriates P500 million for the fuel subsidy program that will benefit millions of Filipino farmers, fishers and consumers nationwide,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said. “The fuel discount will definitely help reduce the production and transport costs of major farm and fishery products, and subsequently temper their respective market prices, thus benefiting producers and consumers alike.” Special Provision 20 stipulates that a fuel discount program would be in effect if the average Dubai crude oil price, based on Meat of Platts Singapore for three months reaches or exceeds $80 per barrel. The beneficiaries of the program must be farmers or fishers who own and operate agricultural and fishery machinery individually or through a farmers’ organization or cooperative.

DA to boost fight against ASF via mobile lab units ‘Albay farmers see higher palay yield due to irrigation project’

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will establish 6 mobile laboratory units (MLU) to boost the government’s fight against the dreaded African swine fever (ASF) by improving its capacity to detect outbreaks. Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar has approved the implementation of the P100-million program that seeks to establish 6 MLUs in ASF-affected regions within the first quarter. “Each MLU can provide services to any local government unit [LGU], where there is ASF incidence and other animal diseases. It may also serve as a mobile veterinary school to train LGU personnel in disease detection, prevention and monitoring,” the DA said in a statement. Dar said the rollout of the MLUs is part of the government’s mea-

sures to “revive the country’s hog industry and maintain a healthy animal sector.” “Aside from the MLUs, the Bureau of Animal Industry [BAI] in partnership with DA Regional Field Offices [RFOs] manages Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) that is capable of testing and determining animal diseases through RT-PCR,” the DA added. BAI Director Reildrin Morales said the 6 MLUs “just need to optimize processes to further strengthen the country’s animal diagnostic infrastructure.” “Under the DA’s Quick Response Fund (QRF), we have procured and distributed P100 million worth of RT-PCR test kits to LGUs nationwide,” Morales added. In a related development, the DA said it continues to partner with the

private sector to improve the country’s efforts against ASF and other transboundary animal diseases or TADs. The DA said Dar and other top agriculture officials met with a group of veterinarians and scientists from BioAssets Diagnostic Clinic “to discuss approaches” aimed at eradicating ASF and other TADs. “During the meeting, BioAssets presented the ‘Brisk Response through In-location Diagnostics and Genome Sequencing’ [BRIDGES] Project—a three-part comprehensive unified approach, which can isolate and characterize the ASF virus at a molecular level,” it said. “BRIDGES may also be used to differentiate field strain from vaccine strain, which may fasttrack vaccine research development.” The P39.2-million project is jointly funded by BioAssets and

the Department of Science and Technology under the Science for Change Program. “During the discussion, the agri chief also offered that the precision diagnostics component of the project be conducted in existing government facilities such as the Crop Biotechnology Center, at PhilRice compound, in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija,” the DA said. “The DA-BAI and BioAssets agreed to organize a unified approach to jointly manage, control, and contain ASF and other transboundary animal diseases in partnership with LGUs, hog farmers’ groups, and other industry stakeholders.” The agencies will also collaborate to enhance ASF biosecurity measures, provision of onsite detection tools, preventive diagnostics, establish required facilities, and capacitate personnel. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Surging fertilizer prices set to exacerbate African food crisis

SURGE in global fertilizer prices is adding to worries about food security across sub-Saharan Africa, where smallscale farmers depend largely on imports—if they even use additional nutrients at all. With prices tripling over the past 18 months, many farmers are considering whether to forgo purchases of fertilizers this year. That leaves a market long touted for its growth potential set to shrink by almost a third, according to Sebastian Nduva, program manager at researcher group AfricaFertilizer.Org. That could potentially curb cereals output

by 30 million tons, enough to feed 100 million people, he said. “We are likely to see a scenario where yields are depressed and this will mean that either the government will have to readjust their budgets and import food, or there will be food shortages,” Nduva said. Sub-Saharan Africa already has the world’s lowest fertilizer application rates, averaging 12 kilograms per hectare compared with a global average of 110 kilograms. With usage set to fall as input costs rise, the threat to regional food security and political stability is growing, according to Alain Sy Traoré, director of

agriculture and rural development at the ECOWAS Commission. That will increase the region’s dependence on imports at a time when food prices are near a record high. More than 20 million people across sub-Saharan Africa are already on the brink of famine, according to the World Food Programme. Soaring gas prices helped drive fertilizers higher last year, squeezing supply as increasing costs shuttered plants while producers introduced export restrictions. While fertilizer prices in the US have eased, prices in Europe and the Middle East, the top suppliers to

Africa, are yet to find any relief—a gauge of western European prices for ammonia remains at a record. Tensions over Ukraine have also been pushing up natural gas prices this month and any escalation could drive fertilizer prices even higher. The high costs have curbed output at some of the more than 100 fertilizer blending plants in sub-Saharan Africa, which largely depend on imports of the nutrient, Nduva said. Stockpiles of the nutrients are now dwindling after governments and traders delayed procurements in the hope that prices would fall.

Bloomberg News

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

GRARIAN reform beneficiaries in Albay province said their palay yield doubled to 120 cavans per hectare from 60 cavans. The farmers attributed this to the P11.6-million Manawan Communal Irrigation System (CIS) that irrigates over 60 hectares of rice lands in Barangay Banawan and Quinartilan in Camalig town. The CIS, with its newly concreted 2.8-kilometer line canals, is now providing a steady supply of irrigation water from the Malobago river in Guinobatan, Albay, allowing the 211 farmer-beneficiaries and other palay planters to make more cropping a year to produce rice. Because of the project, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Bicol Regional Director Rodrigo Realubit said farmers could now expect continued higher farm yields and overshoot their previous average yield of 60 cavans per hectare per cropping season. Farmers in the said barangays used to cultivate palay only twice a year. Rice fields were irrigated from improvised earth canals with limited areas being reached by irrigation water. Rio Olavario, who farms a 1.5-hectare rice land in Barangay Manawan, said: “Our situation was difficult at that time since I was only producing 15 to 20 cavans per hectare every harvest. Due to a shortage of water, I can only plant once or twice each year.” However, with these newly concreted irrigation canals, Olavario

said wider tracks of rice land could now be reached with sufficient water. She said she had already harvested between 100 to 120 cavans during the last cropping season. Dante O. Nuñez, president of the Manawan Irrigators’ Association also said: “this time, farmers here could now maximize their production, particularly in ricefields previously not available to irrigation water, paving the way to increasing their farm incomes.” He said that so far, “I have already harvested up to 100 cavans from my 1-hectare farm, which is double compared to my previous harvests.” “We are very grateful to DAR for financing the repairs of the damaged dam and the upgrading of the line canals. We had to get up at two a.m. to irrigate our farms back then. But now, we have a nearly unlimited supply of irrigation water,” he said in Filipino. According to Nuñez, the dam was damaged by a succession of typhoons that hit the Bicol Region in recent years, resulting in a decrease in palay yields and leaving farmers devastated. The National Irrigation Administration undertook the rehabilitation works of the Manawan CIS under the support services component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. The project, which was completed on July 16, 2021, is designed to provide agrarian reform farming communities with infrastructure facilities to boost the production and income of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Pampanga farmers seek Pangilinan’s help to increase rice prices

EN. Francis N. Pangilinan on Sunday visited a group of farmers in San Simon, Pampanga and held a dialogue to gather more inputs and proposed action steps on the daily challenges to get first-hand information on the impact of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The rice farmers are complaining that while the price of fertilizers keeps on skyrocketing, the cost of palay remains the same, saying the government should step in and push measures that will level the prices for them to bring home a larger income. “’Yung pataba napakamahal tapos

yung palay naman namin kapag binenta, napakamura,” Aurelio Pangan said, citing fertilizers’ price had increased three times already and is now at P2,500. “Pinipilit namin magsaka kahit na mahirap ang buhay dito sa Pampanga tapos napakamahal pa ng mga bilihin. Pero sana po matugunan ng pansin na iyong palay ay tumaas man lang ang presyo para kumita naman kami,” he added. Upon learning this, Pangilinan told the farmers about the Sagip Saka Act, which was signed into law in April 2019. The law mandates local government units and national

and local government agencies to purchase the produce of local fisherfolk and farmers in the hopes of increasing their income. “Ang gobyerno pwede nang bumili direkta sa mga magsasaka na wala nang bidding. Halimbawa, iyong mga local government unit, di ba nangangailangan yan ng mga bigas para sa ayuda tuwing may mga kalamidad? Iyon ding mga provincial jails, nangangailangan ang mga iyan ng ipangkakain sa mga preso. Pati na ang provincial hospitals,” Pangilinan said. “Ang layunin ng batas na iyon, iyong ginagastos ng gobyerno, malaking porsyento noon, ay dapat sa mag-

sasaka binibili para kumita naman talaga kayo. Isa ito sa mga nakikita nating paraan upang tumaas naman ang kita ng magsasaka.” Darren Simbulan, another farmer, expressed his hopes on the Sagip Saka Act, saying that the law should be implemented efficiently as this will bridge the gap in their income, paving the way for them to increase their production. Simbulan likewise pleaded additional assistance from the government so farmers would not be forced to leave farming and look for alternative employment. “Sana mabigyan naman ng pansin

ang mga magsasaka dito at mabigyan ng kaunting pondo upang lalo naming mahikayat at maengganyo ang kapwa naming mga magsasaka dahil iyong iba po ay nagtatrabaho na sa mga pabrika kasi hindi sapat ang kinikita o di kaya ay nagbibenta na ng kanilang lupa,” he said. The farmer also mentioned that some farmers are forced to sell their agricultural lands as they no longer see the good in farming. “Iyan din po ang kinakatakot namin kasi paano kung itong sakahan ay maging subdivision na sa darating na panahon dahil unti unti nang binibenta ng mga magsasaka ang kanilang lupa?

Paano naman kaming mga napamahal na at namulat sa [kahalagahan] ng pagsasaka?” Simbulan said. While saddened with what he heard, Pangilinan remains hopeful that the Sagip Saka Act will be instrumental in pulling the farmers from the quagmire of poverty, saying that traders are milking so much money from the farmers. Pangilinan mentioned this after learning from the fishermen of Masinloc in Zambales during his visit there yesterday that traders only pay P80 for fish but sell it for P150 in the markets, which is the same experience as the farmers of Pampanga.

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Monday, January 31, 2022

Russia’s daily Covid infections hit new all-time high of 113,122

OSCOW—The daily count of new coronavirus infections in Russia spiked above 110,000 on Saturday as the highly contagious Omicron variant races through the vast country. The state coronavirus task force reported 113,122 new infections over the past 24 hours — an all-time high and a sevenfold increase from early in the month, when daily case counts were about 15,000. The task force said 668 people died of Covid-19 in the past day, bringing Russia’s total fatality count for the pandemic to 330,111, by far the deadliest toll in Europe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that “it is obvious that this number is higher and possibly much higher,” because “many people don’t get tested” or have no symptoms. The Kremlin spokesman also admitted that a lot of people in the presidential administration have gotten infected with the vi-

rus. “The vast majority continue to work from home after having isolated themselves,” Peskov said. “This explosive contagiousness of the Omicron, it demonstrates itself in full.” Despite the surging infections, authorities have avoided imposing any major restrictions to stem the surge, saying the health system has been coping with the influx of patients. Earlier this month, parliament indefinitely postponed introducing restrictions on the unvaccinated that would have proven unpopular among vaccine-hesitant Russians. And this week health officials cut the required isolation period for those who came in contact with Covid-19 patients from 14 days to seven without offering

Medical staff members transfer a patient with Covid-19 into a Magnetic resonance imaging system at an ICU of a hospital in Krasnodar, southern Russia on Thursday, January 27, 2022. Russia has confirmed 11,404,617 cases of coronavirus and 328,770 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatalities count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is at least 929,000. Under half the population is fully vaccinated. AP Photo/Vitaliy Timkiv

any explanation for the move. Russia has had only one national lockdown, in 2020, although many Russians were ordered to stay off work for a week last October amid a jump in reported cases and deaths. Russia’s state statistics agency, which uses broader counting criteria than the task force, puts the country’s pandemic death toll

much higher, saying the number of virus-linked deaths between April 2020 and October 2021 was over 625,000. Just about half of Russia’s 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though Russia boasted about being the first country in the world to approve and roll out a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine. AP

No peace in Myanmar one year after military takeover

ANGKOK—The army takeover in Myanmar a year ago that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi not only unexpectedly aborted the country’s fledgling return to democracy. It also brought a surprising level of popular resistance, which has blossomed into a low-level but persistent insurgency. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander of Myanmar’s military—known as the Tatmadaw— seized power on the morning of Feb. 1, 2021, arresting Suu Kyi and top members of her government and ruling National League for Democracy party, which won a landslide election victory in November 2020. The military’s use of deadly force to hold on to power has escalated conflict with its civilian opponents to the point that some experts describe the country as being in a state of civil war. The costs have been high, with some 1,500 people killed by the security forces, almost 8,800 detained, an unknown number tortured and disappeared, and more than 300,000 displaced as the military razes villages to root out resistance. Other consequences are also significant. Civil disobedience hampered transport, banking services and government agencies, slowing an economy already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The public health system collapsed, leaving the fight against Covid-19 abandoned for months. Higher education stalled as faculty and students sympathetic to the revolt boycotted school, or were arrested. The military-installed government was not at all anticipating the level of resistance that arose, Thomas Kean, an analyst of Myanmar affairs consulting for the International Crisis Group think tank, told The Associated Press.

“We saw in the first days after the coup, they tried to adopt a sort of business-as-usual approach,” with the generals denying they were implementing any significant change, but only removing Suu Kyi from power, he said. “And of course, you know, that unleashed these huge protests that were brutally crushed, which resulted in people turning to armed struggle.” The army has dealt with the revolt by employing the same brutal tactics in the country’s rural heartland that it has long unleashed against ethnic minorities in border areas, which critics have charged amount to crimes against humanity and genocide. Its violence has generated newfound empathy for ethnic minorities such as the Karen, the Kachin and the Rohingya, longtime targets of army abuses with whom members of the Burman majority now are making common anti-military cause. People opposed the army takeover because they had come to enjoy representative government and liberalization after years of military rule, said David Steinberg, a senior scholar of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. Youth turned out in droves to protest despite the risks, he said, because they had neither families nor careers to lose, but saw their futures at risk. They also enjoyed tactical advantages that previous generations of protesters lacked, he noted. Myanmar had caught up with the rest of the world in technology, and people were able to organize strikes and demonstrations using cellphones and the Internet, despite efforts to limit communications. A driving force was the Civil Disobedience Movement, founded

by health care workers, which encouraged actions such as boycotts of military products and people not paying electricity bills or buying lottery tickets. Kept in detention by the military, Suu Kyi has played no active part in these developments. The ruling generals, who have said they will probably hold a new election by 2023, have tied her up with a variety of criminal charges widely seen as trumped-up to keep her from returning to political life. The 76-year-old Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, with the prospect of many more being added. But in the days after the army’s takeover, her party’s elected members of parliament laid the groundwork for sustained resistance. Prevented by the army from taking their seats, they convened on their own, and in April established the National Unity Government, or NUG, which stakes a claim to being the country’s legitimate administrative body and has won the loyalty of many citizens. The NUG has also sought to coordinate armed resistance, helping organize “People’s Defense Forces,” or PDFs, homegrown militias formed at the local and neighborhood levels. The military deems the NUG and the PDFs “terrorist” organizations. With urban demonstrations mostly reduced to flash mobs to avoid crackdowns, the battle against military rule has largely passed to the countryside, where the badly outgunned local militias carry out guerrilla warfare. The army’s “Four Cuts” strategy aims to eradicate the militias’ threat by cutting off their access to food, funds, information and recruitment. Civilians suffer collateral damage as soldiers block

essential supplies, take away suspected militia supporters and raze whole villages. When the military enters a village, “they’ll burn down some houses, maybe shoot some people, take prisoners and torture them — the sort of horrific abuses that we’re seeing on a regular basis,” said analyst Kean. “But when the soldiers leave, they lose control of that area. They don’t have enough manpower to maintain control when 80% to 90% of the population is against them.” Some ethnic minority groups with decades of experience fighting the Myanmar military offer critical support to the PDF militia movement, including supplying training and some weapons, while also providing safe havens for opposition activists and others fleeing the army. “We never accept a coup at all for whatever reason. The position of our organization is clear,” Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the chief of the Karen National Union’s foreign affairs department, told the AP. “We oppose any military dictatorship. Therefore, the automatic response is that we must work with those who oppose the military.” He said his group began preparing immediately after the takeover to receive people fleeing from military persecution and noted that it played a similar role in 1988 after a failed popular uprising. There is a quid pro quo — the NUG says it will honor the minority ethnic groups’ demands for greater autonomy when it takes power. The military, meanwhile, keeps the pressure on the Karen with periodic attacks, including by air, that send villagers fleeing for safety across a river that forms the border with Thailand. AP

China manufacturing activity grows at slower pace in January

EIJING—Manufacturing activity in the world’s second largest economy grew at a slower pace in January compared to the previous month, according to an official government measure, as the country’s strict “zero-tolerance” Covid-19 measures put a dampener on economic activity. The purchasing manager’s index, tracked by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, slipped to 50.1 from 50.3 in December, continuing

a third month of weak growth. A separate PMI by the business magazine Caixin showed on Sunday that manufacturing activity fell even further, contracting from 50.9 in December to 49.1 in January. PMI is tracked on a 100-point scale in which numbers above 50 show activity expanding and below show a contraction. New orders, which are measured in a sub-index, also fell, dropping to 49.3, according to the official

measure. New export orders activity also continued to contract, although at a slightly slower pace in January. Chinese exports have been a consistent bright spot throughout the pandemic. China saw multiple Covid-19 outbreaks in the past month and implemented strict lockdow ns starting in December and continuing into the new year that barred people from leaving their homes.

The lockdowns have affected up to 20 million people. Zhao Qinghe, senior statistician at NBS, said in a statement Sunday that China faces multiple challenges, including a complicated economic environment and outbreaks of Covid-19 across the country. Non-manufacturing PMI growth also declined, from 52.7 in December to 51.1 in January, with construction and service sectors both seeing weaker growth. AP

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Thousands protest Covid curbs in Canada’s capital

TTAWA, Ontario—Thousands of protesters gathered in Canada’s capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns. Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas and some used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, sparking widespread condemnation. “I am sickened to see protesters dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrate the National War Memorial. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this. Those involved should hang their heads in shame,” tweeted Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada’s Defense Staff chief. Protestors compared vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The statue of Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with a upside down Canadian flag with a sign that said “mandate freedom.” Trudeau retweeted a statement from The Terry Fox Foundation that said, “Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others.” Eric Simmons, from Oshawa, Ontario, said all vaccine mandates should be ended. “They’re not effective, they’re not working. It’s not changing anything. We can’t keep living like this. People are losing their jobs because they don’t want to get the vaccine,” Simmons said. The convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence and warn residents to avoid downtown. A top Parliament security official advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted. Trudeau has said Canadians are not represented by this “very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, at government, at society, at mandates and public health advice.” The prime minister’s itinerary for the day usually says he is in Ottawa if he’s at home, but on Saturday it said “National Capital Region” amid a report he’s been moved to an undisclosed location. One of Trudeau’s kids has Covid-19 and the prime minister has been isolating and working remotely.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and the premier of the province of Quebec who is proposing to tax the unvaccinated is popular. Some are, in part, protesting a new rule that took effect January 15 requiring truckers entering Canada be fully immunized aga i nst t he coron av i r u s. T he United States has imposed the same requirement on truckers entering that country. The Canadian Trucking Alliance said a great number of the protesters have no connection to the trucking industry, adding they have a separate agenda to push. The alliance notes the vast majority of drivers are vaccinated. The organizers of the protest have called for the forceful elimination of all Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates and some called for the removal of Trudeau. The Shepherds of Good Hope, which has a soup kitchen for the homeless in Ottawa, reported staff and volunteers “experienced harassment from convoy protestors seeking meals from our soup kitchen. The individuals were given means to defuse the conflict.” Some opposition Canadian Conservative lawmakers served coffee to the protesters. Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole met with some truckers. The protest has also attracted support from former US President Donald Trump and some Fox News personalities. “We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way,” Trump said at a rally in Conroe, Texas. “They are doing more to defend American freedom than our leaders by far.” Former US Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman said the threat against democracy isn’t only happening in America. “Both the use of the swastika and the confederate flag are symbols of hate. So very sad to see these symbols anywhere and especially in Canada,” said Heyman, who was the US envoy under former President Barack Obama. The Parliamentary Protective Service expects as many as 10,000 protesters as part of a weekendlong rally. “I’m locked into my own country right now,” said Tom Pappin, an unvaccinated man who came from just outside Ottawa. “I can’t go on a holiday. I can’t go to a restaurant, I can’t go bowling. I can’t go to a movie. You know, these are things that it’s just gotten out of control.” The 52-year-old said attendees are likely to stay parked by Parliament until vaccine mandates are lifted. AP

Thai province declares emergency as tons of spilled oil hit sand beach

ANGKOK—The governor of a province in eastern Thailand on Saturday declared a state of emergency after an oil slick washed up on a sand beach, shutting down restaurants and shops in a setback for the pandemic-hit tourism industry. Some 20-50 tons of oil are estimated to have leaked Tuesday night in the Gulf of Thailand from an undersea hose used to load tankers at an offshore mooring point owned by the Star Petroleum Refining Co. The leak was stopped within hours, the company said, but efforts to keep an oil slick from reaching the Mae R amphueng beach in Rayong province southeast of Bangkok were unsuccessful, and some oil began spilling onto the sand there on Saturday morning. A major part of the slick remains at sea and there are concerns it may hit Koh Samet, a popular tourist island that’s just beginning to recover from the coronavirus pandemic slump along with the rest of the country. Aircraft have been dropping chemicals to disperse the oil and deploying floating booms to trap

it so that it can be skimmed from the surface and removed. Rayong Gov. Channa Iamsaeng on Saturday declared the stricken beach a disaster area and ordered it closed for swimmers and commercial activities. Some 200 navy personnel and 150 people from Star Petroleum were helping in the cleanup with equipment to absorb and skim the oil, while two backhoes dug a trench to capture the incoming oil. The beachside area is largely dependent on tourists. It has been suffering economically from the pandemic that has kept visitors away, and the spill will make recovery harder. The local fishing industry was also affected by the pollution. The Thai chapter of the environmental action group Greenpeace said the spill was the second involving Star Petroleum after an incident in 1997. It issued a statement demanding that the oil company show clear accountability for the accident, pay for the cleanup and issue a complete report on the economic, social and environmental impacts of the spill. AP

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In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, Russian military vehicles prepare to drive off a railway platform after arrival in Belarus. In a move that further beefs up forces near Ukraine, Russia has sent an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, for major war games next month. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Russia relocates naval exercise that rattled E.U. member Ireland

O S COW— R u s s i a says it will relocate naval exercises off the coast of Ireland after Dublin raised concerns about them amid a tense dispute with the West over expansion of the NATO alliance and fears that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. The February 3-8 exercises were to be held 240 kilometers (150 miles) off southwestern Ireland—in international waters but within Ireland’s exclusive economic zone. Ireland is a member of the 27-nation European Union but not a member of NATO. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney this week objected to the war games, saying, “This isn’t a time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what’s happening with and in Ukraine. The fact that they are choosing to do it on the western borders, if you like, of the EU, off the Irish coast, is something that in our view is simply not welcome.” Russia’s embassy in Ireland on Saturday posted a letter on Facebook from Ambassador Yuriy Filatov saying the exercises would be relocated outside of the Irish economic zone “with the aim not to hinder fishing activities.” The decision was a rare concession amid the escalating tensions surrounding Russia’s massing of an estimated 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and its demands that NATO promise never to allow Ukraine to join the alliance, stop the deployment of NATO weapons near Russian borders and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe. The US and NATO formally rejected those demands this week, although Washington outlined areas where discussions are possible, offering hope that there could be a way to avoid war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made no public remarks about the Western response. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it leaves little chance for reaching agreement, though he also says Russia does not want war. US Defense Sec ret a r y Lloyd Austin said Friday that Putin could use any portion of his force to seize Ukrainian cities and “significant territories” or to carry out “coercive acts or provocative political acts” like the recognition of breakaway territories inside Ukraine. Two territories in eastern Ukraine have been under the control of Russia-backed rebels since 2014, after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. A Russian lawmaker is encouraging residents of those areas of Ukraine to join the Russian army, a sign that Moscow is continuing to try to integrate those territories as much as possible. Viktor Vodolatsky said Saturday

that residents in rebels-held areas in eastern Ukraine fear assaults by Ukrainian forces and that those who hold Russian passports would be welcomed in the Russian military. “If Russian citizens residing in the [territories] want to join the Russian Armed Forces, the Rostov regional military commissariat will register and draft them,” Vodolatsky, deputy chairman of parliament committee on relations with neighbors, told the state news agency Tass. Russia has granted passports to more than 500,000 people in the rebel-held territories. Vodolatsky said the recruits would serve in Russia—but that leaves open the option that they could join any future invasion force. A senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration said the US welcomed L av rov ’s com ment s t h at Russia does not want war, “but this needs to be backed up with action. We need to see Russia pulling some of the troops that they have deployed away f rom t he Ukrainian border and taking other de-escalatory steps.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly. Lavrov has said the US suggested the two sides could talk about limits on the deployment of intermediaterange missiles, restrictions on military drills and rules to prevent accidents between warships and aircraft. He said the Russians proposed discussing those issues years ago, but Washington and its allies never took them up on it. He also said those issues are secondary to Russia’s main concerns about NATO. He said international agreements say the security of one nation must not come at the expense of others, and said he would send letters to his Western counterparts asking them to explain their failure to respect that pledge. Washington has warned Moscow of devastating sanctions if it invades Ukraine, including penalties targeting top Russian officials and key economic sectors. Lavrov said Moscow had warned Washington that sanctions would amount to a complete severing of ties. NATO, meanwhile, said it was bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region. Russia has launched military drills involving motorized infantry and artillery units in southwestern Russia, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, and dozens of warships in the Black Sea and the Arctic. Russian troops are also in Belarus for joint drills, raising Western fears that Moscow could stage an attack on Ukraine from the north from Belarus. T he Ukrainian capital is only 75 kilometers (46 miles) from the border with Belarus. AP

Monday, January 31, 2022 A7

Thousands displaced in Congo amid rebel and army clashes

IBUMBA, Congo— Thousands of people in Congo have been displaced after they fled ongoing clashes between the Congolese army and rebel fighters this week.

On Tuesday, a fresh attack carried out by the March 23 Movement, or M23, targeted a Congolese army position in the territory of Rutshuru, just north of the city of Goma in eastern Congo. While authorities confirmed the attack, they did not provide details about it. Residents told The Associated Press that they saw gunfights and dead bodies. Since the beginning of this week, inhabitants from six villages in the country’s east have fled the violence. At least 2,000 people are now living in improvised shelters, in churches, schools or with host families. On Friday, the AP interviewed several eyewitnesses who f led to Kibumba and found shelter in a local church. “ The attack began in Nyesisi, Ngungo, Kanombe. When we were in the field on Wednesday, we heard

People fleeing the fighting between M23 forces and Congolese army find refuge in a church in Kibumba, north of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday January 28, 2022. In the past week, inhabitants from six villages in the country’s east—including, Bukima, Nyesisi, and Ruhanga—have fled the violence. At least 2,000 people are now living in improvised shelters, in churches, schools or with host families. AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa

bullets over the hills and we f led,” Baseme Mashukano, a resident of Nyesisi, one of the six villages caught in the crossfire, said. “We abandoned everything and now we are here in Kibumba. We spend the night in the church while others sleep outside, we have nothing to eat, no food, no water or medicine.” Another person displaced by the conf lict, Sarah Kasigwa, said she lost her three children and husband

amid the chaos. “We saw several dead people,” she said. “We are sleeping here, in this school, on the ground. There is just cement, no blanket, we suffer a lot.” Tumaini Anouarite, a 32-yearold mother of five, said that she saw soldiers firing bullets in the nearby hills, and gunfights between the army and M23 fighters. On Friday, UN forces deployed in the area.

The M23, which also calls itself the “Revolutionary Army of Congo”, is a former rebel group of Congolese backed by Rwanda and Uganda that was defeated in 2013. Since November, the movement has been accused of being behind several attacks against the army. The attacks took place in the vicinity of Virunga National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, renowned for its large gorilla population. AP

UN: 2,000 children recruited by Yemen rebels died fighting

NITED NATIONS—United Nations experts said in a new report that nearly 2,000 children recruited by Yemen’s Houthi rebels died on the battlefield between January 2020 and May 2021, and the Iranianbacked rebels continue to hold camps and courses encouraging youngsters to fight. In the report to the UN Security Council circulated Saturday, the experts said they investigated some summer camps in schools and a mosque where the Houthis disseminated their ideology and sought to recruit children to fight in the seven-year war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudiled coalition. “The children are instructed to shout the Houthi slogan `death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam,’” the four-member panel of experts said. “In one camp, children as young as 7 years of age were taught to clean weapons and evade rockets.” The experts said they documented 10 cases where children were taken to fight after being told they would be enrolled in cultural courses or were already taking such courses, nine cases where humanitarian aid was provided or denied to families “solely on the basis whether their children participated in fighting or to teachers on the basis of whether they taught the Houthi curriculum,” and one case where sexual violence was committed against a child who underwent military training. The panel said it received a list of

1,406 children recruited by the Houthis who died on the battlefield in 2020 and a list of 562 children recruited by the rebels who died on the battlefield between January and May 2021. “They were aged between 10 and 17 years old,” the experts said, and “a significant number” of them were killed in Amran, Dhamar, Hajjah, Hodeida, Ibb, Saada and Sanaa. Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014 when the Houthis took Sanaa, the capital, and much of the northern part of the country, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition that included the United Arab Emirates and was backed at the time by the United States, entered the war months later, in 2015, seeking to restore the government to power. The conflict has since become a regional proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and fighters. The war has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushing the country to the brink of famine. In recent weeks, shifting front lines on the ground have resulted in escalating attacks following gains by UAE-backed forces in the contested province of Marib, which the Houthis have been trying to take for more than a year. Coalition airstrikes followed two Houthi attacks inside the UAE using missiles and drones, killing three in strikes near the Abu Dhabi international airport.

T he panel of experts said the Houthis have continued their aerial and maritime attacks on Saudi Arabia, with targets close to the border most at risk and usually attacked several times a week with a combination of unmanned drones and short-range artillery rockets. But the rebels also continue to strike deep inside Saudi Arabia less frequently using longerrange drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles, they said. In the Red Sea, the experts said, waterborne improvised explosive devices were used to attack commercial vessels at anchor in Saudi ports, in some cases more than 1,000 kilometers from Yemeni shores. “It appears almost certain that those devices were launched from a `mothership’, which would have towed the devices for most of the journey,” they said. “The purpose of these attacks was primarily political, i.e. the Houthis want to push Riyadh towards accepting a political settlement beneficial to them,” the experts said. “This contrasts sharply with the use of missiles and un-crewed aerial vehicles within Yemen, the aim of which is often to attain maximum lethality.” The 303-page report said violations of international humanitarian and human rights law are “the norm rather than the exception” in the Yemen conflict, citing arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment “committed by all parties.” Migrants continue to be particu-

Italy re-elects president; Draghi stays on as PM

ergio Mattarella was re-elected as Italy’s president, offering relief to investors by setting up former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi to remain prime minister. After almost a week of failed votes to elect an alternative candidate, Italy’s deadlocked parliament turned to Mattarella as a last resort to end the political impasse. The 80-year-old president received 759 votes out of 983 cast in the lower house, following a deal between Draghi and Italy’s main parties to back the incumbent. “Mattarella’s re-election is fantastic news for Italians,” Draghi said.

Draghi was initially seen as a top contender for the job and made it clear he would be keen to become head of state. The former ECB president was thwarted by lawmakers in his own unity government who feared a return to political turmoil without Draghi at the helm. The outcome could provide relief to investors as it reduces the chances of early elections and will let Draghi press ahead with his reform agenda until the next election, due in 2023. Mattarella had said he was keen to retire, going so far as to rent a new apartment in Rome. In the end, it was

Draghi who asked Mattarella to remain in office on Saturday, breaking the stalemate. All parties backed the incumbent except Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy. Mattarella tapped Draghi to lead the government amid political chaos at the start of the Covid pandemic. Parties across the ideological spectrum agreed to suspend their political jockeying and back Draghi. Since his appointment last February, Draghi, 74, has held Italy’s querulous parties together, embarked on a series of economic and administrative reforms, led an aggressive vaccination

larly vulnerable to abuses and human rights violations, the experts said, and in Houthi-controlled areas, detention and the judicial system are used “to quell any opposition or perceived dissent, especially by journalists, women and religious minorities.” The annual UN report, covering the year to Dec. 5, 2021, said the Houthis and paramilitary forces loyal to them continue to violate a UN arms embargo. “Most types of un-crewed aerial vehicles, waterborne improvised explosive devices and short-range rockets are assembled in Houthi-controlled areas using locally available materials, as well as commercial components, such as engines and electronics, which are sourced from abroad using a complex network of intermediaries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia,” the panel said. The experts said evidence shows that weapons components and other military equipment “continue to be supplied overland to the Houthi forces by individuals and entities based in Oman.” Oman, which borders Yemen, remains neutral in the war and is the only regional country other than Iran to maintain relations with the Houthis. The United States and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of supplying weapons to the Houthis in violation of the arms embargo. The experts reported the seizure of some Iranianmade weapons, but Iran denies any involvement in providing weapons to the rebels.AP

push and secured 200 billion euros ($223 billion) in European Union Covid recovery funds. His challenge now is to inject fresh energy into his administration, which appeared to lose steam in the weeks before the vote. Still, staying on will give Draghi more say over policy than if he had shifted to the presidency. The Italian president has limited powers and the role is ceremonial most of the time. Yet, no one gets to be premier without the president’s approval—they nominate heads of government and their chosen ministers. The president also holds the power to dissolve parliament, which means they can act as a force of stability in crises. AP

Monday, January 31, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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editorial

The next six weeks

he most noticeable difference was the silence. Literally overnight, the taho and pan de sal vendors no longer sold their products. Tricycles were nowhere to be found. The daily sound of cars starting as people went to work was absent.

We are coming soon to the second year “anniversary” of the first Covid pandemic lockdown. Nothing was the same as pre-Covid for this period, and some things will not be the same moving forward. While it is not exactly a time for celebration, there is no doubt that the “Pandemic of 2020/2021” is not the Covid of 2022. We started this new year with the number of Covid cases literally skyrocketing as the weekly case count nearly doubled anything we had seen in the past. There is also no doubt that the official case count was perhaps even grossly understated but not through any fault of government. Everyone we know either had or knew someone who had the symptoms —headache, body ache, fever, and sore throat—but who did not get tested as these lasted only a few days. Whole families became sick one after the other. Companies and government agencies reported mass numbers of employees who were too sick to come to work. According to global data aggregators, active cases in the Philippines peaked about a week ago and are slowly declining. The Department of Health reports that nationwide occupancy of Covid care facilities is at 49 percent, while the National Capital Region is at 40 percent. Nonetheless, at least a one-month favorable trend is still in place, and we all hope it will continue. But we need to start thinking “post-pandemic” to be ready. The Department of Transportation’s “no vaccine, no ride” policy in public transportation is a clear reminder that caution must be balanced with common sense and policies need to be well-thought out. First the travel ban was absolute. Then it was changed to allow “exceptions for those who work in essential industries.” The broad definition of “essential industries” became any business allowed to operate. Now we are told that while the ban is necessary “to preserve safe travel,” “only the fully vaccinated may ride public transport in Metro Manila after February 25.” Apparently, the contagion of the virus is on partial hold until the end of the month. Let’s hope that by March 15th, the “global pandemic” will become “endemic.” Most leading immunologists believe Covid-19 will become endemic—a persistent but manageable threat on par with seasonal flu. We must now move towards “best-case” scenario to be ready regardless of what the presidentiables say during their campaigns. The greatest problem that we will have—“we” the people—is adjusting to not being afraid. It is likely that personal choice mask wearing and distancing will continue. Both have become a habit. But it is unhealthy to hold unwarranted fears. The average “death count” is currently below where it was in August 2020. We must return to normal schooling albeit gradually. The current situation is unacceptable. Philippine education has enough deficiencies without this miscarriage of “home schooling.” If we are at war with Covid, then Department of Education must have a comprehensive battle plan and not simply react to changes in the disease outlook. Contingencies must be ready. In fact, every government department must do the same for their area of concern. Finally, and this is the most difficult part, stop making the pandemic a political issue. Say it loudly: “Government made mistakes, many mistakes.” Stop telling the people what should have been done 12 to 18 months ago. Start with ideas for the next 12 months that preferably do not include massive money giveaways that will never happen.

Celebrating another CNY in pandemic times Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

T midnight tonight, our Chinese and Tsinoy friends will be celebrating the New Year, the year of the Water Tiger. It’s the season for lion and dragon dances, handing out hong bao or lucky money, and for sharing and eating tikoy, which symbolizes growth and blessings. Many families have already cleaned out their homes some days ago to remove dirt, bad energies, and negativity from one’s space. It is also the perfect way to clear the space so blessings can come smoothly into one’s life. Like the Filipinos’ Christmas celebration, the Chinese also celebrate a long festival of about two weeks. China’s public holiday lasts a week, but the celebrations may extend beyond it. For the

Chinese, it’s the perfect time to rest and relax and to visit family members. The year of the Water Tiger happens every 60 years. In the Chinese zodiac, the tiger is associated with strength, confidence and courage. Some feng shui and astrology experts say that 2022 is going to be an auspicious year because the Tiger is a lucky sign. The festival is traditionally celebrated to honor deities and ances-

In the end, we all have our own set of reasons why we choose the president we want. I hope that the ones I mentioned here will in some way help you make your personal choice. We need to choose wisely. We only have one country and it is imperative that we choose not just the best but also the right captain of our ship —the Philippines.

I’m revisiting that article because what I said before seems even more relevant now given a very polarized electoral atmosphere as we near election day. The politics of color remains. The politics of hateful discourse is very much evident, especially on social media. Our current situation: Thankfully, we seem to have recovered from the most difficult phase of the pandemic—when we suffered the worst contraction of our economy since World War 2. The Philippine Gross Domestic Product posted a growth of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, resulting in 5.6 percent full-year growth in 2021. Still, the pandemic is not yet over and the economy is expected to continue to have a challenging trajectory toward recovery. With more easing in February, we hope for a stronger economic recovery and growth this year. Paradigm Shift: The next presi-

Unemployment? Transportation? What about the West Philippine Sea? The US-China conflict? Crime? Corruption? The growing gap between rich and poor? Climate change? This did not matter much before when life was better. Not anymore. To all those intending to seek the highest office, there is enough time to work out your roadmap. Has the knowledge and experience—This is not about having a doctorate degree or having studied in any of the Ivy League schools. Knowledge and experience means knowing exactly what needs to be done when it has to be done. Such acumen is borne out of one’s life experiences that in turn shape one’s character. How was the candidate growing up? How did he/she manage people, school, work, business and other situations? How did the candidate deal with conflict? With opportunities? With crisis? Did he/she pivot well? Is he/she resourceful? Was the candidate

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

Thomas M. Orbos

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tors. It is also an occasion for feasting. The reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve among family members is a special ritual wherein lucky dishes are shared, like long-life noodles, spring rolls, rice dumplings, walnut cookies, etc. Today, New Year’s Eve, some people spend the day decorating their homes with red lanterns and paintings to keep evil away and to usher in blessings for the year. On New Year’s Day itself, it is customary to put on new clothes and send greetings to family and friends. Giving out red envelopes has been a long tradition but due to the pandemic, some of us are careful about

going to banks to withdraw cash or meeting our friends and relatives physically. Digital hong baos are popular in some Asian countries. In the Philippines, I know coins.ph offers the same service so you can send ang pao to your friends and family via the app. In Manila where Chinatown in Binondo is located, Mayor Isko Moreno, for two years in a row now, has canceled all public activities that celebrate the Chinese New Year because of the pandemic. He encouraged families to celebrate in their homes, but public events like dragon dances and fireworks are canceled. Chinatown remains open to visitors and the public in general. As the pandemic is not yet over, many anticipate that 2022 will be another difficult year. Let’s hope that the tiger brings strength and courage to people so we can overcome the challenges that lie ahead. To my Chinese and Tsinoy readers, Gong Xi Fa Cai! Have a happy and safe celebration!

The search for our next captain, revisited

Since 2005

Founder

The year of the Water Tiger happens every 60 years. In the Chinese zodiac, the tiger is associated with strength, confidence and courage. Some feng shui and astrology experts say that 2022 is going to be an auspicious year because the Tiger is a lucky sign.

T was around this time last year that I wrote about our country’s search for the next president, likening the Philippines to a ship on a perilous journey. What are the necessary traits of a good captain or a president that would assure us of not just a chance of survival but a better future for our children and us? dent will have to face tough challenges and will have to hit the ground running. Traditional credentials— past political positions, lineage, popularity, education, money, or power will not guarantee our survival. We will need a good driver, a pilot, and a captain of our ship, the “Philippines”, with exceptionally good leadership traits to overcome these obstacles and see this journey through. Traits of a good ship captain: Has a roadmap—Our next president will need to present to us a roadmap to navigate through difficult times. This roadmap, platform, or agenda should be the focal point of the candidate’s campaign, not the song and dance or carrying of babies. It is also not just a lofty slogan or a campaign promise. It has to be a program of governance, answering not just the “what” questions, but also the “how.” How do we address poverty? Food security?

humble enough to learn and listen to others? Open to new ideas and innovation? John F. Kennedy once said that learning and leadership go hand in hand. Indeed. A true leader is learned and continues to learn. Has the right moral compass in place—Most important of all, is the candidate showing he/she has the right moral compass? That he/she knows what is right from wrong? The inner voice that tells him to decide and fight for the greater good, the natural compassion and the empathy for the least of his/her brethren, the sense of family and fear of God? In this journey of national survival, the good leader will leave no Filipino behind. There are other things we desire for our leader to succeed, such as a good and competent support team, a good intuition on international affairs, a love of the environment, a set of reliable local and international network, good communications skills, among others. In the end, we all have our own set of reasons why we choose the president we want. I hope that the ones I mentioned here will in some way help you make your personal choice. We need to choose wisely. We only have one country and it is imperative that we choose not just the best but also the right captain of our ship—the Philippines. The author may be reached via: thomas_orbos@ sloan.mit.edu

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Opinion

The ruminant

Game-changing initiative in the accounting profession

BusinessMirror

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

Joel L. Tan-Torres

THE PATRIOT

recently learned that digestion is a very deliberate process for ruminant animals. Whenever such an animal, like a cow, eats grass, the food gets to the first compartment (the rumen) of its 4-tier stomach. After the water from what they eat gets extracted at this stage, it is raised back up to the mouth as a cud so the cow can chew it more. This regurgitation process allows the cud to be brought down to the 2nd compartment of the stomach for easier digestion with the aid of essential microorganisms that live in the stomach, before the cud goes to the other remaining compartments. Rumination allows for regurgitation and cud chewing, helping in food digestion for those animals who appear to eat quickly. Without such process, indigestion happens. Indigestion, figuratively speaking, can also happen to people who absorb as much information as fast as they can. Dissecting the recent presidential interviews, I noticed that some of my initial perceptions about the presidential aspirants were simply reinforced. Senator Ping had come out extremely competent, knowledgeable yet unexciting in his delivery. Senator Manny was seen as very authentic through and through using motherhood responses to questions that asked for specifics. Mayor Isko confidently displayed practical and “street experience” in his answers, both in content and language used. VP Leni demonstrated precision in her responsive answers indicating a competent research team behind her. Senator Marcos Jr. wisely evaded issues—maybe upon the suggestion of his advisers—that are best left unanswered or vaguely discussed, showing signs of indecision. One significant observation that struck me most about these interviews was how the aspirants attempted to bring their efforts from the “micro” level to the “macro”. For me, Senator Ping stood out with flying colors when it came to specific action plans. Though his delivery was relatively dry, his tried and tested approach showed that experience matters a lot when it comes to leadership. His approach to entice people to choose him over others is largely anchored on his track record plus his untainted public service. In contrast, Mayor Isko used his natural charm and wit, after all he was in show business before politics, to share what he has done in the City of Manila. These interviews can give us a snapshot of character. But they do not give us an accurate picture of who they really are, off camera. Some candidates unwittingly revealed their true selves during the portion when they were asked why voters should not choose their rivals. Senator Manny’s answers were very candid (“I don’t know to some”) while VP Leni’s response can be deemed destructive. As voters, we need to look beyond these interviews. Voters should be like the cow chewing on its cud, ruminating, when absorbing information. After all, some answers can be rehearsed. During the official campaign period, which starts next month, our duty, aside from knowing candidates’ platforms or agenda, is to discover their true character. While the grim reality tells me that media interviews will not be as impactful since most of the voting population already made up their minds, we should not lose hope. Looking farther to the horizon will harp largely on how we would exercise our right to suffrage today. Regardless of our biases, notwithstanding outside influences, we need to carefully consider the character of these applicants to the highest office! Platforms can change due to compromise; positions in issues can be dictated by circumstances. But character sticks. While we cannot see their true colors beyond what they show in public, we can do our own research. We have the responsibility to know more about each candidate, setting aside any pre-conceived notions we may have at first. In general, by merely spending time with a person allows us to know his or her true self. But since we cannot actually spend time with these candidates, we can judge their character by reflecting

on how they have responded to adversities in the past. We should “ruminate” on each of their statements and understand whether their supposed platforms align with their track record. Is there consistency? We can look at their non-verbal gestures during media appearances to find sincerity or a lack thereof. This rumination process should include a careful selection of what we read and share on social media and that “regurgitation or chewing” information to truly unearth the character of a person. Personally, I find a flaw in a person’s character when he refuses to show up or expose himself in challenging interviews or regulatory hearings. For the ruminant in us to be more efficient, we can conduct debates in our “minds”, mental calisthenics so to speak, or dialogues with family and friends. Views from others can help. In school, most students who want to go deeper about any subject resort to extra research or study groups. Most students I know seem to learn more efficiently with a group! In the same vein, I understand the word better whenever I’m with another person. When I study the Bible with a pastor or with my loved ones, I noticed a remarkable increase in my own understanding. As believers, we should be ruminant animals (cow, or sheep or goat) that chew food methodically but with a process that prevents indigestion! We take in the Word of God and ruminate on it day and night, as written in Joshua 1:8, which says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” By embracing God’s Word and studying it with a ruminant approach (with much mediation and reflection), we gain prosperity through His abundant grace. After all, the Bible also calls a ruminant a Blessed Man, thus in Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Blessings, in the form of better understanding, come to those who read and, more importantly, reflect on what they read. I urge all voters to focus on the character of every candidate, not on platforms to be promised during the campaign period. Let’s not be simply swayed or wooed by their charm, name or fame! For me, I will wisely choose the candidate who can best serve, not just the nation, but also our Heavenly Creator. After all, a leader should first be a servant, just like Jesus, aiming to please not the multitude he serves but the One who is Eternal. Our meditation day and night will allow that ruminant within us to discern who can be true servant leaders in public service, exemplifying what the Greatest Servant Leader has done while here on earth. 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.

DEBIT CREDIT Part one

hen I was the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy from 2014 to 2018, one gamechanging initiative that I put in place was the issuance of BOA Resolution 03-2016 (on compilation services). For the first time beginning 2016, business establishments with gross sales or revenues exceeding P10 million for a particular accounting year were mandated to submit Certificates of Compilation Services for the preparation of Financial Statements and notes thereto as prepared by duly accredited Certified Public Accountants. Integral to this initiative was the requirement for the preparers or compilers of financial statements to be accredited with the BOA. The same resolution provided also that Certified Public Accountants preparing the financial statements shall be accredited by the BOA after these CPAs have

completed their Continuing Professional Development requirements. As inferred in the Resolution, this practice will enhance the quality of financial statements and minimize the risks attendant to the preparation of such statements. Furthermore, this certification and performance of compilation services by a competent CPA is a global best practice that is appropriate for the Philippine setting. A series of implementing guidelines were issued, including BOA Resolution 68-2016 that mandated the external auditors to monitor compliance by covered audit clients with the requirement to submit

Monday, January 31, 2022

the Compilation Certificate and to report to BOA any omission or non-compliance therewith; BOA Resolution 115-016 that provided for the extension of the deadline in the filing of the application for accreditation and the covered period for the financial statements, as well as the review of the P10 million gross sale/revenue threshold; BOA Resolution 163-2017 that deferred the implementation of the notification requirement for external auditors and BOA Resolution 1852017 that clarified the guidelines for the effective implementation of the Compilation Certificate requirement. The path towards this important regulatory reform had its share of bumps and potholes. When pushing for this, one lesson that I experienced and learned was that changes, especially radical ones, would result in resistance and difficulties in the implementation. In the case of the compilation services measure, despite the communication to and collaboration efforts with the stakeholders (that included among several entities such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Philippine Institute of CPAs, and the various accounting professional sectoral organiza-

The facts of mutual insurance By Reynaldo A. de Dios

he concept of mutual insurance is that it is organized primarily to insure risks for its owners at minimum cost. Thus, the mutual insurance company is a corporation owned, operated and controlled by its policyholders. There are no stockholders as the policyholders elect the board of directors or trustees, and the board elects or appoints the executive officers to manage the company. The mutual corporation assumes the risks of its policyholders and its primary purpose is to secure insurance at cost with no commission loading. In other words, whatever proceeds earned in the course of its operations will be partly returned to the policyholders as dividends or applied to next year’s premium. The remainder is used to strengthen the company by building up its surplus. Similarly, when

there are losses, the same principle applies. There are two types of mutuals, the assessment mutual and nonassessment mutual. In the former case, the company usually charges a modest fee to write and issue a policy and then assesses each member when necessary to meet claims and operating expenses. The latter type of mutual charges at the outset, a rate calculated to be sufficient to

defray all expenses and losses. This type is more or less run along stock company basis. The first mutual non-life company was founded through the initiative of the well-known American statesman Benjamin Franklin and bears the unusual name of the Philadelphia Contributionship for the insurance of houses from loss and fire. This may come as a surprise but the company is still in business. The first mutual life insurance company in the Philippines was organized in 1957, the Alpha Mutual Life Insurance, which no longer exists. The second and only mutual life insurance in the country was the Insular Life Assurance Company, which was formerly a stock company but was approved by the Insurance Commission to mutualize in 1976.

tions, the accounting and auditing standards boards, etc) there were still a number of parties that opposed the undertaking, for dubious reasons. These include the Department of Finance (with the Secretary of Finance himself, and one of his Undersecretary intervening for the “oppositors”). In March 2017, DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez had the gall to cross inter-department autonomy and jurisdiction (since the BOA is reporting to the Department of Labor and Employment) when he called and demanded that the Professional Regulatory Commission Chairman order me and the BOA to withdraw the BOA Resolution 03-2016. To be continued

Joel L. Tan-Torres is the Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. This column accepts articles for publication from the business and academic community. Articles not exceeding 600 words can be e-mailed to jltantorres@up.edu.ph.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner approved the Mutualization Plan of Insular Life, making it the first Filipino life insurance company to mutualize. Eleven years later in 1987, Insular Life became a fully mutualized company. The mutualization process was completed and transferred ownership of the company from stockholders to policyholders. Insular Life is the only remaining domestic mutual life insurer in the Philippines. Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada and Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. are subsidiaries of Canada-based insurers which have demutualized before and are now listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange. The author is a risk management consultant and Editor of Insurance Philippines magazine.

Quantitative tightening looms for markets on hawkish Fed By Enda Curran, Liz Capo McCormick & Libby Cherry Bloomberg Opinion

erome Powell’s hawkish pivot makes it clear that a key crutch of support for the global economy is going to be pulled away sooner than financial markets had been betting.

Chair Powell’s Federal Reserve last week indicated it would soon raise interest rates, but also to cease adding to its massive stockpile of bonds by early March. Counterparts are also ending or slowing the bond-buying which accelerated in the coronavirus recession with some even looking to reverse it. The Bank of Canada last week signaled it could tighten monetary policy in coming weeks having ended so-called quantitative easing in October. Markets are betting the Bank of England will lift rates on Thursday to the level it has said it may begin shrinking its portfolio. The Reserve Bank of Australia is projected to announce an end to its bond-buying program when it meets Tuesday. All told, Bloomberg Economics expects Group of Seven central banks will add just $330 billion to their balance sheets this year, a sharp drop from the more than $8 trillion added during the pandemic in a bid to ease markets, contain borrowing costs and spur demand and risk-taking. That lays the groundwork for the G-7’s combined portfolio to peak in the middle of this year at around $27 trillion, an amount that would have been unimaginable before the 2008 financial crisis when bond-buying became a key tool for most monetary authorities. A key question is what does the

exit from QE mean for the world economy. If it enables central banks to get on top of rampant inflation, then it could help extend the recovery from the 2020 slump, especially if it acts as a substitute for higher benchmark rates. But if the process ends up roiling markets, it could have the opposite effect by cutting off the flow of credit to consumers and businesses, hitting their confidence. “If central bank rates alone were increasing [rates], but quantitative easing was staying in place, this would provide at least some liquidity support to asset prices,” said Freya Beamish, head of macro research at TS Lombard. With the liquidity tide turning, “there is no cushion to fall back on.” That sets the scene for a divergence as major central banks in the English-speaking world look not only to stop quantitative easing but begin quantitative tightening, the term given for shrinking balance sheets, while others keep on easing monetary policy. Japan remains wedded to stimulus even as it slows the pace of its asset purchases and the European Central Bank is seen as being still more than one-and-a-half years away from raising rates although it too is reducing net purchases. Meantime China, which avoided QE through the crisis, has switched

A key question is what does the exit from QE mean for the world economy. If it enables central banks to get on top of rampant inflation, then it could help extend the recovery from the 2020 slump, especially if it acts as a substitute for higher benchmark rates. But if the process ends up roiling markets, it could have the opposite effect by cutting off the flow of credit to consumers and businesses, hitting their confidence. to stimulus mode to cushion the economy from a property slump. “The global economy isn’t facing synchronized tightening,” said Mansoor Mohi-uddin, chief economist at the Bank of Singapore Ltd. While that’s a consolation, it hasn’t stopped financial markets from turning skittish about the pending withdrawal of liquidity. The MSCI World Index is already down 7 percent so far this year. Gaps between short- and longer-term bond rates have collapsed, with the US Treasury yield curve at its flattest since March 2020. Economists at Barclays warned that “financial markets remain on edge over the potential for excessive tightening.” Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s financial conditions index—a measure that incorporates variables like stock prices, credit spreads, interest rates, and the exchange rate—has moved upward to reveal the tightest level since March. However, it’s still well below the extreme reached at the start of the pandemic as markets spiraled. “The transmission of monetary policy into the economy is through

financial conditions and financial conditions are in part impacted by market expectations,” said Michael Hanson, senior global economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. “So how much QT you do and how much it effects financial conditions is going to feed back into what is the appropriate pace and amount of rate hikes.” When the Fed started quantitative tightening in 2017, it had been raising rates for more than a year and it never directly sold assets, reducing its balance sheet by curbing reinvesting existing holdings of Treasuries as they matured. Back then, Fed Chair Janet Yellen likened the process to “watching paint dry.” This time, there is more concern about paring the balance sheet at the same time as rates are going up. QT could be announced in July or even sooner and the central bank could eventually sell some of the mortgagebacked securities it owns, according to economists. “As demonstrated by past experience exiting extraordinary stimulus, taking away the punch bowl is less straightforward than adding to it,” said Bloomberg economist Eliza Winger. Signs of a slowing recovery came last week when the International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for 2022, citing weaker prospects for the US and China along with persistent inflation. A combination of rocky markets, slowing growth and stubborn inflation stokes the risk of policy error, said Alvin Tan, head of Asia foreignexchange strategy at Royal Bank of Canada in Hong Kong. “It is a dynamic dance,” he said.

A10 Monday, January 31, 2022

As farm output declines, agri investments, reforms pushed

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE contraction of agricultural output is a wake-up call for stronger investment in agriculture sector and for a policy reform, an economistlawmaker said at the weekend, after the statistics agency reported the GDP numbers for 2021.

For House Committee Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, the contraction of agricultural output by 1.7 percent based on 2021 full-year GDP figures, is a “warning sign that even with a low output base, our agriculture sector is still struggling to grow.” Salceda also suggested adopting

crop diversification as a strategy to meet agricultural output goals. “We need to grow agricultural output by at least 2 percent to outpace our population growth and produce enough to support our country’s needs. If we can’t produce our staple foods at competitive prices, we should diversify to

other high-value crops to meet that output objective,” Salceda said in a statement. “The livestock sector is also what’s dragging our agriculture sector down. Full year livestock output declined by a massive 17 percent. That’s worse than anything we’ve seen in recent years,” Salceda added. Last week, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the country posted its slowest agriculture production growth in over two decades. Based on PSA data, agriculture growth contracted 1.7 percent in 2021, the lowest since 2001 under the 2018-based data. The PSA has only rebased data to 2018 only until 2001. “The problems of the livestock sector are: one, lack of economies of scale. Most producers are backyard producers. Two, lack of cheap inputs. Feed costs in the Philippines remain among the highest in the region. Three, disjointed government support. You have several agencies for different livestock products, when you could consolidate that into a National Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy Program since the inputs, the problems, and the issues are very similar and require close coordination,” Salceda added.

Livestock reform

IN response to the release of agricultural output data for 2021 this week, Salceda said that he is working with the Department of Agriculture to draft a reform program for the livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors. “The key components are as follows: First, we consolidate the agencies handling livestock into a single umbrella. Second, we allocate tariff revenues in imported corn towards the development of cheap domestic corn, and revenues from imported feeds towards the development of cheaper feed alternatives. Three, we create a national livestock, poultry, and dairy development plan to be reviewed every five or six years. Fourth, we organize support services and invest in related infrastructure, from farm transport to slaughterhouses,” Salceda said. A complementary reform is also to set the parameters for public-private partnerships in the livestock, poultry, and dairy sector, to make the agriculture sector less susceptible to budget cuts, Salceda said. “Finally, we also need to reform the Bureau of Animal Industry’s biosafety and inspection processes to make the sector more resilient against biohazards such as the African swine fever. We are already working on that in the Committee on Ways and Means, during our discussions on the livestock import process,” Salceda said. “The Department of Agriculture sent me briefing materials last week that we are studying now to craft an administration version of this reform. I am optimistic that we will be able to at least get the ball rolling, so that the next administration will have something to start with on Day One,” Salceda added.

NBI PROBES TIKTOK POST ON ALLEGED KILL-MARCOS PLOT By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed on Sunday that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now looking into a Tiktok post revealing an alleged assassination plot against presidential frontrunner Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. Guevarra said it was the DOJ’s Office of Cybercrime (DOJOOC) that received a tip about the post and immediately acted on it by requesting the socialmedia platform to preserve the suspect account. “The DOJ, on the other hand, has directed the NBI to validate the tip. Pending verification, we are keeping other details confidential for security reasons,” Guevarra said. When asked if the DOJ considers the TikTok post a serious threat to Marcos’ safety, the DOJ chief said: “If a bomb joke is actionable, so is a threat of assassination, whether true or not.” Guevarra, however, noted that the DOJ has not received similar information regarding personal threats to the security of presidential and other top national posts aspirants. DOJ- OOC head, l aw yer Charito Zamora, revealed that she got a text message on Friday from a concerned citizen who pointed to a serious threat in a TikTok video posted by another TikTok account with username @joiedevivre420. Zamora said the comment states: ”Nagmemeeting kami araw-araw para paghandaang ipa-assassinate naming si BBM. Humanda kayo. [We are meeting everyday to plan for BBM’s assassination. Get ready].” After initial investigation, Zamora said she referred the matter to the NBI-Cybercrime

NG needs ₧17.5B more to ‘Covid-proof’ polls By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

HE national government needs an additional P17.5 billion to Covid-proof the upcoming May 2022 Presidential elections, according to the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) School of Government. In a working paper titled, “Covid-Proofing the 2022 Philippine Presidential Elections,” ADMU’s Angelito Niño P.C Verzosa, Almiera Mae S. Calicdan, Ronald U. Mendoza, Jess Paul M. Pasibe, and Raisa Neith G. Salvador said Covidproofing the elections is needed to make the exercise safe for voters. T his translates to around P175,300.90 additional expense per clustered precinct. The researchers said the estimate was based on the 800-voter cap per clustered precinct. “The effective marriage of public health and the electoral process would require a relatively larger share of the budget. Budget is integral to the quality of elections during the pandemic,” the paper stated. “The budget naturally increases during a pandemic due to inflation, increasing eligible voters, and the materials necessary to avoid the spread of Covid-19,” it added. The researchers said the main expenditure items for Covid-proofing the elections include personnel services such as Voters Assistance Desks, Health Protocol Desks, a Health Declaration mechanism, and Separate Voters Precinct for

voters who have symptoms of Covid-19, among others. The expenses will also include the cost of the medical and health supply requirements per clustered precinct as well as full PPE for precincts accommodating Covid-19 suspects and antigen tests for all election officials and personnel. The antigen testing of all election officials and staff is estimated at P100 million for 70,000 antigen testing kits. Rental cost for private sector voting centers is P1 billion for approximately 20,000 additional voting center rental payment. The amount also covers contingency costs to Covid-proof the elections this year. These costs include Insurance and Hazard risks of election workers and officials which could reach P100 million. “Some of these costs can be paired down with enhanced efficiency in organizing the inputs for election preparations, as Comelec coordinates with other government agencies and the local government units themselves. There are other possible costs to consider which may not necessarily fall on the government to shoulder,” the researchers said. This paper assumed that the total number of clustered precincts for 2022 elections will be 97,345 while the total number of voting centers is estimated to be at least 36,7195 nationwide. These additional clustered precincts are expected to hold and accommodate at most 800 voters observing physical distancing and other Covid-prevention protocols.

Division (NBI-CCD) and the Philippine National Police-Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) for further investigation. She added that the DOJOCC also e-mailed the TikTok Law Enforcement Outreach and requested the data related to the subject account preserved, pending investigation by law enforcement agents. “We have no information yet if there are particular persons already being investigated by our law enforcement agents or the owners of the subject accounts had been identified,” Zamora noted. Zamora said she immediately referred the matter to the NBICCD and PNP-ACG as a matter of procedure. “In this instance, I got a text last Friday from a concerned citizen, the threat of assassination against anyone, under the law, is considered grave threats. Thus, our referral to the law enforcement agents,” Zamora explained.

Marcos lawyer: BBM ‘uncowed’

IN a statement released yesterday, Marcos’ chief of staff and spokesman lawyer Vic Rodriguez expressed concern about the alleged assassination plot but stressed that this would not deter the presidential aspirant from going around the country to personally inform the people about his platforms. “While the report on the assassination plot is concerning, we are not cowered by such threat. Bongbong shall continue to personally deliver his message around the country with firm resolve to unify the nation,” Rodriguez said. Marcos’ camp also commended the DOJ for its “swift and uncompromising response to uncover those behind” the assassination threat.

Ping to PSA: Rush printing, delivery of Natl ID cards

EN. Panfilo Lacson has asked the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to soonest issues on delayed printing and delivery of the National ID cards, noting how vital such are to citizens’ daily transactions. Netizens earlier asked presidential aspirant Lacson, author and principal sponsor of the National ID law, what is causing the delay in the delivery of their National ID cards, after he posted on Twitter that he finally received his card last Friday, January28. Lacson—who got his PhilSys card nearly a year after he applied for it on February 4, 2021—also noted that other netizens, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), have inquired where and how they can apply for their ID cards. “A s the implementing agenc y of the PhilSys Act, the PSA should address these issues as soon as possible. It should expedite the printing and delivery of the National ID cards. It must also renew and intensify its information drive on how Filipinos can apply for them,” said Lacson, standard bearer of Partido Reporma. He added that while in his case, the birthdate on his card appeared inaccurate, he remains hopeful the Nationa l ID system overa l l w i l l mean better access to social services and protection from crime and corruption. “Finally I got my national ID card yesterday. Being an author and the principal sponsor of the Philsys Act, I hope it will help immensely improve social services, our government’s fight against crime and corruption and most importantly, public service in general,” Lacson said on his Twitter account on Saturday. See “Ping,” A2

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Monday, January 31, 2022

PSE: Firms can’t unilaterally cancel stock rights offering

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

hilippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) President Ramon S. Monzon said over the weekend that a company cannot just cancel its approved stock rights offering (SRO) if there are no takers as the underwriter has committed to purchase the offered shares. Monzon made this remark during the PSE’s Investment Expo ‘22 where he was asked about a listed firm’s SRO which appears to be undersubscribed. “Even if it does not sell, the underwriter has a firm commitment to pick up those shares,” he said. While the name of the company concerned was not mentioned, only DITO CME Holdings Corp. has an ongoing stock rights offering for common shares worth P8 billion. DITO has recently received regulatory approval to extend its SRO through February 2, from the original January 18 deadline, to “allow more qualified investors to obtain

additional shares at an attractive discount.” The company said “the extension was granted due to numerous requests from shareholders who were unable to subscribe to the offering or receive their SRO kits on time due to logistical difficulties brought about by the surge of Covid-19.” DITO is offering a total of 1.64 billion common shares, priced at P4.88 per share. The offer price is an 18.4 percent discount from the closing price as of January 13 and was set at the bottom of its indicative price range. DITO shares closed Friday at P5.09 apiece.

Monzon said the bourse is mulling over the steps that should be taken to address the problem, noting that the PSE had adjusted the reference price for the stock after the rights offering ex-date. “What are we going to do? Are we going to adjust the price [again]? How about the investors who sold at a lower price because they thought they would get additional shares from the SRO?” “These are the things we are trying to iron out actually today [Saturday]. We need to be able to determine because markets open on Monday and we need to know [what needs to be done],” Monzon said. Later on Saturday, the PSE released an announcement that DITO decided to defer its SRO as “management has determined that current market conditions are less than ideal to pursue the offering.” In the same letter, DITO said that it “shall refund any and all subscription payments made by any existing shareholder or qualified institutional buyer during the offer period of the Stock Rights Offer.” The PSE, however, said in a scathing statement that DITO’s decision “should not be construed as an approval by the Exchange of the deferment of the offering.” “Furthermore, this is without

prejudice to any regulatory action that the exchange may pursue in order to ensure full compliance with the applicable rules and for the protection of the investing public consistent with the mandate of the exchange, as a self-regulatory organization, to maintain a fair and orderly market,” the PSE said. “The exchange disclaims any liability arising from, or in connection with the foregoing matter.” DITO President Eric R. Alberto said the company is raising P8 billion via the SRO. The proceeds will be used to fund its telco services all over the country in fulfillment of the technical audit, and to “fulfill its own mission to be a compelling and a competitive alternative telco in service of the Filipino public.” DITO owns 54 percent of DITO Telecommunity and operates three digital companies in media, communications, entertainment and information technology. These include Unalytics, which provides managed analytics services; Acuity Global, which curates media properties across platforms and provides media planning and buying; and Luna Academy, an online education platform aimed at equipping users with future-ready skills, credentials and certificates.

Consunji-led firms land in Bloomberg’s gender equality index

Contributed photo

F ‘Logistics is real estate’s bright spot’ I

ndustrial logistics, data centers, renewable energy and real estate investment trusts (REITs) are going to be the bright spots in the country’s property sector this year, according to leading executives in consumer banking and real estate asset management. In a recent webinar organized by the Urban Land Institute and Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), PwC Philippines Executive Director Raoul Villegas said the logistics industry will continue to attract both local and foreign investors due to higher demand for goods. In its “2022: Emerging Trends in Real Estate report,” ULI and PwC said 344 interviewees noted that the rising popularity of logistics as a rising class could be attributed to the convergence of several factors, such as structural undersupply of high-quality assets, evolution of more sophisticated supply chains, and the rapid growth of e-commerce retailing. “In fact, the market is also hoping logistics companies go into the REIT

market as there is a huge potential for growth in the coming years,” Villegas said during the webinar. Sheryll Verano, senior vice president at Arthaland Corp., added that logistics-related assets are also going to be popular for potential investors as the economy expects to further upon up this year. “I think we haven’t seen the full offering of REITs for traditional assets,” she said. Leonides Intalan, head of consumer loans group at Asia United Bank, said renewable energy such as solar power and date centers are the industries to watch as more companies will implement sustainable programs and respond to the explosive growth of data as more companies are expected to boost their digital capabilities. Intalan also said data centers will experience growth as internet in Asia Pacific is expected to rise due to pandemic-related issues, such as the work-from-home scheme and ecommerce shopping. The three panelists agreed that

Vivant CEO set to retire next month

Exec: Viber business messages up by 112%

he chief executive officer (CEO) of publicly-listed Cebuano company, Vivant Corp., is set to retire next month. The company announced the retirement of Ramontito E. Garcia, who will turn 65 in February. Upon Garcia’s retirement, company president Arlo A. G. Sarmiento will assume the role of CEO while Emil M. Garcia, Senior Vice President for Power, will take over as company president. “My retirement offers the next generation the opportunity to take the helm, to bring new ideas and to implement new styles of leadership while maintaining the same core values that have brought Vivant to where it is now,” Garcia, who will continue to sit in the board as its chairman, said. Vivant, a holdings company with investments in energy and infrastructure, made it to Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion list in 2020. Lenie Lectura

ESSAGING app Viber reported a 112-percent growth in business messages it delivered for 2021, reflecting a strong inclination of Filipinos to have a two-way communication with brands. The overall improved performance of Viber Business Messaging Solutions included a 291-percent growth in conversational business messages (real agent customer support), a 372-percent hike in transactional messages (such as shipping notifications), and a 108-percent surge in promotional messages (like special promo codes). Viber in the Philippines also posted a 126-percent rise in the number of new business message accounts to establish one-to-one connection with its customers, and a 23-percent growth in the number of chatbots, where customers get real-time

healthcare emerged as an important component of development planning projects as people will premium on their health and wellbeing. Rick Santos, Chairman and CEO of Santos Knight Frank (SKF) and the moderator of the webinar, is also optimistic about the prospects for the local real estate sector this year. “We see a year of opportunities for several real estate sectors, including industrial & logistics, REITs, and office. Niche markets such as data centers, healthcare, and renewable energy also show a lot of promise in 2022 and post-pandemic,” Santos said. “The office sector will continue to have staying power in the real estate sector as companies in markets, such as the United States and Australia, continue to cut back on costs by outsourcing in the Philippines. Demand from the IT-BPO sector will benefit not just Metro Manila but also the secondary cities as companies diversify their locations.” From a capital markets perspective, SKF sees a significant volume

automated replies to requests 24/7. Local and international brands have also taken advantage of its advertising solutions to increase their visibility and attract new users. Last year, the volume of ads impressions on Viber ballooned by 56 percent in the Philippines and 70 percent worldwide, showcasing the significant interest from advertisers. The top-performing verticals globally were health and fitness, which expanded by 90 percent; energy, 56 percent; and transportation, 51 percent. New advertising categories of the app, such as recruitment and local businesses also saw a spike , indicating the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on business and the labor market. Another milestone for the company is the customizable and creative Viber Lenses that provides brands with a native and non-intrusive way

of real estate deals flowing into the country this year, driven by pentup demand for acquisition by both foreign and local investors. Santos said REITs will continue to be on the radar to raise fresh capital. “We expect to see future REIT portfolios to become more diversified to include both traditional and non-traditional assets,” he said. Nevertheless, the ULI and PWC report noted that developing markets like the Philippines will still face challenges in capital flows into real estate brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. “The expectation is we’re going to get out of this down cycle pretty soon, but from the perspective of foreign investors were not yet on the radar. If you look at the neighboring countries, a lot of them are moving into the recovery phase, and their fundamentals are now back in terms of occupier demand. But from where we are at the moment, I don’t see a lot of them in the horizon,” said one Manila-based expert. Rizal Raoul Reyes

to increase brand awareness and drive customers along the users’ funnel. Since its launch in June 2021, over 7.3 million users across the globe have put it to use for media, such as pictures, videos, or GIFs; and more than 5.6 million users generated over 51.8 million captures in the app. “For a long time now, it has been a part of Viber’s strategy to become a super-app—giving as many services with added value as possible throughout our users’ day and providing brands with more opportunities to interact with their customers in the native environment,” said Cristina Constandache, chief revenue officer at Rakuten Viber. “For this, we are constantly working on improving our suite of business solutions to let brands and users seamlessly interact with each other at each step of the customer journey.” Roderick L. Abad

or the second straight year, Consunji-led DMCI Holdings Inc. and its unit, Semirara Mining and Power Corp., are included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI). The GEI is a modified market capitalization-weighted index that aims to track the performance of public companies committed to transparency in gender-data reporting. Only four listed companies in the Philippines joined the 2022 roster that includes 418 companies across 45 countries and regions. The other two firms were the Gokongwei’s property development arm and Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. Member companies represent a variety of sectors, including financials, technology and utilities, which collectively have the highest company representation in the index. The 2022 GEI measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand. “While our businesses belong to male-dominated industries, we do not distinguish roles and opportunities according to gender. We empower and promote people based on their individual merits and contributions to the organization,” DMCI Holdings Chairman Isidro A. Consunji said. “We are proud to recognize DMCI Holdings and SMPC and the other 416 companies included in the 2022 GEI for their commitment to trans-

parency and setting a new standard in gender-related data reporting,” Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg and founding chairman of the US 30% Club. “Even though the threshold for inclusion in the GEI has risen, the member list continues to grow. This is a testament that more companies are working to improve upon their gender-related metrics, fostering more opportunity for diverse talent to succeed in their organization,” he said. Both Consunji-led firms submitted a social survey created by Bloomberg, in collaboration with subject matter experts globally. Those included on this year’s index scored at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies. Both the survey and the GEI are voluntary and have no associated costs. Bloomberg collected this data for reference purposes only. The index is not ranked. While all public companies are encouraged to disclose supplemental gender data for their company’s investment profile on the Bloomberg Terminal, those that have a market capitalization of $1 billion are eligible for inclusion in the Index. DMCI Holdings is the only publicly-listed holding company in the Philippines that has construction as its core competency. Its businesses are pioneers and key players in the construction, real estate, energy, mining and water industries. VG Cabuag

Mao’s favored ‘red flag’ car seeks new audience

hina FAW Group Co., the carmaker whose luxur y Hongqi model was used to transport Chairman Mao Zedong, is betting on a new audience in Japan, opening its first showroom in the country as it seeks to crack a market that’s fiercely loyal to domestic brands. A Hongqi—which means red flag—dealership opened in Osaka last month and 22 vehicles have been sold so far, although they went

to Chinese living in Japan, Li Wang, an executive at the dealership, said Friday. FAW’s most popular model, the H9, costs as much as 15 million yen ($130,000). “Hongqi is special, it’s more than just a car” especially for many Chinese people, Li said. Japan has almost 787,000 Chinese residents, making up more than a quarter of all immigrants. Osaka is particularly known for its diverse community. Bloomberg News

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, January 31, 2022

Ayala unit, partner kick off construction of solar farm

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

C Energy Corp. (ACEN), the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, and its partner UPC Solar AsiaPacific, announced the start of the construction of their solar farm in India. Their latest solar farm will have a capacity of 420-megawatt peak (MWp). It is located in the Khandwa District, State of Madhya Pradesh, and is set to produce 69-gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year while avoiding approximately 635,720 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The project will also create ap-

proximately 500 jobs during its construction stage. Once completed, the Masaya Solar farm will be UPC-AC Energy Solar’s third and largest solar project in India to date. Their joint venture company, UPC-AC Energy Solar, have built a total of 630 MWp across India. UPC-AC Energy Solar is in the process of securing a 20-year loan

from the State Bank of India to fund the project with an estimated project cost of $220 million under a 75:25 debt-to-equity financing scheme, with the joint venture supplying electricity at INR 2.71 per kWh fixed over a 25-year period under a power supply agreement with the Solar Energy Corp. of India. “We are delighted that our partnership with UPC Solar continues to bear fruit in India. The success of our maiden projects, both reaching operational status in second quarter 2021 despite the tumultuous Covid-19 crisis, bodes well for the 420 MWp Masaya Solar project,” said Patrice Clausse, Head of ACEN’s International Group. “Though the pandemic continues to present challenges, we are confident that we will complete the construction of this solar development safely and at the earliest possible time, to contribute even more meaningfully to India’s renewable energy goals.” Pranab Kumar Sarmah, CEO of UPC-AC Energy Solar and co-founder of UPC Solar Asia Pacific, said the landmark development will be a “significant addition” to the country’s renewables capacity. “Working hand-in-hand with an extremely competent and enthu-

siastic team in India and beyond, I am confident that this project will stand the test of both time and budget in this challenging Covid scenario. India is one of the world’s largest consumers of energy and producers of renewable energy. We understand the country’s urgency to increase its production of renewables to help meet the demand and support the country’s progress,” said Sarmah. Masaya Solar in India is the latest in ACEN’s string of initiatives to expand its renewables footprint in the region and lead the charge in the renewables revolution. The company has over 3,000 MW of attributable capacity in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia, with 18,000 MW in its pipeline of renewables projects being developed organically and with its various partners across the region. An estimated 500 MW of these projects are expected to reach financial close by the first quarter of this year. ACEN’s aspiration is to become the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 5,000 MW of renewables capacity by 2025.

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK Last week

Share prices fell last week on sideways trading, as investors digested the possibility that the United States Federal Reserve will tighten its rates soon. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index lost 41.55 points to close at 7,251.97 points. The main index was mostly down throughout the week, but trading was higher at an average of P5.97 billion. Foreign investors, which accounted for only a little over a third of total trades, were net sellers at P1.46 billion. Other sub-indices ended mostly in the red, led by the All Shares index that fell 13.32 points to close at 3,856.08 points, the Financials index gained 35.95 to 1,694.89, the Industrial index rose 200.83 to 10,616.98, the Holding Firms index declined 127.07 to 7,063.07, the Property index retreated 52.45 to 3,216, the Services index shed 20.15 to 1,952.96 and the Mining and Oil index plunged 341.86 to 10,189.02. For the week, losers edged gainers 162 to 61 and 26 shares were unchanged. Top gainers were Keppel Philippines Holdings Inc. B shares, ATN Holdings Inc. A and B shares, Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., MJC Investments Corp., Emperador Inc. and Figaro Coffee Group Inc. Top losers, meanwhile, were Xurpas Inc., ABS-CBN Corp., Macay Holdings Inc., Haus Talk Inc., Merrymart Consumer Corp. and Greenergy Holdings Inc.

This week

Share prices may rise this week after the government decided to lower the alert level classification for Metro Manila starting February. Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc., said the local market will take cues from the government’s decision on the alert levels to be implemented in the country by February 1. “So far, signs of improvement have been seen in the Covid-19 situation of the country, primarily in the National Capital Region. If this leads to the easing of restrictions, then it is expected to give market sentiment a boost,” Tantiangco said. The government decided to lower the classification of Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal to Alert Level 2 over the weekend. “Easing of restrictions is seen to help in keeping our economy in its recovery track. Concerns over the monetary tightening in the US this year may continue to weigh on the market however especially as the Federal Reserve has already given hawkish signals in their recent policy meeting. Aside from these, the market may take cues from the upcoming IHS Markit Philippines Manufacturing PMI and Inflation data for the month of January.” It will be a four-day trading week as February 1 is a holiday for the Chinese New Year celebration. Broker 2TradeAsia said investors will be glued this week on earnings releases of the Ayala Group, such as Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom Inc. by next week. Chartwise, the local market’s initial support is seen at its 50-day exponential moving average 7,205.41 as of January 28. Its resistance remains at 7,300, Tantiangco said.

Stock picks

Broker Regina Capital Development Corp. advised to trade the range on the shares of PLDT Inc. (TEL) but said its share price now “looks prime for picking at these levels”. “For one, it is still trading within its consolidation range despite the past few days of downturn. For another, it is now at the lower band of said range, which most would typically consider a good entry point. For range-traders, TEL is all the more attractive at this point, given its range-bound nature. Its indicators are also all supportive of further sideways movement,” it said. PLDT shares closed Friday at P1,869. Meanwhile, the broker advised to hold the shares of AC Energy Corp. (ACEN) as the past few trading sessions have been its most stable range since the fourth quarter. “The stock has been stuck in consolidation between a very thin spread of P9.50 to P9.80. Indicators are neutral but showing a slight downward bias. It seems like ACEN is trading at market weight now as it continues to carefully flirt with its 200-day moving average. Any level below this would be a good entry point, if ACEN’s performance between Jan 10 to 14 is anything to go by.” AC Energy shares closed last week at P9.49. VG Cabuag

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE may require stabilization fund for IPOs, FOOs T

mention the firm, but among those that launched an IPO, it was Medilines Distributors Inc. which saw its share price plunged by 30 percent on its market debut. Medilines closed Friday at P1.03 per share, far below its IPO price of P2.30 per share. Monzon said the PSE also wants to plug a loophole in its rules wherein companies may reduce its par value right before they conduct an IPO so they can offer their shares at a much lower price. “For retail investors, there’s the psychology that if it is cheap price, it’s a good value. A few companies have done this and we want to plug that loophole,” he said. By next month, the PSE will introduce two new sub-indices—the high-yielding index and the mid-cap index, which seek to entice indexlinked tracker funds that offer liquidity in the market. Other new initiatives include the introduction of data analytics platform in March, the launch of PSE Easy platform 2.0 that include share rights offering and FOOs and also integrate a payment platform, an e-KYC or know your customer procedure for broker that allow brokers to electronically do its confirmation of the identity of its clients without the need for them to go into the brokers’ offices. VG Cabuag

he Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) said it will hold public consultations starting next week for several new rules, including a new requirement that calls for the allocation of a stabilization fund for initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings (FOOs). PSE President Ramon S. Monzon said the move is part of the exchange’s mandate of investor protection and to make it easy for individual investors to place their money in the equities market. “We take our investor protection responsibility very seriously. Like any IPOs or any offering, we can’t tell investors if this is a good offering or bad offering. We’re in a disclosure regime organization, meaning we make sure that companies adequately and properly disclose everything,” Monzon said during the PSE’s Investment Expo 22. Starting this week, Monzon said it will solicit public comments to make it mandatory for companies doing an IPO or an FOO to have a stabilization fund of 15 percent of its proceeds. This is applicable only for those that has secondary offering component. He said the new rule is an offshoot of a recent IPO, which he said “did very poorly.” Monzon did not

mutual funds

January 28, 2022

NAV

One Year Three Year

Five Year

per share Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

231.01

3.92%

-4.92%

-1.99%

-0.89%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.6089

28.22%

2.75%

2.82%

-3.32%

4.3%

-8.46%

-4.77%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.1933

-1.37%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7557 -2.89%

-7.6% n.a.

-0.11%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7592 6.21%

-4.84% n.a.

-1.52%

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

-2.65%

-0.13%

-0.57%

5.44%

5.1534

6.52%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.7755

-4.68%

-3.6%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

92.49

-7.44%

-8.99% n.a.

-2.05%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

47.5496

3.96%

-3.57%

-0.4%

-1.2%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

496.17

3.71%

-3.37%

-0.9%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.3874

20.92%

1.39%

2.47%

2.29%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

36.3518

6.91%

-2.44%

0.66%

-0.66%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9357

4.72%

-3.92% n.a.

-0.61%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.9028

4.8%

-2.89%

0.21%

-1.17%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

818.94

4.6%

-2.89%

0.18%

-1.15%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7391

5.41%

-6.82%

-2.95%

-1.79%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.7285

4.98%

-4.89%

-1.27%

-1.24%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9331

4.14%

-3.23%

-0.04%

United Fund, Inc. -a

4.38%

-3%

0.54%

-1.39%

3.3895

-1%

-1.21%

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a

1.1616

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

9.09% n.a. n.a.

-0.09%

1008.15 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Exchange Traded Fund (shares) First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

110.2208

4.9%

-2.68%

0.66%

-1.13%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1056

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.6791

-17.41%

4.83%

4.42%

-1.86%

-3.39%

12.5%

9.44%

-9.06%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6654

0.57%

-1.38%

-0.78%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2782

0.93%

-0.44%

-0.15%

-0.14%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.684

3.55%

0.36%

1.25%

-0.26%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.2121

-1.57%

8.38% n.a. n.a.

NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

2.002

2.52%

1.47%

1.71%

-0.73%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7456

-0.06%

0.99%

0.55%

-0.52%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.7594

0.01%

0.56%

0.51%

-0.51%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.1092

2.05%

-0.82%

0.37%

-0.58%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.6153 2.33%

-1.91%

-0.14%

-0.87%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

-0.53%

0.39%

0.02%

0.9544

8.94%

1.48%

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a

0.9777

-3.66% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a

0.9369

0.54% n.a. n.a.

-0.8%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a

0.9252

1.21% n.a. n.a.

-0.93%

-1.22%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03699 PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0568

-5.49%

1.4%

0.99%

-2.5%

-14.47%

3.6%

3.01%

-0.97%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.502

-3.15%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,2 $1.1518 -3.88%

9.05%

7.11%

-6.25%

4.76%

3.62%

-3.9%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

374.51

0.82%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.8865

-0.91%

0.31%

0.02%

0.1%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2467

0.91%

2.88%

3.84%

0.08%

2.25

-2.15%

1.66%

1.43%

-0.07%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4268 -1.08%

2.97%

1.85%

0.03%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.24%

1.4%

-0.02% 0.24%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

4.3946

2.82%

-5.55%

2.52%

0.06%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

1.3222

-0.05%

3.8%

2.88%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9796

-0.42%

3.75%

2.66%

0.35%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0288

-1.22%

4.21%

1.96%

0.06%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1871

-0.73%

4.25%

3.2%

-0.01%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

-1.35%

3.42%

2.57%

-0.02%

1.7303

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$488.74

0.78%

2.81%

2.46%

-0.17%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є219.3

-0.01%

0.92%

1.03%

-0.32%

$1.1874

-7.42%

-1.37%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b

1.49%

1.45%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0257 -3.02%

1.06%

0.8%

-1.15%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

-1.31%

-1.05%

-2.32%

$0.9991

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

-8.45%

$2.4466

-3.44%

3.66%

2.41%

-2.36%

$0.0620627

-0.58%

2.79%

1.88%

-0.37%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.0984 -3.96%

2.27%

1.23%

-3.06%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

131.3

1.03%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

1.0588

0.95% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1

1.47%

2.52%

1.3171

2.66%

2.54% 2.53%

0.08% 0.1%

0.11%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.061

0.73%

1.41% n.a.

0.04%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

46.85 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a

1.298

11.56% n.a. n.a.

-6.14%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.95

-4.04% n.a. n.a.

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago.

c - Listed in the PSE.

-2.06%

d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.). 2 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last November 25, 2021.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

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LandBank starts own inquiry on ‘phishing’

HE state-run Land Bank of the Philippines is currently in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the list of teachers who were reportedly victimized through phishing. In a statement over the weekend, the government bank said it is conducting its own investigation on the accounts of the teachers who have recently been victims of an online cyberattack. The bank also said it is “welcoming” the impending investigation by the NBI, following a Department Order issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the NBI to immediately intervene on the matter. “We will actively participate in this investigation and extend full cooperation to the NBI with the end in mind of further securing our depositors’ hard-earned money,” Landbank President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said. “We are also reaching out to the affected teachers and conducting an internal investigation on their complaints. In the meantime, we assure our clients and the general public that LandBank systems remain stable and secured,” Borromeo added. Just last week, nongovernment group The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition claimed it received a number of reports that some teachers lost as much as P121,000 each from their LandBank accounts. In the same statement, the government bank warned banking clients against linking old mobile phone numbers to their LandBank accounts. “Part of the security measures [we are] implementing is the use of the client’s mobile number to receive One-Time Passwords [OTPs] in authenticating digital financial transactions when using LandBank’s mobile banking app, instead of email. Clients with outdated mobile phone numbers linked to their online banking accounts must update their phone number with LandBank,” the bank said. “Landbank [is advising] the public to remain vigilant against phishing scams and all other forms of online banking fraud, and to refrain from opening suspicious emails, links and attachments, and sharing of account and personal information,” the staterun lender added. Bianca Cuaresma

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Monday, January 31, 2022

Solons to probe financial cybercrime

By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

LARMED by increasing incidents of attempted cybertheft cases targeting supposedly safe bank deposits, the Senate is mounting an inquiry in aid of crafting remedial legislation to ensure that banks can guarantee stronger cyber security systems.

In filing an enabling resolution to pave the way for the Senate inquiry, Senator Richard J. Gordon emphasized the urgency to assess and update existing measures to effectively address unabated commission of cyber theft cases. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee, filed Senate Resolution

(SR) 987 affirming the need for prompt action to “investigate the rising cases of diminishing money from bank accounts of government employees.” He stressed that the Senate “must spearhead an inquiry in aid of legislation to strengthen existing pertinent legislation on cybersecurity in close cooperation with law enforce-

ment... to adequately protect the Filipino people, particularly those most vulnerable and the financial security of persons and families essentially relying on our collective cybersecurity.” For instance, Gordon recalled recent reports indicating “an alarming increase in complaints” from Department of Education employees about unauthorized withdrawals from their payroll accounts in Land Bank of the Philippines. The Senator cited a report that both teaching and non-teaching personnel alike reported that their hard-earned money was being reduced, while disputing that they were victims of a so-called “phishing” scam. Phishing is defined as the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Gordon also cited Benjo Basas, chairman of the Teachers’ Dignity

Coalition chair, reporting in an interview that 20 teachers and Depatment of Education personnel “reported unauthorized transactions in their Land Bank accounts, with the amount of money lost ranging from P160,000 to P200,000.” A long-tme lawyer, Gordon reminded that the State is duty-bound to “serve and protect the Filipino people now that criminals are using technology to pilfer from the people’s savings.” At the same time, he reminded that “the Senate is compelled to act on the vicious commission of cybercrimes against the Filipino people, particularly against teachers and other public servants, private employees, and businesses taking away their hard-earned savings, violating their financial security, assaulting their cybersecurity, and disregarding their rights.” Moreover, Gordon invoked the Cybercrime Prevention Act, stating that “there is a need to protect and safeguard the integrity of computer

and computer systems, networks, and databases from misuse, abuse, and illegal access.” He recalled that the trade department’s Consumer Protection Group reported that there has been a shocking surge in the number of online transaction complaints, with 10,323 complaints in the first half of 2020. Gordon recalled that he already aired an alarm on similar incidents against Social Security Service (SSS) members who have been victimized in similar fashion. Citing the recent incidents, the senator prodded his counterparts in the House of Representatives to frontload passage of an enabling bill mandating subscriber identification module (SIM) card registration. “Once there is an enabling law that mandates telecom companies to screen and record every SIM card owner’s pertinent details, we can make sure that the numbers linked to crimes will make them responsible under the full extent of the law,” Gordon added.

Bankers laud NBI for arrest of people behind hacking of BDO system By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

FFICIALS of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) lauded authorities a week after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced arresting individuals allegedly behind the hacking of accounts in BDO Unibank Inc. “We thank the NBI and the Department of Justice [DOJ], for their successful collaboration in holding cybercriminals accountable for what they have done,” BAP President Jose

Arnulfo A. Veloso was quoted as saying in a statement the organization of bankers issued over the weekend. “The BAP and its member banks are fully confident in the capabilities of our law enforcement and judicial system. We trust that the perpetrators of the scam and their victims will be afforded a just and speedy resolution,” Veloso added. Last January 21, the NBI announced its agents arrested seven individuals, two of whom are Nigerian nationals, suspected to be involved in the hacking late last year of BDO, the country’s largest bank by asset.

Based on initial reports from the NBI, these individuals are part of the “Mark Nagoyo Heist Group” and were able to access the accounts of BDO’s more than 700 customers. They were able to bypass the onetime-pin requirement and drained funds in those accounts, according to initial reports. Aside from lauding authorities on the arrest, the BAP also announced the organization of bankers is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Justice on February 4. The BAP said the MOU will facilitate the creation

of a collective, coordinated and strategic cyber response that is crucial in this period of heightened cyber criminality. In the same statement, BDO President and CEO Nestor V. Tan assured its clients that all cybercrime-related concerns of BDO will be immediately addressed. “We continue to make investments and enhancements in our security systems to assure our banking clients will have a safe and secure banking experience,” Tan was quoted in the statement as saying. Several bankers also commended authorities for the arrest.

“As we move towards the digitalization of our banking system, a key role in ensuring the safety of Filipinos in cyberspace is the swift and resolute enforcement of rule of law,” BAP Second Vice President and ING Bank N.V. Manila Country Manager Hans B. Sicat was quoted in the statement as saying. Bank of the Philippine Islands President Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco said that BAP closely coordinates with government authorities. He noted that the information they share with government agencies “has led to the apprehension of cybercriminals.”

Singapore tightening puts currency on track to lead gains SB Corp. set to close

HE search is on for Southeast Asia’s top-performing currency for the year and the odds are tilting in favor of the Singapore dollar. It’s early days yet but the city-state’s currency looks like a strong contender for the crown after the central bank’s hawkish shift last week. Quickening inflation and growth are fueling bets for further tightening, boosting the Singapore dollar’s prospects. The city state’s success in tackling the pandemic may also add to the Singapore dollar’s haven appeal. Regional currencies are vying for inflows at a time when investors are turning more selective amid growing signs that the Federal Reserve will tighten at a faster pace. The Singapore dollar has climbed about

1.5 percent since sliding to the lowest in over a year in November. The gains could quicken if the central bank, which uses foreign exchange as a tool to stabilize prices, tightens again at a scheduled meeting in April. The government said it was reviewing its forecast ranges for inflation after consumerprice gains accelerated to an eight-year high in December. A strong retail sales print on February 4 could add to signs that growth is quickening. Another contender for the title of Southeast Asia’s top currency is the Thai baht, according to Irene Cheung, a strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. The currency may get a boost from the resumption of a quarantine-free visa program for vacci-

nated visitors next month although the Bank of Thailand’s dovish stance is likely to counter the gains. The Indonesian rupiah, which was the region’s most resilient currency last year, is also in the running given the central bank’s pledge to normalize policy as its US counterpart hikes. But the currency is vulnerable to outflows if sentiment shifts as witnessed in the first quarter of 2020. “We like the rupiah to outperform its regional peers this year given the nation is a commodity exporter, with strong external balance, ample real rates support and a central bank which has prudent monetary policy,” said Divya Devesh, head of Asean and South Asia FX research at Standard Chartered Bank SG Ltd. Bloomberg News

Perspectives Global manufacturing prospects 2022

EOs at manufacturers have learnt two important and related lessons from the pandemic: the vital importance of a resilient supply chain and the need to invest in new technologies to strengthen resilience, by both avoiding business disruptions and taking advantage of them. If manufacturers take timely actions to ensure a healthy supply chain, it may enable manufacturers to withstand economic shocks in the future and improve competitiveness. When asked in the KPMG International survey about the impact of the pandemic on their organizations in 3 years’ time, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of CEOs say they aim to ensure their supply chain is resilient in the event of a global lockdown. The focus on resilience is the top answer to this question and reflects a new priority. “The need for resilience is forcing companies to be more agile and make decisions faster. Digitization plays a vital contribution to this,” says Grant McDonald, global industry leader, aerospace and defense, at KPMG International. The renewed preoccupation with the supply chain is connected to the second big lesson of the pandemic—the need

to invest in new technologies, both to decrease vulnerability and to accelerate the recovery of business from a massively disruptive event. Take the first part of these twin objectives. Chief executives say that the top way to mitigate stress on the supply chain is to extend their company’s monitoring deeper into the supply chain to anticipate changes before they have a severe impact. To do this, requires technology that can track the myriad transactions, not only with their direct suppliers, but also to the fourth tier, or even further, if possible. This is not something most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) felt was necessary before the pandemic. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one answer. “Manufacturers are adopting supply chain solutions which are AIcentered. These enable companies to manufacture, based on demand and supply data they analyze in real-time. The technology helps them to focus on ensuring that, at any vulnerable point in the supply chain, executives develop risk management around it. AI sits on top of ERP systems to help companies gain end-to-end visibility,” says Vinod Ramachandran, partner and national

leader, global head-Industry 4.0, automobile and industrial manufacturing, KPMG in India. Another potentially game-changing technology is blockchain, but this is not always a realistic solution. “More enterprises are considering blockchain technology to improve the way they track the supply chain, but for it to work you need a broad array of suppliers, and many are not capable of using it, especially in tier 3 and 4,” says Stéphane Souchet, global head of industrial manufacturing at KPMG International. “An electrical equipment maker may be able to extend the use of blockchain that far, but in metals and mining it is likely to be more difficult to do so.” The second objective of new technology investment revealed by the survey is to use it to expand revenue more rapidly. According to the survey, the top operational priority to achieve growth objectives over the next 3 years is to invest in the digitization and connectivity of all functional areas. If integrated effectively, this type of investment may also improve agility and speed up innovation. “In Japan, more companies need to take a ‘lighthouse’ approach to accelerate digital transformation,” says Hidenori

Sakata, supply chain practice, KPMG in Japan. “Choose a pilot factory or process and radically digitize the operations. Once the benefits are realized, roll it out to other factories.” Amid a period of transformative industrial change, the main lesson to be drawn from the CEO survey is an evergreen theme that is more urgent than ever: companies shift attention away from their supply chains at their peril. Operational effectiveness cannot be achieved without a resilient supply chain. This report’s analysis of top executive opinion strongly supports the view that a healthy supply chain is likely to support a healthy manufacturer. But how can this be achieved? The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication “Global Manufacturing Prospects 2022.” © 2022 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG International Ltd., a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, you may send a message via social media or visit www. home.kpmg/ph.

lending window for MSMEs as full utilization reached By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@Tyronepiad

HE Small Business Corp. (SBCorp) announced it would be closing its lending facility aimed at helping struggling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as funding has been fully utilized. In a recent advisory, the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it will stop accepting loan applications for its “Covid-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises,” or “Cares” program by January 31. The lender said it was able to provide P6.8 billion loans to 40,000 MSMEs in two years. Meanwhile, SBCorp. will still process applications for other lending programs catering to tourism-related establishments, displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and retail stores, mini-groceries and small dealers in the consumer goods supply chain, according to the DTI-attached agency. These include the following: “Cares for Tourism Rehabilitation and Vitalization of Enterprises and Livelihood,” or “Cares for Travel,” program; the “Helping the Economy Recover thru OFW Enterprise Start-ups,” or “Heroes,” program; and, the “Sustaining Trade Access to Primary Food and Link to Enterprises,” or Staples, program. SBCorp said the “Cares for Travel” program, in particular, still has substantial funds available for lending due to the slow recovery of the travel sector.” “As we continue to lend under this program we are pleased to announce that its coverage is now expanded to include all tourism-related enterprises regardless of accreditation with the DOT [Department of Tourism],” it added. Also, the DTI attached agency said applications are also open for secondary tourism enterprises and support services including transportation, catering, events organizing and souvenir shops. The “Staples” program, launched in November 2021, offers interest- and collateral-free financing program for MSMEs in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment to obtain additional funding for working capital and other business purposes. The loans, however, are subject to a 3-percent service fee. The financing assistance also aims to sustain the food supply chains, in addition to keeping the affordability of the products. To be an accredited partner for the “Staples” program, .SBCorp noted that the FMCG-manufacturer should have an asset size of more than P100 million and a nationwide network of at least 20 distributors and at least 100,000 sari-sari stories digitized into its sales-force automation system. The FMCG firm, in addition, should also be part of the top 1,000 corporations in the country. Last year, the SBCorp. also opened a lending facility assisting MSMEs in paying the legislated 13th-month salaries of employees.

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The coronavirus chronicles: Small joys, great ways to be happy in 2022

PR Matters

WWW.PEXELS.COM

By Millie F. Dizon

HATEVER you plan in 2022, seeking your own happiness shou ld be tops on that list. And why not? Happy people are said to be more responsible, and more successful. They maintain relationships better, are more likely to give to charity, and help to make the world a better place. But how do you become happier? Minda Zetlin, co-author of The Geek Gap, focuses on something we tend to overlook: changing our daily lives and daily routine. “On any given day, most of us do things because we have to,” she says in an article, “7 Small Joys You Should Make Sure to Add to Your Daily Routine in 2022,” in Inc.com. “Mixed in with all these obligations should be lots of things we do for our pleasure, things that make us happy just by doing them.” While “small joys can be insignificant by themselves...in the aggregate, these can lift our spirits, help us function better, and ultimately make us happier.” Here, she shares her happiness list with us:

Whether you belong to the coffee club or you prefer herbal tea or just water, that first drink of a hot (or cold) beverage each day is a small but definite pleasure for most of us, says Zetlin. “Take just a few moments and just be in the moment—don’t rush through that small pleasure,” she adds. “Pause, sip, and ease yourself into the day.” Of course, it’s even better if you can take a few minutes to sit down and really enjoy your drink.

1. Savor your morning beverage

Loneliness and isolation, research shows, can have an impact on one’s physical and mental wellbeing. Not to mention that it can take years off one’s life. With that, “spending time with someone you care about, is one of the most powerful methods there

It has been said that life begins after coffee. T his is so true, considering how a cup of our favorite brew perks up our day and about 80 percent of the world imbibes some form of caffeine every day.

Brand & Business: Loyalty & eCommerce platform ZAP secures Series A from True Digital Group

MANILA, PHILIPPINES— ZAP, the Philippines’ top loyalty & e-commerce platform helping bring more F&B businesses online, announced that they secured Series A funding from True Digital Group (TDG) which is the digital arm of True Corporation Plc., Thailand’s leading integrated telecommunications and digital services provider, focusing on digital innovations and offerings for various sectors from lifestyle and entertainment to

industrial verticals. “Working relationship with True Digital Group presents new synergies for ZAP in terms of smart retail and analytics,” ZAP Group Inc. CEO and Co-Founder Dustin Cheng said and added that “It is good to have a partner such as True Digital Group, who can see past the short-term challenges and share in the long-term vision of ZAP. “We are excited about the synergies between our digital media platform and ZAP’s CRM and e-commerce capabilities, and see great potential in scaling our joint offering across Southeast Asia,” said Dr. Michael Gryseels, executive vice chairman, True Digital Group. “To help close the gap in consumer’s digital journey, we see a very hopeful opportuni-

2. Get outdoors

Getting outdoors, whet her you’re walking, running, biking, or just sitting on your own porch, is a small joy for most people, says Zetlin. The great outdoors “widens our perspective, helping us take things in stride.” Not to mention the pleasure of breathing fresh air, keeping fit, watching people, and attending to one’s pocket herb or flower garden. It works even better “if you can visit a park or any place where there’s nature.”

3. Talk with someone you care about

ty with ZAP as the local market expert and believe that together, we will be able to deliver an exciting experience for consumers in the Philippines,” Dindo Marzan, country head of Philippines, True Digital Group added. ZAP made waves last year as it supported numerous Philippine F&B companies in pivoting and digitally transforming their businesses amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Launched in 2012 as a mobile number-based loyalty and rewards program, ZAP launched its E-Store service in June 2020 in partnership with the world’s largest E-Commerce SaaS Platform, Shopify. The E-Store streamlines the order fulfillment process by digitizing multiple and disparate restaurant opera-

is for feeling better.” She recommends to make sure to reach out to someone you care about at least once a day. “This could be by text or phone or video chat, or some other method,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be in person. But the more you can make a real connection, the more joy you will feel.

4. Take a nap

According to Mayo Clinic, napping can help you feel relaxed, reduce fatigue, increase alertness and improve your mood as well as your performance. This is especially true for revitalizing 20 to 30-minute power naps, which can leave you more alert and refreshed. More than that, naps longer than 30 minutes are likely to leave you sluggish, groggy, and more tired than before you closed your eyes.

5. Read a good book

Zetlin says that there is evidence that reading books provides an amazing host of health and brain benefits, including increased longevity. That’s really a good reason to do it. The important thing is to pick a book you like. “Pick something you will enjoy reading,” she says. “The kind of book you look forward to diving into and hate to set it down. Whether it be a mystery novel,

tions—such as order taking and inventory, payment, customer management, delivery, and more—and centralizing them within a merchant’s own e-commerce website, which ZAP helps build. ZAP’s E-Store service gives greater control to F&B entrepreneurs in managing their business, allowing automation, customizability, and the integration of loyalty and rewards programs. ZAP E-Store also provides business owners higher profit margins as there are no commissions, a stark difference to that of the exorbitant rates of delivery apps. In the little over a year since E-Store’s launch, ZAP Group Inc.’s business has grown 5x. From supporting 75 stores at launch, as of August 2021, Zap is currently servicing 483 F&B companies in the

a romance, science fiction, true crime, or something else, “make sure it brings you joy and if it doesn’t, give yourself permission to set it aside and choose a different book.”

6. Laugh

Deepak Chopra says that the healthiest response to life is laugher. There are many reasons why you should start laughing today. Laughter is contagious...reduces stress...boosts immunit y...increases resilience...combats depression and relives pain. Bring more laughter into your life by reading a funny book, watching a comedy, or listening to your favorite comedian. Share laughter with friends, and spend more time with people who have fun. Zetlin also suggests practicing laughing yoga, in which people get together and just start laughing, until the strangeness of doing so catches up with them, and they start guffawing for real.

7. Spend a little time doing nothing

Oh, the luxury of doing nothing! For Italians, “La Dolce Far Niente” or “the sweetness of doing nothing” is an art. And we can learn from this ourselves. “All of us live super busy, overscheduled lives,” says Zetlin. But increasingly, “research tells us

Philippines. Aside from JiPan and Yogost, other partner brands include Macao Imperial Milk Tea, and Vikings. “Everything we do is for the benefit of our partner merchants, and this fund-raise is no different,” shared ZAP CEO Dustin Cheng. Our partner merchants can look forward to an even easier-to-use platform with more robust capabilities in the coming months. These include richer analytics and remarketing and targeting features that will help partners foster better customer relationships and ultimately increase sales. “We’ve always put merchants’ needs first. We’re firm believers of data-driven decision making,” expounded ZAP Group Inc. co-founder Angelique Uy. ZAP envisions itself as

there are benefits to being a little less busy and spending a little more time doing nothing.” During these times, even if it appears like you’re doing nothing, “your brain will leap into action, working out your most important problems and making connections in ways that you can’t when you’re busy doing something.” More importantly, “you need these do-nothing breaks to recharge your batteries, which is why people report increased clarity and productivity after such breaks.” Finding a way to be lazy that works for you, and sinking into the pleasure of inactivity, at least for a while may actually make you more productive later on. More importantly, “you deserve it,” says Zetlin. 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.

growing into a one-stop-shop, an end-to-end platform that captures every interaction from the moment a customer steps into a business’ doors— both in the physical and digital sense—to the point that they come back. Its ultimate goal is to add value that will be appreciated by both the merchant and customers through the tools and services they offer. “We see ZAP as providing valuable customer insights to propel businesses to thrive in the new normal. In today’s digital age, business competition is fierce and it’s imperative to stand out and be top of mind to end-users. We think a smart way to achieve this is by tailoring products and services to customers’ individual wants and needs,” shared Uy.

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Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Monday, January 31, 2022

Catriona Gray for National Arts Month 2022

OU can’t quarantine the artist,” declares theater stalwart Dr. Felimon B. Blanco, “because they will always find ways to be creative during the pandemic.” As Robin Williams’ John Keating said in Dead Poets Society (1989): “Medicine, law, business, engineering—these are noble pursuits and necessary to pursue life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love—these are what we stay alive for.” And, in what mental state would we be if not for the artists who helped us endure the lockdowns?

‘SINING NG PAG-ASA’

BY virtue of Proclamation Number 683 signed in 1991, February is designated as National Arts Month (NAM) as spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). This year’s theme, ”Sining ng Pag-asa,” brings hope that life continues in the new normal even with new challenges. “Although the platforms have differed, the message of the seven arts have remained to be steadfast. The arts are the beacon of hope, being the best manifestation of our culture and traditions amid the pandemic.

We continue to say, ‘Padayon,’ moving forward toward a brighter direction,” Oscar Casaysay, the new NCCA executive director, said during the virtual launch. The heads of the seven arts committees (Cinema’s Dr. Rolando B. Tolentino, Literary Arts’ Dr. Julieta C. Mallari; Music’s Felipe de Leon Jr., Visual Arts’ Geraldine B. Araneta; Dance’s Dr. Shirley Halili-Cruz; Architecture and Allied Arts’ Zenaida Galingan; and Dramatic Arts’ Dr. Blanco) will be conducting webinars, virtual shows and performances. The schedule of activities are found on the committees’ respective Facebook pages as well as the NCCA’s. “I have always believed in the healing power of the arts. The NAM, being the NCCA’s biggest flagship program, is an essential platform to cultivate appreciation for the arts and bring out a deep sense of respect for our cultures and traditions,” says NCCA chairman Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso.

CAT AT THE MET

AT the virtual presscon, NAM ambassadors Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and P-pop sensation SB19 were on hand “to empower the younger generation to appreciate our Filipino heritage and identity.” For her birthday in early January, Catriona released a fashion film especially shot at the newly refurbished Metropolitan Theater of Manila. The video, which shows our fourth Miss Universe channeling glamorous, world-class Filipina women, also serves as the first salvo for the arts month, which officially opens on February 4. As an “Opera Enchantress,” she echoed the likes of Filipina soprano singer Jovita Fuentes, our National Artist for Music (1976) in a “Sentenarya” couture piece by Neric Beltran and Rocaille earrings by Earl Gariando. As a “Classic Thespian,” she gave a nod to Sarsuela Queen Honorata “Atang” de la Rama, our National Artist for Theater and Music (1987),

wearing a “Gintong Kabalyero” couture terno and ostrich feather fan by Adam Pereyra in collaboration with Arwin Meriales, and porcelain hair pieces by Mirth & Yift. The Met was once home to ballet recitals by the Manila Moderne Ballet. As a “Prima Ballerina,” Cat wore a silk taffeta dress by Alrey Rosano and a headpiece by Miel Avena. When it was restored in 1978, society doyenne Conchita “Conching” Chuidian Sunico was appointed as its executive director. She was also a Carnival Queen, as Miss Philippines 1935, who Cat also paid tribute to in a “Dikya” ensemble by Neric Beltran, corset by Candice Arboleda, and earrings pinned on the headpiece by Kat Ong. “So excited to create a vision with an amazing group of creatives within the iconic Metropolitan Theater. As my second [going on third year] as [NCCA official] Ambassador of Arts and Culture, I always get excited at the thought of presenting an aspect of Philippine culture and arts in a creative and modern way,” Cat wrote on her Facebook. “Paying tribute to the Met in which so many Filipino artists and performers made a mark for [the] Philippine performing arts.”

Catriona Gray as the Opera Enchantress. “Sentenarya” couture piece by Neric Beltran. Rocaille earrings by Earl Gariando Cat as the Classic Thespian. “Gintong Kabalyero” couture terno and ostrich feather fan by Adam Pereyra in collaboration with Arwin Meriales. Porcelain hairpieces by Mirth & Yift.

Cat as the Carnival Queen. “Dikya” ensemble by Neric Beltran. Corset by Candice Arboleda. Earrings pinned on the headpiece by Kat Ong of Flutter Statement Jewelry.

Cat as the Prima Ballerina. Silk taffeta dress by Al Rey Rosano. Headpiece by Miel Avena.

photographer: @ANDREABELDUA creative director: @VINCE_UY makeup artist: @JELLYEUGENIO hairstylist: @PAULNEBRESHAIR director of photography: @REENZGEE lighting crew: @JEBAGULTO, @NOT.DISI stylist: @DANAEVERNISSE assisted by: @JUSTINEBENITEZ BTS /gaffer: JIE EXCONDE executive producer: @LIZALVAREZ.PH, @JAYSONSARMIENTO producer: @NCCAOFFICIAL location: METROPOLITAN THEATER OF MANILA

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Jelai Andres talks about love, loss and good health WHEN I think of Jelai Andres, I remember how she mourned the death of her dog Chicken, and how she found love again in the form of a rescue dog. I always say a person who loves animals, especially rescues, is someone who has a good heart. And this must be true in Jelai’s case as those who have worked with her only have good words for the actress, YouTube content creator and Internet personality. Jelai also made showbiz headlines recently after she talked about her failed marriage and how she endured her partner’s infidelities even in the beginning of their relationship. “And at the end of the day I still want to be proud of the way I risked my love and soul, no hesitations [because of] the past. I learned so much from it and I am grateful, thankful for the woman that I’ve become,” Jelai posted in Instagram. With over 17 million followers across her social-media platforms, Jelai has received so much support from her fans. But it hasn’t been easy. “Napakahirap po. Para ka pong namatay tapos nabuhay ka lang ulit,” said Jelai during her launch as the endorser for Beautéderm Corp.’s Reiko and Kenzen Health Boosters. Jelai may be a successful showbiz and Internet celebrity but she was so happy to receive such a warm welcome from her Beautéderm family led by its CEO Rhea Anicoche Tan. Jelai’s favorites from the FDA-compliant line are Reiko Valeriana Officinalis + L-theanine (Sleep Enhancer) SomNest, which contains Valeriana Officinalis extracts, 98% L-theanine and Gaba (gamma aminobutyric acid) that all help treat insomnia; and Reiko Coffee Bean + Salacia (Diet Enhancer) Slimaxine which has coffee bean extracts and salacia and ginger extracts. “Nagka-depression po talaga ako dahil sa nangyari to the point na di ako makatulog. Nakatulong talaga po sa akin ang Somnest,” said Jelai. The five other products in the line of all-natural health supplements are Kenzen Bacopa Monniera + Centella

DENIM ESSENTIALS LIVING in the new normal make us narrow down our lifestyle to what seems to be essential. And in the world fashion, denim is essential. n Explore your jean-iology. What jeans work best for you? Let us count the ways: flare, wideleg, boyfriend, boot cut, distressed, skinny. There are also baggy and oversized silhouettes from the ‘90s and frayed jeans that made their debut in 2000s. You’ll have a lot of fashion fun with all the fashion options from Surplus. n Go Athleisure. Pair skinny jeans with casual tees and a parka jacket, or denim shorts with a sweatshirt when exploring the outdoors, or taking a brisk walk to keep fit. n Love that layering. Denim pieces— chambray tops, jackets, jeans, skirts and shorts—are so versatile they can be mixed with other fabrics, silhouettes and textures. Layering gives your look an edge. n Celebrate the blues. Denim-on-denim is forever cool. Go tonal by mixing light and dark denim shades. n Denim trucker jackets are flexible— you can just pair them with simple monochromatic sweat shirt and pants ensemble looking all cozy and chill. Give your wardrobe a denim transformation with these must-have pieces from Surplus, which has stores in most SM Supermalls.

B6 Monday, January 31, 2022

PAWS launches ‘Kapon for All Pets’ program

MPIC’s #BayanSulongNa calls for Filipinos to face the future with hope

ETRO Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), the country’s leading infrastructure investment company, welcomed the new year by launching its new corporate anthem entitled “Bayan Sulong Na”. It is a rallying call for the entire country to face the coming years with hope and affirmation that no matter the circumstances, there is strength in facing it together. “The resilience of Filipinos has always been unmatched. Our ability to get back on our feet after the unimaginable is something we are truly known for,” said MPIC President & CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan. “However, our message moving forward goes beyond recovery and focuses on rebuilding and resurgence.”

An Anthem of Hope

“BAYAN Sulong Na” brings in 2022 with a strengthened sense of hope. The song encapsulates MPIC’s roles and responsibilities as a partner in nation-building, as well as its hopes and aspirations for all Filipinos – to face the coming years with the belief that they have someone to count on. “Prior to the challenges posed by the

past couple of years, we at MPIC have always been committed to becoming reliable partners in development, for both the country and its people,” said MPIC VP for PR and Corporate Communications Melody del Rosario. “As we move forward this 2022, we introduced this anthem to solidify our dedication to the progress and change we envision for us all.” The song accompanied MPIC’s 2022 Corporate AVP, depicting how MPIC’s various business units in power, water, tollroads, light rail, and hospitals, alongside its corporate social responsibility initiatives, have continued to provide service, aid, and assistance, to communities all around the country. Featuring some of MPIC’s top executives, as well as a call to action from President Pangilinan, it also signifies the coming together of all its employees towards a shared goal. A video competition between the employees of MPIC’s subsidiaries also accumulated video snippets that were featured in the final material. “We are moving forward together towards a better and brighter future, and this anthem is a beautiful symbol

for that,’” said MPIC Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla. “It is about how we at MPIC can meaningfully contribute to national progress and uplift the lives of Filipinos through the essential services we deliver. Through this song, we enjoin everyone to find hope in what’s to come and to face it with an open mind and an open heart.” PhilPop 2020 Songwriting Festival Grand Finalist and Viva Records Artist and Talent Development Manager Roovee Michelle “Chochay” Magno, penned the lyrics for Bayan Sulong Na. The songwriter and television music producer has written songs for Tawag ng Tanghalan Champions Janine Berdin, the TNT Boys, and Eumee, and her works were featured by several brands, television channels, and advertisements – including the 2020 Grand Coronation Night of Binibining Pilipinas. Arranged by Mr. Dominic Benedicto, produced by Garahe Film Productions, and performed by MPIC Executives and Employees, as trained by vocal coach Ms. Jeanne Velasco-Vicars, “Bayan Sulong Na” aims to become a bearer of light for the future.

3M pledges support to the Plastic Flamingo Waste Management Project in the Philippines

M, in its commitment to further advance sustainability and efficiency, is responding to the demand to tackle and reduce plastic pollution while optimizing social impact. Today, ocean-bound plastic waste pollution continues to pose environmental, economic, and social problems in the Philippines, who is the world’s third-biggest contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean. It is because of this crisis, as well as key priorities in sustainability, society and education, that 3M has pledged its support to the Plastic Flamingo Plastic Waste Management project in the Philippines. The grant to the Plastic Flamingo amounting to Php1,200,000.00 is

provided by 3Mgives, 3M’s global social investment arm, to the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the business-led social development organization committed to poverty reduction. The grant will provide support for efforts to increase the collection and recycling of plastic, reduce the plastic waste going to and polluting oceans, as well as improve the income from wastepicking as a livelihood. “Sustainability is at the heart of 3M. It drives our innovations and inspires us to collaborate with various stakeholders, including non-profits and communities, to solve global problems and improve everyday life. We hope that our support for the Plastic Flamingo Waste Management Project helps address an

environmental challenge that impacts communities in the Philippines,” stated Reggie Pulumbarit, Country Leader, 3M Philippines, Inc and Director, 3M’s Philippines Global Service Center. The project, with the support of 3M Philippines and PBSP, officially began in October 2021 and is now in full swing. After PBSP selects, employs, and briefs the new community waste pickers and provides them with safety gear and equipment, the organization intend to commence plastic waste collection in February until September of this year. It is expected that at least 32 metric tons of plastic waste will be collected from this strengthened strategy involving traditional collection points and communities.

PLASTIC Flamingo’s local partner volunteers pose for souvenir photo during its recent visit to facilitate the orientation for the selected waste collectors

S part of its mission to prevent cruelty to animals and to offer sustainable solutions to the issue of stray dogs and cats in communities, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has long promoted Spay-Neuter (Kapon) programs for companion animals. Since 2009, PAWS operates a low-cost spay-neuter clinic in Quezon City and gives free spay-neuter to indigent pet owners. In addition, its “KabaliCAT” project implements Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-andRelease (TNR) activities for managing stray cats in neighborhoods. Also, all dogs and cats that are available for adoption from PAWS’ animal shelter are spayed/neutered. Spay-Neuter (SN) programs for stray dogs also do not address the problem of stray dogs who end up sick, with a contagious skin problem, or with transmissible venereal tumor since no one really brings them to the vet. The SN groups for stray dogs quickly realized that they are to run as “mini-shelters” themselves, and so they end up bringing the sick dogs to the vet. The SN groups for stray dogs will eventually run out of steam, enthusiasm, manpower, and funding, especially as long as owned pets keep reproducing. Owned pets, therefore, must be spayed or neutered to solve the problem of pet homelessness for the long term.

Paws’ newest initiative: “kapon for all pets”

PAWS’ newest campaign is its “Kapon for All Pets” program which proposes incentives to be offered by local government units to veterinary clinics operating within their cities and municipalities. A three-way partnership between PAWS and participating LGUs, the program seeks to provide free or affordable

kapon procedures for pets owned by the LGUs’ constituents. Participating veterinary clinics within the city or municipality will be working alongside the local government to implement the program. The LGUs that will take part in the program will be included on PAWS’ List of Progressive Kapon-friendly Cities and Municipalities, a list that the organization will be putting out on all of their social media channels in celebration of World Spay Day on February 22, 2022. The first ten (10) LGUs to implement the Kapon for All Pets fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will receive P50,000 worth of surgery materials from PAWS and a plaque of recognition as a “Pioneer KAPON FOR ALL PETS LGU Partner”. PAWS believes that providing free or affordable kapon for pets is the long-term and sustainable solution to pet homelessness. It is not having bigger pounds, turning pounds into shelters, or putting up new signages proclaiming that a building is now an ‘animal rehabilitation center’. “Kapon for All Pets” is proof that private-public partnerships can promote animal welfare, which is directly connected to public health issues and the eradication of rabies. LGUs that are interested to work with PAWS to implement the “Kapon for All Pets” campaign within their jurisdiction may email PAWS’ Executive Director, Anna Cabrera at kapon@paws.org.ph.

PHA, allies push for full coverage of cardiac rehabilitation in PhilHealth Z Package

HE Philippine Heart Association (PHA) and its health allies recently lobbied for full and expanded inclusion of cardiac rehabilitation in the PhilHealth Z package, and the increase in accessibility of cardiac rehab in cardiovascular and tertiary care programs nationwide. The experts also asked the health maintenance organizations to give wider coverage of the cost of cardiac rehab program. The call was made during the monthly virtual PHA Usapang Puso sa Puso (UPP) Forum on Cardiac Rehab Special themed: “My Enero Heart. My Heart Promise” on Jan. 26, 2022. This month’s edition was anchored by Dr. Richard Henry Tiongco II, PHA Advocacy chair and Dr. Luigi Pierre Segundo, cochair of the PHA Communications Committee. Tiongco and Segundo, a practicing cardiologist-interventionalist and a cardiologist-electrophysiologist, respectively, were joined by Dr. Benjamin Quito, chair of the PHA Council on Rehabilitation, Dr. Lucky Cuenza, a sports cardiologist; Arthur King, a physical therapist from the Philippine Heart Center and Wilma Bastillo, a cardiac rehab nurse from The Medical City. UPP’s mainstays are media people and netizens. Cardiac rehab is a structured program that is composed of a team that prescribes and carries out not only progressive and tailored physical activities for such patients with heart failure or after a heart attack, but also includes counselling on mental health, and the adoption of the proper diet and smoking cessation. The group stressed that after a heart attack, cardiac rehab starts the road to recuperation and revitalization. The vulnerable populations are recommended to undergo cardiac rehabilitation because it significantly speeds up recovery, improves quality of life and reduces mortality. A Cardiac Rehab team includes doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical and occupational therapists, dietitians and mental health specialists. Such a program hence wholistically provides short- and long-term effects that helps recover as

much physical and mental health, rebuilds confidence and self-esteem; and guides the patient in adopting heart-healthy habits. “Compliance rate is only from 10 to 15 percent among heart attack and heart failure patients in the Philippines. Cost, accessibility, poor awareness of people, and even the pandemic have been identified as a major challenges to cardiac rehab,” according to Quito, a cardiologist-cardiac rehab expert. “Currently, PhilHealth subsidy is limited to the patient’s days of confinement at the hospital. The rest of the remaining thrice-aweek-sessions of the three-month program are likely covered by the patient’s account. Such expenses likewise can be challenging even for the average Filipino” who may end up requiring cardiac rehabilitation, Tiongco said. Citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2021 report, he said that “heart disease ranked number one in the Top 5 leading causes of death in the Philippines for 2019 and 2020.” Heart attack and heart failure have been a growing cardiovascular burden worldwide and in the Philippines. The PSA report showed that from January to September 2021, coronary artery disease sometimes called coronary heart disease or ishaemic heart diseases were the leading cause of death with 91,152 cases or 18.5 percent of the total deaths in the country. This indicated an upswell of about 18.7 percent from the 76,783 mortality rate or 16.9 percent of the total deaths in the same period of 2020. The group also added that there are only 22 hospitals in the country that have a Cardiac Rehab Unit which are mostly located in the heart of Metro Manila. Nurse Bastillo said that cardiac telerehab encourages outpatients to continue with their exercises, as a stop-gap solution to bridge and continue cardiac rehab for the appropriate patients. “PT King said that “the Cardiac Rehab Unit’s team (the PT, nurse and doctors) is in full force during each virtual session via Zoom However, tele-rehab has its limitations. “May taong angkop o tugma para dito” (It’s on a case-to-case basis, thus not all patients can avail of tele-rehab),” Quito said.

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Sports BusinessMirror

Monday, January 31, 2022 B7

Panlilio reports for duty as CDM to Paris 2024

Miller to stay in elegant village during Olympics

ANQING—Asa Miller will be staying at a two-bedroom unit inside the elegant and stateof-the art Yanqing Olympic Athletes Village in northwest Beijing for the duration of the Winter Olympics. Chef de Mission Bones Floro and Athletes Welfare Officer Joebert Yu inspected Miller’s accommodation at the residential cluster which is composed of five four-storey buildings where Miller, his father Kelly and Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation President Jim Apelar will be staying for the next three weeks. Floro, tasked by Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino to oversee Miller’s campaign, gave the facility a thumbs up. “I agree with my fellow chief chiefs of mission that the Olympic Villages is excellent. It’s new, well designed and built well,” Floro said. “All the facilities are first [rate]. I am confident that Asa [Miller] and all his fellow Olympians will be very comfortable during their stay.” The cavernous mess hall, Floro said, offers hundreds of varities of food from Asian, Halal, Western and European and, of course, Chinese food. The Main Media Center, meanwhile, is a highceiling structure with robots roaming the restaurants to serve food to media. And because the Athletes Village is in a bubble, everything the delegations need are available—including banks, self-service laundry, business centers, general and merchandise stores, telecom and newstands, among others. “All the Covid-19 countermeasures were clearly explained, disseminated and followed,” Floro said. “The organizing committee has been extremely consistent with their protocols. I am very happy and safe that everyone abides by them.” “It was a very busy first day for us. The sun was out but temperatures were down to sub-zero,” he added. “We were able to accomplish what we needed to do. We look forward to the succeeding days wherein much work is still in store for us.” The National Alpine Skiing Centre perched on top of Xiaohaituo Mountain is linked with a cable car system. It takes 30 minutes to complete the 10.14-km ride from the Olympic Village. Each cable car can carry up to eight people. Yanqing will also host the luge, bobsleigh and skeleton events. The Beijing Olympic Village in Chaoyang District is the main village while Yanqing and the Zhangjiakou Olympic Village are the sub-villages. Josef Ramos

ASA MILLER arrives in Beijing on Monday.

BARTY PROUD AUSSIE

ASH BARTY ends drought for Aussies on home soil at the expense of Danielle Collins. AP

ELBOURNE, Australia—Ash Barty really didn’t know how to react to this droughtbreaking triumph. The usually so reserved and understated champion just let it all out, yelling “yes...yes.” A quick walk to the net to congratulate the Australian Open runner-up, 28-year-old American Danielle Collins. Yes, that restored some sense of order. Acknowledge the umpire with a handshake. Yes, that’s another important task for the women’s top-ranked tennis player. Then back onto Rod Laver Arena to scream out again: “yes...yes.” Yes, it had been 44 years since an Australian won a singles title at the Australian Open, quite an anomaly

for a country with such a long list of Grand Slam champions. So no need to keep a lid on the celebrations. An almost full house at Rod Laver Arena, despite ticket restrictions imposed for the Covid-19 pandemic, was rocking. Barty knew what to do when she saw who was presenting the trophy. Her mentor, the Indigenous and Australian tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley, had flown in secretly from Queensland state to hand it over to the next generation star with Indigenous heritage. Instinct kicked in for Barty. It was a big, loving hug. Barty will no longer be weighed down by the 1970s. She recovered from 5-1 down in the second set to beat Collins, 6-3, 7-6 (2), in the final on Saturday night, becoming the first Austra-

lian to win the Australian Open women’s singles championship since Chris O’Neil in 1978. The pressure is off the 25-yearold Aussie, who has made a remarkable career comeback after taking time off—missing every Grand Slam tournament in 2015 and ‘16—and briefly flirting with a professional cricket career. “It was a little bit surreal,” Barty said. “I didn’t quite know what to do or what to feel—just being able to let out a little bit of emotion, which is a little bit unusual for me, and being able to celebrate with everyone who was there in the crowd, the energy was incredible.” Barty now has Grand Slam singles titles on three surfaces, adding the

hard courts of Melbourne Park to her titles on grass at Wimbledon last year and on clay at the 2019 French Open. Serena Williams is the only other active player on the women’s tour with majors on all three surfaces. “This is just a dream come true for me,” Barty said. “I’m just so proud to be an Aussie.” AP

HIDILYN TO ASA: HAVE PATIENCE

By Josef Ramos

ANQING—Asa Bisquera Miller’s the lone Filipino qualifier in the Beijing Winter Olympics but he hasn’t gone short of getting all the motivation he needs. “There’s no secret to success, but it takes a lot of patience to get one goal,” Tokyo Olympics weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz told Miller on Sunday, five days before the opening ceremony on February 4. Like Diaz, Miller was an unassuming 17-year-old when he made his Olympic debut four years ago in Pyeongchang. “You have to use this experience to inspire you to be a better person, a better athlete, and do your best,” said Diaz, herself an innocent looking 17-year-old in her first Olympics in Beijing in 2008. Diaz participated in four

Heat IT’S only the end of January and we’re feeling the heat. This past December and early January, when I would walk my dog at 5:30 in the morning, it was so cold that I had to put on my ice hockey jersey to at least feel warm. However, this past week… if I didn’t have any neighbors, I would have walked around with no shirt at all at 5:30 in

consecutive Olympics before she reached the top of the world when she won the women’s -59 kgs gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in July last year. “It doesn’t matter how many times you try—first time, second time or third time…—but what matters most is you love what you’re doing and you don’t regret anything,” Diaz said. “Just do your best for yourself, for the country and for your sport, enjoy everything, every moment for yourself, Go Team Philippines!” Miller is competing in giant slalom and slalom of men’s alpine skiing on February 13 and 16, respectively, at the Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Field also in Yanqing. The Filipino-American finished 70th among 100 participants in giant slalom in Pyeongchang. He amassed 96 International Skiing Federation (FIS) points in slalom and 93 points in giant slalom to qualify for Beijing.

the morning. It was that warm. The cool and cold weather usually lasts all the way to mid-February. But this is global warming for us. And of course, I was watching that great Michael Mann film, Heat, starring Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, and Val Kilmer that is on Netflix. However, the real heat I am referring to is the Patafa-EJ Obiena saga that is just annoying and irritating as Scottie Pippen teeing off on Michael Jordan. Meaning, it could have all been avoided. As Kurt Cobain once sang, “Here we are now. Entertain us.” Kick in the afterburners in this Shakespearean tragedy, why don’t you? Let’s not cut and paste who said what and what so-called proof or lack thereof that has been laid out in public. What I do not get is how this matter that can be sorted out and resolved in a day has dragged on. This has been played out on media and social media for over two months now since it was first leaked. Instead, you have these emotional outbursts with these ad hominems that really skirt the issue which seems some people have forgotten.

PNVF announces national pool members for Hanoi SEA Games

HE Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) named 40 athletes for volleyball and 16 players for beach volleyball to the national pool for the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Game. There are 20 athletes each for the men and women divisions for volleyball and eight apiece also for both genders for beach volleyball. “The federation approved the recommendation of the national coaching staff for the national pool where we will eventually name the final composition of the teams for the Hanoi SEA Games,” PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara said. Suzara said the coaching staff

recommended additional members of the pool because collegiate players won’t be available during the training period and competition schedule of the SEA Games which are set from May 12 to 25. “It’s unfortunate that our promising young players from the collegiate leagues couldn’t join the pool, and the SEA Games for that matter, because their respective leagues are resuming their competitions before the Hanoi Games,” said Suzara, referring to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The PNVF, Suzara stressed, envisioned a national team composed of

You also have some other quarters needlessly wading in and you wonder what is at stake for this person. That’s where the personal relationships come in and for sure, this fight now has become very personal in nature because characters and reputations have been made bare in public. One quarter will drop a bomb this week and the other will retaliate. The entire world is watching what is happening in the Ukraine and the South China Sea, but here in our own backyard, Word War III has erupted. Look. It’s a matter of laying down all communiques, messages in a timeline to show who asked for what, who sent what, and what was communicated in between. A lot of it can be sorted out that way. If one says that it isn’t easy, I ask why isn’t it? Who is complicating matters? Enough of this anonymous crap to protect the innocent or guilty. Speaking of the leak, I wonder if whoever furnished this to the media expected this to go this route. Whoever leaked that info has an agenda. Did that leak see all of this coming? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I hope you are proud of what you have done.

L PANLILIO reported for duty as chef de mission to the Paris 2024 Olympics, a task not in any way simple as the country still savors the success of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz who won the country’s first gold medal on sports’ biggest stage in Tokyo July last year. Panlilio brings his brilliant acumen from the corporate world to the global sports platform and with both the Paris 2024 and the Fiba World Cup in 2023 has his schedule stacked. But he’s confidence stays at high level. “It’s an honor and a privilege [to be appointed as Olympic CDM] especially after the great showing in the Tokyo Olympics,” said Panlilio, Smart and PLDT Chief Executive Officer and President. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino appointed Panlilio as CDM to Paris as early as after the Tokyo Olympics where the country also clinched two silver medals—Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio—and one bronze—Eumir Felix Marcial—all in boxing. “Thank you for the trust and confidence of President Bambol [Tolentino],” Panlilio said. Lying on Panlilio’s lap is the country’s principal hosting of the Fiba World Cup, basketball’s biggest tournament where the globe’s best 32 nations are vying. Japan and Indonesia are cohosting the group stage and the Philippines the knockout stages and the finals. The FIBA World Cup 2023 is set August 25 to September 10 while the Paris Olympics are from July 26 to August 11 in 2024. Panlilio reported as CDM to Paris to the POC General Assembly last Wednesday and briefed the body on a March 12 key date for the start of the official collection of national Olympic committee (NOC) accommodation requirements on the Accommodation Management System. He also announced the International Olympic Committee’s inclusion of four new sports—breaking (breakdancing), sports climbing, skateboarding and surfing—and also gave a detail on the opening ceremony which the French are hosting on the Seine River with the athletes riding on boats for a six-kilometer parade of nations—a first of its kind in the Olympics which traditionally opens in national stadiums. Paris Games will host 32 sports with 44 disciplines, Panlilio said. Panlilio’s deputies has yet to be announced. Josef Ramos young and promising players but the circumstances surrounding the collegiate leagues that were shuttered for two years stalled the federation’s goal. Jorge Edson Souza de Brito, an FIVB-appointed volleyball coach tasked to oversee the country’s women’s national team program, selected the new members of the pool. Out of the 40 men and women athletes in volleyball, Suzara said 14 will be picked for each gender for the SEA Games. For beach volleyball, four men and four women—two teams each—will be named. The deadline set by the Hanoi SEA Games organizers for the submission of entries by names is on March 12.

What makes this worse is that many NSAs have this problem. I can understand this being played out in public and social media. After all, I did the same when helping oust a former NSA president. There should be really checks and balances to ensure people do not perpetuate themselves in power and that corruption is curbed. Instead, people play patty cake with one another. At this point, it should be an independent body that sorts this out. A body with no relationship with all parties so it can be said to deliver a fair and impartial decision. Yes, that is the ideal. But I am skeptical. When has that ever happened here? Will the decision be accepted? If you look at all these senate hearings… what has ever happened? Where are the Euro Generals—have they been punished with the money recovered? What happened to all these government fixers, whistle blowers etc.? Swept under the rug with the sort memories of Pinoys. Instead, this is the best and worst reality show our country has at the moment.

ExecutiveViews BusinessMirror

B8 Monday, January 31, 2022 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

OLITICS beckoned to him at a very young age. While 18-year-old boys spent time partying, enjoying their coming-of-age as young men, Vincent L. Soriano, at 18, was municipal councilor in his hometown of Pakil, a fifth-class municipality in Laguna province. And all the time he was municipal councilor, Soriano was an exemplary Sociology student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, graduating cum laude in 1996. His fervor in striving to be exemplary in public service and academics was noticed by many and in 1997, Soriano was awarded “Most Outstanding Youth of Laguna” by Gawad Laguna, Inc., a civic organization that recognizes and supports young leaders in the province.

YOUNGEST VICE-MAYOR

In 1998, at the age of 21, he became the youngest person in the entire Philippines to be elected Vice-Mayor. Three years later, he was elected Provincial Board Member in the fourth district of Laguna. For the next 15 years, Pakileños saw in Soriano a young man whose aspirations led to concrete accomplishments. A committed educator, he pursued and gained a master’s degree in Development Management and Governance, also in UPLB. He became a faculty member in De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde and Malayan Colleges Laguna, teaching subjects like Sociology, Politics and Governance, as well as Comparative Government and the 1987 Constitution, between the years 2010 to 2016.

WHY HE RETURNED

Soriano said he was bent on being an educator, but his fellow Pakileños urged him to run again for public office, this time as municipal Mayor. Under intense public clamor, he ran and won. “My becoming mayor was more of an accident because after my stint as Provincial Board Member from 2001 to 2004, I left politics. But I came back in 2016 after my constituents asked me to return to politics and dismantle the political dynasty here,” Soriano related in an interview with the BusinessMirror. He added: “The constituents of Pakil were the reason why I returned to politics and the good thing about it is that I was able to implement all the ideas I had when I was a councilor. For example, I was able to convert our Crossing Area in Barangay Tavera into a business center, the Central Business District of Pakil so that our municipality could expand,” he said.

ACTUALIZER

MAYOR VINCENT L. SORIANO

Pakil’s resolute dreamer

They say those born under the sign of Virgo are logical, practical, and systematic in their approach to life. Soriano, a Virgoan born on September 7, 1976, sees himself as a dreamer with a purpose. “I have always been a dreamer and whenever I come up with a dream, I am very resolute in making sure that I will realize that dream,” he said. Those who are close to the mayor know that he will do everything he can to achieve his dream. Soriano related that during his years at UPLB, he failed his first exam in Physics, Natural Science 1. He was so determined to excel, he told himself that if he failed in his next exam, he would jump off the third floor of the Physical Science Building. “So, I ended up passing all my exams and graduating with Latin honors, Cum Laude,” he said. Also, during his college days, in 1993, he said that his mother stopped him from joining the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity. He obeyed, but the dream to join did not leave him. “In 2015, after 22 years, I made sure that I would be able to realize my dream of joining the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity,” he said. He added: “That is how I am. I have not had a dream that I have not realized. That is the basic tenet of my character, especially as a political figure.”

COMMUNITY WELFARE

Soriano said that much of what guides him in his work as mayor is his healthy regard for the common values shared and nurtured by Pakileños. He remembered how essential it was to show respect to the elders of the community, for example. “If you did something wrong, the elders would not hesitate to scold you or even hit you with a stick.” According to Soriano, he makes it a point to stress these common values when talking to his constituents; to put value on community welfare over personal welfare. “Pakil has a population of only around 23,000. Everyone knows each other, he said, adding that, “All the members of the community have a stake in making sure that every Pakileño toes the line in terms of our community values. I learned growing up that here, communing relations is very important. Community welfare is more important than personal welfare.”

TRANSFORMATION

During his first term as mayor, Soriano said that his vision for Pakil was to transform the “very rural, very backward—relatively speaking small municipality into a progressive town.” To achieve this vision, Soriano gave himself nine years to devise and implement programs and projects that could aid in improving the town so it will be able to contribute significantly to national development. He bared that Manila Water, for one, is investing billions of pesos in the next three years to construct their Phase 2 Water Treatment Facility in Pakil. When done, Pakil will be able to export water of about 250 million liters a day to Metro Manila. “Imagine, a small town in the northern part of Laguna contributing 250 million liters of water to NCR.” he said. Soriano also said that businessman Enrique Razon is also planning to invest more or less US$1.3 billion in the construction of a hydroelectric plant in the municipality. When that pushes through, Pakil will be providing 1,400 megawatts of electricity.

BRUNEI OF LAGUNA

“I told our constituents that we have our respective roles to play in national development. During my first term, I made sure that I examined first the comparative advantage of my municipality. We are like the Brunei of Laguna. We have a small population but we will be able to attain whatever development aspirations through our natural resources,” he said. Soriano pointed out that since he has achieved a great deal for Pakil, he would like to share his experiences with other municipalities through the Soriano Governance Initiative. The goal of this initiative is for Pakil to partner with 50 third to fifth class municipalities all over the country to help them attain development. “We were supposed to launch this initiative last year but it had to be postponed because of the pandemic. We are in the process of finalizing the list of 50 municipalities and we want to show them that it is possible for a poor municipality to become a very progressive municipality,” he said.

INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

Since he is running unopposed for his third and final term as mayor, Soriano said he would like to sustain the reforms that he had earlier initiated. He explained that if these reforms are institutionalized, Pakil would be on track to achieve the community goals he set out . “I want to have all the reforms, practices, and processes I introduced in our municipality to be institutionalized. All the technology that we want to achieve, not only in terms of hardware, software but also humanware, so to speak, has to be sustained; sustained to the point that when I am no longer mayor, Pakil will continue its march towards inclusive development,” Soriano said. As for his management style, Soriano stressed he concentrates on the decision-making process which starts with him assessing all the inputs, making sure that the desired outcome is achieved and that this outcome will be beneficial to all concerned. In terms of leadership, he follows and observes three requisites of good leadership. “The first thing that a leader should have is a vision. He makes sure that his department heads are aware of this vision and that they will work together towards achieving that vision,” he said. Soriano further said that the second requisite of a good leader is to have technical competence. “You must have technical competence so that you will be able to realize your vision. Even if I already have a master’s degree in Development Management, I continue to study and I always encourage my employees to do the same,” Soriano said.

GOOD SENSE OF MORALITY

For Soriano, the third requisite of good leadership is a good sense of morality so that the leader will stay on course to achieve the vision. “This is the direction that we want to take, this is the vision. We have the technical competence but if you don’t have a good sense of morality, something might happen along the way that you will lose sight of your vision,” he said. When asked how he would want to be remembered by his constituents, Soriano said he wanted to be remembered as someone “who offered hope, that we can do something better.” “Everyone can actually contribute to making a difference in the municipality of Pakil. Even if you are a simple man on the street, you can contribute. Which is why we always do things big here,” he said. “I have been telling my constituents that we should dream big and we should even dream the impossible because dreams drive people to achieve great things. So, if we have dreams, even if everyone else thinks it is impossible, it can happen because we will be resolute in pushing it,” he added.

BERNARD TESTA

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz