BusinessMirror January 31, 2020

TAX EFFORT RISES TO 15.1% OF GDP T HE government’s tax effort, or the share of tax collections to gross domestic product, improved to 15.1 percent of GDP in 2019 from 13.6 percent in 2015, making it the country’s best in more than two decades.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said on Thursday he expects the tax effort to be further reinforced this year, especially following the 169-percent increase in 2019 tax collections from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and their ser vice providers compared to 2018.

“Preliminary data shows our tax effort likewise improved to 15.1 percent of GDP in 2019 from 13.6 percent in 2015. This is the best we have achieved in 22 years,” Dominguez said in a keynote speech at the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) Prospects for

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He also expressed confidence of a further improvement in the country’s tax effort on the back of better tax administration and the government’s intensified anti-smuggling drive.

Moreover, he also cited the passage of the remaining tax-reform packages, increasing amounts of dividend remittances for the government-owned and -controlled corporations and the sustained campaign to crack down on errant POGOs and their service providers.

“We expect to collect significantly more this year as we properly document and audit operations of these service providers,” he said.

Citing preliminar y figures on tax collec tion from “sin” produc ts, Dominguez said this doubled in 2019 compared to 2015.

REIT market

Also, Dominguez said they are hoping t h at t h e i nve s t m e nt s i n p ro p e r t y development will also get a boost following the government’s release of a set of regulations that will allow the country’s Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market to finally take off.

In a related development, the Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday also released Revenue Regulations 3-2020 amending some provisions under the previous revenue regulation on implementation of tax provisions under Republic Act 9856, also known as “The Real Estate Investment Trust Act of 2009.”

The revenue regulation updated the tax treatment of REIT transactions, specifically on tax incentives for REIT companies and the exemption from 12-percent value-added tax See “Tax,” A8

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Friday, January 31, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 113

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario & Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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ANILA on Thursday outlined the strategies for hitting its GDP growth target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent this year despite the threat posed by domestic and external risks, such as the novel coronavirus (nCoV), to economic activity.

Following the Economic Development Cluster (EDC) meeting on Thursday, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said economic managers “remain vigilant and well-positioned to address these risks” and that they remain optimistic of the country’s growth prospects this year and beyond.

Aside from nCoV, Dominguez said primary downside risks also include lackluster recovery in trade, protectionist policies and other disruptions to the trade and supply chains, and volatile global oil prices.

Domestic risks could come from the Taal Volcano eruption, the con-

See “Inflation,” A2

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tinued presence of African swine fever (ASF) in the country, water supply disruptions, slow implementation of the infrastructure projects and policy uncertainties, such as the delay in the passage of the tax-reform packages.

However, he said the timely passage of the 2020 national budget and extension of the validity of certain portions of the 2019 budget will help the economy weather these headwinds.

To hit the Philippines’s economic targets this year, EDC members said there is a need to accelerate the implementation of the government’s priority projects and to efficiently disburse the budget.

Dominguez said re-skilling the work force in the IT-BPM sector and other labor-intensive manufacturing sectors must be done soon.

The economic managers also w a nt to i ncor p or ate d i g it a l trade in updating the country’s

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MORE NCR FOLK OPTING TO MOVE OUT–STUDY

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HE unbearable traffic, high cost of living and better opportunities have forced more Metro Manila residents to look for greener pastures elsewhere in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In an interview, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said while Metro Manila used to be the work destination of choice for many decades, results from the 2018 National Migration Survey (NMS) shows there is also a reversal of this trend.

“They may have wanted to transfer to look for better opportunities in other regions,” Mapa said. “It could possibly be the effect of GDP growth or the traffic in Metro Manila and cost of living. That is what the data is showing on domestic migration.”

Data showed there were around 509,000 inter-regional out-migrants in NCR while there were only 388,000 in-migrants as of 2018.

Based on the data, the number of out-migrants in NCR exceeded all the other regions. Calabarzon, Central Luzon, and Bicol came in as far second, third, and fourth.

PSA data showed out-migrants in Calabarzon reached 184,000; Central Luzon, 109,000; and Bicol, 103,000 in 2018. Tied at fifth place are Northern Mindanao and Caraga with 79,000 out migrants.

PSA data also showed that around 3,692 Filipinos intend to move to other regions or countries in the next five years. This consists of more females at 1,897 and less males at 1,795.

Data showed that in terms of percentages, Calabarzon accounts for 20.1 percent or 742 of these Filipinos aged 15 and over who intend to move within the next five years.

Women in Calabarzon account for 21 percent or 379 of the 1,897 who want to move to other regions and countries.

Men in the region account for 19 percent or 341 of the 1,795 who want to move to other regions and countries in the next five years.

Those in Metro Manila came in second and accounted for 17 percent or 628 Filipinos who want to move to other regions and countries in the next five years.

There are more men than women See “PSA,” A2

See “EDC,” A2

11-month state infra spending dips to ₧709B

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IGHER “sin” taxes will have minimal impact on inflation—even the inflation experienced by the poorest, who consume more sin products, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In an interview, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said sin products, such as tobacco products and alcoholic beverages only account for 2 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The share of these products in the CPI of the Bottom 30 percent is also small. Mapa said the bulk of the consumption of the poor is food, particularly rice which accounts for 20 percent.

“The last time I checked, it [share of sin products] is only 2 percent. [This indicates that] it

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Higher ‘sin’ taxes won’t cause much inflation

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MASKING A CRISIS? Within hours after the Department of Health confirmed the

Philippines’s first case of the novel coronavirus, face masks disappeared from store shelves, and most people on the street, like these commuters waiting for a ride home in Makati, were wearing them. However, an article by AP’s medical writer asks, “Do masks offer protection from new virus?” Article in Op-Ed, page A6. NONIE REYES

TATE infrastructure spendi ng dec l i ned a s of endNovember, still due to the more than four-month delay of the 2019 budget, as well as the election ban.

Data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) s ho w e d t h at i n f r a s t r u c t u re spending for the January-to-November 2019 period was recorded at P709.4 billion, recording a 2.6-percent contraction equivalent to 18.7 billion compared to the P728.1 billion posted in the same period in 2018.

While the total national government disbursements as of endNovember increased by 6.7 percent to P3.303 trillion, from P3.0952 trillion on the same period in 2018, the DBM said the lower disbursements in infrastructure and other capital outlays, equity and capital transfers to local government units also weakened the increase in several expense items.

“However, it is worthy to note that the disbursement performance in November narrowed down the contraction recorded in See “Infra,” A2

n US 50.7730 n japan 0.4658 n UK 66.1166 n HK 6.5323 n CHINA 7.3492 n singapore 37.3221 n australia 34.2870 n EU 55.9163 n SAUDI arabia 13.5337 Source: BSP (30 January 2020 )

A2

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Friday, January 31, 2020

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PHL reports 130 outbreaks of ASF in 300 Luzon bgays

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

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@jearcalas

HE Philippines has confirmed that the fatal African swine fever (ASF) continued to spread in Luzon, affecting thousands of pigs in northern and southern areas, including Aurora, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Cavite, bringing government’s total cull count to almost 200,000 hogs.

In a series of new reports to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Philippines revealed that nearly 140,000 pigs were susceptible to ASF in 130 outbreaks in Pampanga, Bulacan, Caloocan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Cavite and Pangasinan in both commercial and backyard farms in over 300 barangays.

The outbreaks were recorded from August to December with over 1,700 pigs considered as cases or already affected by ASF. The Philippines said it has already killed and disposed of the almost 140,000 pigs susceptible to the fatal disease.

T he OIE defines a case as an “ individual animal infected by a pathogenic agent, with or without clinical signs” while an outbreak refers to the occur-

Inflation. . .

Continued from A1

[higher price] has an impact but very small. The bigger weight, particularly for the Bottom households, [is], of course, the food [and] electricity, water, gas and other fuels [as well as] housing,” Mapa said.

Mapa also said based on the results of the latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), the percentage of income spent on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages has declined.

Based on PSA data, the expend it ure patter n of t he a l l households when it comes to alcoholic beverages increased

rence of “one or more cases in an epidemiological unit.”

After its latest reports, the country’s official number of hogs susceptible to ASF as reported to OIE has risen to 187,483 heads while government authorities have culled 191,641 pigs to contain and control the spread of the virus.

The last figure publicly disclosed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to local media on the number of culled hogs was about 140,000 pigs.

The DA had earlier said that the country’s ASF outbreaks are tapering down after it elevated its quarantine measures.

Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director and Philippine Chief Veterinarian Ronnie Domingo prepared and submitted to 0.6 percent in 2018 from 0.5 percent in 2015.

In terms of tobacco, all households also spent more for these products at 1.2 percent in 2018 from 1.1 percent in 2015.

For the Upper 70 percent of the population, the expenditure pattern for alcoholic beverages remained the same at 0.5 percent in 2018 and 2015.

This was the same for the Bottom 30 percent whose expenditure pattern for these products remained at 0.7 percent for 2018 and 2015.

PSA data showed the expenditure pattern of the Upper 70 percent for tobacco increased to 1.2 percent in 2018, from 1 percent

the four follow-up reports to the OIE from January 28 to 29.

The ASF is not known to harm humans but is fatal to hogs.

New disclosures

The DA has been adamant in disclosing specific areas in Luzon where the ASF has spread to avoid complications in government operations to control and contain the virus.

In its latest reports, the Philippines revealed that ASF is now present in more municipalities, and cities, in Pampanga and Bulacan, and has already reached the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Aurora and Cavite.

ASF outbreaks have been confirmed in certain farms in all municipalities and cities of Pampanga except for the municipality of Santa Rita, based on the reports.

In Bulacan, only the farms in the municipalities of Doña Remedios Trinidad, Marilao, Meycauayan, Norzagaray, Obando, and San Jose del Monte have not been affected by the fatal disease.

The DA has been open in saying that the ASF is present in Bulacan and Pampanga, but had not identified publicly the specific areas with cases or outbreaks.

Central Luzon is the country’s top hog-producing region, accounting for 18 percent of the total output.

The region’s hog output in 2019 declined by 12 percent to 417,748 metr ic tons f rom in 2015.

However, the expenditures of the Bottom 30 percent for tobacco slowed to 1.7 percent in 2018 from 1.9 percent in 2015. “[In terms of inflation] we’re looking at rice but right now there’s no problem; we’re looking at the price of meat and fish and vegetables. And then on the nonfood, really [it’s] the fuel. Because usually the fuel would have an impact on the other subgroups, including food. So we will see by next week,” Mapa said.

The PSA’s inflation report for January 2020 will be released on February 5, Wednesday. This will include the inflation report for the Bottom 30 percent of the population.

UnionBank’s estimate

Days ahead of the official announcement, UnionBank’s Economic Research Unit (ERU) estimated that January 2020 inflation would reach 2.2 percent due lower oil and energy prices.

This, the ERU said, would lead the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monetary Board to resume its easing efforts on February 6 with a 25-basis-point cut.

“The upward pressure of the early US-Iran tensions on global oil prices has immediately dissi-

PSA. . .

Continued from A1

in Metro Manila who want to move out of the National Capital Region (NCR) before the new decade is through.

Around 18 percent or 323 men from NCR want to move to other places in the next five years, while 16.1 percent or 305 women want to do the same before the end of the decade.

“Based on the recent figure, there are a lot of Metro Manila residents who are going home to their regions. Before, NCR was accepting a lot of migrants but, now, the number of out-migrants has become more substantial,” Mapa said.

The data showed that for inter-regional migration in the past five years, NCR and Calabarzon remained the most common destination regions but, at the same time, also

472,552 MT in 2018.

Bulacan is the top hog-producing province of Central Luzon with an estimated annual output of 250,000 MT, followed by Tarlac and Pampanga.

New provinces reached

T he Ph i l ippine repor ts a lso revealed that there have been confirmed ASF outbreaks in Cabanatuan, Aurora, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.

ASF has been confirmed present in farms in the following municipalities/cities of Nueva Ecija: Cabanatuan, Cabiao, Zaragoza, Santa Rosa, Gapan, General Mamerto Natividad, San Leonardo, San Isidro, San Antonio, Science City of Muñoz, Aliaga, General Tinio and Quezon.

In Cavite, some farms in Indang, Bacoor and Dasmariñas have been confirmed positive and susceptible to ASF, according to the reports.

The reports also indicated there were confirmed ASF outbreaks in certain farms in Baler, Aurora, and Tarlac City, Tarlac.

In the same report, the Philippines said there were confirmed additional outbreaks in Rizal, Caloocan and Quezon City during the time period.

Furthermore, the Philippines also reported additional A SF outbreaks in barangays earlier identified by authorities in Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Pangasinan and Rizal. pated as both countries have expressed [a desire] of no further escalation of hostilities,” ERU said.

“As Taal Volcano’s eruption activity continued to decline, resulting in the eventual lowering of its hazardous Alert Level, its upward push on prices is expected to be only temporary, and base effects seen to be less of a factor,” it added.

The President recently signed into law Republic Act 11467 which amended the country’s tax code by increasing the excise taxes on sin products.

The National Sin Tax Coalition said the law increased excise tax on distilled spirits to P42 per proof liter with a 22-percent ad valorem tax effective this year.

The specific tax will be raised to P47 in 2021; P52 in 2022; P59 in 2023; P66 in 2024; and 6 percent every year, thereafter.

The tax on fermented liquors will be raised to P35 this year from P25.4 prior to passage of the law.

This will be raised to P37 in 2021; P39 in 2022; P41 in 2023; P43 in 2024, and 6 percent annually in each succeeding year.

For alcohol, a specific tax of P50 will be imposed on all wines beginning this year with a 6-percent increase annually in succeeding years. Cai U. Ordinario registered the largest number of out-migrants in the same period.

Calabarzon, NCR and Central Visayas were the top local intended destinations of the 14 percent of Filipinos who intended to move in the next five years.

The NMS aims to provide information on the mobility of the Philippine population in order to assist policy-makers and program managers in evaluating and designing strategies for improving services and assistance to people going abroad or moving within the country.

The NMS was conducted in 2,940 areas (primary sampling units) across the country from May to August 2018.

About 360 Field Interviewers and Supervisors were involved in the conduct of data collection for the NMS. Around 45,000 randomly selected sample housing units were visited.

Cai U. Ordinario

Samal Resort Island bans group tours from mainland China

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AVAO CITY—The prime resort island off the Davao Gulf here has banned on Wednesday the entry of Chinese nationals from mainland China.

The Island Garden City of Samal said the ban was temporary, and called it only a suspension of their entry to the island. The move came despite the appeal of President Duterte to promote bonding with Chinese nationals.

“As a proactive measure to protect our people from exposure to the much dreaded coronavirus, the local government unit of the Island Garden City of Samal is temporarily suspending entry of group tour travels of Mainland Chinese tourist and other asian nationals to our city,” it said in an advisory posted on its web site on Wednesday evening.

It said the travel advisory was issued because, “while we are promoting our city for tourism...the safety of our people is foremost.”

EDC. . .

Continued from A1

electronic commerce road map, speed up the entry of a third telecommunications player and adopt a new regulatory framework or approach, as needed, to assess and address issues relating to emerging technologies such as Angkas, Grab and Airbnb.

To attract investments that the Philippines needs to grow faster, Dominguez said the government will fully implement the Ease of Doing Business Act, and undertake a regulatory impact assessment of all existing regulations to ensure that these do not pose additional burdens to the business environment. They will also push for the passage of the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act bill, as well as amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, Public Service Act and Retail Trade Liberalization Act. “We likewise need to support the growth of exports by fully implementing the National Single Window/TradeNet System and its integration into the Asean Single Window, and pursuing strategic trade partnerships, maximizing opportunities in bilateral, regional and global integration,” he said.

“Along with these, we need to intensify the marketing, and promotion, of Philippine goods and services, increase market intelligence and identify specific products for which the country could be an alternative manufacturing base, bearing in mind the comparative advantage of our domestic players,” he added.

The government missed its target for 2019 as GDP growth settled at 5.9 percent due to the budget delay as well as the election ban. The figure is lower than the revised growth target of 6 percent to 6.5 percent.

Viruses

The EDC played down the impact of nCoV on the Philippine economy after health authorities confirmed the country’s first case.

“We’re not going into a recession because of

Infra. . .

Continued from A1

infrastructure and other capital outlays to P18.7 billion (2.6 percent) as of end-November, from P36.7 billion (5.5 percent) during the first 10 months of 2019,” the DBM said in its assessment of the national government disbursement performance.

Th e i n c re a s e i n to t a l g ove r n m e n t disbursements for end-November 2019 was credited to higher Personnel Services Costs, maintenance spending mainly for social protection programs and operating expenses, and subsidy contribution to government-owned and -controlled corporations.

Other growth drivers include allotment to local government units, interest payments, tax expenditures on account of payment of customs duties to the National Food Authority on rice importation, as well as net lending due to advances to the NFA for payment of its maturing obligations.

Nonetheless, the DBM said full-year disbursements for 2019 could likely “rebound by a double-digit growth,” citing preliminary data indicating that disbursements for December 2019 likely grew by around 50-percent year-on-year.

The government is also optimistic that it will achieve its spending target for 2019

Quiboloy. . .

Continued from A8

Torreon admitted that there may be cases of some passports taken from the owners but he said these were unlike those cases among the overseas Filipino workers who worked as domestic helpers where their employers hold their passpors in embargo.

“It’s for safekeeping, to avoid the holders from losing them,” his female aides told BusinessMirror at the compound of the Jose Maria College along Buhangin Diversion Road here.

He also belied the US federal agents’ claim that Quiboloy’s followers in the US were made to

It requested its partners, “especially the tour operators and agencies, and all other stakeholders to support the local government in this endeavor to ensure the safety of everyone.”

Netizens reacted favorably to the move, calling it commendable, calculated and worth emulating.

“Sana all,” a female netizen wrote, alluding to the street lingo on “wish all should also do it.”

In Davao Cit y, some socia lmedia sites have reposted the suggestion of the Department of Health (DOH) to avoid shaking of hands and friendly cheek-tocheek (beso-beso) greetings. A security guard at a bank branch in Mintal in the western suburb was seen asking guests to spray alcohol on their hands.

Meanwhile, three Cebu cities were also poised to impose a ban, social-media monitoring from central Visayas indicated.

Manuel T. Cayon this [coronavirus],” Dominguez told reporters in a press briefing after the EDC meeting.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said the impact of the virus will only be short term. Pernia also said sectors like tourism would suffer from the decline in the number of Chinese tourists who comprise a significant share in the country’s tourist arrivals and the sector’s revenues.

Data from the Department of Tourism showed China was the Philippines’s second-largest source market for tourists in January to August last year.

In August alone, arrivals from China expanded by an annualized rate of 60 percent to 170,903.

“I think it will be short term. It’s likely to be just a short-term effect because, given that...a lot of measures [are] being done to minimize the coronavirus, it shouldn’t be a big drop for it to have an effect on the economy,” Pernia said.

However, Dominguez said nCoV could compound the problems of the Philippines when it comes to food imports, particularly since African swine fever (ASF) has already limited the country’s sources of pork.

“Maybe food imports will go down. In fact, it has already gone down because of the [ASF]. The Department of Agriculture has restricted imports of [pork products]. With the coronavirus, I think it may affect but we’ll see,” the finance chief said.

Benefits

If there’s a silver lining to the outbreak of the nCoV, it is that the Philippines may save on dollars as Filipinos will limit their travel to China and other countries that have confirmed cases, according to Pernia.

Dominguez disclosed that he had to reconsider his travel to Wuhan, China, for a Philippine roadshow there.

“I think Filipinos will be more careful in going to these countries so...they won’t be spending [dollars],” said Pernia.

He also said some businesses, such as those involved in the sale or manufacture of masks and soap, as well as those selling water, may grow faster this year.

as line agencies continue to speedup project implementation.

Meanwhile, infrastructure spending for November 2019 posted a double-digit growth of 28.6 percent or P18 billion to reach P80.9 billion compared to P62.9 billion recorded in the same month in 2018.

This was attributed to the payment for completed and partially completed infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Transportation, as well as its disbursements for payment of right-of-way acquisitions and the construction of buildings of the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Moreover, some P1.4 billion was also released to the Department of Agriculture for the implementation of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (Acef ) Lending Assistance for Small Farmers and Fisherfolks intended for purchase of farm equipment, farm improvement, and acquisition/ establishment of agricultural facilities.

Aside from the infrastructure spending, other major expense classes, such as Personnel Services, Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses also contributed to the overall 22.4-percent growth in government spending for November 2019 as it reached P365.6 billion.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

collect funds supposed to be for disadvantaged children, but which ended up being used to finance Quiboloy’s allegedly lavish lifestyle.

“It’s standard for operations to be remitted back to the mother company, like many companies, including US companies with operations outside their headquarters. Being the head office of all church operations in the world, the money [is] being remitted here,” Torreon said.

As for the allegations about lavish spending, “it’s for US authorities to prove it. The burden of proof is on their side.”

He added, “Wait for our answer, for our counteraffidavit, and they will be convinced of the innocence of Pastor Quiboloy. They will see how the kingdom is stronger, and it will rise stronger.”

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The Nation BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, January 31, 2020 A3

DOLE chief orders tight monitoring of OFWs in China

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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MID the growing number of countries with confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has heightened its monitoring of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) abroad.

On Wednesday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III issued Labor Advisory 3-2020 ordering all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) to report “cases linked to the viral pneumonia infections in Wuhan, Hubei province in mainland China.”

The DOLE chief’s order came as

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, at a news conference, confirmed the first case related to the novel virus involving a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, epicenter of the deadly virus.

The woman reportedly sought consultation and was admitted on January 25, 2020, after experiencing mild cough.

“We enjoin our OFW kababayan to immediately report suspected cases of OFWs with symptoms to hospitals and the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices for possible assistance,” Bello said.

DOLE’s International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) web site showed

there are 21 POLOs abroad.

WHO guidelines

THE issuance also contained the advisories, which was issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on how to avoid being infected by the 2019-nCoV. The measures include avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections; practice frequent handwashing or alcohol-based hand rub; avoid close contact with live or dead farm or wild animals; exercising cough etiquette; avoid visiting crowded places and hospitals; and seeing a doctor and using a mask if they develop fever, or respiratory symptoms.

“OFWs are also encouraged to monitor all advisories issued by their host government for information and guidance,” Bello said.

As of January 29, 2020, WHO said there were already 6,065 confirmed 2019-nCoV cases worldwide.

The bulk, or 5,997, of the said cases are in China, while the remaining 68 are in 15 countries, namely, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the United States, Canada, France, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo reiterated the government is ready to bring back Filipinos from

Wuhan, where the 2019-nCoV is said to have originated, as long as they undergo the necessary quarantine measures.

Church protocol

MEANWHILE, several government agencies, and even the Catholic Church, have implemented precautionary measures against the dreaded disease.

In an advisory, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a memo to all bishops and diocesan administrators to exercise the following anti-nCoV measures: Communion in the hand be practiced ordinarily; regular changing of the Holy Water and Holy

Water Fonts; provide/install protective cloth on the grills of confessionals; discourage the faithful from holding the hands during the singing/praying of the “Our Father” and from shaking of hands during the Sign of Peace.

CBCP also exhorted all parishes to pray the “Oratio” specifically for the 2019-nCoV starting on February 2, 2020.

“In praying we invite ourselves with all our brothers and sisters suffering with the disease brought by this virus, bring up to God our longing for them to be restored to full health and humbly pray that we may spared from the infection of this virus,” CBCP Rev. SecretaryGeneral Marvin S. Meija said.

SMDC donates portion of Paskuhan Village lot to City of San Fernando

By Ashley Manabat | Correspondent

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INTERFAITH PRAYER

Nanay Bing Pimentel, founder of the PasaLord Prayer Movement, calls for a synchronized interfaith moment of prayer on February 6, at 12 noon, in keeping with Senate Resolution 1002, proclaiming every first Thursday of February as the day for the religious exercise. Among those who have signified their support for Pimentel’s call are the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches; Imam Council of the Philippines; Catholic Bishops’ Council of the Philippines; and the Campus Crusade for Christ. NONOY LACZA

ITY OF SAN FERNANDO—City residents here can now heave a sigh of relief after a portion of the Paskuhan Village was donated to the city by the buyer of the property.

Singing the classical Capampangan folk song “Atin ku pung singsing, Mewala ya iti [I once had a ring but I lost it],” Mayor Edwin “Edsa” D. Santiago said, “Abalik taya ing Singsing [We got the ring back]” in describing the donation.

The central building in the sprawling Paskuhan Village here, which was patterned after the Christmas lantern, as well as its surrounding area covering 5,000 square meters, was donated back to the city including a 500 sq-m two-story building, and an amphitheater by SM Development Corp. (SMDC) which bought the Paskuhan Village property from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority

House leader downplays potential backlash of VFA revocation on trade and investment

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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HE chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Thursday said the potential impact of the decision of President Duterte to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) on trade and investment “will be close to nothing.”

In an aide memoire addressed to the leadership of the House of Representatives, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said the Philippines will not become less attractive as an investment destination if ever the VFA is scrapped or abrogated. VFA allows US military forces to conduct military exercises in the country.

Earlier, the Palace announced that Duterte has already given the go-ahead to terminate the Philippines’s VFA with the US following Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s revelation that the US Embassy has canceled his US visa.

Salceda said the country’s withdrawal from the VFA would bolster the country’s independent foreign policy, enhance the country’s diplomatic leverage and strengthen the country’s justice system, “with little, or no economic and geopolitical cost.”

The lawmaker said the country’s most valuable trading relationships are with Asia.

“In terms of export markets, exports to the city-economies of Singapore and Hong Kong combined now

exceed our exports to the US. Our Asian partners want to buy more from us while demanding less of us that the US does,” he said.

According to Salceda, it is price and quality—not political disagreement—that determines a country’s decision to import Philippine goods.

“It’s macroeconomic fundamentals and the certainty of profit, and not military treaties, that determines an investor’s decision to invest,” he said.

“In fact, scrapping onerous and unfair geopolitical deals should be the strongest statement that, as we open our country for good investment through policy reforms on foreign capital restrictions, we will treat all investors fairly, and we will not [extend any] privilege [to] one country over another should there be commercial dispute between them,” Salceda, an economist, said.

The lawmaker, citing the 2018 US News and World Report’s list of the “Best Countries to Invest In,” said the Philippines is one of the most attractive investment destination among all the countries it ranked.

A lso, he said, CEOWOR LD magazine, a leading business paper for C-suite executives, named the country the third-most attractive investment destination in the world in 2019.

“Nothing will prevent other countries from taking the opportunity and investing in the country, save for our own restrictions. We have

disagreements with the American government, not with American business,” he added.

“We would like to trade more with the US , as we do with all other countries. In fact, we are investing in our infrastructure and our people, at unprecedented levels, to make our goods and services competitive,” he added.

In other words, Salceda said, it would be a fallacy to suggest that abandoning the VFA risks the entire trading and investment relationship with American businesses. “We have no quarrel with the American people. We will not tax them higher or price them out just because they are Americans. But we would like their government to reconsider its actions pertaining to our exclusively domestic concerns,” he said.

Renegotiate

SALCEDA also said the Philippines must renegotiate its relationship with the US. “We are not abandoning the Edca [Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement]. We are not abandoning the Mutual Defense Treaty. By scrapping the VFA, we are simply saying that US personnel should be subject to the same justice system as Filipinos are while they are in the Philippines. This is by no means unreasonable. Any respectable country would assert the right to try crimes committed in their country, and on their countrymen,” he said.

Lawmaker takes up cudgels for nurses, teachers who are yet to receive pay

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LAWMAKER on Thursday said government nurses and teachers have not received their salary increase under the Salary Standardization law (SSL) 5.

House Committee on Health Vice Chairman Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan Party-list issued the statement after receiving information that many teachers in Quezon City have not received their salary adjustment contained in SSL 5, or

Republic Act 11464.

“The law is clear. Though President Duterte signed it on January 8, RA 11464 states that it takes effect on January 1, 2020. This means that government workers lose nothing, as they will eventually receive their pay hike,” Defensor said.

“But teachers should not worry about their additional compensation.

The delay could just be the result of

the usual tedious process of releasing and obligating funds. But they will eventually get it in full,” he said.

According to Defensor, funds are included in the 2020 national budget for the pay hike of all the more than 1.4 million state workers.

Defensor also said he received information that nurses in hospitals run by the national government have not received their salary increase.

Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

(Tieza) for P939 million.

“Masanting ne ing tuyu, kesa sula-sulapo pugu, pota malakwan tamu keng negosasyun alang malyari [Dried fish is much better than a flying quail for we might be left behind in the negotiations, and nothing wil happen],” said Santiago in accepting the half hectare land donation.

“As it turned out, the deal was final and executory last Monday [January 20, 2020],” according to City Administrator Atty. Atlee Viray.

“It is important to preserve our heritage.

From zero to something, this is a momentous singular achievement of the Santiago administration,” Viray said.

“It happened that the first offer was only 200 sq m. But the mayor said that’s only good for a toilet. Dagdagan ye, mapalyaring misabi tamu [Increase it and we might talk] until it reached 5,000 sq m,” narrated Viray on how the negotiations went.

Viray said the Paskuhan Village was sold

by Tieza in favor of SM, and the only thing that the city government was holding was “the right of first refusal.”

And that was only basis of the mayor to call on Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales [Third District, Pampanga] and the solicitor general in order to file an annulment and reconveyance of sale,” he said.

“Because we foresee that if we wait for the case to reach up to the Supreme Court, that would be difficult. We might as well be dead before we see its conclusion,” Viray explained.

Santiago said, for his part, said “next to God is culture.”

“We proudly described San Fernando as the home of the giant lantern but then we don’t even have a place for it here,” he lamented.

“So, this [Paskuhan] will be a year-round lantern village to showcase, not only San Fernando, but the famous Capampangan culinary dishes,” the mayor said.

A4 Friday, January 31, 2020 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DA orders crackdown on meat profiteers amid ‘undue’ hike in pork, chicken prices

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a crackdown on traders and retailers who are profiteering on meat products, particularly pork and chicken, as prices of these commodities remained elevated despite declining farm-gate prices.

The DA issued Department Order (DO) 3, Series of 2020, that ordered the enforcement of pertinent provisions of Republic Act 7581 or

the Price Act to curb profiteering in the market.

The DA explained that the law protects the consumers “by stabilizing the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities by prescribing measures against undue price increase during emergency and similar occasions.”

The DA noted that there was an increase in the price of poultry and pork during the Christmas season and these price levels did not decline despite the end of the season.

The DA said the average farm-

gate price for chicken is at P77.44 per kilogram but its market price has been pegged at P157.52 per kg, or a P80.08 difference, or 103.41-percent increase.

Furthermore, the average farmgate price for pork is at P98.04 per kg compared to its current market price of P224.04, which is a 128-percent difference, or about P126.

The DA also pointed out that based on their market reports, the price of poultry and pork even increased further in the aftermath of the Taal Volcano eruption.

PSA report shows decline in price of regular-milled rice at P36.44/kg

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HE average retail price of regularmilled rice (RMR) in the second week of January plunged by 12 percent to a new six-year low at P36.44 per kilogram (kg), latest figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

The latest quotation on the retail price of RMR has matched its previous six-year low of P36.44 per kg recorded in the same period of 2014, PSA data analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed.

PSA data indicated that the average wholesale price of RMR remained at P33.02 per kg compared to last week’s quotation.

“However, its annual rate continued to move downward as it declined by 14.3 percent from its level in the same period of previous year of P38.53 per kg,” PSA said in its weekly price monitoring report.

Authorities and experts attribute the drop in rice prices to the surge in imports after the industry was deregulated by the rice trade liberalization (RTL) law in March 2019.

The passage of the RTL law was hailed by authorities and some industry experts, calling it one of the biggest reform measures in recent years. The law sought to increase the country’s supply of affordable rice.

The Philippines has overtaken China as the world’s top buyer of rice last year after the country’s total purchases surged to 3 million metric tons.

“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement issued on Tuesday after the BusinessMirror broke the story that RMR prices fell to a six-year low for the first time last Monday.

“From here on, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology and training,” the DA added.

Likewise, the average retail price of well-milled rice (WMR) fell to its lowest level in more than three years at P41.31 per kg.

This is the lowest quotation for the rice variety since the P41.28 per kg recorded

in the third week of May 2016.

“The average retail price of wellmilled rice dipped to P41.31 per kg or by 0.3 percent during the week from its previous week’s level of P41.45 per kg,” the PSA said.

“Compared with its level of P45.11 per kg in the same week of the previous year, it also went down by 8.4 percent,” the PSA added.

Turnaround

AS the retail prices of rice continued to fall, the average farm-gate price of paddy rose for the second straight week to P15.82 per kg during the reference period.

“The average farm-gate price of palay rose to P15.82 per kg or by 0.2 percent during the week relative to its previous week’s level of P15.79 per kg,” the PSA said.

“Its annual rate, however, fell by 20.3 percent from its level of P19.85 in the same week of the previous year,” the PSA added.

Historical PSA data analyzed by the BusinessMirror, showed that the average farm-gate price of palay is still the lowest in eight years owing to the detrimental effects of higher rice imports.

On an annual basis, the average farmgate price of palay in 2019 settled at P16.20 per kg, 20 percent lower than the average quotation of P20.20 per kg in 2018, the PSA said in a separate report.

Also, the average palay price last year was the lowest in eight years as its previous average price of P16.20 per kg was recorded in 2012, according to historical PSA data.

In its recent report on the performance of the agriculture sector, the PSA said total unmilled rice output in 2019 declined by 1.3 percent on an annual basis due to a series of contractions in the previous quarters.

Total palay output fell to a three-year low of 18.814 million metric tons (MT), PSA data showed.

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), an attached agency of the DA, reported in November that rice planters lost at least P61.77 billion due to the continuous drop in the farm-gate price of unhusked rice. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

The increase, according to DA, was more less at an additional 103.41 percent and 128 percent for chicken and pork, which effectively doubled the market prices of the meat products.

The DA emphasized that this is a “gross and direct contravention of the prohibitions set forth by the Price Act and its implementing rules.”

Under the law, profiteering is considered when the price of a product is raised by more than 10 percent in the immediately preceding month.

“This department order direct-

DBM issues circulars for 1st tranche of pay increase for govt workers under 2019 SSL

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

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HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has finally released the circulars on the implementation of the first tranche of the modified salary schedule for civilian and local government personnel.

President Duterte signed Republic Act 11466, or the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) of 2019, modifying the salary schedule for government personnel, which shall be implemented in four tranches from 2020 to 2023.

The government has allocated P34 billion to fund the pay hike under the P4.1 trillion 2020 budget.

Further, it also provides for the grant of midyear bonus as a part of the incentives under the total compensation framework.

According to the National Budget Circular 579 signed by Acting Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado, the salaries of incumbent civilian personnel shall be adjusted to the rates in the Salary Schedule in Annex “A” of the circular corresponding to the designated steps of the salary grade allocations of their positions as of December 31, 2019.

Based on the first tranche of the modified salary schedule, which should be effective January 1, 2020, government personnel under Salary Grade 1 shall now be entitled to receive P11,551 (Step 1), P11,647 (Step 2), P11,745 (Step 3), P11,843 (Step 4), P11,942 (Step 5), P12,042 (Step 6), P12,143 (Step 7), P12,244 (Step 8).

For government personnel who are under Salary Grade 32, the new salary schedule reflecting the first tranche would be as follows: P313,512 (Step 1), P319,835 (Step 2), P326,285 (Step 3), P332, 865 (Step 4), P339,577 (Step 5), P346,426 (Step 6), P353,413 (Step 7), and P360,539 (Step 8).

If the actual monthly basic salary of an employee as of December 31, 2019, falls between steps of the salary grade allocation of the position due to the grant of service award, or as a result of demotion, or transfer due to the exigency of the service, the salary shall be adjusted to the rate for the higher step in the salary schedule, according to the circular.

Should the actual monthly basic salary of an employee as of December 31, 2019, exceed that for Step 8 of the salary grade for the allocation of the position: the salary shall be adjusted to the rate for Step 8 of the same salary grade in the salary schedule and the employee shall not be entitled to salary increase if the actual salary as of December 31, 2019, exceeds the rate for Step 8 of the same salary grade in the Salary Schedule.

New hires shall be entitled to a salary based on

Binay calls for cooperation to revitalize silk industry

By Roderick L. Abad

Contributor

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@rodrik_28

EN. Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay called on Thursday for more collaborative efforts among concerned government agencies to revive the Philippines’s silk sector.

“I have seen how our agencies involved with revitalizing the silk industry are squeezing every ounce of effort to provide solutions to address the various issues that hound silk production in our country, such as low production and manufacturing capacity, and even threat of climate change,” she said during the Tela Vision 2020 Summit held at the Citadines Hotel in Pasay City.

Of the total requirement for silk in the country today,

ing the concerned departments and attached agencies to closely monitor and report all cases of illegal price manipulations of poultry and pork products and all other covered goods of the aforementioned law, and to strictly enforce the provisions of the Price Act in confirmed cases of price manipulation,” the order, dated January 20, 2020, read.

Illegal price manipulators could be imprisoned for a period of not less than five years and a a fine of not less than P5,000 nor more than P2 million, according to the Price Act.

only 10 percent is being supplied by the local producers, according to Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) Director Celia B. Elumba.

“We really have a big gap in supply and demand here,” she told the BusinessMirror in mixed Filipino and English at a sideline interview.

This is because there are only few silk producers in the country at present, she said, while citing that the Negros Sericulture Project, which is done in partnership with Japan’s Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement or OISCA, as the only commercial scale producer in the country.

Given the lack of locally sourced materials, importing from abroad, particularly in China and Thailand, is what most of the producers resort to, according to Elumba.

While there were many efforts done in the past to reinvigorate the silk production—once a viable industry—she said that there are still many things to consider, among which are related to safety and security issues in Mindanao.

A factory that was put up there in previous years by a Japanese investor had to close down.

“Another concern was way back, the mortality of silkworm was 90 percent, and we had to be importing some of those silkworm eggs.

Today, it’s the opposite. The mortality rate is less than 10 percent. It’s under 5 percent,” Elumba said. “Now, our ability to really have production is high. So we’re really encouraging our farmers to go back into silk production so as to help increase the supply.”

Given the improving industry situation, Binay emphasized that there are different areas of improvement, which require cooperation with the rest of the government agencies, particularly the DOST, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology underscored the need to come up with a “flawless working relationship” with the local farmers, fabric weavers, dressmakers and entrepreneurs, among others.

the rate corresponding to Step 1 of the salary grade allocation of the position.

Wages of contractual/casual personnel shall also be adjusted to the rates corresponding to Step 1 of the salary grade allocations of their positions in the salary schedule.

Further, the adjusted daily wage rates of casual personnel shall be computed by dividing the monthly rates by 22 work days per month.

As part of the incentives under the TCF, the midyear bonus is equivalent to one month basic salary as of May 15 of a given year shall be granted to those who have rendered at least four months of satisfactory service and are still in the service as of same date, to be given not earlier than May 15 of every year.

Meanwhile, the existing year-end bonus equivalent to one month basic salary and cash gift of P5,000, which are categorized under the Standard Allowances and Benefits components of the TCF, shall be given in November of every year.

The salaries authorized in the salary schedule shall not be applicable to the present incumbents, including the President, Vice President, and members of Congress. The adjustment in salaries shall only take effect after the expiration of the respective terms of the present incumbents.

On the other hand, the Local Budget Circular 121 signed by Avisado on the implementation of modified salary schedule for local government personnel, stated that this will be subject to the authorization from the Sanggunian as provided under RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

The new salary rates shall be in accordance with the first tranche monthly salary schedule for local government personnel corresponding to local government unit (LGU) level and income classification as presented in the annexes of the circular.

If funds are insufficient to implement fully the salary schedule for the LGU level and income class, or for purposes of complying with the Personnel Services limitation, the Sanggunian may formulate a modified salary schedule with lower rates but at a uniform percentage of the rates in the applicable salary schedule in the annexes.

The amounts required to implement the salary or honoraria and related fixed expenditure adjustments of LGU personnel shall be sourced exclusively from LGU funds, subject to the Personnel Services limitation in LGU budgets.

Such amounts shall be authorized through an appropriation ordinance to be enacted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan/Panlungsod/Bayan/ Barangay.

P13-B fund can be tapped to deal with 2019-nCoV

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PEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday said President Duterte can tap the P13-billion contingency fund in the 2020 national budget to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, in the country.

Cayetano said Congress could also augment the funds of the Department of Health (DOH) and other agencies involved in responding to the public health threat, as long as it is “part of the budget.”

“Health is a priority, housing is a priority, education is a priority, the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program is a priority, so it is unavoidable that some may lack funds [in the process of implementation]…but so long as it is part of the budget, it can be augmented,” he said.

The DOH confirmed that a 38-year-old female Chinese patient under investigation (PUI) is positive for the 2019-nCoV. “The confirmed case arrived in the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong last January 21, 2020. The patient sought consultation and was admitted to one of the country’s government hospitals last January 25 after experiencing mild cough,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. PNA

PHL won’t severe trade, investment ties with America, Malacañang says

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HILIPPINES’S trade relations with the US remain insu lated f rom t he latest government efforts to “tone down” its relations with the Western superpower.

At a news briefing on Thursday, Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo clarified President Duterte has not ordered to severe the country’s economic ties with the US. However, he confirmed President Duterte’s pronouncement to bar Cabinet members, except those from the Department of Foreig n A f fa i rs (DFA), f rom traveling to the US, would take effect.

The order, he said, will cover not only business trips, as well as their “personal trips” in the US. “They should not go there. We have to defer to the President’s wishes,” Panelo said.

Last Wednesday, President Duterte admitted he is “toning down” the country’s relations with the US in response, he alleged, to its attempt’s to interfere with local affairs by criticizing the administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign; calling for the release of Sen. Leila M. de Lima; and imposing travel and visa restriction to government officials.

Prior to the announcement, the President declined the invitation of White House to attend the scheduled Asean US Summit in March and ordered the cancellation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Other than the VFA, Panelo said the government currently has no plans to abolish other agreements with the US. However, he said, they will not interfere with the scheduled Senate investigation on the country’s mutual defense treaty with the US. “As a practice of the Executive department [we will not] intrude nor interfere with the coequal branch,” Panelo said.

Surigao del Sur bridge project now 71 percent complete–DPWH

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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HE P78.4 -million farmto-market road and bridge project in conflict-stricken Surigao del Sur is now 71 percent complete, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Thursday.

Part of the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program (Pamana), the project involves the concreting of 2.37 kilometers of road and another 10.44 kilometers of road graveling works. It also has a provision of drainage and slope protection spanning from Sitio Kapatagan, Barangay Mabuhay, to Sitio Mahanon, Barangay Maitum, in the municipality of Tandag.

The project, likewise, covers a two-lane reinforced concrete deck girder bridge in Barangay Mabuhay, Tandag, Surigao del Sur. “Several stakeholders already expressed gratitude for the project that will deliver socioeconomic growth in the marginalized community,” Public Works Director Pol M. de los Santos was quoted in a statement as saying.

The project is expected to be completed within this quarter.

Construction works started in November 2018.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

GSIS condones nearly ₧700M in loan penalties S

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

TATE-RUN Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) announced it has condoned P698,419,090.76 in loan penalties under a restructuring program.

Called the program for restructuring and repayment

of debts (PRRD)—the acronym is a nod to President

Duterte—it is GSIS’s onetime condonation that gives the opportunity for members who are already out of government service to settle their outstanding balances either in full or in part.

Acting President and General Manager Rolando L. Macasaet urged other qualified inactive members to avail themselves of the program since GSIS has decided to extend the deadline for application until

September 30 this year.

“The program has eased the burden of members who worry about paying their outstanding loan balances that have incurred interest and surcharges over time,” Macasaet said in a GSIS statement issued on January 30.

The GSIS said it has collected a total of P144,407,503.09 from 2,630 members who opted to pay in full since the program was launched.

On the other hand, 2,195

members who opted to pay on a three-year installment basis are repaying their debts at 10-percent interest per annum.

The total restructured amount under the PRRD has reached P393,178,773.59 from 7,450 loan accounts, the GSIS said.

The GSIS said the PRRD covers various loans, including salary loans and emergency loan assistance, among others.

House sees urgency of law boosting loans to farmers W

OULD lending more to farmers help the agriculture sector and further progress in provinces? The House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries thinks so and wants the Executive to certify as urgent a bill that would strengthen the financing system for agricultural and rural development.

Last Tuesday, the committee endorsed for plenary approval the substitute bill of House Bill (HB) 5681 or the proposed Agricultural and Rural Financing Enhancement Act (Arfea) authored by committee Chairman Junie E. Cua of Quirino.

“The measure seeks to institutionalize a framework that is more responsive to the needs of the agricultural sector while providing ways for the banking industry to take on a more expansive role in line with a policy approach that is coordinated, systematic, broad-based and inclusive,” Cua said.

Cua believes a backing by the Palace would hasten the passage of the bill in both Houses of Representatives. With that, the policy can be implemented as soon as possible to help poor, hapless farmers and fishermen at the

soonest possible time, he added.

He said the measure proposes a solution to the decades-old problem of agricultural and rural financing in the country.

By amending the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act, the Arfea would provide rural communities and agricultural households with better access to financial services and programs that increase productivity, among others. Cua maintains the Arfea would also enhance market efficiency, promote modernization and improve the welfare and economic prospects of rural and agricultural communities with the active participation of banks and financial institutions.

Cua said the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act, or Republic Act 10000, was regarded as a cureall for the many ills plaguing the country’s agriculture sector when it was signed into law 11 years ago.

“Unfortunately, the idea that was meant to revolutionalize the industry fell short of achieving its goal. Because banks found it a hardship to invest in an industry perceived to be fraught with risks, the concept of institutionalizing mandatory

lending merely resulted in widespread noncompliance with the law,” he said.

“Farmers, with their small farms and monocrops, earn very little, which is insufficient to support their families, let alone have enough savings as capital for the next cropping,” he added.

Cua said banks opted to pay the mandated penalties rather than lend to farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries.

“As a consequence, resources that could have been funneled to promote and enhance agricultural productivity remain locked up in limbo, while our farming communities continue to languish in poverty without any concrete means to uplift them,” he added.

The proposed amendments seek to extend the benefits of the law to broader section of the rural economy such as farming households, and other agriculture related sector.

Cua said the Arfea would lead to the creation of an “Agribusiness Management Capacity and Institution-building Fund.” The Amcif is intended to be a special cash pool to fund the organization, capacity and institutionbuilding programs of rural cooperatives and

Association governance essentials

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ANY studies have shown that effective governance results in a vibrant and successful association. But what are the characteristics of effective governance?

According to BoardSource, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that specializes in board leadership, the formula for effective governance boils down to six essential ingredients:

Mission: A clear, concise, and compelling mission unifies and motivates the board and staff to achieve meaningful results.

Leadership: High-perform-

ing associations are led by a board chair and chief executive committed to a constructive partnership built on a shared understanding of mission and vision; reciprocal communication; and mutual respect, trust, and support for each other and the partnership.

Board and staff composition:

The right people in the right positions, working on the right mission, make success within reach.

Streamlined structure: When aligned with the strategic priorities of the organization, an efficient structure allows board and staff to apply their skills in concert to fulfill the mission.

Association World Octavio Peralta

Strategic planning: This charts a future course and then drives the actions that move the organization forward. It informs the board ’s structures, aligning committees and task forces with strategic objectives, and shaping their work, timetables, and checkpoints. It also guides the leadership prospecting process.

Board meetings: As the boardroom is the formal place where the board acts on its authority, a focused, well-planned, and effectively executed meeting is the crux of decision-making.

BoardSource cites that the above formula is neither complex nor profound, but few associations apply it consistently or thoroughly. Those that do find that, while effective governance takes time, flexibility, intention, and attention, it does make a lot of difference to the association and to the community it serves.

In my July 19, 2019, column, “Two Leadership Roles in Associations,” I wrote that the board-management delineated type of governance, or so-called volunteer-driven, paid staff-run (VDSR) model has two leadership roles: the chair of the

board and the CEO or head of management (Executive secretary or secretary-general in the context of the Philippines).

This model is what effective governance refers to.

In the country, the board governed-and-managed governance model or the “all volunteer-run” (AVR) model is more prevalent, based on the findings of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives.

While I support and advocate that the VDSR model has an advantage over the AVR model in terms of continuity, strategic positioning, and operational efficiency, the fact remains that effective governance should revolve around the key ingredients I mentioned.

The contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, founder and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The purpose of PCAAE—the “association of associations”—is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable.

The PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail: obp@adfiap.org.

recognized organizations of rural and agricultural households, for purposes of improving their viability and productivity.

The measure said this special fund will also be used to organize, train and professionalize main players in the agricultural sector, small-scale and medium-scale entrepreneurs, members of cooperatives or associations to improve their chances of success.

Once they become viable, the bill said these farm-based groups can then access the credit financing from regular banks.

They can in turn provide low-interest and flexible financing to farmers and fishermen.

Currently, Cua said farmers cannot

borrow from regular banks because of the high cost of lending and default rates of individual farmers.

The lawmaker said most banks avoid lending to farmers who make little or no money from their small monocrop farms.

Cua added that, consequently, farmers often have to borrow from traders or middlemen at usurious rates for all their needs.

“The end result is low farm productivity, which leaves farmers with little income or none at all, thus perpetuating the notion that they are a high credit risk.”

He said Arfea wishes to end this vicious cycle. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Friday, January 31, 2020

A5

Parañaque earns ₧5.3B in revenue

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ARAÑAQUE City announced it generated about P5.3 billion in revenue from taxes and other fees collected in 2019.

The city’s treasury office reported that the local government unit (LGU) was able to reserve a P1.3-billion time deposit account to a state-owned bank and another P400million short-term time deposit account to a semi-government bank.

The LGU’s real property collections last year reached P2.2 billion, or almost double the proposed target of P1.1 billion imposed by the Department of Finance.

“The increase was brought about by the taxpayers’ compliance and investors’ confidence in the city government and local leaders,” a statement from Parañaque City said.

Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez attributed the LGU’s improved economy to effective collection of taxes.

Parañaque’s annual proposed budget grew by more than triple to P10 billion in 2019, from merely P3.3 billion in 2013.

Olivarez also announced the city will provide a monthly allowance to all public elementary, high-school and senior high-school students in the city starting this school year.

Previously, grade school students from state-funded schools were exempted from the P500 30-day allowance given by the city.

But beginning this June, around 108,000 of them will benefit from the LGU’s monetary assistance out of the P54-million annual interest alone in time deposit accounts, according to City Treasurer Anthony I. Pulmano.

The city said projects in the pipeline include monthly supply of medicines, particularly for hypertension and other diseases, for the elderly and persons with disabilities in the city. Roderick L. Abad

A6

Friday, January 31, 2020 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

2019-nCoV: It is going to get worse T

he Department of Health has confirmed on Thursday the first case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) in the Philippines. There’s no question that the global situation is going to get worse, based on information over the last two days.

One story out of Japan is absolutely frightening, and that is not an exaggeration or “over-acting.” From NHK World-Japan: “Japan’s health minister Katsunobu Kato has announced that two more people have been confirmed infected with the new coronavirus in Japan.”

That is not a surprise. However, what follows is disturbing: “Kato said that the person is the first to be confirmed infected despite having no record of staying in Wuhan. Kato also said the person is a bus driver in Nara Prefecture who drove for tourists from Wuhan twice in January.”

The immediate question is how many other passengers on his tour bus may have been exposed after he became contagious and before he began showing symptoms? Further, how many of the tour passengers from China who were not infected might have been infected by the same person that caused the bus driver to become ill? The time frame given by the health minister—in January—is also very worrisome. That means that the infected person from China might have been infecting people for some time before the bus driver got the virus.

From Bloomberg: “ T he case of a 10 -yea r- old boy who was d iag nosed w it h t he Wu ha n coronav ir us even t hough he showed no sy mptoms is ra ising concer n t hat people may be spread ing t he v ir us u ndetected by t he f ront-l ine screening met hod s imple mented to cont a in t he epidem ic.” T he boy ’s fa m i ly recent ly v isited Wu ha n. His pa rents a nd g ra ndpa rents beca me i l l a f ter t hey ret u r ned home. But t he boy was on ly d i ag nosed w it h t he v ir us when h is pa rents insisted he w i l l be tested a lt hough he showed no sy mptoms.

As of now, Thailand has recorded the most confirmed cases outside of China at 14. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said there are too many Chinese tourists, with at least 22,000 people from Wuhan, that visited Thailand in Januar y. “ Thailand is not able to stop the spread of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus that was imported from China.”

As of Wednesday, some 6,000 cases have been confirmed in China, The 2002/2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak infected 8,096 people. The nCoV appears to be much less fatal but much more contagious. The economic effects are going to be widespread.

Toyota is closing its China factories until at least February 9.

Starbucks closed more than half of its stores across China. Gambling center Macau is described as a “ghost town.” Sixteen major airlines including British Airways, Air Canada, Air India, American Airlines, and Lufthansa have canceled all services to and from China.

W h i le a l l m ajor tou r i st at t rac t ions h ave been c losed i n C h i n a , re por t s out of Eu rope a re t h at e ven t here tou r i sm h a s f a l len d ra m at ic a l ly.

US Federal Reser ve Chairman Jerome Powell said after its latest polic y meeting: “ T hat scenar io is now complicated by the emergence of the v ir us.” He was spea k ing about the US - China trade dea l, and sug gestions that the globa l economy might be pick ing up this year.

Naturally, the primar y concern is that all Filipinos stay safe and healthy. But the reality with the nCoV is that the worst is yet to come.

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Help first before lending Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual

SERVANT LEADER

B

rothers and sisters, frightful was the experience of our fellow men and women in Batangas and its neighboring towns after the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano. It is a truly saddening welcome for the new year for the families that need to evacuate and leave their homes and livelihood. As we write this column, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or NDRRMC recorded over 88,000 families or more than 346,000 people have been affected in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Quezon. At present, about 37,000 families or around 137,000 people are staying in 488 evacuation centers.

Our fellow fishermen and farmers inhabiting these areas are severely affected not only because they lost their homes but their source of livelihood, as well. The volcano’s eruption caused an estimated P3 billion worth of agricultural damage. Almost 16,000 hectares of farmlands and plantations were destroyed and 2,000 animals were lost. As the government also predicts, losses of the fisheries sector is seen breaching P1 billion.

Not surprisingly, many individuals, different private groups, and organizations have been sending relief goods to affected families in evacuation centers. On the government’s side, there is the food distribution by

the DSWD and NFA for the families living in evacuation centers. For the small farmers and fishermen, there is the livelihood help given by the Department of Agriculture or DA with a total sum of P160 million. Part of the DA’s response is the Survival and Recovery Loan Program where each fisherman and farmer will be granted a loan of P25,000 without interest to be paid within three years.

But the question remains: How will these farmers who have lost their homes and livelihood recover?

Surely, it is difficult for our fellowmen affected by the eruption to rise above the calamity, and it will take years for them to once again stand on their own feet. If a loan is one of

the primary answers of the government for the poor farmers, it may in fact add more to the debts they have to pay. As one congressman said, “Nawala na nga sa kanila ang lahat, pagbabayarin pa. [They have lost everything, now they’re asked to pay].”

“Are the taxes the government collects not enough to address the needs of our fellow farmers in the affected areas? This is also a point given by the group Amihan, a federation of women farmers: “Kagyat na tulong ang kailangan ng mga magsasaka’t mangingisda, hindi pautang. [An immediate response is what farmers and fishermen need, not loans].”

We can compare our fellowmen affected by the eruption of the Taal Volcano to the 5,000 people who followed Jesus in a story from the book of Matthew 14:13-21, where the Lord is seen recognizing the material need of the people in His mercy. “When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them to me,” He said. And He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves.

Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of left over bread. The number of those who ate was about 5,000 men, besides women and children. Primary needs, such as food, shelter and health are what our countrymen need; not loans, not added debts.

Brothers and sisters, Pope Francis reminds us in his UN speech in 2015, it is the duty of our government leaders to ensure that the material needs of all are addressed for them to be able to live with dignity. In the case of our fellowmen and women affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano, particularly the poor farmers and fishermen, they need immediate help. Surely by the time they are able to stand on their own, they will find ways to earn more, and to help develop their livelihood.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 AngRadyo ng Simbahan in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph and follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts @veritasph and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For your comments, e-mail pr.veritas846@gmail.com.

Do masks offer protection from new virus?

By Carla K. Johnson AP Medical Writer

S

EATTLE —People around the world are buying up protective face masks in hopes of keeping the new virus from China at bay.

Some companies have required them for employees. Schools in South Korea have told parents to equip their children with masks and hand sanitizer when they return from winter vacation.

But do the masks work? It depends.

All viruses are small enough to get through a typical strap-on medical mask, but the germs don’t generally spread through the air one at a time, said Dr. Mark Denison of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Denison studies SARS and MERS, which are coronaviruses, the same family as the new virus.

Instead, viruses ride from person to person on droplets from a sneeze or cough. Those droplets land on hands, and other surfaces, where they are touched by others, who then touch their own eyes, noses or mouths.

Masks can block large droplets

from a sneeze or cough. That means they have some value, Denison said.

Also, someone in a mask can’t touch their own nose and mouth.

That can prevent the wearer from picking up germs left on surfaces by someone who is sick, he said.

Masks are “a very sensible precaution” while scientists work to study exactly how the new virus is transmitted, said University of Oxford researcher Trudie Lang.

None of this, however, is based

on rigorous research. Nobody has compared groups of masked and unmasked people by exposing them to the new germ, Denison said. A 2017 review of studies in healthcare workers suggested masks offer some protection against SARS, but the authors noted “existing evidence is sparse and findings are inconsistent.”

The best way to avoid getting sick from the new virus is to wash your hands with soap and water. If soap

and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. That’s the same advice for avoiding regular cold and flu viruses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks for people being evaluated for the new virus, people confirmed to have it, household members and caregivers. Airline crew should offer a face mask to a sick traveler, the CDC said.

Health-care workers treating patients with the new virus are advised by the CDC to take additional precautions, such as goggles or face shields.

Unicef said on Wednesday it has shipped 6 metric tons of respiratory masks and protective suits to China for use by health workers.

In Tokyo, 21-year-old hotel employee Hasumi Tsuchida said she wears a mask. “I work in a hotel where many guests are from China,” she said. “I worry a bit when foreign guests arrive.”

Masks have been commonly used in some countries when wearers are sick, fighting allergies or on days when air pollution is bad. The new virus has fueled demand for them around the world. continued on A7

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Batangueños are made of sterner stuff

The routes of Benilda S. Santos

But Beni was also a former Dean in Ateneo de Manila. She was a wife.

She is a mother, and now a widow.

Beni was also an admirer of Nora Aunor’s genius. I expected it

sound that flows from the source of water and listen to the birth of the song. Which is the birth of a singer.

The poet seemed to ask two questions: where do the waters flow?

Where do the songs go?

In the case of this tribute to Nora Aunor, the song removes the thirst and heat because the voice is soothing (Pinawi nito/ang uhaw at alinsangan/ sa lamig at hagod/at taginting).

The same voice is carried by the wind to conquer the city in its squalor (Saka napatangay sa hangin upang/ sakupin ang gitatang lunsod). What would have been merely a sweet paean turns political with the song in the wind waking up the public to embrace the voice so it would never go away (Nagbangon ang madlang/ nagising at ikinulong ang tinig/sa mariing yakap/nang hindi pakawalan.) My quick translation of the lines does not capture the bittersweet contradictions of Nora Aunor fandom—she awakened a new consciousness in film but then admiration imprisons (ikinulong) a person even if the mani-

therefore when she whispered to me: “I have two poems about Nora.”

Beni was referring to the actor. In a moment, we were briskly leafing quickly through the book until we reached the poem. It was simply titled, “Nora.”

The poem was soon assaulting our senses with the sound that was there and not there: “Sa igiban ng tubig/narinig ang awit [Where they draw water/could be heard the song].” The simplicity of the opening lines betrays the complexity of associations intended by the poet. Marvel at the

festation of adulation is in the form of a tight embrace (mariing yakap).

Routes may be living but, in the verses of Beni, they can also terminate…in death. And yet, it is to the credit of the singularity of her thought that her poems about dying, or suicide, are never elegiac.

In “Ang Babae sa Billboard [The Woman on the Billboard],” she narrates a reporter talking to a woman on the ledge of the billboard that serves as a seat. The media person tries to distract the woman on the billboard. She pleads to the wom-

Tito Genova Valiente

annotations Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

I

was heartened by the news saying the alert status of Taal Volcano has been downgraded to Alert Level 3 from Alert Level 4. This means that the possibility of a hazardous explosion has been decreased. The Batangas provincial government has given the residents the option to return home if their place is no longer on lockdown, or remain in their evacuation center.

Townsfolk of the affected areas were glad to go back to their households, if their dwellings have not been ruined by the eruption.

One returnee exclaimed: “Nakakainip at nakakapagod maghintay na makauwi.... Pagod na pagod kahit nakaupo lang... kaya noong sinabing makakauwi na, ang sarap ng feeling.”

This is not to say, however, that we can now set aside the massive destruction caused by the phreatic eruption, and just sweep the tons and tons of ashfall that changed the landscape of many towns in Batangas. It’s time to rebuild their lives, and repair whatever is left of their properties and livelihood. It’s a great wonder how they can deal with such a horrible loss. Where do they derive their strength and tenacity to handle the crisis? I recall what a widow who lost her only son during the September 11 attack in New York and whose daughter was getting married a couple of days later had said: “When terrible things happen, I try to concentrate on the good parts of life and celebrate them even more than I had before…. At this very moment, I have two things in front of me: dealing with my son’s death—which I have to do and will do—and dealing with my daughter’s wedding. I choose to focus on the wedding… because life is a combination of great tragedy and great beauty. This family will deal with our tragedy. But we will also celebrate the beauty of this wedding with even greater joy. This is what my son would want, and this is what my daughter needs.”

Batangueños are made of sterner stuff. They have their share of good times and bad, catastrophes and blessings. Batangas has fertile land which abundantly grows coffee, cocoa, palay, sugarcane and coconut, and is the major supplier of cattle to Metro Manila. The rich agricultural land encircles a lake which is the main source of fish species—tawilis and maliputo­—that are found only in Taal Lake. The world famous Taal Volcano, majestic when calm but violent when erupting, is both a bane and a boon to residents.

What can be more beautiful than the day the Taal Volcano erupted abruptly disrupting the lives of over a million people in the surrounding areas? I believe it’s the genuine outpouring of love and support of every Filipino to help out the unfortunate residents of Batangas and Cavite badly affected by this

horrific calamity. The donors come from all walks of life­—rich and poor, individuals and corporates, young and old, and men and women.

Each one sharing their blessings to the hapless and the needy, giving everything they got. Three youngsters who were students of De la Salle Lipa even gave their life after a fatal accident while doing relief work in Batangas. What a way to die in the service of mankind. We choose to celebrate their glorious life than mourn their tragic death.

Taal will continue to rumble and tremble for ages to come and the January 12 eruption this year will just be another of its disruptive explosions but the supreme sacrifice of Rio Abel, Maximino Alcantara and Darwin Lajara shall forever live long after the tons of ashfall Taal has spewed are buried in the sands of time. nnn The death of several people shortly before the end of 2019 in some places in Laguna had dampened the merry celebration of the Christmas holidays. Their deaths were caused by drinking the local spirit called lambanog made from coconut sap, which is laced with methanol. In South Africa, local distillers infused their gin with elephant dung to capture the “textures and flavors” of the African bush. Connoisseurs claim that the spirit gets more tasteful particularly when served with tonic water and a dash of lime. The Africanization of the gin has popularized local gin consumption, which has increased by 54 percent over the previous year.

Due to higher demands, the number of distillers has significantly multiplied. After the Apartheid was dismantled in 1994, the licensing regulations to open up distilleries were liberalized. Likewise, discrimination policies were reformed so that nonwhites are now allowed to consume the same types of alcohol drinks as the whites. Maybe our Laguna distillers can learn from their South African counterparts and add harmless herbs or botanicals that abound in Makiling and nearby forests to flavor their lambanog, instead of using hazardous chemicals that may have caused fatal deaths to their consumers. Unless somebody tries using carabao dung to further capture the essence of a true Filipino drink. Let’s toast to that!

Do masks offer protection from new virus?

Conitunued from A6 Respilon, a Czech company that makes its “nano fiber” masks in China, sold 700,000 of them last year worldwide. Since last week, it received orders for 7 million more.

The problem—It cannot make any because the Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday in a bid to contain the virus’ spread.

In Taiwan, where the holiday is over, factories are up and running.

Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government had already distributed 23 million masks and that Taiwan will be able to produce 4

million more a day.

A mask factory in Shanghai has gone into overdrive despite the holiday.

“We are now working 24 hours, two shifts a day, 12 hours shift,” said Liao Huolin, president of the mask company. “We violated labor law,” Liao said, “but the workers understand.”

(AP journalists Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul; Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; Havovi Todd in London; Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan; Erika Kinetz in Shanghai and Karel Janicek in the Czech Republic contributed to this report).

Friday, January 31, 2020

T

he previous night, Benilda Santos, Beni to her friends, was in her element as a teacher in Savage Mind, a bookshop-cumcultural hub in Naga City. She was there to launch her newest collection of poems. The photos though showed the poet, her arm raised now, the other hand clutching an unseen breeze between her face and the ether the next. She was giving a lecture and she was, I would find out the next day, doing asides. Then she listened to invited artists to read her poems. In all of this, she was intense, caught in the space that seemed to mark directions about the past and the present, navigating times and periods that had passed on and acting on days that were yet to come. She was tracking the routes in her mind. Like the title of the book that was released that night­—Ruta. Route.

The next day, Beni was in Ateneo de Naga. This time to give a short talk, listen to guests read some of her poems, and then launch the book, which was published under the Ateneo de Naga University. This was almost the same itinerary that she took the night before.

I have always known Beni to be a good poet, one of our major poets writing in Filipino language. But my utmost familiarity with her was in the field of film criticism.

We are both members of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino. To see her therefore in a night where we were not to be talking about cinema but instead bearing witness to the power of literature was quite an experience.

One of the tasks of the Manunuri or Critic is to review one or two of the nominees for Best Picture. It was during one of those deliberations where she asked me if it was alright to send a poem for her review. “A poetic review?” I asked her. To myself I said, it must be a review but written with all the nuances of a poem.

When at last the publication containing our reviews was released, I excitedly looked for Beni’s review.

There it was, the review. It was not an essay but a poem!

That night in Ateneo de Naga, my task was to talk about the poet as a critic. I wanted to tell her, there was not much difference between a poet and a critic. The critic can be poetic and the poet can be critical.

A7

an and asks what she is doing up there. The woman on the billboard says “wala lang [no reason really].”

Come down then, says the journalist. Then it happens: the woman on the billboard stands up, takes a step and flew fast down. Beni describes the flight:…nang wari anghel na nakalimot magbuka ng pakpak. Like an angel swooping down forgetting to open her wings.

I was already in Manila when the book launch was finalized. The poet and recently heralded Philippine recipient of the Southeast Asian Writers Award (S.E.A. Write Award), Kristian Sendon Cordero, requested that I be one of those who would talk about Beni, as a critic.

I traveled back and made it to the ceremony in Ateneo de Naga on January 23, 2020. Before the mixed crowd of writers and students, I shared my reason for being there. “I owe this person a lot,” I thus started my story.

When my mother was still alive and her consciousness and memory were starting to go away, I would be up with her at 2 or 3 in the morning. On one of those sad, anxious early mornings and in the quiet of my mother’s room, I sent a message to Beni. “Mama is restless,” I texted to her. “Pray the Hail Mary,” was Beni’s response. “It is the prayer meant for women.”

The next morning, I was happy to tell Beni that the prayer worked. But Beni is Beni. She had another advice: “Remember though that your mother will never be well again.”

Benilda S. Santos in her book and in her person is tough love. But it is tender, tough love. Listen to her poem called “Enero.” She writes how the pine trees are weary during this cold month, the branches all drooping. But nothing will fall, yet. “Walang nahuhulog nang wala sa panahon. [Nothing falls off unless the time has come.]”

Ruta: Mga Bago at Piling Tula is the new collection of poetry by Dr. Benilda Santos whose works have won the Palanca and National Book Awards. Santos was also recognized as an Outstanding Educator by the Metrobank Foundation Inc. She is also a film and literary critic and served as former dean of the School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University.

Cover and Book Design by Paolo Tiausas. Artwork by Carla Gamalinda

Basic income guarantee, anyone?

By Dr. Fernando Aldaba

T

he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that the poverty incidence among Filipino families in 2018 fell to 12.1 percent, lower than the estimated 17.9 percent in 2015. This is defined as the proportion of families whose income is below the poverty line to the total number of families. While this is indeed a great improvement, the percentage still translates to around 2.9 million poor families.

Recently, the concepts of universal basic income and basic income guarantee have been advocated by various individuals and sectors because of the increasing number of workers confronted by uncertainties and precarious employment in the labor market due to technological upheavals brought about by artificial intelligence and also due to various extreme climate events and calamities. UBI grants all citizens of a country or a selected geographic area with a fixed sum of money, regardless of their income, resources or employment status, the purpose of which is to basically provide income security to meet basic needs.

BIG also involves cash transfers designed with a similar purpose but targets only low income or poor individuals.

The idea that the state should ensure its citizen’s earnings are sufficient to cover basic living costs through a cash subsidy is not new. This notion has come up repeatedly over the past two centuries through various terminologies: as a citizen’s dividend, a social credit, a national dividend, a demogrant, a negative income tax, “free money for everyone” and a guaranteed minimum income (or “mincome”), among others.

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) proposed that a “groundrent” of £15 be paid to every individual upon turning 21, fol-

lowed by £10 every year after turning 50. He argued that “every person, rich or poor, should receive the payments to prevent invidious distinctions.” Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman (1912-2006) proposed what he called a “negative income tax,” a welfare system where people earning below a certain amount receive supplemental pay from the government instead of paying taxes to the government.

In the 1960s, James Tobin (1918-2002) and John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) and other liberal economists defended in a series of articles the idea of a guaranteed minimum income which is more general, more generous and less dependency-creating than the existing assistance social programs. In the 1970s and 1980s in Denmark, three academics led by Dr. Niels Meyer proposed a UBI type called “citizen’s wage.” In the Netherlands, J.P. Kuiper, a professor at the Free University of Amsterdam recommended uncoupling employment and income through UBI as a way of “countering the de-humanizing nature of paid employment.”

For a country like the Philippines, BIG will be able to reduce poverty and provide financial security among the marginalized population and may also decrease inequality across sectors of society. If this will become the exclusive program for social security, it could rationalize and simplify the delivery of social protection programs. It may also catalyze local economies through increased demand among the populace.

However BIG can also be inflationary due to this increased demand or can have “moral hazard” issues since beneficiaries may lose motivation to look for better quality jobs and become dependent on the grant. The program can also be costly especially if the deliv-

ery and targeting mechanisms are not designed well. It can also be a source of corruption and may divert government resources from competing priorities.

UBI, meanwhile, is simply out of reach by developing country governments like the Philippines because it will entail a very large expenditure.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s conservative government of Finland implemented a BIG experiment from 2017 to 2018. Two thousand randomly selected unemployed persons received a basic income of €560 per month regardless of their other income and whether they actively tried to find a job or not. Results were disappointing and income recipients did not have additional work days or higher incomes than those in the control group.

In Madya Pradesh, India, Unicef and a women’s organization called SEWA gave a grant to households amounting to 40 percent of subsistence levels and found amazing results­—improvements in nutrition, improvements in health and health care, improvements in school attendance and school performance by the children, with girls staying longer in school, and improvements in economic activities. An NGO, Give Directly and the Innovations for Poverty Action also found positive results in a similar project of unconditional cash transfer that they implemented in Kenya. There were other initiatives in Canada, Alaska and Mongolia. The last two were “dividends” given to citizens from revenues generated by mining operations but most of these were only for a limited period.

The Philippines has a long experience of various types of cash transfer ­—the Pantawid Pamilya, a conditional cash grant of around P1,400 per month, the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, around P500 per month, and the Unconditional Cash Transfer due

to TRAIN effects at P300 per month.

Current Philippine spending on social assistance is at 0.7 percent of GDP as compared to an average of 1.5 percent of GDP for developing countries.

Resources-wise, obviously UBI will be unaffordable for the Philippines at the present time. BIG may be affordable but transfers should be given to families and not individuals. It should also be targeted and the delivery mechanism can use the existing infrastructure used by the Pantawid Pamilya.

In 2018, a family of five needed no less than P7,528, on average, to meet the family’s basic food needs for a month (the food threshold). On the other hand, no less than P10,727, on average, was needed to meet both basic food and nonfood needs of a family of five in a month (the poverty threshold). For a cash grant of P2,500 per month for a poor household, the government needs P72.5 billion or 2.1 percent of total budget for 2019 and around .41 percent of GDP. For P5,000 per month per poor household, it is P145 billion, 4.2 percent of total budget and .82 percent of GDP. If we want every Filipino to meet the food threshold, there should be around P7,500 per month transfer per family with a total cost of P217.5 billion, 6.3 percent of the total budget and around 1.23 percent of GDP. Which administration will have the political will to implement this BIG? The author is Dean and Professor of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University. This was mostly derived from his talk during the conference organized by the Philippine Social Security Association entitled, “The Future of Work and Social Security” held on November 15, 2019 at the Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas, Pasig City.

A8

BusinessMirror

Friday, January 31, 2020

Tight power supply, price spikes forecast for summer

By Lenie Lectura

W

@llectura

ITH no new power supply to be generated anytime soon, the country’s independent electricity market operator warned on Thursday that Luzon and Visayas are likely to experience tight supply conditions and price spikes during summer months this year.

“With the expected increase in demand, tight supply conditions and price spikes are likely to happen particularly during summer period. This underscores the need for new generation capacities to meet increasing demand and to help prevent recurrence of high market clearing prices,”

sa id Independent Elect r ic it y Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. (Iemop), operator of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

Iemop Chief Operating Officer Robinson Descanzo said during a briefing that Luzon and Visayas need over 700 megawatts of ad-

ditional capacity this year as energy demand is expected to peak at 14,191 MW compared to 13,450 MW recorded in 2019, an increase of 5.6 percent.

“Around 700 MW is needed.

The demand in 2019 was high and madadagdagan pa ito ng [this could even go up by] 700 MW,” said Descanzo, adding that Luzon peak demand is estimated to reach 500 MW in May or June this year.

Iemop said the 2020 projected figures are based on the Department of Energy Power Development Plan (DOE-PDP) 2016-2040.

In terms of WESM prices, Iemop said this year’s price profile will likely turn out the same for 2020.

The Effective Spot Settlement Price was recorded at P8.38 per kilowatt hour in June 2019, which is an all-time high, while the lowest value was recorded at P2.18 per kWh in September last year.

“By summer, if we look at the profile of 2019, [most likely, we will have that same profile again]. This means that our price profile will

occur again in 2020, but it won’t go over P9 because we have a cap at P9,” Descanzo said.

“And when WESM prices spike, there will probably be an increase in electricity prices, as more power plants tend to conk out during the summer months.

“Why do we say this? Because we have a projected growth of 5.6 percent, which is equivalent to 700 MW, and we don’t have additional power plants coming in before summer,” he said, when asked why tight supply is possible in the next few months.

Descanzo said that while the entry of large generating capacities like GNPower Dinginin coal plant with 669 MW would be helpful in addressing this likely scenario, the additional capacity will happen when the power plant is on line in July this year.

It will be noted that in 2019, the commercial operations of Unit 3 of the Masinloc Power Plant (355 MW) and the San Buenaventura Power Plant (455 MW), both expected to have come online in 2019, were deferred. “ T he entr y of the t wo plants is barely enough for summer this year kasi, paano pag naulit na naman ang mga [ because, what if we see a repeat of the] forced outage like what happened dur ing summer last year? ” noted Descanzo.

The DOE has already ordered power plant owners and operators to reschedule the maintenance shutdown of their power facilities before or after summer months.

“You can see that some of them started their] maintenance shutdown this January. So, we hope [there won’t be any] unexpected outage in summer. We hope the probability of unscheduled shutdown will lessen, but there is no assurance,” he said.

Tax. . .

Continued from A1

of the transfer of property to a REIT company in exchange for its shares of stocks, among others.

The BIR also agreed to remove the requirement for a REIT to place in escrow, in favor of the bureau, the income tax collectible from the REIT on dividends declared and deducted from its taxable income, as well as the 50-percent documentary stamp tax given as incentive on the transfer of real property to the REIT. The Department of Finance (DOF), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) launched on January 20, the amendments to the regulations governing REITs. The implementing rules and regulations (RR) on the REIT Act lowered the minimum public ownership requirement in line with the provision of the law that a REIT company must have at least 1,000 public shareholders, each owning at least 50 shares of any class of shares, and, in aggregate, at least one-third of the outstanding capital stock.

REITs were previously required to maintain a 40-percent public ownership in the first year of their listing. Prior to its amendment, Rule 4 of the IRR further required REITs to increase their public float to 67 percent within three years from their listing.

For its part, the SEC will also require that any proceeds from the sale of shares or other securities issued in exchange for incomegenerating real estate transferred to the REIT, and from the sale of any income-generating real estate to the REIT, must be reinvested by a sponsor or promoter in a real estate, redevelopment or infrastructure project in the Philippines.

To further facilitate the formation of REITs in the country, the SEC enhanced the qualification requirements of REIT fund managers and property managers under Rules 6 and 7 of the IRR, to ensure their independence and specify minimum requirements for their organization, among others.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Chinese woman from Wuhan is PHL’s first confirmed nCoV case T

HE Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday confirmed that a 38-year-old female Chinese patient under investigation (PUI) is positive for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), based on laboratory results from the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia.

“Today the DOH is confirming that the 38-yearold female Chinese patient under investigation is positive for the novel coronavirus—­2019-nCoV,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque revealed in a media briefing.

“She is currently asymptomatic, no fever or signs and symptoms suggesting illness at this point,” Duque said as he assured the public that the DOH is “on top of this evolving situation.”

The patient came from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and traveled to Manila from Wuhan via Hong Kong. She arrived in the country on January 21 and traveled to Dumaguete and Cebu. She is now in an undisclosed government hospital.

“The patient sought consult and was admitted in one of the country’s government hospitals last January 25 after experiencing mild cough,” the health chief said.

The DOH, he said, “continues to guarantee the public that all necessary precautionary measures are being taken to halt the spread of the virus.”

Duque pointed out that authorities were able to detect the first confirmed case “because of our strong surveillance system, close coordination with World Health Organization and other national agencies, and the utilization of DOH’s decision tool.”

He assured the public that the DOH is working closely with the hospital where the patient is admitted and has activated the Incident Command System of that hospital for appropriate management, specifically on infection control, case management, and containment.

“We are also implementing measures to protect the health staff providing care to these patients,” he added.

Committee meeting

DOH is also in close coordination with the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID), which includes representatives of the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Justice (DOJ), Labor and Employment (DOLE), Tourism (DOT), Transportation (DOTr), and Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The task force will convene a high-level meeting on Friday (January 31), to discuss the first confirmed case and developments arising from this health event.

The Bureau of Quarantine remains on high alert and is in constant coordination with authorities from all ports of entry for stricter border surveillance. DOH insisted its health facilities are equipped and prepared to receive and care for PUIs and confirmed 2019-nCoV cases.

DOH has recorded a total of 29 PUIs—18 in Metro Manila, four in Central Visayas, three in Western Visayas, one in Mimaropa, one in Eastern Visayas, one in Northern Mindanao, and one in Davao.

Twenty-three PUIs are currently admitted and five have been discharged but are still under strict monitoring. DOH also reported one PUI mortality.

Despite the present situation, Duque urged the public to remain calm.

Travel restrictions

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Senate Labor committee asked the government to impose travel restrictions to and from China. “With the news that the country has recorded the first case of the nCoV this afternoon, the government must prioritize the safety and security of our people over other considerations,” said Sen. Joel Villanueva.

“For OFWs whose deployment to China are upcoming and for Balik Manggagawa, we ask

that they postpone their trips there indefinitely to minimize the risk of being infected with the virus.

For OFWs stranded in the quarantined areas, please follow the health protocol being observed in the area. Help our diplomatic staff there by notifying your status so that every Filipino is accounted for,” he added.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also backed the call for an immediate travel ban “on all individuals traveling from China, and all travelers who have passed through China in the past two weeks.: In a statement, Hontiveros said, “my proposal is a temporary travel ban of at least 30 days in light of the first confirmed case of the 2019 novel coronavirus in the country.

“Our travel ban must firmly include both air and sea travel to prevent a local outbreak. This includes a temporary ban on all cruise ships from docking at any of our ports.”

She urged the Bureau of Quarantine “to implement mandatory quarantine to all those who have just arrived from China, to remain vigilant and to study the safety measures of our neighboring countries with confirmed cases of nCoV.” This temporary travel ban will give health authorities more time to set in place all safeguards necessary in case there are more confirmations of the 2019-nCoV presence in the country from those under present surveillance, Hontiveros explained.

Employers’ duty

Sen. Villanueva, the Senate’s Labor panel chief, meanwhile advised employers not to hesitate to send home workers who show symptoms of the flu but continue to report to work and consider the occupational health and safety of their entire organization.

Villanueva urged the Depar tment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a pertinent labor advisory reminding private companies of their obligations to comply with labor standards par tic ularly the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law.

“While the public’s awareness of the prevailing health scare concerning the novel coronavirus remains high, our labor officials should seize the moment to reiterate that the health and safety of our workers must be of paramount concern to employers. Our OSHS law states this principal clearly and unequivocally,” said Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development.

“The labor advisory will also serve as a warning for companies who think that they can tiptoe around prevailing regulations without any consequence.”

‘WUHAN’ at airport

The premier airport on Thursday adopted “WUHAN” as a pnemonic to compel passengers, employees and visitors to observe precautions to avoid infection.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal cited DOH officials as the source for what WUHAN stands for: “W-wash hands, U use mask properly, H-have temperature checked regularly, A-avoid large crowds, N-never touch your face with unclean hands and no beso-beso.”

Most departing passengers and employees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) could be seen wearing protective masks.

Hand sanitizers have been installed in all corners of the Naia terminals.

The airport’s Customs district collector Mimel Talusan said that a concerned medical supplier gave 1,000 pieces of N95 masks for use by Customs personnel.

The BOC Naia at the same time intensified monitoring of the shipment of animals and other products from China, including used clothing known as ukay-ukay, as part of safety measures.Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Recto L. Mercene, Butch Fernandez

Quiboloy belies FBI’s human-trafficking claim

By Manuel T. Cayon |

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

D

AVAO CITY—The camp of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy here on Thursday belied the allegation of US federal agents that his operation in the US was linked to human trafficking to fund his lavish lifestyle.

Quiboloy’s spokesman, lawyer Israelito P. Torreon, said the burden of proof lies with the US authorities to prove their allegations of immigration fraud, including fund collections remitted back to the Philippines and arranged sham marriages between his followers and US citizens.

Torreon expressed the view that the US was waiting for an opportune time to taint the reputation of Quiboloy and said, “we expected it to come soon.”

“The filing of the criminal complaint against KOJC [Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name] three administrators in the US is part

of the grand conspiracy of lies” concocted by men/ women who were once part of KOJC but struck an alliance with forces jealous of the meteoric rise of Pastor ACQ and KJC,” he said in a statement.

He admitted that the 12 witnesses under FBI custody now were members of the organization, but allegedly, they had committed various misdemeanors against KOJC. “Instead of facing these proceedings within the walls of KOJC, they have chosen to break ranks and invent cases against Pastor ACQ and KOJC as a whole,” he said, and added that their aim was to “exact revenge, extortion commingled with a brazen but shameless desire to put ACQ and KJOC as a whole into a quagmire of shame, blatant humiliation and defeat through trumped-up charges,” he added.

Still, he said, the organization remained open to the 12 “who volunteered the information to the FBI.” See “Quiboloy,” A2

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of application for Alien Employment Permits published on August 17, 2019, the company of Mr. Su, Huan under 24/7 BUSINESS PROCESSING INC. should have been read as TELFA OUTSOURCING SERVICES INC. located at Unit 3B, MRB 1160 J. Bocobo St., Ermita, 072, Brgy. 670, City of Manila, Metro Manila and not as published.

In the ad material published on January 15, 2020, the name of Mr. Li, Gingxu under KU XUAN INTERNATIONAL SERVICES INC. should have been read as Li, Qingxu and not as published.

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE NCR Regional Office located at 967 Maligaya St., Malate, Manila, within 30 days after its publication.

Please inform DOLE NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A26 Friday, January 31, 2020

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE NCR Regional Office located at 967 Maligaya St., Malate, Manila, within 30 days after its publication.

Please inform DOLE NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph Republic of the Philippines

35

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TINGQIAN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

36

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JINPENG LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

37

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. BIN HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

38

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JUNFANG ZHOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Position and Brief Description of Functions

39

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SIYUAN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Director/Corporate Manager

40

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. XIANCHUN LIAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

41

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. GUOLIANG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

42

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YAFU MA / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

43

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JINHUI BAI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

44

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHONG ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

45

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YUJIE CUI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

46

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WEI HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

47

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIAOYONG DING / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. IV-A 4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362 January 31, 2020

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT (AEP) Notice is hereby given that the following employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s.

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Friday, January 31, 2020 A27

1

STARVIEW HOTEL AND RESORT Blumentritt St. Tubuan 1, Silang, Cavite

Mr. GUIJUM AUM / Korean

2

ATLANTIC GULF & PACIFIC COMPANY OF MANILA, INCORPORATED AG&P-SEZ, Brgy. San Roque, Bauan, Batangas

Mr. A THOMAS LOWTHER / British

3

ATLANTIC GULF & PACIFIC COMPANY OF MANILA, INCORPORATED AG&P-SEZ, Brgy. San Roque, Bauan, Batangas

Mr. DANIEL GERARD BOLAND / Irish

4

ATLANTIC GULF & PACIFIC COMPANY OF MANILA, INCORPORATED AG&P-SEZ, Brgy. San Roque, Bauan, Batangas

Mr. NATHAN MARK PERRY FRENCH / British

5

H.R.D. SINGAPORE PTE LTD CEZ II, General Trias, Cavite

Mr. ATSUKI IKEMORI / Japanese

Adviser-Interior Cabinet MC

6

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JINRONG MENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

7

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XITAO WEI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

8

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. KAI JI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

48

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. DANDAN MAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

9

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HONGSHAN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

49

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIANGHUI YAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

10

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIE XU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

50

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YOUSHENG HE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

11

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHAO CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

51

Mr. YU LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. ANXIN LIANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

12

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

13

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HONGLI XIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

52

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. LIJUAN HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

14

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIANGLIN DAI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

53

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. QUANHONGXIN LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

15

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZUYI CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

54

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CONG LIANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

16

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. MENGDI FU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

55

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAOQI LIANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

17

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. YAN FANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

56

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SHIJIE XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

18

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. MIN TANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

57

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. FENG GAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

19

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HEZHONG YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

58

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. QIAOYAN SU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

20

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SHUI CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

59

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. RUTING HOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

21

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DONG CAI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

60

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIAXU WEI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

22

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. QI WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

61

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DONG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

23

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TIANDE SU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

62

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. FEI WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

24

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JUNHUA WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

63

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. HUI YUE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

25

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIAOMENG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

64

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XUANJING ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

26

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YONGYOU YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

65

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHUANGSHUANG YAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

27

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LIFENG LU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

66

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHAOLIANG LONG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAIPING WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

67

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHANSHAN XU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YONGCHENG YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

68

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. CAIHONG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHUFANG WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

69

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YONGJUN MA / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

70

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHOU ZHENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

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29

30

31

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YANHUI ZHAO / Chinese

Security Director

Construction Manager

Rigging Assessor

Chinese Customer Service Representative

32

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HONGYU REN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

33

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. YINGNA WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

71

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. NA LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

34

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WUCHAO XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

72

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIANZHOU YAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

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Name and Address of Company/Employer

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

Name and Address of Company/Employer

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Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

73

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. XUEJIAO CHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

110

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. BO WEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

74

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. AOWEI YIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

111

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LIANZHI TANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

75

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. HAIHONG CHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

112

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TAO ZHAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

76

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHENGMING ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

113

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. YUJIAO ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

77

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIAN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

114

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHANG LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

78

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YIQIANG HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

115

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAOYANG FAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

79

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIE WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

116

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. FENG SU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

80

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHUNXIAO LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

117

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIAN GAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

81

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WENXING LYU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

118

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. QUANYOU ZHU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

82

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHIWEI LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

119

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHEN ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

83

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XUEBING LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

120

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIAOHUI GAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

84

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. MING LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

121

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZINAN REN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. JUNRONG OU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

122

85

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. FAJIN LIANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. WENZE LAI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

123

86

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHIHAO ZHOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. XIAOBO ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

124

87

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIAPING WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Ms. YU LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

125

88

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. BAOLIN XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

126

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. LANLAN CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

127

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WUHAO CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

128

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIAO HUI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

129

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIANZE LIAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

130

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. GUILIN HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

131

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LIANJIE GUO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

132

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HOANG NHAT NAM / Vietnamese

133

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHUMIN GUO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

134

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. KUNLING YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

135

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LUPING JIANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

136

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAOYANG FAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

137

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SICHAO CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

138

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JING WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 101 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LIQIANG ZHANG / Chinese Mr. FEIFAN ZHANG / Chinese Mr. GUISHENG LI / Chinese Ms. XIAOLI WANG / Chinese Mr. TRAN VINH QUANG / Vietnamese Mr. WEIQIANG LI / Chinese Mr. XIAONAN GENG / Chinese Mr. DAOKUAN GU / Chinese Mr. PAN HUANG / Chinese Mr. ZHIXING LIU / Chinese Mr. GUANGHAO JIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese Customer Service Representative

Ms. RONGJUAN CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. CHENGLONG HU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

102

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHEN YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

139

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHUNHONG LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

103

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WENJIE LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

140

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YU CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

104

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. MENGYU YIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

141

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JUNWEI YU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

105

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIASHI LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

142

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. RUIMENG SONG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 106 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAOTIAN GUO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

143

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHAOZHONG CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 107 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SIMING HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

144

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. RANLIANG YU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

108

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DONG CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

145

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. RANPENG LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

109

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YONGCAI LYU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

146

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DEYAO LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Friday, January 31, 2020 A29

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

147

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YANG LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

193

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. QINGSHOU CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

148

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIAPING LI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

194

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LINGKE WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

149

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIAO HE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

195

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. CHUNYAN GONG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

150

NIPPON PREMIUM BAKERY INC. FPIP II, Santo Tomas, Batangas

Mr. KENJI YAMASAKI / Japanese

Deputy Chief Technical Officer

196

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WEIHAO ZHAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

General Manager for Parts Production Department

197

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. TING WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

198

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHENCONG YU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

199

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JINLI PAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

JAE PHILIPPINES, INC. 151 SEPZ, GBP, Javalera, General Trias, Cavite

Mr. AKIRA IDE / Japanese

CUTECH PROCESS SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 152 Unit 4C Maptan Building, Pallocan Kanluran, Batangas City, Batangas

Mr. MOHANRAJ SELLAMUTHU / Indian

CUTECH PROCESS SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 153 Unit 4C Maptan Building, Pallocan Kanluran, Batangas City, Batangas

Ms. SURYA PRABHA THANGARAJ / Indian

Finance Executive

200

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHAOFAN DONG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

NODA KIGATA PHILIPPINE 154 CORPORATION FPIP-SEZ, Tanauan City, Batangas

Mr. YUSAKU KATO / Japanese

General Manager

201

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YUANLIN CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

General Manager

155

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHENG QIAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

202

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. LIANZHANG XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

156

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. MINGBO OU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

203

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHASHA LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

157

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HUAICHAO WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

204

Mr. WANJUN ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. ZHIQIANG LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

158

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. YAN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

205

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HECHUAN ZHENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 159 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 160

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. BIN WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

206

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIANFENG AN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

161

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. PENGZE XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

207

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZIHAO FENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

162

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TIANXIANG XU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

208

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ERRUI ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

163

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YU LIU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

209

Mr. QINGPENG WEI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. YUNBIN WEI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

164

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TIANCAI GAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

210

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIZHOU HE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

211

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHENQIAN ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 165 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 166

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. JIEPING LU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

167

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHUZHEN WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

212

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. RONGCAI WU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

168

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. LULU ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

213

Mr. KUNRONG ZHOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. FUGANG NI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

169

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

170

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YONGKANG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

214

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. FEI FAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. ZHENYUN HAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

215

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DUSONG YIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 171 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 172

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. PANXU TAO / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

216

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TENGFEI DOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

173

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SHUAI QING / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

217

Ms. YAN DU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Ms. YAOLAN ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

174

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 175 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. HAO ZHOU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

218

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. SHIJUAN XIE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

176

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. RUN CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

219

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YUANHANG XIAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

177

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. ZHENYAN LIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

220

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SHIPENG ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

178

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JIANGBI HAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

221

Mr. SHAOWEI ZENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Mr. CHENGUANG RAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

179

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

180

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JUN ZHU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

222

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YUANCHENG DENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Ms. LILI YANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

223

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHAOCHAO WEI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 181 Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite 182

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. QIUMIN CAI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

224

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YANG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

183

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. WEIYANG LIN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

225

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. CHAOCHENG HU / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

184

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DONGDONG WANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

226

Mr. GUIMING HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Ms. SUYING ZHANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

185

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

186

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XIN HE / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

227

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Ms. MAN CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

187

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. SUIBIN XIA / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

228

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. XILIN SONG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

188

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. JUNSHU CHEN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

189

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. DONG SHI / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

190

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. BO HAN / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

191

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. YINGTE HUANG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

192

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Brgy. Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite

Mr. TANGLUN PENG / Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at the DOLE Regional Office within 30 days from the date of publication.

Please inform the DOLE Regional Office if you have an information of any criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. NEPOMUCENO A. LEAÑO II OIC, Regional Director

To avail of free job referral, placement, and employment guidance services, visit the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) or log on at http://www.philjobnet.gov.ph AEP20201007327

Companies BusinessMirror

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IMI to extend work stoppage in China factories due to Wuhan coronavirus

A

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

YALA-LED Integrated MicroElectronics Inc. (IMI) on Thursday said it has delayed resumption of work in selected China manufacturing facilities as it follows local government notices of lockdown due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The company said its earliest work resumption will be on its Sichuan plant on February 3, followed by its factory in Jiangsu on February 9, and then the Guangdong and Zhejiang plants a day after.

The provincial government units, in accordance with the Emergency Response Law and Infectious Disease

‘Pre-need Week’ set February 1-7

Prevention and Control Law of China, extended the holidays to ensure the implementation of measures and response requirements, and further strengthen the control of the virus.

“IMI is currently assessing the extent of the impact of such outbreak on its operational and financial performance,” it said.

The company said it is developing contingency plans to recover production backlogs as a result of suspensions including, among others, the temporary transfer of production activities for some customers to other IMI manufacturing plants.

“Management is communicating with local government offices regarding the possibility of resuming production earlier than the mandated dates at reduced production capacity.”

The company said it is implementing guidelines to address and manage employees who manifest symptoms associated with the Wuhan coronavirus.

“Business trips to and from highrisk regions have been deferred. IMI remains vigilant, and will ensure that all employees have a healthy and safe work environment.”

IMI’s net income plunged to just

$451,000 during the three quarters of 2019 as its main market segments saw a steep slowdown, compounded by the geopolitical issues involving the trade war between the US and China.

IMI’s income from January to September last year was down 98 percent from the previous $41.4-million profit. The company said it had a provision for nonrecurring deferred expenses of $5.2 million, which almost eroded its profit for the year.

Consolidated revenues reached $939.6 million during January to September, some 7 percent lower than last year.

It said the lingering contraction in the automotive space, particularly in China, has brought down customer demand forecasts that led to challenged margins as new manufacturing lines are temporarily underutilized.

AirAsia flew more Filipino passengers in ’19–report

LORICA

T

HE Philippine Federation of Pre-need Plan Cos. Inc. leads the celebration of the “19th Pre-need Consciousness Week” from February 1 to 7 with the theme: “Nagkakaisa para sa Pamilyang Pilipino.”

The annual celebration through Proclamation 52 was declared by then-President Gloria MacapagalArroyo on May 30, 2001, to raise the awareness of the value of planning ahead of actual need.

Elmer M. Lorica, president of the Philippine Federation of Pre-need Plan Cos. Inc. and of preneed industry leader of Eternal Plans said that planning ahead of certain needs happening in the future is economical, practical and wise.

“Retirement, education of children and death are life changing needs. They can be a problem if we have not prepared for them, but can turn into a celebration of significant life moments when we have the resources to cope with them,” Lorica said.

The Federation, he explained, aims to educate Filipinos to prepare for these needs and, thus, improve the quality of life.

The Philippine Federation of Preneed Plan Cos. Inc. has 21 membercompanies offering various preneed products, namely, life, pension and education plans. Cooperatively working with the Insurance Commission, the government regulatory agency, it promotes the growth of the preneed industry that traces its beginning as a Filipino invention that started in the late 1960s.

According to Lorica, who is also the president and chief operating officer of Eternal Plans Inc., the needs that preneed plans serve are not contingent, but are sure to happen.

“Thus, we will be better off preparing for them while we still can,” Lorica added.

THIS file photo shows AirAsia’s 180-seat plane.

By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

A

IR ASIA Philippines reported robust capacity growth during the last quarter of 2019, up 27 percent year-on-year (YoY) following the introduction of a new ManilaBacolod route, in addition to frequency increases across popular domestic and international routes, such as Manila-Caticlan and Bangkok-Manila.

“Load factor was, however, lower by 4 points to 85 percent due to the large increase in capacity. The number of passengers carried grew by 21 percent YoY,” the company said in its fourth quarter and full financial year 2019 Preliminary Operating Statistics.

For full year 2019, for all six Air Operator Certificates (AOCs), passengers ferried by the airline rose by 12 percent YOY to 83.5 million passengers.

The company said capacity expansion was “significant” during the year at 11 percent YoY on the back of the acquisition of 19 more aircraft, ending the year with a fleet size of 243 aircraft.

AirAsia Group said it achieved its target load factor of 85 percent for 6 AOCs in 2019. Correspond-

ingly, the number of passengers carried dipped by 1 percent, holding load factor firm at 86 percent.

AirAsia Group Berhad’s consolidated AOCs continued to grow in the fourth quarter of 2019. Capacity expanded by 11 percent YoY, driven by large increases in Indonesia and Philippines.

However, load factor dipped slightly by 2-percentage points to 82 percent in the last quarter due to the higher capacity.

The company said AirAsia Malaysia added 4 percent more capacity and carried 2 percent more passengers YOY, with a softer load factor of 82 percent due to change in pricing strategy. AirAsia Malaysia launched two new international routes, including a new unique route to Dalat in Vietnam from Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia Malaysia also said it began running commercial flights with its newly delivered Airbus A321neo in November 2019. For the full year 2019, AirAsia Malaysia carried 8 percent more passengers, faster than industry growth, ref lecting continuing market share gain.

AirAsia Indonesia’s capacity was 32 percent higher than in the same period of 2018. The number of passengers carried grew 30

percent compared to the previous corresponding quarter, recording marginally lower load factor of 81 percent owing to higher capacity.

During the period, AirAsia Indonesia launched six new routes, which are Jakarta-Belitung, JakartaSorong, Kuala Lumpur-Belitung, Kuala Lumpur-Pontianak, Jakarta-Johor Bahru and SurabayaLombok.

As for AirAsia India, the lowcost carrier reported that the total passengers it carried went up by 39 percent YoY on the back of a 38-percent ramp up in capacity, improving load factor by 1-percentage point to hit 87 percent.

It also strengthened its domestic position by introducing several new routes, ending the year with a fleet size of 28.

T he company said A irA sia Thailand reduced capacity by 2 percent YoY as it focused on capacity realignment and route rationalization.

“AirAsia Japan’s capacity expanded by 94 percent, while ASK [available seat kilometers] jumped by 74 percent following the launch of its third route, Nagoya-Sendai in the third quarter. Load factor held steady at 72 percent, supported by a 95-percent YoY growth in passengers carried,” the company said.

Friday, January 31, 2020

B1

Lance Y. Gokongwei appointed board member of top sustainability reporting standards body

L

A NCE Y. GOKONGW EI, president and CEO of JG Summit Holdings, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified Philippine conglomerates, has been named as one of the four new members to the board of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), provider of the world’s leading sustainability reporting standards effective January 1, 2020.

Representing the business enterprise sector in the GRI board, Gokongwei is joined by Eelco van der Enden, a Partner at PwC from the Netherlands and Jessica Fries, executive chairman of A4S-Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability from the United Kingdom, both representing the mediating institution; and Jyrki Raina, a global industrial relations expert from Finland representing labor organizations.

The new GRI board of directors, who will serve a term of three years, will oversee the organization’s work to increase and strengthen sustainability disclosures by companies around the world, helping them communicate how they contribute toward sustainable development.

Eric Hespenheide, chairman of the GRI board said: “GRI provides international leadership through our mission to develop global standards for disclosure of economic, environmental and social performance. I am excited to welcome four new directors to the Board. Collectively, and individually, they will add a lot of knowledge and experience to GRI and their appointments continue to demonstrate our independent and multi-stakeholder approach.

GRI Chief Executive Tim Mohin added: “The appointments of Lance, Eelco, Jessica and Jyrki bring fresh perspectives and expertise, and I look forward to working with them to advance sustainability reporting.”

With the addition of the four new directors, GRI’s 15 board members will include 13 nationalities from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Asia and Australia. GRI’s governance also has representation from five constituency groups—business enterprise, labor organizations, mediating institutions, investment and civil society.

Gokongwei leads JG Summit, a conglomerate in the real estate, food, transport, financial services and petrochemicals sectors, with operations in the Philippines, and throughout Southeast Asia and Australasia. He is chairman of Robinsons Retail Holdings and vice chairman of Manila Electric Co. As trustee and secretary of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, he drives the sustainability direction and efforts of the Gokongwei Group.

The new members will join 11 continuing members of the GRI board of directors.

Established in 1997, GRI is headquartered in A msterdam (the Netherlands) with regional offices around the world. It is the independent international organization that helps businesses, governments, and other organizations understand and communicate their sustainability impacts.

The GRI Standards are the most widely used sustainability reporting standards globally.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Friday, January 31, 2020

Malacañang to start scrutiny of UP-Ayala Technohub deal

T

By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

HE much-awaited review of the alleged onerous contract between the University of the Philippines (UP) and Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) for the Technohub property in Quezon City is set to start soon after a copy of it was finally submitted to Malacañang.

“We will study it. The contract has just arrived [in Malacañang],” Presidential spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo told reporters in a press briefing on Thursday.

Panelo said the copy was sent by UP upon the request of Malacañang.

He said earlier that President Duterte had approved his recommendation to look into the contract following reports that ALI paid only P20 per square meter a month to UP for 25 years.

If this is true, he said this is disadvantageous for the government.

Govt’s pledge: Bidding for Sangley Airport will be fair and transparent

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ALACAÑANG on Thursday vowed that the bidding for the Sangley Airport in Cavite will be transparent amid allegations that the process was rigged.

In a press briefing, Presidential spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo urged the losing bidders, who participated in the process for the construction of the new Cavitebased airport, to file the necessary complaint.

“You must remember that this government has always been open to any complaint. In fact, we encourage people to complain, so that we will know whatever anomalies there are,” said Panelo.

A report published on Thursday claimed the bidding process was a “sham” since it “heavily favored” the consortium stater u n C h ina Commu nicat ions Construction Co. (CCCC) and MacroAsia Corp.

It said six other groups joined the bidding for the Sangley Airport project. All of the firms later dropped from the project due to the purported “unrealistic deadline” of the Cavite government for the submission of their bids.

The Cavite government belied the allegation.

Panelo said unless substantiated proof is presented by the complainants, he said the government does not see they get any substantiated proof stating otherwise, he said they see no justification to question the credibility of the bid of CCCCMacroAsia.

“You must remember that bidding process has certain conditions, so bidders will have to comply with all the conditions.

So, if the Chinese company has complied with all the requirements unlike others, then necessarily the Chinese company will be the chosen one,” Panelo said.

Samuel P. Medenilla

ALI belied the allegation, saying it pays the government P171 per square meter a month. It also said UP agreed to receive P10.23 billion for the lease payments equivalent and investments for 16 commercial buildings in the Technohub property.

Panelo said on January 22 that he will recommend to President Duterte the review of the lease agreement between UP and ALI. The President’s spokesman insisted that the lease deal is disadvantageous to the government.

He said that even if the effective lease rate paid to UP is actually P171 per square meter—as claimed by ALI—this would still be “unfair.”

“In other words, they’re earning… how much do they earn in a month?

Assume that a building earns P1 million, that’s small, because many

MUTUAL FUNDS

people are renting in that building.

Assume an average P1 million, with 16 commercial buildings. Then they have P16 million in a month, multiply that by 12 months, times 25 [years].

Okay, do the math,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.

On ALI’s web site, the company said the Technohub is an “innovative low-density complex” that is registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and is ideal for business-process outsourcing firms.

The UP-Ayala partnership is a pioneering collaboration between the industry and academe. The Technohub is envisioned as “an integrated community of science-and-technology companies creating a dynamic learning and entrepreneurial laboratory at the very home of young and brilliant minds.”

January 30, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

January 30, 2020

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALS

BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE FERRONOUX HLDG MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

153.3 84.4 25.1 11.84 61.3 32.2 53.4 21.1 179.9 62.5 0.88 4.11 0.395 841.5 0.78 170.1 1831

154 84.5 25.2 11.86 61.65 32.5 53.6 22 180 62.75 0.9 4.29 0.415 878 0.82 174.7 1850

154 83 25.15 11.84 64 32.2 55.9 21.1 182.3 62.5 0.88 4.3 0.385 879.5 0.79 176.9 1850

156.5 84.5 25.2 11.9 64 32.85 55.9 21.7 186.7 62.8 0.88 4.3 0.42 879.5 0.8 176.9 1850

153 82.75 25.05 11.84 61.3 32.05 53.3 21.05 180 62.25 0.88 4.3 0.385 879.5 0.78 175 1850

154 84.5 25.1 11.86 61.3 32.2 53.3 21.05 180 62.5 0.88 4.3 0.4 879.5 0.78 175 1850

1873720 2518360 31900 105800 2069090 185400 3020 22200 352030 10670 10000 5000 100000 10 224000 150 15

288543789 211445958 801115 1256684 130189055 5970235 163413 468630 63719064 666491.5 8800 21500 40100 8795 176030 26269 27750

-73758051 16259772 -2520 -444370 -59404828 -2360305 -445470 -45768614 -0 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER AGRINURTURE AXELUM BOGO MEDELLIN CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CONCRETE A CEMEX HLDG DAVINCI CAPITAL EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

2.03 1.2 32.9 0.235 21.4 66.6 277.2 12.16 3.8 3.87 11.72 30 9.36 11.8 3.3 88.4 16.62 15.04 4.96 9.05 7.22 73.5 0.54 1.67 37.15 200.2 6.89 10.52 1.82 9.5 1.6 5.15 1.63 151.3 1.27 2.4 62 1.56 5 12.62 8.87 12.34 14.76 9.8 0.96 0.99 2.14 3.12 4.77 32.5 1.95 7.29 1.22 4.88 1.08 9.04

2.04 1.21 33.25 0.239 21.5 66.85 277.4 12.18 3.81 4.12 11.94 30.4 9.37 12.08 3.31 100.9 17.78 15.3 5 9.09 7.23 74 0.55 1.68 37.5 200.4 7.11 10.7 1.83 9.62 1.63 5.2 1.78 153.9 1.28 2.54 65 1.57 5.29 12.8 8.88 12.76 14.8 9.9 1 1 2.15 3.26 4.9 32.9 2 7.33 1.25 5.29 1.13 9.05

2.08 1.2 32.75 0.235 21.45 66.9 280 10.72 3.86 3.86 11.94 31 9.39 11.4 3.15 88.35 16.62 15.04 4.95 9.1 7.23 74.2 0.54 1.62 36.55 202.2 7.29 10.7 1.83 9.54 1.64 5.05 1.7 155.5 1.29 2.43 63 1.59 5.02 13 9 12.3 14.82 9.8 0.97 1.04 2.16 3.26 4.96 32.45 2 7.69 1.3 5.29 1.21 10.16

2.12 1.21 33.3 0.244 21.85 66.9 285 12.28 3.88 3.86 11.94 31 9.39 12.08 3.36 100.9 17.8 15.04 5 9.1 7.23 74.2 0.54 1.7 37.15 203 7.29 10.8 1.85 9.6 1.64 5.2 1.7 156.9 1.31 2.45 63 1.59 5.39 13 9 12.9 14.86 9.94 1.02 1.1 2.16 3.26 4.98 32.5 2.03 7.69 1.33 5.29 1.23 10.22

2.02 1.2 32.6 0.233 21.1 66.5 276 10.72 3.81 3.86 11.62 29.8 9.1 11.36 3.15 88.35 16.62 15 4.95 9.03 7.22 73.1 0.53 1.58 36.55 200 7.29 10.5 1.82 9.5 1.6 5.02 1.7 151.3 1.26 2.4 61.45 1.55 5 12.56 8.88 12.3 14.72 9.75 0.95 0.98 2.15 3.26 4.82 32.45 1.94 7.2 1.12 5.29 1.06 9.01

2.04 1.21 33.25 0.235 21.5 66.6 277.4 12.16 3.81 3.86 11.94 30 9.36 12.08 3.31 100.9 17.8 15.04 5 9.05 7.22 74 0.54 1.68 37.15 200.2 7.29 10.7 1.82 9.5 1.6 5.2 1.7 151.3 1.28 2.4 61.45 1.56 5.39 12.62 8.88 12.76 14.8 9.9 1 0.99 2.15 3.26 4.82 32.5 2 7.29 1.25 5.29 1.08 9.05

2891000 212000 610100 3470000 1674600 61420 182150 37807400 995000 11000 28100 249900 320300 1187600 4196000 110 1800 1655400 15500 1464900 3995100 50220 628000 29875000 111000 580180 100 67800 51000 264700 336000 64400 1000 778220 6620000 31000 550 8174000 100100 339800 122900 24700 2697300 7000 269000 9006000 25000 3000 17000 500 3459000 1120100 541000 1000 2491000 3405100

5944060 -816040.0001 254900 20219790 7580415 821690 9600 36052730 8706570 4089824.5 -4679.5 51216934 -3254874 437706864 42015566 3817120 -1436970 42460 332162 -16556 7516495 -980265 2963830 -187000 14302196 1774594 13757420 48450 9844 30034 24883640 -296912 77480 13277720 4343740 28844689 7666136 3708655.5 344233.5003 335320 48998980 -2302200 4120370 3336130.0001 116564008 -54194270 729 722598 -96584 93230 -32800 2515646 -202172 540570 323952 181661 1700 120,106,660( 46,525,592.0004) 8539200 -58880 74720 31080 34572.5 12775680 -3086150 501004 4312612 -3197384 1091918 -1021557 307936 39876306 -36909622 69153 256370 9312870 122400 53900 -10800 9780 83540 16245 6900210 -2006260 8216871 2056335 656260 33600 5290 2799100 32202626 112100

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES SEAFRONT RES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.86 10.36 721 50.9 10.78 2.67 6 0.69 0.91 0.93 6.38 5.96 12.94 0.207 716.5 5.11 73 0.485 3.71 10.28 0.57 3.21 5 1.15 2.75 1.22 180.4 993 142.7 0.8 2.01 180 0.206 0.213

0.87 10.72 724.5 51 10.8 2.73 6.37 0.71 0.92 0.95 6.39 5.97 12.98 0.225 722.5 5.15 73.05 0.5 3.72 10.3 0.6 3.22 5.02 1.21 2.89 1.23 190 995 144.1 0.83 2.3 186 0.216 0.223

0.87 10.96 719 51.45 10.82 2.64 6.2 0.7 0.93 0.95 6.39 6 12.98 0.206 753 5.11 74.95 0.5 3.72 10.38 0.57 3.22 5.31 1.2 2.75 1.22 186 1020 143.3 0.81 2.01 188 0.206 0.225

0.88 10.96 735 51.5 10.9 2.67 6.2 0.72 0.93 0.95 6.42 6.11 12.98 0.206 753 5.15 74.95 0.5 3.74 10.4 0.6 3.3 5.48 1.2 2.75 1.22 194.5 1020 145.9 0.84 2.01 188.1 0.206 0.225

0.86 10.36 717.5 50.55 10.78 2.6 6 0.69 0.9 0.95 6.36 5.95 12.98 0.206 716.5 5.11 72.8 0.485 3.72 10.18 0.57 3.21 5.02 1.17 2.75 1.22 183.7 995 142.7 0.81 2.01 179 0.206 0.222

0.86 10.72 721 50.9 10.78 2.67 6 0.69 0.92 0.95 6.38 5.96 12.98 0.206 716.5 5.15 73.05 0.5 3.72 10.3 0.6 3.21 5.02 1.17 2.75 1.22 190 995 142.7 0.84 2.01 180 0.206 0.223

7737000 48800 188570 437410 4593600 3428000 57000 739000 1820000 58000 1378500 6692800 8000 200000 97210 32900 828610 252000 224000 1975200 15000 47140000 111400 78000 2000 30000 190 311885 151740 50000 2000 9990 200000 820000

6671120 860 528892 136696740 606325 22321878.5 -5456544.5 49542544 6556780 8990720 -252180 344846 6010 517410 1653630 55100 8808418 -203747 40,103,497( 12,922,241.0002) 103840 41200 71853560 -39565885 168483 -122293 60627397.5 -25301302 123305 834200 20307754 -2971714 8580 152948580 -15838260 576907 92460 5500 36600 35527 313016065 -150038170 21,721,137( 16,403,179.0003) 41670 4020 1834695 -704917 41200 182730 -

SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

74.8 76 75.7 75.75

75.45 76.2 75.85 75.85

74.9 75.95 75.7 75.7

75.5 76 75.7 75.7

74.5 75.95 75.7 75.7

75 76 75.7 75.7

44400 1300500 500 1000

3329934 98837990 37850 75700

-

15.56

15.8

15.9

15.5

15.56

228800

3567346

-2707218

HOLDING & FRIMS

NAV ONE YEAR THREE YEAR FIVE YEAR Y-T-D

PER SHARE RETURN* RETURN STOCK FUNDS ALFM GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 242.01 -10.19% -1.77% -2.35% -3.92% ATRAM ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 1.302 -13.14% -2.5% -4.62% -5.79% ATRAM PHILIPPINE EQUITY OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 3.3932 -18.18% -5.95% -5.33% -7.75% CLIMBS SHARE CAPITAL EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND CORP. -A 0.8453 -11.56% N.A. N.A. -5.77% FIRST METRO CONSUMER FUND ON MSCI PHILS. IMI, INC. -A 0.8102 -8.22% N.A. N.A. -4.6% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN EQUITY FUND,INC. -A 5.0995 -8.4% -0.54% -2.49% -4.29% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,6 0.8128 -9.04% -4.4% N.A. -4.78% MBG EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND, INC. -A 100.47 -17.71% N.A. N.A. -2.77% PAMI EQUITY INDEX FUND, INC. -A 48.9049 -7.6% 0.25% N.A. -4.63% PHILAM STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 509.65 -7.05% -0.61% -2.17% -4.34% PHILEQUITY ALPHA ONE FUND, INC. -A,D,8 0.9979 N.A. N.A. N.A. -3.13% PHILEQUITY DIVIDEND YIELD FUND, INC. -A 1.2335 -7.16% 0.14% -1.15% -4.15% PHILEQUITY FUND, INC. -A 36.2306 -7.17% 1% -1.02% -4.4% PHILEQUITY MSCI PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,1 0.9744 -7.55% N.A. N.A. -4.29% PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.8 0.81 0.82 0.82 0.8 0.8 563000 453480 PHILEQUITY PSE INDEX FUND INC. -A 4.983 -6.75% 0.89% -0.25% -4.6% AYALA LAND 41.9 41.95 41.75 42.05 41.6 41.9 9373300 393243110 3924780 PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND CORP. -A 831.92 -6.8% 0.83% -0.38% -4.6% ARANETA PROP 1.7 1.77 1.7 1.71 1.66 1.7 296000 500970 72580 BELLE CORP 1.62 1.63 1.7 1.7 1.63 1.63 357000 583580 SOLDIVO STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 0.7893 -13.41% -2.75% -4.11% -7.29% A BROWN 0.69 0.71 0.7 0.71 0.69 0.71 78000 54790 CITYLAND DEVT 0.79 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.79 0.8 140000 111990 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE EQUITY FUND, INC. -A 3.9878 -7.63% 0.13% -1.26% -5.26% CROWN EQUITIES 0.18 0.187 0.187 0.187 0.18 0.182 1530000 276830 CEBU HLDG 6.4 6.63 6.4 6.64 6.4 6.64 17200 110128 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND, INC. -A 0.9548 -7.08% 0.69% N.A. -4.6% CEB LANDMASTERS 4.63 4.67 4.67 4.67 4.62 4.63 225000 1043150 388920 CENTURY PROP 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.52 0.5 0.52 8012000 4092020 219200 UNITED FUND, INC. -A 3.4887 -5.84% 1.91% 0.34% -4.51% CYBER BAY 0.385 0.41 0.385 0.385 0.385 0.385 210000 80850 DOUBLEDRAGON 16.9 16.94 17.2 17.5 16.84 16.9 403300 6880468 -1825096 EXCHANGE TRADED FUND DM WENCESLAO 8.99 9 9.05 9.05 8.99 8.99 335900 3023494 -2699316 EMPIRE EAST 0.395 0.4 0.405 0.405 0.4 0.4 3270000 1309000 -1260600 FIRST METRO PHIL. EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND, INC. -A,C 111.5972 -6.53% 1.53% 0.55% -4.58% FILINVEST LAND 1.49 1.5 1.51 1.51 1.47 1.5 11696000 17507370 -8774190 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.06 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.07 1.07 824000 884380 ATRAM ASIAPLUS EQUITY FUND, INC. -B

$0.9959 2.14% 3.77% -0.27% -3.16% 8990 HLDG 14.72 14.76 14.72 14.76 14.72 14.76 407300 5995520 -238464 PHIL INFRADEV 1.19 1.2 1.24 1.24 1.18 1.2 2046000 2445180 12000 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY WORLD VOYAGER FUND, INC. -A $1.3948 17.64% 9.14% N.A. 1.17% MEGAWORLD 4.14 4.15 4.13 4.23 4.1 4.14 44063000 183856970 20432440 MRC ALLIED 0.225 0.229 0.229 0.229 0.225 0.229 4030000 913260 BALANCED FUNDS PHIL ESTATES 0.385 0.42 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 40000 15200 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES PRIMEX CORP 2.06 2.08 2.06 2.08 2.05 2.06 289000 595160 28700 ROBINSONS LAND 26.4 26.5 26.95 27.15 26.4 26.5 3934200 105003510 20208270 ATRAM DYNAMIC ALLOCATION FUND, INC. -A 1.5236 -12.1% -4.17% -4.96% -2.51% PHIL REALTY 0.315 0.32 0.33 0.33 0.3 0.31 820000 256200 ROCKWELL 2.07 2.09 2.06 2.06 2.06 2.06 13000 26780 ATRAM PHILIPPINE BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 2.0988 -9% -2.92% -2.59% -3.77% SHANG PROP 3.11 3.15 3.17 3.17 3.12 3.12 73000 228360 STA LUCIA LAND 2.5 2.54 2.54 2.56 2.5 2.54 156000 395200 FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN BALANCED FUND INC. -A 2.5618 -3.48% 0.54% -2.43% -2.65% SM PRIME HLDG 40 40.05 40 40.7 40 40 6861500 275772395 -18733565 VISTAMALLS 5.3 5.6 5.64 5.64 5.3 5.3 62200 339014 FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN F.O.C.C.U.S. DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A,5 0.2221 N.A. N.A. N.A. -2.8% SUNTRUST HOME 1.99 2 1.85 2.06 1.81 2 8641000 17006530 -960999.9994 VISTA LAND 7.2 7.25 7.22 7.27 7.15 7.25 7004200 50725617 -8436754 GREPALIFE BALANCED FUND CORPORATION -A N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S.

SERVICES

NCM MUTUAL FUND OF THE PHILS., INC. -A 1.9309 0.8% 1.57% -0.05% -1.64% ABS CBN 16.82 17 17 17.48 16.6 17 302400 5235404 GMA NETWORK 5.35 5.39 5.4 5.4 5.33 5.35 49600 266375 PAMI HORIZON FUND, INC. -A 3.6861 1.46% 0.35% -1.13% -2.72% MANILA BULLETIN 0.4 0.415 0.405 0.405 0.4 0.4 410000 164450 MLA BRDCASTING 10.56 13 13.8 13.84 13.8 13.84 2900 40092 PHILAM FUND, INC. -A 16.5048 0.25% 0.3% -1.19% -2.69% GLOBE TELECOM 1960 1975 1971 1996 1960 1960 14095 27826605 -1678300 PLDT 1011 1012 1014 1030 1012 1012 442220 450051450 -31187500 SOLIDARITAS FUND, INC. -A 2.0669 -4.37% -0.07% -0.21% -2.77% APOLLO GLOBAL 0.048 0.049 0.05 0.05 0.048 0.049 47620000 2334520 SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 3.7333 -2.32% 0.84% -0.85% -3.38% ISLAND INFO 0.1 0.101 0.104 0.104 0.101 0.101 3490000 354980 -72100 ISM COMM 3.58 3.62 4.01 4.14 3.5 3.62 23611000 90863430 734860 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2028, INC. -A,D,2 0.9871 N.A. N.A. N.A. -2.82% NOW CORP 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.47 2.36 2.37 1472000 3533930 229480 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.25 0.26 0.26 0.265 0.25 0.26 4900000 1245800 125000 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2038, INC. -A,D,2 0.9583 N.A. N.A. N.A. -3.82% PHILWEB 3.75 3.76 3.72 3.83 3.56 3.75 7335000 26884090 130820 2GO GROUP 9.41 9.65 9.41 9.68 9.4 9.68 3200 30118 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2048, INC. -A,D,2 0.9538 N.A. N.A. N.A. -3.97% ASIAN TERMINALS 17.6 18.58 16.28 17.5 16.28 17.5 3200 53560 CHELSEA 5.22 5.26 5.33 5.45 5.2 5.22 565300 3009070 -132864 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A 0.9354 -3.07% -0.02% -2.06% -4.04% CEBU AIR 77.8 77.85 79.7 79.8 77.8 77.8 171410 13387999 5430745.5 INTL CONTAINER 131.5 131.6 131.5 131.9 131 131.5 1177180 154780558 -5724517 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES LBC EXPRESS 12.86 13.66 13.66 13.66 13.66 13.66 100 1366 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.9 0.92 0.98 0.98 0.9 0.96 23000 20980 COCOLIFE DOLLAR FUND BUILDER, INC. -A $0.03865 8.97% 3.2% 1.9% 1.1% MACROASIA 10.18 10.2 10.58 10.6 10 10.2 1499200 15,335,134( 2,293,302.0002) METROALLIANCE A 0.98 1.07 1 1.08 0.98 1.08 65000 64510 PAMI ASIA BALANCED FUND, INC. -A $1.0303 6.89% 4.09% 0.61% -0.73% METROALLIANCE B 0.97 1.02 0.97 1.06 0.96 0.97 157000 151490 PAL HLDG 7.21 7.5 7.3 7.5 7.3 7.3 5100 37470 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ADVANTAGE FUND, INC. -A $3.9487 13.35% 7.27% 4.3% 0.97% HARBOR STAR 1.25 1.26 1.33 1.33 1.22 1.25 4194000 5260110 267920 ACESITE HOTEL 1.32 1.35 1.32 1.32 1.31 1.31 195000 255510 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR WELLSPRING FUND, INC. -A,7 $1.1381 9.51% 4.44% N.A. 0.82% DISCOVERY WORLD 1.8 1.99 1.8 1.99 1.8 1.99 2000 3790 BOND FUNDS GRAND PLAZA 10.02 12.82 9.61 13.36 9.61 13.36 800 8491 WATERFRONT 0.59 0.6 0.59 0.59 0.59 0.59 526000 310340 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.53 7.03 6.58 7.03 6.5 7.03 10700 69941 9840 FAR EASTERN U 890 893.5 890 890.5 890 890.5 2240 1994620 ALFM PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 358.16 3.91% 2.69% 2.16% 0.1% IPEOPLE 8.3 9.19 8 8 8 8 100 800 STI HLDG 0.6 0.61 0.61 0.62 0.6 0.61 4546000 2772160 652700 ATRAM CORPORATE BOND FUND, INC. -A 1.9053 1.86% 0.39% -0.9% 0.17% BERJAYA 2.75 2.76 2.98 2.98 2.74 2.75 772000 2171730 120 BLOOMBERRY 9.35 9.4 9.99 10.08 9.35 9.35 5551300 52655947 -22891330 COCOLIFE FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 3.1236 4.7% 5.11% 5.14% 0.23% PACIFIC ONLINE 2.14 2.2 2.13 2.2 2.12 2.2 72000 154070 12950 LEISURE AND RES 2.37 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.37 2.37 306000 736790 2370 EKKLESIA MUTUAL FUND INC. -A 2.2257 3.85% 1.97% 1.56% 0.03% MANILA JOCKEY 3.05 3.08 3.1 3.1 3.05 3.06 195000 599650 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.58 0.56 0.56 381000 216840 -7290 FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN FIXED INCOME FUND,INC. -A 2.3533 5.78% 2.05% 1.2% -0.25% ALLHOME 10.88 10.98 11.08 11.08 10.8 10.98 2010000 22021572 -6698322 METRO RETAIL 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.05 2.03 2.03 461000 938120 -125980 GREPALIFE FIXED INCOME FUND CORP. -A P N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. PUREGOLD 38.5 38.75 39.35 39.35 38.5 38.5 630000 24522670 -5621275 ROBINSONS RTL 77.6 78.5 79 79 76.25 77.6 702370 54722495 -2524582.5 PHILAM BOND FUND, INC. -A 4.3552 12% 1.98% 1.04% -0.4% PHIL SEVEN CORP 140 142.5 142.4 142.5 142.4 142.5 38300 5455835 -0 SSI GROUP 2.26 2.27 2.4 2.4 2.25 2.27 5564000 12879220 1821050 PHILEQUITY PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.7706 5.8% 2.61% 0.5% -0.46% WILCON DEPOT 18.92 18.94 18.9 19 18.9 18.92 3956300 74950494 26079635.9998 SOLDIVO BOND FUND, INC. -A 0.9627 5.79% 1.02% -0.44% -0.17% APC GROUP 0.415 0.425 0.42 0.425 0.415 0.425 1330000 556800 EASYCALL 8.37 8.64 8.76 8.8 8.37 8.64 58200 506124 SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.0613 8.75% 3.98% 1.79% -0.47% GOLDEN BRIA 426 437 431.4 445.2 425.4 426 60530 26355916 190920 IPM HLDG 5.03 7.5 7.3 7.5 7.3 7.5 1000 7340 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY GS FUND, INC. -A 1.6853 7.66% 3.38% 1.09% -0.93% PRMIERE HORIZON 0.345 0.35 0.37 0.37 0.34 0.35 22240000 7810150 1055500 SBS PHIL CORP 9.08 9.09 9.1 9.25 9.09 9.09 65700 601165 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES

MINING & OIL ALFM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $470.19 4.51% 2.79% 2.63% 0.42% ATOK 10.1 11.8 11.82 11.82 11.82 11.82 100 1182 APEX MINING 1.02 1.03 1.06 1.08 1.02 1.02 2214000 2310050 10600 ALFM EURO BOND FUND, INC. -A Є220.17 3.09% 1.88% 1.27% 0.2% ABRA MINING 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0015 29000000 40700 ATLAS MINING 2.51 2.54 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 4000 10000 ATRAM TOTAL RETURN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -B $1.211 6.34% 3.11% 2.28% 0.31% BENGUET A 1.15 1.23 1.15 1.15 1.15 1.15 29000 33350 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.27 0.275 0.27 0.27 0.26 0.27 390000 103100 FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $0.0259 4.02% 1.59% 1.28% 0.39% CENTURY PEAK 3.05 3.08 3.12 3.12 3.05 3.05 1292000 3960710 -82320 DIZON MINES 6.98 6.99 7.01 7.05 6.99 6.99 8600 60182 GREPALIFE DOLLAR BOND FUND CORP. -A N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. FERRONICKEL 1.51 1.52 1.51 1.53 1.5 1.51 1258000 1898650 -50590 GEOGRACE 0.205 0.206 0.21 0.21 0.204 0.206 520000 107160 PAMI GLOBAL BOND FUND, INC -A $1.1057 6.2% 1.66% -0.32% 0.96% LEPANTO A 0.096 0.098 0.097 0.097 0.097 0.097 20000 1940 PHILAM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $2.4312 10.54% 3.82% 2.51% 1.14% LEPANTO B 0.094 0.1 0.101 0.101 0.101 0.101 10000 1010 MARCVENTURES 0.79 0.8 0.8 0.82 0.79 0.8 261000 208600 PHILEQUITY DOLLAR INCOME FUND INC. -A $0.0606117 5.98% 2.34% 1.79% 0.49% NIHAO 1 1.03 1.05 1.05 1 1.04 51000 51390 NICKEL ASIA 2.99 3 3.1 3.1 3 3 3343000 10126310 -1911280 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ABUNDANCE FUND, INC. -A $3.2312 11.42% 3.5% 2.48% 1.76% ORNTL PENINSULA 0.71 0.73 0.74 0.74 0.7 0.71 47000 33170 PX MINING 2.93 2.95 2.9 2.98 2.9 2.95 491000 1446150 -826000 MONEY MARKET FUNDS SEMIRARA MINING 19.98 20 20 20.75 19.96 20 2106200 42133372 -5415956 UNITED PARAGON 0.0055 0.0058 0.0055 0.0055 0.0055 0.0055 5000000 27500 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ACE ENEXOR 7.89 8 8 8.07 7.85 8 92500 735438 -93202 ORNTL PETROL A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 6500000 71500 ALFM MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 126.14 3.9% 2.89% 2.21% 0.29% PHILODRILL 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.01 15200000 157200 PXP ENERGY 8.91 8.95 9.35 9.43 8.9 8.91 1096800 9913156 -218211 FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A,3 1.029 N.A. N.A. N.A. 0.26%

PREFFERED

PHILAM MANAGED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 1.2498 5.65% 2.9% 1.58% -0.55% HOUSE PREF A 98.1 99 99 99 99 99 10 990 AC PREF B1 500 504 497 503 496 503 3910 1943960 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 1.2677 3.67% 2.92% 2.41% 0.25% CPG PREF A 100.6 102 100.9 100.9 100.5 100.5 1000 100624 DD PREF 100.3 100.8 100.5 101 100.5 101 11000 1108000 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES SMC FB PREF 2 990 1000 990 990 990 990 2600 2574000 SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR STARTER FUND, INC. -A $1.0388 2.05% N.A. N.A. 0.15% FGEN PREF G 105 108 105.1 108 105 108 20150 2116217 GTCAP PREF A 970 980 980 980 980 980 250 245000 FEEDER FUND MWIDE PREF 100.1 101 100.3 100.3 100.1 100.1 20000 2002772 PNX PREF 4 1030 1040 1030 1040 1030 1040 550 566740 PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES PCOR PREF 3A 1040 1050 1041 1041 1040 1040 1000 1040465 PCOR PREF 3B 1061 1065 1065 1065 1065 1065 220 234300 ALFM GLOBAL MULTI-ASSET INCOME FUND INC. -B,D,4 $0.99 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SMC PREF 2C 76.9 77 77 77 76.8 76.8 15200 1169264.5 A - NAVPS AS OF THE PREVIOUS BANKING DAY. B - NAVPS AS OF TWO BANKING DAYS AGO. C - LISTED IN THE PSE. D - IN NET ASSET VALUE PER UNIT (NAVPU).

1 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 3, 2019. 2 - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 28, 2019. 3 - LAUNCH DATE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2019. 4 - LAUNCH DATE IS NOVEMBER 15, 2019.

5 - LAUNCH DATE IS SEPTEMBER 28, 2019. 6 - RENAMING WAS APPROVED BY THE SEC LAST OCTOBER 12, 2018 (FORMERLY, ONE WEALTHY NATION FUND, INC.).

7 - ADJUSTED DUE TO STOCK DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST OCTOBER 9, 2019. 8 - LAUNCH DATE IS DECEMBER 09, 2019.

"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."

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR

15.54

WARRANTS LR WARRANT

1.2

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 3.76 KEPWEALTH 10.14 MAKATI FINANCE 2.29 XURPAS 0.85

1.23

1.24

1.24

1.18

1.2

271000

324780

-

3.77 10.2 2.48 0.86

3.85 10.8 2.28 0.86

3.99 10.8 2.28 0.87

3.77 10.12 2.28 0.85

3.77 10.2 2.28 0.86

387000 442200 4000 1130000

1482250 4556286 9120 968430

67950 4250

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

111

112

112.2

112.7

111

111

10450

1169446

4460

Editor: Angel R. Calso

World Companies

Facebook reports $7.35-B Q4 earnings, user growth

S

AN FRANCISCO—Facebook had a strong fourth quarter, making more money on advertising and adding more users despite challenges around regulation, privacy and efforts to fight election interference.

Its profit and revenue both handily surpassed Wall Street’s expectations.

The company also said it settled a lawsuit filed in 2015 over its facial recognition practices and will pay $550 million as a result. The suit alleged Facebook violated Illinois privacy regulations with a feature that suggested to users other people to tag in their photos.

Facebook replaced the tag suggestion tool with a broader facial recognition setting last year.

Facebook said that about 2.89 billion people use at least one of its services— Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger—each month. About 2.26 billion people use at least one every day. The Menlo Park, California, company said its main service had 2.5 billion monthly users at the end of the year, up 8 percent

from a year earlier.

“This is a company that has shown that it can withstand ongoing criticism of its practices, and yet, still pull out gains in both revenue and users,” said eMarketer Analyst Debra Aho Williamson.

Facebook is under growing regulatory scrutiny around the world. In the US, it faces several government investigations for alleged anticompetitive behavior. Last August, it was fined $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations, the largest FTC fine ever for a tech company.

Amid ongoing criticism about how Facebook handles the private data of its users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company was shifting course for a more “privacy-focused” future. This includes emphasizing small-

group and private communication, though details are still scant.

It’s not clear if this privacy focus will mean anything for how ads on Facebook are targeted, which has always been among the chief concerns for privacy advocates.

And, Facebook continues to face challenges over election interference. After Russian actors used social-media platforms like Facebook to interfere in the 2016 US elections, the companies have tried to clamp down on fake accounts, misinformation, and other forms of misuse. This Election Day will be a test of whether they’ve done enough.

In reporting fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, Facebook said it earned $7.35 billion, or $2.56 per share, up 7 percent from $6.88 billion, or $2.38 per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 25 percent to $21.1 billion from $16.9 billion, the bulk of that from ads. Analysts were expecting earnings of $2.52 per share and revenue of $20.9 billion, according to FactSet. Facebook’s stock dropped more than 6 percent in after-hours trading after the results came out. Some investors may be concerned about the company’s growing expenses, while others could simply be cashing out following a record high for the stock earlier in the day. AP

Toyota’s 2019 global car sales trail Volkswagen’s

T

OK YO — G e r m a n autom a k e r Volkswagen has kept its lead as the world’s largest automaker after Japanese rival Toyota announced it sold fewer vehicles last year.

Toyota Motor Corp. said on Thursday it sold 10.74 million vehicles around the world in 2019, trailing Volkswagen AG’s record annual sales of 10.97 million cars.

In 2018, Volkswagen sold 10.83 million vehicles, edging out Toyota for the No. 1 crown.

Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, said 2019 marked the fourth consecutive year of rising global vehi-

cles sales. It marked a 1.4-percent rise from the previous year.

Both Toyota and Volkswagen say they do not see being the global leader as their priority but are focusing on delivering on products and results.

The sales tallies are still a solid indicator for a manufacturer’s success in a globalized, intensely competitive industry.

US automaker General Motors Co. held the title of top automaker for more than seven decades before losing it to Toyota in 2008, and no longer has a shot at the top spot.

Also falling out of contention was the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance.

Global sales for the alliance among Japan’s Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA of France and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., a smaller Japanese automaker, totaled about 10 million vehicles last year.

Sales for the alliance suffered after the arrest in November 2018 of Carlos Ghosn, a former chief executive and chairman of Nissan, who now faces various financial misconduct allegations in Japan.

Ghosn has said he is innocent and has accused Nissan and Japanese government officials of conspiring to remove him. Ghosn stunned the world by skipping bail late last year and showing up in Lebanon, where he has citizenship. AP

Microsoft plows ahead in cloud business growth

M

ICROSOFT on Wednesday gave another solid quarterly report card to Wall Street, as it plows ahead in selling its cloud computing services to big businesses and the government.

The company reported fiscal second-quarter profit of $11.6 billion, up 36 percent from the same period last year. Net income of $1.51 per share beat Wall Street expectations.

The software maker posted revenue of $36.9 billion in the October -to-December period, up 14 percent from last year and also beating forecasts.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected Microsoft to earn $1.32 per share on revenue of $35.7 billion for the October-to-December quarter. They are predicting a forecast of $1.24 in earnings per share on revenue of $34.1 billion for the January-to-March quarter.

Goldman Sachs analyst Heather Bellini said in a note to investors on Wednesday that Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing business has been growing faster than the broader cloud market. Azure’s quarterly revenue grew 62 percent from the same time last year.

Bellini said the company’s subscription-based Office 365 workplace software products also remain “front and center” as businesses look to transform their digital operations.

She said price increases that began in October 2018 are continuing to drive revenue, as are Microsoft’s moves to phase out older products, such as Windows 7, which came out in 2009. Microsoft stopped providing free security updates for the legacy operating system earlier this month, forcing users to upgrade to Windows 10 if they don’t want to be vulnerable to malware and hacking.

Microsoft’s efforts to catch up to No. 1 cloud provider Amazon got a big boost in October when the US Department of Defense awarded Microsoft a $10 billion contract to supply the US military with cloud services for the next decade.

Amazon is protesting Microsoft’s award, saying

IN this Tuesday, January 28, 2020, photo, a Microsoft computer is among items displayed at a Microsoft store in suburban Boston. AP PHOTO/STEVEN SENNE

President Donald J. Trump improperly influenced the bidding process, and asked the US Court of Federal Claims this month to halt any substantive work while its lawsuit proceeds. The Pentagon wants Microsoft to start sooner, arguing that the computing project known as JEDI is urgently needed for national security.

The project, formally called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure plan, would store and process vast amounts of classified data.

Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz said in a note that the JEDI cloud contract was a game changer for Microsoft that goes beyond its likely $10 billion in revenue over the next decade. He said it could also serve as a template leading to broader adoption by other government agencies and business customers.

Microsoft’s Surface hardware business grew by 6 percent from the same time last year after the company

launched new laptops and tablets in the fall. But another consumer business, the Xbox gaming system, experienced a 11-percent revenue decline as Microsoft’s gaming division prepares to release a new console later this year.

Revenue from the company’s professional networking service, LinkedIn, grew by 24 percent.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella celebrated the strong profit and revenue in a statement Wednesday, while also calling attention to the company’s work “to ensure the technology we build is inclusive, trusted and creates a more sustainable world.”

Nadella pledged earlier this month that by 2030 the company will be removing more carbon from the environment than it emits. To get there, the company said it plans to cut emissions from its business and supply chain, while helping to fund the development of new technology to remove carbon from the air. AP

Friday, January 31, 2020

B3

Tesla posts second straight quarterly profit on brisk sales

D

ETROIT—Record electric vehicle sales in the fourth quarter helped to push Tesla Inc. to its second straight quarterly profit, giving bullish investors optimism that sustained black ink lies ahead.

The Palo Alto, California company said it made a $105 million net profit from October through December, or 56 cents per share, but still posted an annual loss of $862 million.

The fourth-quarter earnings continued Tesla’s meteoric stock appreciation. Shares rose nearly 12 percent in afterhours trading on Wednesday to $648.50.

The company said in its quarterly investor letter that it is starting to ramp up production of the Model Y small SUV in Fremont, California. The Model Y is a key product for Tesla’s future because consumers are buying smaller utility vehicles. Deliveries are to start by the end of March.

The Model Y will be able to go up to 315 miles (507 kilometers) per charge, an increase over Tesla’s previous estimate of 280 miles (451 km), according to the letter.

Tesla also expects to “comfortably” exceed production of 500,000 vehicles this year at its factories in Fremont and Shanghai. Model Y production in Shanghai will start in 2021.

The company also said it plans to start producing limited numbers of its electric semitruck this year.

On a conference call on Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk said Tesla is making progress on a full self-driving feature that he has said will be deployed this year. But the company still has a long way to go before its vehicles can travel without humans taking the wheel.

Last year, Musk said he expected to start converting Teslas to self-driving in 2020 as part of a plan to create a network of robotic taxis to compete against ride-hailing services.

Critics have said Tesla doesn’t have the sensors or proper

technology to offer fully self-driving vehicles.

The coronavirus outbreak in China could temporarily delay production at the company’s new Shanghai factory, Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn said, and that may have a small impact on Tesla’s first-quarter profitabilty.

The company hasn’t seen any parts supply disruptions due to the outbreak but is monitoring the situation, he said. “This is an evolving story.” Musk said demand for the company’s angular “Cybertruck” pickup has been high, but gave no numbers.

“The demand is just far more than we could reasonably make in the space of three or four years, something like that,” he said.

Tesla also said in its investor letter that it’s moving ahead with preparations for a factory near Berlin, and the first deliveries from the factory are expected next year.

Tesla expects net profits going forward, with some possible exceptions at times surrounding the launch of new products. “We continue to believe our business has grown to the point of being self-funding,” the letter said.

Tesla shares have more than tripled in value since May of last year, pushing the company’s market value above giant German automaker Volkswagen, as well as the combined values of General Motors and Ford.

The electric vehicle and solar panel maker’s fourthquarter revenue grew 2 percent to $7.38 billion as Tesla delivered about 112,000 vehicles during the period and a record 367,500 for the full year.

Tesla continued to build its cash balance during the fourth quarter, reporting $6.27 billion available. That’s up from $5.34 billion at the end of the third quarter.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called Tesla’s performance “potentially game-changing,” and a sign of what could be a new era for Musk and the company. AP

The World BusinessMirror

B4 Friday, January 31, 2020

Editor: Angel R. Calso

China virus possible risk to world economy–Fed

W

ASHINGTON—Just as the outlook for the global economy had been brightening in recent months, a new threat has suddenly emerged in the form of the viral outbreak in China.

That was the cautionary message that Chairman Jerome Powell delivered on Wednesday, after the Federal Reserve held interest rates low after its latest policy meeting.

Speaking at a news conference, Powell said the signing of a preliminary US-China trade deal earlier this month, the resolution of Brexit, and continuing low interest rates in the United States and abroad had suggested that the world economy would start to expand more quickly after being held back by trade conf licts. That scenario is now complicated by the emergence of the virus.

Still, Powell noted that the extent of the economic damage that the virus may ultimately inflict, in China or around the world, remains unknown.

“There is likely to be some

disruption to activity in China and globally,” Powell said. “It’s very uncertain how far it will spread and what the [economic] effects will be in China, for its trading partners, and around the world.... We are very carefully monitoring the situation.”

Even so, Powell said he thinks “there are signs and reasons to expect” a global economic rebound. And he said the initial US-China trade agreement and a new trade pact among the US, Canada and Mexico that President Donald J. Trump signed into law on Wednesday could poten-

tially boost the US economy.

Powell spoke after the Fed had announced that it has kept its key interest rate unchanged in a low range of 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent, far below levels that were typical during previous expansions. The chairman and other Fed officials have indicated that they see that range as low enough to support faster growth and hiring.

Investors, however, are increasingly betting that the Fed will feel compelled to cut rates later this year, likely out of concern that the US will feel the impact of a global slowdown stemming from the coronavirus. The chances of a cut

by September’s Fed meeting have risen above 70 percent, according to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s FedWatch tool, up from roughly 40 percent just a month ago.

Still, Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics, said he saw nothing in the Fed’s statement or at Powell’s news conference to make him change his belief that the central bank will keep its benchmark rate unchanged for the foreseeable future.

“Unless the US experiences its own epidemic, we doubt that the indirect effects from the disruptions in China would be enough to warrant a US rate cut,” Ashworth said.

The coronavirus has in effect shut down much of that nation, and seems sure to slow the Chinese economy—the world’s second-largest—which had already been decelerating. The virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003.

Major companies across the world have responded to the virus by suspending some operations in China. Starbucks said it plans to close half its stores in China, its secondlargest market. British Airways has halted all flights to China, and American Airlines suspended Los Angeles flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing.

Hotels, airlines, casinos and cruise operators are among the industries that have suffered the most immediate repercussions. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company’s suppliers in China have been forced to delay the reopening of factories that have closed for the Chinese New Year holiday until February 10.

Stock prices slipped after the Fed issued its statement and Powell concluded his news conference. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed barely higher after having posted stronger gains in earlier trading. Bond yields declined

slightly.

The Fed’s statement, which its policy-making committee approved 10-0, was nearly identical to the one it issued in December, though this time it described consumer spending as rising at only a “moderate” rather than at a “strong” pace.

That change likely reflects relatively modest spending by Americans over the holiday shopping season.

The statement also signaled that the Fed wants inflation to move higher. The Fed’s preferred measure showed inflation rose just 1.5 percent in November from a year earlier, below its 2-percent target.

“We’re not comfortable with inflation running persistently below” the Fed’s objective, Powell said. The Fed seeks inflation at that level as a cushion against deflation, a destabilizing drop in prices and wages.

Last year, the Fed cut its benchmark rate three times after having raised it four times in 2018. Powell and other Fed officials credit those rate cuts with revitalizing the housing market, which had stumbled early last year, and offsetting some of the drag from Trump’s trade war with China.

On another topic, Powell said the Fed will continue its purchases of six-month Trea-

sury bills to ensure that shortterm lending markets operate smoothly. The Fed began buying $60 billion of the bills each month in October to expand cash reserves that are available for overnight lending, after a shortage of reserves caused overnight rates to spike. The lending squeeze also pushed the Fed’s benchmark rate out of its target range.

The Fed plans to continue its purchases until the second quarter, Powell said, while it slowly draws down some temporary lending it has also done to boost short-term lending markets.

Powell said the overall economy, not just Wall Street, has benefited from the Fed’s bondbuying because it’s enabled the Fed’s low-rate policy to reduce mortgage rates and other consumer borrowing costs.

“That really is important for the public,” Powell said.

The Fed’s decision came a day after Trump, in a tweet, again pressed Powell to cut rates, arguing that this would make US interest rates “competitive with other countries.”

Yet, the Fed hopes to avoid the ultra-low and negative interest rates that exist in much of Europe and in Japan, which they—and most analysts—see as evidence of weak economies.

AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The World BusinessMirror

Friday, January 31, 2020

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Leaked report shows United Nations suffered hack

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ENEVA—Sophisticated hackers infiltrated UN networks in Geneva and Vienna last year in an apparent espionage operation that top officials at the world body kept largely quiet about. The hackers’ identity and the extent of the data they obtained are not known.

An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says dozens of servers were compromised including at the UN human-rights office, which collects sensitive data and has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for exposing rights abuses.

Everything indicates knowledge of the breach was closely held, a strategy that information security experts consider misguided because it only multiplies the risks of further data hemorrhaging.

“Staff at large, including me, were not informed,” said Geneva-based Ian Richards, president of the Staff Council at the United Nations. “All we received was an e-mail [on September 26] informing us about infrastructure maintenance work.” The council advocates for the welfare of employees of the world body.

Asked about the intrusion, one UN official told the AP it appeared “sophisticated” with the extent of damage unclear, especially in terms of personal, secret or compromising information that may have been stolen. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the episode, said systems have since been reinforced.

Given the high-skill level, it is possible a statebacked actor was behind it, the official said. “It’s as if someone were walking in the sand, and swept up their tracks with a broom afterward,” the official added. “There’s not even a trace of a cleanup.”

The leaked September 20 report says logs that would have betrayed the hackers’ activities inside the UN networks—what was accessed and what may have been siphoned out—were “cleared.” It also shows that among accounts known to have been accessed were those of domain administrators—who by default have master access to all user accounts in their purview.

“Sadly...still counting our casualties,” the report says.

Jake Williams, CEO of the cyber-security firm Rendition Infosec and a former US government hacker, said the fact that the hackers cleared the network logs indicates they were not top flight. The most skilled hackers—including US, Russian and Chinese agents—can cover their tracks by editing those logs instead of clearing them.

“The intrusion definitely looks like espionage,” said Williams, noting that the active directory component—where all users’ permissions are managed—from three different domains were compromised: those of United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna, and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“This, coupled with the relatively small number of infected machines, is highly suggestive of espionage,” he said after viewing the report. “The attackers have a goal in mind and are deploying malware to machines that they believe serve some purpose for them.”

The UN is known to have been trying to patch its myriad IT systems for years, and Williams said any number of intelligence agencies from around the globe are likely interested in infiltrating it.

The hack was not severe at the UN human-rights office, said its spokesman, Rupert Colville. “We face daily attempts to get into our computer systems,” he said. “This time, they managed, but it did not get

very far. Nothing confidential was compromised.”

Clearly concerned that word of the hack could have a chilling effect on people reporting humanrights violations to it, the office said in a statement issued later that it wanted to “assure all concerned parties” no sensitive information was compromised.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said earlier Wednesday that attack was “serious,” compromised “core infrastructure components” and was contained. The earliest activity appeared to have come in July and was detected in August, he said in response to e-mailed questions. He said the world body does not have enough information to determine the author but added that “the methods and tools used in the attack indicate a high level of resource, capability and determination.”

Dujarric noted that the UN “detects and responds to multiple attacks of various level of sophistication on a daily basis.”

Peter Micek, general counsel of the digital civil liberties nonprofit AccessNow, said UN leadership made a “terrible decision” from an informationsecurity standpoint by denying staff information about the breach.

“It’s best practice to alert people, let them know what they should look out for [including phishing attacks and social engineering] and inform them of what steps are being taken on their behalf,” he said.

Otherwise, you are compounding the threat, and a missed opportunity for a teaching moment becomes an example of “intransigence and obfuscation, which is unfortunate,” said Micek, who works with UN human-rights workers to shore up their cyber defenses.

The internal document from the UN Office of Information and Technology said 42 servers were “compromised” and another 25 were deemed “suspicious,” nearly all at the sprawling Geneva and Vienna offices. Three of the “compromised” servers belonged to Human Rights agency, which is located across town from the main UN office in Geneva, and two were used by the UN Economic Commission for Europe.

The report says a flaw in Microsoft’s SharePoint software was exploited by the hackers to infiltrate the networks but that the type of malware used was not known, nor had technicians identified the command and control servers on the Internet used to exfiltrate information. Nor was it known what mechanism was used by the hackers to maintain their presence on the infiltrated networks.

Security researcher Matt Suiche, the Dubaibased founder of the cybersecurity firm Comae Technologies, reviewed the report and said it appeared entry was gained through an anti-corruption tracker at the UN Office of Drugs and Crime.

The report mentions a range of IP addresses in Romania that may have been used to stage the infiltration, and Williams said one is reported to have some neighbors with a history of hosting malware.

Technicians at the United Nations office in Geneva, the world body’s European hub, on at least two occasions worked through weekends in recent months to isolate the local UN data center from the Internet, rewrite passwords and ensure the systems were clean. Twenty machines had to be rebuilt, the report says.

The hack comes amid rising concerns about cyber espionage. AP

EU parliament clears Brexit deal

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RUSSELS—The European Union grudgingly let go of the United Kingdom with a final vote on Wednesday at the EU’s parliament that ended the Brexit divorce battle and set the scene for tough trade negotiations in the year ahead.

In an emotion-charged session in Brussels, lawmakers from all 28 EU countries expressed their love and sadness, while some, notably from Britain’s Brexit Party, their joy.

Some even cried and many held hands during a mournful rendition of the “Auld Lang Syne” farewell song that contrasted sharply with hardheaded exhortations that Britain won’t find it easy in the talks that will follow the country’s official departure on Friday. “We will always love you and we will never be far,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Britain will leave the EU after 47 years of membership. It is the first country to leave the EU and for many in Europe its official departure at 11 p.m. London time on Friday, January 31, is a moment of enormous sadness and reduces the number in the bloc to 27.

With just two days to go until Brexit day, the leg-

islature overwhelmingly approved Britain’s departure terms from the EU—621 to 49 in favor of the Brexit deal that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiated with the other 27 EU leaders in the fall of last year. The deal’s passage follows last week’s backing by the UK’s Parliament.

The parliament’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said that “this vote is not an adieu,” adding that it is “only an au revoir.”

Though the deal on Britain’s divorce terms has cleared its hurdles, there are still huge uncertainties around the future relationship. After Britain’s departure on Friday, a so-called transition period will begin during which the UK will remain within the EU’s economic arrangements until the end of the year though it won’t have a say in policy as it will not be a member of the EU anymore.

“That’s it. It’s all over,” said Nigel Farage, who has campaigned for Brexit for two decades. On departing the scene, the man who arguably did more than anyone else in the country’s decision to vote for Brexit in the June 2016 referndum, waved Britain’s Union Flag. AP

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Be healthy and wealthy with Legánde this 2020 10K families reached through the 2020 bags of blessing

Metrobank Group chairman Arthur Ty leads the distribution of food packages during the kick-off of the Bags of Blessing project.

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S an annual tradition, GT Foundation, Inc. (GTFI), together with Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) held a simultaneous distribution of “Bags of Blessing” on the day of Chinese New Year, January 25, 2020. This year, a total of 25 cities and municipalities across NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were chosen to serve as distribution areas wherein another P10 million worth of food packages were distributed to 10,000 families.

The main event was held at the Universidad de Manila in the City of Manila, where 400 families from the city received assistance. The gift-giving activity was led

by Metrobank Group chairman Arthur Ty; Federal Land chairman and GTFI president Alfred Ty; GTFI honorary chair Mary Ty; GTFI vice president Anjanette Dy Buncio; and Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña. They were joined by City of Manila Vice Mayor Dra. Honey Lacuna; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional director for NCR Vicente Gregorio Tomas; and Manila Department of Social Welfare director Ma. Asuncion Fugoso.

The Bags of Blessing is the brainchild of the late Metrobank Group founder and chairman Dr. George Ty Siao Kian. Since its inception in 2011, it has become an instrument in giving

back to underprivileged families and providing an opportunity for them to take part in the Chinese New Year celebration.

Especially designed red bags containing P1,000 worth of food packages—rice, canned goods, milk, sugar, noodles, and other basic commodities—are distributed to indigent families. Beneficiaries were carefully selected by DSWD and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) through its network of dioceses and archdioceses. Other than belonging to the status of living below the poverty line, families affected by recent calamities, Indigenous Peoples (IPs), and non-beneficiaries of DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) were also given priority.

In Metro Manila, distributions were also held at the City of San Juan, Makati City, Muntinlupa City, and Las Piñas City.

In Luzon, distributions were carried out at San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Baguio City, Benguet; Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; Baliwag, Bulacan; Porac, Pampanga; Imus City, Cavite; San Pablo City, Laguna; Lipa City, Batangas; and Legazpi City, Albay. In Visayas, areas included Naval, Biliran; San Remigio, Antique; Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Cebu City, Cebu; Cordova, Cebu; and Tubigon, Bohol. In Mindanao, distributions were held at Cagayan de Oro City; Misamis Oriental; Davao City, Davao del Sur; Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur; and Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

Ramon Paolo Garcia Jr, Ramon F. Garcia, and Atty Teodoro C. Pascua

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EGÁNDE, Inc. marked another milestone in their history by unveiling a brand new logo and tagline “Where infinite possibilities live” to usher a new year and decade with new products, compensation plan, and management team. Legánde, Inc. is a fusion of two companies, Multipure Philippines and Pillars 5. Multipure Philippines is the authorized distributor of Multipure water systems of the United States of America while Pillars 5 is an all natural nutrition and wellness company.

Held at Luxent Hotel, Legánde, Inc. launched three new products that cater to health and wellness. They have the home essentials, health essentials, and beauty essentials. The home essentials include the Multipure Water Filtration Systems, the AquaDOME, AquaVERSA, and AquaMINI, that is backed by three certifications (ANSI 42 - Aesthetic effects; ANSI 53 - Health effects, and ANSI 401 - emerging compounds and

incidental contaminants) from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) which users can upgrade with a Legánde Pre-filter. Under the same category is the Multipure Aqua Shower that is marked by a Water Quality Seal. The health essentials include 100% pure essential oils, gourmet teas, and life enzyme. The beauty essentials consists of argan oil for the face, hair, and body.

Legánde’s launch was led by Ramon F. Garcia Sr., President and CEO of Legánde Inc. as well as Ramon Paolo Garcia Jr., Chief Operating Officer.

“We grow because we invest. We invest in our members and staff development. We invest in new technology. We invest in new products.

We invest in infrastructure to better our service. Now the result of caring, sharing, and investing is that we grow, we grow together, we grow our business together, and we grow together to realize our members’ dream at a sustainable level," Garcia Sr. said.

PEZA signs a deal with MMSU, launching the first SEZ Institute

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N partnership with the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has launched its first ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Institute at Batac City, Laoag, Ilocos Norte on January 23.

PEZA and MMSU have sealed the deal with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed following the soft inauguration of the university’s new National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC) Building. The infrastructure will house the SEZ Institute office as well as bureaus of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Negosyo Center and SSF. The SEZ Institute aims to provide skills training, research, etc. based on the industry identified in the region and be partner with SUCs with competence to transform every Filipino worker into multi-skilled, world class, and rich human capital, addressing one of the efficiency factors investor are looking for.

“The agreement is the first step to involve SUCs in attracting investors to the Philippines and addressing some of the efficiency factors investors are looking for," PEZA Director General Charito B. Plaza said.

She also invited the LGUs to “make use of their idle lands and create economic zones in their area, bringing economic development to the countryside, as aimed

by Administrative Order no. 18 signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

Furthermore, the PEZA Chief encouraged MMSU to “apply as a Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) park under PEZA, which will allow them to partner with foreign universities and offer similar programs.”

“I encourage all institutions to become

involved in the creation of ecozones in the country, which will become economic drivers to grow smart towns, digital cities, and eventually create new metropolitan areas in every region,” said Plaza.

The SEZ Institute is one of the 10-point programs and special projects to be successively implemented as PEZA celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The said programs and projects aim to fully industrialize and enhance the efficiency factors and competitiveness of the Philippines as an Investment Haven in Asia.

PINAY PRIDE. Rowena Quiray-Valle, a restaurateur from Laguna, bested representatives from more than 20 other countries and was crowned Mrs. International Global Beauty 2019 during the TKS Mrs. International pageant held at the Orchid Country Club in Singapore last November. She also won Best in Talent for dancing salsa and Best in Long Gown donning one made by designer Louis Pangilinan. This owner of Cabuyao’s fusion restaurant Serena expressed, “It was a privilege to be part of this pageant as I contribute in showing everyone the strength of Filipina spirit. An empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description.” TKS is named after Tan Khuan Seng, father of the pageant’s lady CEO Beverly Tan.

Quest Plus Clark continues to spread joy to children

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PREADING joy doesn’t stop on Christmas. Quest Plus Conference Center Clark is keeping things merry in January as they share the love to their chosen beneficiaries from their Christmas season initiatives.

As part of the management’s corporate social responsibility to its locality, General Manager Michael Gapin, alongside his team, aims to offer guests an opportunity to share their blessings and bring happiness to children’s faces. Last November, Quest Plus Clark launched the Abe Christmas Bears wherein part of the proceeds was donated to chosen beneficiaries. For 2019, the management chose Duyan ni Maria and Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the recipients, and had a fun and

engaging CSR activity during the turnover of the proceeds last January 21.

You can rely on Quest Plus Clark to give you more than just a staycation.

Touching lives is made easier through Abe. For inquiries on how to donate, please call (045) 599 8000. About Chroma Hospitality Chroma Hospitality, Inc. is a young, forward-thinking company crafting bold, innovative hospitality brands.

Owned by Filinvest Hospitality Corporation, Chroma is the management company behind Crimson Hotel Filinvest

City, Manila, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Cebu, Quest Hotel and Conference Center in Cebu City, Quest Plus and Conference Center in Clark, Pampanga, Quest Hotel Tagaytay and Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay. For more information please visit http:// chromahospitality.com/.

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By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

ANESSA BRYANT made her first public comment Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven others, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy.

She also announced the formation of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash.

“Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Vanessa wrote. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe—the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna—a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.”

The Bryants would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this April. They had four daughters including Gianna, the 13-year-old who died in the crash.

“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” Vanessa wrote. “I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”

It was the first statement from the Bryant family since the crash. The Los Angeles Lakers—the team that Bryant spent 20 years with, winning five championships—held a media availability Wednesday, as well, the team’s first since learning of Bryant’s death.

The Lakers were to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, a game the NBA postponed out of respect to Bryant, the other victims and the grieving process. The Lakers will next play on Friday, at home against Portland.

“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them,” Vanessa wrote.

“But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless—and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”

There has been no announcement on funeral or memorial plans yet for Kobe and Gianna. Vanessa asked for a continued respect of her family’s privacy as they begin to “navigate this new reality.”

The widow of Thurman Munson, the New York Yankees catcher killed in 1979 while flying his plane in Ohio, meanwhile, spoke out about the similar death of National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant.

Diana Munson was in the Plain Township home she shared with her late husband when she received the news that Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant had died Sunday, the Canton Repository reported in Ohio.

“My first thought was, ‘This can’t possibly be true. We’re not supposed to lose heroes like this,’” Diana said. “And obviously it brought up our day, with the memories of how it hit everyone.”

Thurman died in a plane crash at the Akron-Canton Airport in August 1979 when his Cessna twin-engine crashed short of the runway and burst into flames. He left behind his wife, their two daughters and a son.

Like with Munson’s death, Bryant’s death prompted a nationwide outpouring of sadness and disbelief from fans and fellow players.

Diana said the response to her husband’s tragic death helped her get through it.

“We have something that other people don’t have, because people lose people they love every day, but they don’t have that outpouring of love and support,” she said.

COMPLETELY DEVASTATED! Sports BusinessMirror

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| Friday, January 31, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

THE Bryants—(from left) Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna Maria-Onore—strike a pose at the world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time in Los Angeles in February 2018. AP

BRYANT’S DEATH THROWS SPOTLIGHT ON CRASH-WARNING SYSTEM L OS ANGELES—The crash that killed nine people including Kobe Bryant has led to calls for crashwarning systems to be installed in more helicopters, but regulators and pilots worry that the instrument can trigger too many alarms and prove distracting.

“Another warning system screaming at you isn’t going to help,” said Brian Alexander, a helicopter pilot and aviation lawyer. “You don’t want to inundate the pilot.”

All nine people killed in the crash were officially identified as of Wednesday night, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical ExaminerCoroner. The victims had previously been identified publicly by friends and family.

The death of the basketball star Sunday has highlighted the debate over the merits of what’s known as the Terrain Awareness and Warning System, or TAWS, which would have sounded a voice alarm if the aircraft was in danger of hitting the ground or

some object, such as a tower or a wire.

It is required in medical helicopters but not in commercial ones like the one used by Bryant.

National Transportation Safety Board officials say it is too early to tell whether a TAWS on Bryant’s Sikorsky helicopter could have prevented the crash.

But they think it should have been installed on the aircraft, and they criticized federal regulators for not carrying out the NTSB’s recommendation over a decade ago to mandate such equipment on helicopters with six or more passenger seats.

While some pilots believe TAWS is unnecessary and refer to its warnings as “nuisance alarms,” Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the NTSB, said there is “no reasonable excuse” for the system not to be installed on all choppers.

“From a safety perspective, you want all the safety enhancements that are available,” he said. “The trade-

off is worth it.”

The NTSB recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require the system after a Sikorsky S-76A carrying workers to an offshore drilling ship, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas, killing all 10 people aboard in 2004. Ten years later, the FAA mandated such systems on air ambulances only.

FAA officials had questioned the value of such technology on helicopters, which tend to fly close to buildings and the ground and could trigger too many alarms.

The pilot in Sunday’s crash, Ara Zobayan, had been climbing out of the clouds when the chartered aircraft went into a sudden and terrifying 1,200-foot (366-meter) descent that lasted nearly a minute, investigators said Tuesday. It slammed into a fog-shrouded hillside, scattering debris more than 500 feet (150 meters).

Bill English, investigator in charge of the NTSB’s Major Investigations Division, said it was not clear yet whether

THIS image taken from video on Monday and provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows part of the wreckage of the helicopter near Calabasas. AP

“TAWS and this scenario are related to each other.”

Pilot Bernard Raysor said the systems have improved over the years so that they don’t go off all the time, and one of them may have saved him from a crash as he and another pilot were trying to land on a hospital helipad in Little Rock, Arkansas, over a decade ago.

“The TAWS alert went off: ‘Obstacle! Pull up! Obstacle!

Pull up!’” he recalled. “We looked at each other like ‘What is this got to be?’” Then he looked around and saw it: a radio tower whose lights had gone out.

“I can’t say we would have hit it, but it was closer than comfortable,” he said.

Mike Sagely, a former military pilot with 35 years of helicopter flying experience who uses TAWS in his current work in the Los Angeles area, said that while he likes having the system, he agreed that the frequency of audible warnings can make some pilots tune out.

“People, they get complacent with it because they

FANS gather in front of several memorials set up at LA Live near Staples Center. AP

hear it all the time,” Sagely said. “They get so used to hearing it that when they do hear it, and they might even be in a dangerous profile, they may not react to it.”

He described it as helpful to have, but not something to rely on too heavily. “It is another tool, another piece of equipment that should assist you.”

The audible warning can be muted or dialed down to be less frequent, he said. This would leave the display screen, which depicts terrain or objects in coded colors. A mountain or radio tower is shown in red if the helicopter is dangerously close.

As for the NTSB’s recommendations that TAWS be mandatory, Sagely said: “It absolutely has a role. To make it mandatory with the idea that somehow it’s going to stop some of these accidents, I would hesitate to say that, I would call that wishful thinking. Will it stop some accidents, especially in younger pilots? I think that’s probably a reasonable statement.” AP

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SCHMIDT REMEMBERS ‘ANNOYING KID’ KOBE S

ÃO PAULO—For little Kobe Bryant growing up in Italy, the player that amazed him as a child was a skinny and half bald Brazilian guard who often beat his father’s teams with long distance shots.

Oscar Schmidt, one of basketball’s all-time leading scorers with almost 50,000 points, played with Italian teams between 1982 and 1993. It was there that the son of Joe Bryant started going to courts to watch his father in action and, when possible, take a few shots himself.

Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others died in a helicopter crash on a steep hillside in Southern California on Sunday, igniting a global wave of grief that

includes Schmidt—the idol turned fan.

“Once I heard Joe’s teammates, saying he would talk about Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to Kobe. And the kid would answer, ‘The good one is Oscar, he beats your team all the time.’ And Joe would laugh,” a well-humored Schmidt told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Joe played in Italy between 1984 and 1991 after a long National Basketball Association (NBA) career.

“Kobe said he used to call me ‘La Bomba’ [the bomb in Italian]. In Brazil, everyone calls me

‘Holy Hand’ because of my throws, but I liked his nickname for me, too,” said Schmidt, who opted not to play in the NBA despite being drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1984.

“I was 26, traveled all the way and the Nets picked me in the sixth round! I told Kobe that was an insult. He agreed,” the Brazilian said.

At that time, international players also had to choose between a career in the best basketball league in the world or continue playing for their national teams. Schmidt picked the latter.

Italy had one of the best leagues in Europe, which made the decision easier for Schmidt.

The move paid off for his national team in 1987, when Schmidt led Brazil to gold at the PanAmerican Games in Indianapolis after scoring 46 points in a 120-115 win in the final against a young US team led by David Robinson.

“It is possible little Kobe was impressed by that, too; it was a major upset at the time,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said he never talked to Kobe as a child, but frequently spotted him in the stands cheering for his father.

“He was a bit annoying to be honest,” Schmidt said fondly.

“He went to every all-star game in Italy, jumped onto the court before the game, at halftime and in the end just to shoot until someone dragged him out. At seven, eight years of age, he would not leave the court unless somebody picked him up.

“We could definitely see he was going to be a great shooter and a great dribbler, he had that from the start.”

BRAZIL’S Oscar Schmidt drives past the US’s Scottie Pipen during the quarterfinals of basketball competition at the Centennial Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in July 1996. AP

Russian athletics body faces expulsion from world body

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HE Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) face the very real threat of being expelled from World Athletics, following publication of a report by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) that accuses the body of failing to accept responsibility for several “serious anti-doping breaches” and that “it needs to change.”

It leaves Russian athletes facing the prospect of missing this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo after the AIU also recommended that the suspension of the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) process is maintained until charges against RusAF are fully investigated.

It follows allegations of obstructing an investigation into whereabouts violations committed by world indoor high jump silver medalist Danil Lysenko.

The recommendations were made by the AIU Board after reviewing RusAF’s response to them

member-federation in the circumstances would have admitted the charges and shown contrition for its conduct, but RusAF has chosen to do neither,” the statement furthered. “Instead, RusAF has gone to great lengths to deny any involvement in the matter, blame others and attack the process.”

Having been suspended since November 2015 following allegations of state-sponsored doping, the AIU warned that only the severest penalty would force Russia to rehabilitate.

The “fact that the previous sanctions of World Athletics have apparently failed to deter RusAF from reoffending, the World Athletics Council should consider imposing on RusAF the severest possible consequences under the World Athletics Constitution, including [without limitation] the payment of indemnity costs and a significant fine; and that it should further consider recommending to the World Athletics Congress that RusAF be expelled from membership,” the AIU said.

Insidethegames

being charged last November.

These charges came about after RusAF was accused of breaching anti-doping rules relating to the involvement of RusAF officials and representatives in the submission of forged documents and false explanations to the AIU in connection with the whereabouts failures case of Lysenko.

The AIU was scathing in its criticism of how RusAF has, so far, dealt with the matter.

“The AIU Board finds it regrettable that, in the face of clear and compelling evidence, RusAF has chosen not to admit to the acts and omissions of the employees, directors and representatives of RusAF for which it is liable under the anti-doping rules,” it said in a statement.

“In the AIU Board’s view, a responsible

WORLD pole vault champion Anzhelika Sidorova is facing the prospect of missing Tokyo 2020.

Grieving Lakers return to practice...

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L SEGUNDO, California—The Los Angeles Lakers ended practice with a few somber, almost plaintive laughs. As they left the court, they all passed under the oversized “8” and “24” outlined in white on the black wall above the door to their locker room.

Anthony Davis and several other Lakers, paused and looked up at Kobe Bryant’s two retired numbers for a moment before they moved forward.

The Lakers are still grieving and mourning Bryant’s death Sunday in a helicopter crash along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

Los Angeles’s players and coaches returned to work Wednesday at their training complex, with a determination to keep Bryant and the victims in their thoughts while getting on with the business of basketball and life.

“We want to represent what Kobe was about, more than anything,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said. “We’ve always wanted to make him proud, and that’s not going to be any different now.”

Vogel, who joined the Lakers eight months ago, was the only person to speak to the media after the workout. The loss apparently was still too raw for the players, including superstars LeBron James and Davis, who played in the Olympics with Bryant.

Although Bryant retired in 2016, he is still enormously important to his franchise and his sport.

Ever since the Lakers drafted the 17-year-old guard from suburban Philadelphia in 1996, Bryant had been a face of this franchise and basketball-mad city while he became a five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion, and his team’s career leader in points and games played.

The current Lakers are still grappling with the loss, while they prepare for their next game Friday night at Staples Center against Portland.

“We’ve become a family in a very short time,” Vogel said of the Lakers’ roster, which features only one player who suited up with Bryant. “It’s something that we talk about in the NBA with your teams, but this group, in particular, has really grown to love each other very rapidly, and we understand the importance and the opportunity we have this year. This has just brought us closer together.”

Outside the Lakers’ training complex, a temporary wall of remembrance has grown to nearly the entire length of the building, bookended on either side by large photos and colorful memorials to the Bryants. Fans have streamed through the security gates and up to the wall throughout the past three days, using markers to inscribe their thoughts and prayers on

Schmidt, 61, was still playing in 1996 when the annoying American kid from Italy became a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. But it was only after the Brazilian’s retirement in 2003 that he realized he had made an impact on Kobe.

“A few years later, I saw a documentary in which he said so many good things about me.

I wept,” Schmidt said. “The first time I actually talked to him was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I was emotional, he was emotional, it was great to see him as a grown-up man.”

Schmidt is not shy about his achievements in the sport, including being the leading scorer in Olympic history, but still struggles to explain why Kobe did not pick an NBA star to admire during his boyhood.

“Shooting from long range in Italy in those days was a big thing, basketball there was very physical,” Schmidt said. “I was never one of the best built players, but I was obsessed with shooting from long range, short range, as much as I could. And I trained like crazy. Maybe that’s why he liked me.”

After their first meeting in China, Kobe paid a visit to Schmidt in Sao Paulo during the 2014 Fiba World Cup. The two had dinner, with the conversation split between English and Italian.

“He remembered things about my career that I had forgotten. He talked about how impressed he was at an all-star game after I got 19 baskets in a row. I had to look it up to know it was in 1988,” Schmidt said. The last meeting between them was at the 2019 Fiba World Cup in China.

Schmidt said no other player will match Kobe’s talent in the near future, with the exception of Lakers All-Star LeBron James.

“The Kobe I saw as a kid is the Kobe of the 81 points in a single match, of 60 points in his last match. It is a very rare talent, one that everyone likes to watch,” Schmidt said. “But it is also true that he was a kind of player that other players often resent, because he proved he could decide a match on his own.

“He loved to have the ball as a kid, and he loved to have the ball as a star.”

the white surface.

Life and basketball have been put in a new perspective for everyone around the Lakers.

After their game against the Clippers on Tuesday night was postponed, the players and coaches, gathered that afternoon to share stories and remembrances because it felt “therapeutic and beneficial,” Vogel said.

“It’s been something that has touched my family, being the father of daughters, and it’s been very emotional,”Vogel said.

“It’s something that brings us together. I’m around the people who were closest to Kobe throughout his time here, and it’s been just a deeply saddening time for all of us.” AP LAKERS Head Coach Frank Vogel (left) talks with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at their practice facility on Wednesday in El Segundo, California. AP

SOFIA KENIN is into her first major final at age 21—beating the woman ranked No. 1, Ash Barty—in a string of upsets at the Australian Open that also boots out Rafael Nadal. AP

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ELBOURNE, Australia—Sofia Kenin never flinched.

Not when she was twice a point from dropping the opening set of her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. Not when she was twice a point from dropping the second set, either.

And the American is into her first major final at age 21—beating the woman ranked No. 1, Ash Barty, to get there. Now Kenin will need to beat a former No. 1, Garbiñe Muguruza, to grab the trophy.

Kenin saved a total of four set points to stop home hope Barty’s bid to give Australia a longawaited singles champion at Melbourne Park, pulling out a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory on a stiflingly hot Thursday.

“I was telling myself: ‘I believe in myself.

If I lose the set, I’m still going to come out and believe,’” said the 14th-seeded Kenin, who never had been past the fourth round at a major. “Yeah, I really did a great job with it. I didn’t give up.”

Muguruza fended off four set points in the opener of her semifinal, and wound up defeating No. 4 Simona Halep, 7-6 (8), 7-5, in a matchup of players who have won Wimbledon and the French Open but not the Australian Open.

It was a streaky contest: Muguruza led 5-3 in the first set before Halep took 15 of 17 points to earn a pair of set points. Muguruza then took seven consecutive points. And so on, until Halep put a shot in the net to relinquish that set, then smashed her racket and sat on the sideline, shaking her head.

“I wasn’t thinking I was down,” Muguruza said. “You keep going.”

Barty—who won the French Open last June, beating Kenin along the way—was hardly at her best Thursday, especially at the most crucial moments. Maybe she was burdened by the task of trying to become the first Australian woman since 1980 to get to the final of the country’s Grand Slam.

“Unfortunately, couldn’t quite scrap enough

to get over the line,” said Barty, who held her niece on her lap at the post-match news conference. “Just didn’t play the biggest points well enough to win.”

Instead, Kenin is the first American other than a Williams sister to reach the Australian Open final since Lindsay Davenport in 1995. And Kenin is the first American woman to beat the No. 1 player at any major since Serena topped Venus at Wimbledon in 2002.

“She has the ability to adapt,” Barty said. “She’s extremely confident at the moment, as well.”

Those inside the sport know. But Kenin has been overshadowed by some of the many other American women making waves in recent years.

“I mean, yeah, I know people haven’t really paid attention much to me in the past. I had to establish myself, and I have,” Kenin said. “Of course, now I’m getting the attention, which I like it. Not going to lie.”

Kenin, who was born in Russia and moved to Florida as a baby, burst onto the scene in 2019 by winning three singles titles, upsetting Serena Williams in the third round at Roland Garros, and soaring from No. 52 to No. 12 in the rankings.

She didn’t face a seeded player in this tournament until Thursday, but did eliminate 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

Barty and Kenin stepped out in Rod Laver Arena in the early afternoon under a cloudless sky and a vibrant sun. The temperature topped 100 Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in the first set, 20 to 25 (10 to 15) degrees hotter than it’s been for much of a chillier-than-usual 1 1/2 weeks, so far, at Melbourne Park.

Barty braced herself by wearing an ice

...as Clippers struggle to keep Kobe awa

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OS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Clippers returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since Kobe Bryant’s death, many still numb and struggling to comprehend his sudden loss.

The scoreboard at their training facility posted Bryant’s jersey numbers with the rival Lakers—8 and 24. There was none of the usual joking and hollering that marks the end of most practices.

“It doesn’t seem real,” Kawhi Leonard said. “It seems like you’re in a movie or something. It’s still surreal to me.”

Leonard, who lives near Staples Center, has witnessed the city’s daily outpouring of affection for Bryant at the plaza across from the arena.

Adults and children wearing Bryant jerseys, shoes and T-shirts, pets being toted to view the candles and handwritten tributes.

“It’s sad every day,” Leonard said.

Lou Williams said, “I cried myself to sleep last night.”

The Clippers host Sacramento on Thursday night in their second game since Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash Sunday. They won at Orlando hours after learning of the accident that also took the lives of Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

“Near the end of the game Kawhi told the team, ‘Hey listen, Kobe was a winner.

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Friday, January 31, 2020

ASH, RAFA FALL DOWN UNDER towel around her neck at changeovers.

In addition to making it uncomfortable for players and fans alike, the conditions caused balls to zip through the air and fly off rackets, rendering it that much harder to control shots.

Add that to some jitters, and neither woman was at her best in the opening set.

THIEM ELIMINATES NADAL

OUTPLAYED at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem.

Nadal marked the moment by hopping in a crouch at the baseline and vigorously pumping his right arm four times.

Soon, though, he was back in trouble. And eventually, his bid to tie Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles by winning the Australian Open was over with a quarterfinal loss Wednesday to Thiem—a younger version of Nadal himself.

Thiem’s 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory over the top-seeded Nadal lasted four hours and 10 minutes because of so many lengthy, electrifying points. One rather memorable one featured Thiem stumbling onto his backside before popping up and keeping the ball in play until Nadal made a mistake.

“He’s playing with a lot of energy...[and] determination. So well done for him,” Nadal said. “I honestly didn’t play a bad match.”

Thiem reached his fifth major semifinal but first somewhere other than at the French Open, the place that is Nadal’s domain.

Of more significance: The outcome ended Nadal’s career-best streak of making at least the semifinals at seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, a span during which he earned three trophies.

“If you want to have a chance against him,

one of the all-time greats, everything needs to work in your game,” the fifthseeded Thiem said.

The last time Nadal didn’t get to the final four at a major? Also at the Australian Open, where he also went out in the quarterfinals two years ago before finishing as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2019.

That was Nadal’s fourth defeat in a final at Melbourne Park since he won his lone title at the place in 2009. He’s won two at Wimbledon, four at the US Open and 12 at the French Open.

Asked what he wished he’d done differently against Thiem, Nadal replied: “Win any tiebreak.”

Thiem had been 0-5 against Nadal at the majors, including losses in the final at Roland Garros each of the past two years.

But this one was different. The defining statistic: Thiem won exactly twice as many points that featured nine or more shots, 24-12.

“Just an unbelievable match. Like, epic,” Thiem said. “A very high level from both of us.”

Thiem managed to hang in there with Nadal on physical baseline exchanges, trading groundstroke for groundstroke and picking the proper spots to move forward.

Or to describe it another way: Thiem was out-Nadal-ing Nadal, the ultimate grinder who never met a point that was too long or too grueling.

“Even from difficult positions,” Nadal said, praising Thiem’s quickness and power, “he was able to produce amazing shots.”

Now Thiem will play No. 7 Alexander Zverev on Friday for a berth in the title match.

Zverev reached his first major semifinal anywhere by overcoming a terrible start Wednesday and putting together a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over three-time Grand Slam

ALEX EALA, PARTNER IN AUSSIE OPEN FINAL Y OUNG Filipino tennis star Alex Eala and Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho needled their way past the top-seeded pair of Linda Fruhvirtova and Kamilla Bartone to score a 1-6, 7-5, 10-8 win and advance to the finals of the Australian Open junior girls’ doubles on Thursday in EALA Melbourne.

Given up for loss after a morale-draining first-set loss to the tournament heavyweights, Eala and Nugroho buckled down to work in the second set before calming the early rally of the Czech Fruhvirtova and Latvian Bartone in the decider.

Their hopes turned slim when Fruhvirtova and Bartone built a 7-1 wall

Batang Maynila bags volley title

ay from their minds We’re not losing tonight,’” Coach Doc Rivers recalled.

“That kind of got us through the night.”

Getting through the last few days hasn’t been any easier. The team took Monday off and their game against the Lakers on Tuesday was postponed by the National Basketball Association. They have been grieving via text message when they aren’t together.

“It just feels like other than us and the Lakers, everyone is still doing their jobs,” River said. “We’re not and so we got to figure out how to get through this and do our job. That will be the toughest part.”

Bryant’s death has impacted Clippers superstars Leonard and Paul George differently than some others because they grew up in the Los Angeles area watching Bryant win five NBA championships while spending his entire 20-year career with the Lakers.

“He was MJ, he was our hero, he was our G.O.A.T.,” Leonard said, referring to Michael Jordan and the acronym for greatest of all time. “It’s just going to hit different for us.”

Rivers recalled one of his favorite memories of Bryant came in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Rivers was coaching the Boston Celtics, who had the elimination game well in hand in the fourth quarter.

But Bryant was still on the floor for the Lakers, so Rivers kept his starters in.

“Clearly we were going to win, but you were scared because he was still on the floor,” Rivers said. “I shared that with Kobe and he laughed. He actually said, ‘I thought we still could have got it done.’”

The Celtics clinched the championship with a 39-point victory.

When he was in Boston, Rivers and his staff would spend hours game-planning against Bryant and the Lakers, trying to figure out Bryant’s mindset for a given game. Many nights they figured wrong. AP

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ATANG Maynila beat Kyusi@80, 25-17, 23-25, 25-7, 25-11, in a winner-take-all final to top the Metro League women’s volleyball tournament on Tuesday at the San Andres Sports Complex.

Batang Maynila of Mayor Isko Moreno won the title via a 10-game sweep of the tournament exclusively for local government units’ city hall employees fully backed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine Basketball Association and presented by Barangay 143.

Hilary Caparas led Batang Maynila with eight attacks, 12 aces and a block for 21 points.

She was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament which has SMS Global Technologies Inc. as official livestream and technology partner, Spalding as official ball, Team Rebel Sports as official outfitter and PLDT as official Internet service provider.

Makabagong San Juan survived a first set loss and beat Taguig Lady Generals, 25-27, 2520, 25-11, 25-15, in the battle for third place.

Batang Maynila streaked to a 7-2 lead in the first set, but had to play strong in defense to stave off Kyusi@80’s rally.

A fiercer Kyusi@80 came back in the second set and with precision plays that broke Batang Maynila’s defense especially at the net, the eventual runner-up squad leveled matters by taking the second set.

The second-set loss was the first for Batang Maynila in the tournament which has Synergy 88, World Balance, Excellent Noodles, San Miguel Corp., Gerry’s Grill, Summit Water, Alcoplus, Nature’s Spring and Goodfellow as sponsors.

But that was the best Kyusi@80 could muster as Batang Maynila held its ground the rest of the way to snatch the crown.

champion Stan Wawrinka.

So instead of Nadal, 33, against Wawrinka, 34, it’ll be Zverev, 22, against Thiem, 26, a couple of members of the new generation trying to collect a breakthrough Slam title.

“I think it’s the first time I am playing a Grand Slam semifinal and I am the older player,” Thiem said with a chuckle.

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ILIPINO para athletes have been drawing an unprecedented support from government and are extremely thankful with the passionate treatment accorded them by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez.

“The Chairman [Ramirez] always says ‘he has a soft spot in his heart for the para athletes. And he truly inspires our para athletes with what he does in PSC,” said Francis Diaz, Team Philippines’s chef de mission to the Asean Para Games the country is hosting from March 20 to 28.

“The PSC support is blockbuster. The national government through the PSC is practically funding all the training, international competitions of all our para athletes. We are very thankful for that commitment.” Diaz added.

From 2017 to 2019, the PSC spent P182 million for the training and exposure of Filipino para athletes.

With the PSC’s backing, table tennis Paralympian Josephine Medina won a gold medal at the 2019 International Table Tennis Federation Para Bangkok Open in Thailand and was behind the historic 10-gold, eight-silver and 11-bronze medal haul of the national para team at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia.

The medalists in Indonesia received a total of P16.2 million in cash incentive from the PSC. Under Ramirez’s watch, para athletes are now receiving the same benefits as their ablebodied counterparts in the national team.

Diaz said the PSC’s support helped the Philippine Paralympic Committee discover more talents for the national pool.

The Philippines will field 250 athletes—plus 80 officials in the Asean Para Games that will be

OLLEGE of Saint Benilde foiled San Beda University, 25-17, 25-18, 25-22, 25-12, to notch its sixth consecutive victory and move a win away from a semifinals berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 women’s volleyball action on Thursday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Gayle Pascual finished with a team-high 16 points with four blocks, Diane Ventura added nine points and two aces, and Cloanne Mondonedo made 15 excellent sets for the Lady Blazers who remained spotless in six matched atop the standings.

“We just always practice hard. He [Coach Jerry Yee] doesn’t want us to lose our form,” Lady Blazers’ rookie Mhyca Go said. “Coach Jerry makes us do active rests. We continue to put in work and there are no days off for us.”

Francesca Racraquin tallied a triple-double of 13 points, 14 excellent sets and 10 excellent receptions for San Beda, which dropped to a 3-2 won-lost card. Maria Viray added 13 points for the Red Lioness who occupied the No.4 spot in the standings.

Jose Rizal Univeristy downed hapless Emilio Aguinaldo College, 25-22, 25-17, 25-19, to end a four-game skid.

Dolly Verzosa paced the Lady Bombers with 12 points, three blocks and 12 excellent digs, while Sydney Negros added 10 points and Renessa Melgar made 15 excellent sets.

The Lady Bombers improved to 2-4 in seventh spot. Jan Carl Cabrera and Dhariane Gallardez led the Lady Generals’ loss with 10 points each. Anne Formento had 11 excellent sets and eight excellent digs for EAC which fell to 0-5.

In men’s action, the Blazers also won a tight battle against the Red Spikers, 23-25, 25-17, 27-25, 19-25, 15-9.

Ruvince Abrot finished with 22 points, four blocks, two aces and 23 excellent receptions, and Georgie Gauani added 15 points and seven excellent digs for Saint Benilde which tied Arellano University at third sport with a 4-2 record.

Joshua de Seguera chipped 17 points, Kevin Magsino had 28 excellent sets and Ajian Dy 24 excellent digs also for the Blazers.

Ryniel Berlanga

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Badminton Asia Manila Team Championships up next month

HE 2020 Badminton Asia Manila Team Championships kicks off February 11 to 16 at the newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Stadium with the Philippines facing tough customers in the men’s and women’s divisions.

The Philippines is seeded ninth in the tournament that was launched with the draw on Thursday at the Century Park Hotel.

The national men’s team is bracketed in Group A with top-seed Indonesia and fifth-ranked India, whole the women’s squad was drawn in Group C with Thailand and also Indonesia.

The men’s team is composed of Joper Escueta, Ariel Magnaye, Alvin Morada, Solomon Padiz Jr., Paul John Pantig, Ros Pedrosa, Arthur Salvado, and Lanz Zafra with Ronald Magnaye as head coach, while the women’s side is made up of Nicole Albo, Sarah Barredo, Mika de Guzman, Geva de Vera, Ysay Leonardo, Chanelle Lunod, Bianca Carlos and Thea Pomar with Ian Mendez as chief tactician.

“We need to prepare because we fell short in the Southeast Asian Games. We need to double, triple our effort,” Mendez said.

“We are playing with the best in the world.

in the third set which seemed insurmountable at that point.

But luck favored the side of the Filipino and Indonesian tandem as their foes committed three straight unforced errors, setting the path for a comeback by the Southeast Asian pair via a gritty 9-1 turnaround.

It was a sweet redemption for the world No. 9 Eala, a Rafael Nadal Academy scholar, after she exited in the third round of the singles competitions last Wednesday.

The duo await the winner of the other semifinal match between US’s Savannah Broadus and Elizabeth Coleman, and Slovenia’s Ziva Falkner and Britain’s Matilda Mutavdzic.

Eala and Nugroho disposed of the French duo of Aubane Droguet and Selena Janicijevic, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, in the quarterfinals. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

PARA GAMES ATHLETES ALL READY TO RUMBLE

BENILDE ZERO IN ON SEMIS

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PHILIPPINE Badminton Association (PBA) Secretary General Christopher Quimpo (third from left) poses with the trophies with (from left) women’s team Head Coach Ian Mendez, Smart Communication’s Atty. Eric Espanol, Badminton Asia COO Saw Chit Boon, PBA President Albee Benitez, Atty. Jackie Cruz, Badminton Asia’s Belle Ng Yein Mun and Chooi Weng Sheng, and men’s team Head Coach Ronald Magnaye.

TEAM Philippines Chef de Mission Francis Diaz expresses his gratitude to the Philippine Sports Commission for its full support.

played at the New Clark City, Subic and Metro Manila. In the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Para Games, the country sent 80 athletes and 20 officials with the team finishing fifth on 20 gold, 20 silver and 29 bronze medals.

There are 16 regular sports on the Philippine Asean Para Games—archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, bowling, chess, cycling, 7-a-side CP football, goalball, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triathlon and wheelchair basketball and one demonstration sport, para obstacle.

Hopefully, we will give them a good fight,” Magnaye said.

Powerhouse China, men’s runner-up in 2018, is in Group B with Thailand and Hong Kong, while Chinese-Taipei, Malaysia, and Singapore are in Group C. Another strong team, Japan, leads Group D with Korea and Kazakhstan.

Defending women’s champion Japan is with Malaysia and Hong Kong in Group W; Korea, India and Kazakhstan are in Group X while China, Chinese-Taipei, and Singapore are in Group Z. The top 2 teams in each group will advance to the knockout quarterfinals while the four semifinalists will punch tickets to the Thomas and Uber Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, in May. “We’re happy to help out in the country’s hosting of this prestigious international sports event. This is very much in line with our advocacy of helping nation-building through sports.

“We strongly believe that the positive values that sports promote can help our people to improve our lives,” said PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who has been supporting Philippine badminton for the last decade.

FAST, FURIOUS SUPER BOWL

SAN Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert (31) carries the ball for a touchdown in his team’s National Football Conference Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. AP

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| Friday, January 31, 2020 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

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IAMI—Tyreek Hill has plans for the speedy Kansas City receiving group after the Super Bowl.

“If I’m healthy and my mind is in the right place, I’d go try out for the Olympics, put together a relay,” Hill said. “We’d show these track guys, ‘Hey, we football players can do that, too.’”

Hill might only have been half-kidding, but he’d sure have a speedy crew. Hill said he’d race with fellow receivers Mecole Hardman and Sammy Watkins, and cornerback Charvarius Ward in a relay team.

While that group might not be able to win a gold medal in Tokyo, it’s enough to strike fear in opposing coaches.

“It almost looks like they got their roster from the Olympic relay team, and threw them all on the football field,” 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh said. “Not to say they can’t run routes and catch either, because they can do that. They’re a special group, and you can see why they’re there.”

The Chiefs bring the National Football League’s (NFL) fastest group of wide receivers, led by Hill and Hardman, into the Super Bowl against a 49ers team featuring plenty of speedsters, as well.

It’s no accident that the league’s two fastest offenses are playing for the championship on Sunday as offenses seek more and more to get playmakers the ball in space, rather than just run it up the middle with brute force.

The Chiefs were the NFL’s fastest team this season with ball carriers averaging a top speed of 13.34 mph, according to Next Gen Stats compiled by SportRadar. The Niners were only a tick behind at 13.32 mph.

With so much speed on both sides, maybe they could hold a 400-meter relay race in place of the opening coin toss.

“If we do line up for a relay, they’d probably win,” Niners safety Jimmie Ward said. “But one thing about it, this is football. There’s such a thing as a helmet and shoulder pads.

And we hit. We are very physical with how we hit.”

The Niners have plenty of speed of their own led by running back Raheem Mostert, who was clocked with the

fastest time of the season for the 49ers at 22.85 mph.

Mostert said if he was putting together a relay team he’d use the running back room with himself, Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson Jr. Mostert, Breida and Coleman all ran the 40-yard dash, leading up to their drafts under 4.4 seconds.

San Francisco’s running backs led the league in average top speed with the ball with Breida’s 22.3 mph on an 83-yard TD run against Cleveland, the fastest time all season for a ball carrier. Mostert wasn’t far behind, when he hit 21.87 mph on a 36-yard TD run in the NFC title game against Green Bay. Injured receiver Marquise Goodwin is faster than all of them, with a combine 40 time of 4.27 seconds. Goodwin competed in the 2012 Olympics as a long jumper, and is also an accomplished sprinter.

The Chiefs speed is mostly at receiver where they led the league in average top speed with Hill posting the top mark of 22.81 mph, when he chased down teammate Damien Williams after a long run to celebrate in the end zone.

Hardman is right there with Hill when it comes to speed, giving Coach Andy Reid the deep threats he covets for his offense.

“I’ve only gone that fast like in a car, so I don’t know how it feels other than that, but both those two are real fast guys,” Reid said. “It gives you an opportunity to obviously stretch the field.”

With so much speed on the field, it will put added pressure on the defenses to try to keep up.

That’s not something that overly concerns Niners cornerback Richard Sherman, who has been one of the NFL’s top cover cornerbacks since entering the league in 2011, despite a not-so-impressive 40 time at the combine of 4.56 seconds.

“This is a fast football league,” Sherman said. “There’s a lot of teams with speed. There’s a lot of teams that have a tremendous amount of speed on the outside, on the inside. At the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and execute your scheme regardless. You can go out there and face five receivers that run a 4.6, and if you don’t execute your scheme, you can get run out of the building.

So at the end of the day, we expect to go out there and do what we’ve done.”

Stamkos, Lightning beat Kings in somber Staples Center LOS Angeles Kings left wing Alex Iafallo wears a sticker on his helmet honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. AP

Canada’s Sinclair sets goal record in Tokyo Olympics football qualifier DINBURG, Texas—Christine Sinclair scored twice to pass Abby Wambach for the international goals record among both men and women, and Canada defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis, 11-0, on Wednesday in the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament.

Sinclair converted on a penalty in the seventh minute to match Wambach with 184 goals, then broke the former US star’s record in the 23rd. To celebrate, she bowled the ball to a group of her teammates, who all fell down. The record came in her 290th appearance for the national team.

“All I could think of was don’t miss the net,” she said.

“But luckily, I didn’t.”

Adriana Leon scored four goals in Canada’s opening match of the tournament, which will determine the region’s two berths in this summer’s Tokyo Games. Ashley Lawrence added two goals, while Jayde Riviere, Jessie Fleming and Jordyn Huitema also scored.

Sinclair, who was subbed out of the game in the 47th minute, made her debut for Canada’s senior team in 2000 at age 16. Now 36, she also plays for the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League.

“I definitely feel a relief, especially with the tournament we’re in right now, because there’s some big things to focus on,” she said. “It’s just nice to get it out of the way in the opening game so we can focus on getting better and improving and qualifying for the Olympics.”

She has led Canada to back-to-back bronze-medal finishes at the Olympics, and has scored 11 of her goals in 15 Olympic appearances.

Wambach posted a tribute to Sinclair on Instagram.

“Tonight, I am celebrating the honor of passing that

By Josh Dubow

The Associated Press

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record, that legacy of our beautiful game, to the great Christine Sinclair: world-record holder for most international goals— man or woman—in history. Christine: History is made. Your victory is our victory. We celebrate with you,” Wambach wrote.

“To have scored an all-time international record goal haul, and to still be going strong, is truly outstanding.

Christine’s achievements have made her an icon in Canada. She transcends the sport and is a wonderful role model for people across the country,” said Concacaf President Victor Montagliani, the former president of the Canadian Federation.

Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in via Twitter: “She did it! Christine Sinclair is now international soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Congratulations, @sincy12—you rock!”

In addition to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Canada’s group for qualifying includes Jamaica and Mexico.

The opposite group, which includes the United States, Costa Rica, Haiti and Panama, is playing its matches in Houston.

“Obviously it feels really good, I mean, we know the competition is going to get more and more difficult as the tournament goes on,” Sinclair said.

“But I thought we played well for 90 minutes.” AP CHRISTINE SINCLAIR now owns 184 international goals. AP

OS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Kings all came to work wearing Kobe Bryant’s jersey. Two stalls in their dressing room held a uniform and a nameplate for the former Lakers superstar.

When the puck dropped on the first sporting event at Staples Center since Bryant’s death, the Tampa Bay Lightning proudly joined their opponents in wearing helmet stickers, with “Kobe” and “Gigi” superimposed on a gold heart.

A painful week in Los Angeles continued with two hockey teams paying heartfelt tributes to an athlete who inspired reverence and awe that crossed all borders. Even those between sports.

Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist, and Eric Cernak scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period of the Lightning’s 4-2 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night.

Staples Center held a somber pregame ceremony honoring Bryant and the other eight victims of Sunday’s helicopter crash. Bryant’s two retired jersey numbers hang high on the walls of the building, which was his home for the final 17 years of his two-decade career.

“It certainly wasn’t easy,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said of the ceremony. “Even though you know it’s coming, you still get choked up, obviously. The stature of Kobe, not just in this building, but literally all over the world, it’s going to sting for a while.... We’re trying to obviously show appreciation and respect to Mamba before the game, and that’s about it. You still get choked up, really. At least, I did.”

Both teams wore the gold stickers honoring Bryant and his 13-yearold daughter, Gianna, who also perished in the crash. While the Kings all wore Bryant’s jersey before the game, the Lightning donned purple T-shirts featuring the same logo on the helmet stickers.

“Just to walk down here to Staples Center before

the game and, gosh, the love that’s shown for him outside the arena,” Tampa Bay Coach Jon Cooper said.

“It just gives you time to reflect and sit there and understand how much he meant to this city.... It was a weird first couple of minutes of the game, because there was just no emotion on either side. Once some bodies got banged, it turned into a hockey game, but like I said, a very well-done and tasteful tribute.”

After the Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second period, Cernak got his fourth goal of the season with a long, possibly deflected shot through traffic off passes from Stamkos and reigning National Hockey League MVP Nikita Kucherov, who both extended their scoring streaks to five games.

Stamkos was asked about his favorite memory of Bryant’s career, and he quickly mentioned Kobe’s 81-point performance against his beloved Toronto Raptors in 2006.

“When I first heard the news, I hadn’t had that feeling before,” Stamkos said. “Just kind of in shock, that it wasn’t really, really real.... So in a way, to be able to be here tonight when they honored him with the pregame, that was good on them and we’re glad obviously we got to be a part of it under those tough circumstances.”

Tyler Johnson also scored, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves and Stamkos added an empty-net goal in the final second of the Lightning’s first win in two games after their 10-day break.

“I’m from Sweden, obviously, and basketball is maybe not the biggest sport, but Kobe Bryant is still someone that everybody knows,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. “Doesn’t matter if you’re a hockey player or a soccer player back home. All my friends, family, everyone knows who Kobe is.... It was an honor for us as an organization to be a part of that pregame ceremony.”

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty missed his first game since April 12, 2014, ending the longest consecutive games streak in franchise history. The star blueliner had played in 460 straight games, but an undisclosed injury prevented him from suiting up even after a lengthy break since the Kings’ last game. AP

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God of justice

EAR God, we remember the Salvadoran women martyrs and all who give their life for others with faith in Your holy name. In trust we pray: Oh God, come to our aid. Still the violence in many parts of the world, and uphold the work of justice and peace thoughout the universe. Dispel the darkness of sin that shows itself in greed, fear and prejudice.

Uncover deceitful practices, and nurture gifts of compassion and courage in those who serve as judges. May God remove the veil of unbelief from our minds and hearts, and strengthen us in faith, hope, and love, through Jesus, our promised peace. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY, SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life BusinessMirror

MEGHAN TRAINOR PUTS PAIN BEHIND AND CHANGES IT UP ON NEW CD D4

Friday, January 31, 2020

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GEORGE MACKAY JOURNEYS BACK TO

‘1917’ W

HEN George MacKay first read the screenplay for Sam Mendes’s war epic 1917, he was entranced. It was, he says, a “masterpiece.” He knew, too, that he desperately wanted to be a part of it.

“It was the most beautiful script that I’ve ever read,” he says. “It’s such a masterpiece in itself and there is so much information in there about the story and what we are trying to get across and, at the same time, it’s not an essay. It’s an extraordinary piece of storytelling.”

1917 is written by Mendes and Krysty WilsonCairns, and inspired by stories told to the director by his own grandfather, Alfred H. Mendes, who served as a messenger in the British Army during World War I. MacKay plays a young soldier and felt an immediate connection with his character, a veteran who has served on the Western Front for 18 months, and is desperately missing his family and his home.

“I felt like I knew him,” he says. “I’ve never been to war or experienced anything like he has but I could relate to that feeling of longing for home and how much he is missing home but, at the same time, trying to block out that feeling.

“In his head and his heart, if he let himself go back there, he would never come back again. Home is what means most to Schofield. The only way to get through this terrible war is just to live in the present, just to be there, so he is walking this tightrope between his head and his heart because he always wants to be somewhere else but he can’t let himself go there.

“So I built the character from the script, historical research and personal research, and that sense of a man missing home and what home meant to him— and that’s a mixture of what home means to me, what love means to me and applying that to what home meant in those times.”

The Oscar-winning filmmaker and his Academy

The British actor talks about the making of one of the most celebrated films of the year, which is greatly favored to win the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director for Sam Mendes.

Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins filmed 1917 as though it is one continuous shot, following two young British soldiers, Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (MacKay), as they embark on a crucial, extremely dangerous mission, deep behind enemy lines, to try and save the lives of 1,600 men, including Blake’s brother.

With communications down and in a desperate race against time, their hellish journey takes them from the relative safety of the British trenches and into battle-scarred No Man’s Land, and into German held territory to try and warn the officer commanding

a British division to call off a planned attack before he leads his men into a trap.

MacKay was born in London and first started acting as a 10-year-old, starring in P.J. Hogan’s 2003 film Peter Pan. His other film credits, include The Thief Lord, Defiance, The Boys Are Back, Hunky Dory, Private Peaceful, For Those in Peril, Sunshine on Leith, How I Live Now, Pride, Captain Fantastic, Marrowbone and Ophelia.

Making the film was, says MacKay, a life-changing experience. “Yes, I think an experience like this does change you. Definitely it does. I think the sort of scale of the experience changes you, but then by the same token, I took something from the fact that this film starts on the move and it ends on the move, and in the watching of it, it never stops, it never cuts and that’s sort of very true of life.

“That was one of the best life lessons to deal with learning about the massiveness of the subject we were dealing with, and also the massiveness of the personal experience—that life just keeps going, for better or for worse.

“It’s this constant flow and you’ve got to take the present moment, but, yeah, it does, it just sort of educates you about yourself, and about history, and about all sorts of things. It’s like an education in life.”

It was, says MacKay, collaborative filmmaking at its very best, and the key was weeks of careful planning, mapping out the precise choreography—for actors and cameras—for each shot. By the time they came to shoot a scene, he says, ‘muscle memory” kicked in and he was fully into character.

“It was all about the three-dimensional understanding of filmmaking and having an awareness of everyone’s job, and that’s a positive thing. I think oftentimes, with actors there’s, perhaps, a stereotype that the best thing you can do is be completely in your own head, so that your character is separate to the rest of the world that you’re in, the

world of the making of the film.

“Whereas actually, you’re there to facilitate someone else’s job, and they’re there to facilitate your job—or you’re not there to facilitate other people’s jobs, you’re just there to facilitate the story.

“You’re cogs in a big machine that is the story, and rather than think that your cog is the biggest, it’s a shared experience. And I think this was acting in its essence, in the sense that we drilled the technicality of it so hard that it then became unconscious and allowed us to be very free in the moment, and to be natural.”

1917, which, along with MacKay and Chapman, also stars Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Daniel Mays, Andrew Scott and Richard Madden, has already won lavish critical praise.

The Guardian gave the film a maximum five stars and described it as a masterpiece. The Hollywood Reporter said that it was “an exemplary panorama of the horrors of war designed as an inescapable immersion in the unrelieved pressure and sheer wretchedness of the battlefront.”

The film has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including: Mendes for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

How hard was it to connect with an experience so brutal and so distant from your own?

Although, as you say, I don’t have any experience of war, when I first auditioned for the film, there was no script that I could read, and for my first audition, there were two scenes from the film, and I remember reading those scenes and feeling like I knew Schofield. I felt very close to him, or at least knew an interpretation that I’d like to give. So in terms of the

Continued from D4

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Friday, January 31, 2020

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When you won’t have tea with dim sum

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Wilmer Valderrama, 40; Christian Bale, 46; Phil Collins, 69; Charles S. Dutton, 69.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Stand up for your beliefs, and make a difference in your community, workplace or circle of friends. How you approach life, and the suggestions and solutions you make will draw positive attention to you and what you have to offer. Turn this into a progressive year filled with hopes, dreams and wishes. Trust your judgment and forge ahead. Your lucky numbers are 6, 10, 23, 29, 31, 36, 45.

TRY SAKE, BUBBLY AND RIESLING WITH DIM SUM Tsukino Katsura Junmai Daiginjo from Fushimi, Kyoto (clockwise); Freixenet Casa Sala Cava Gran Reserva from Catalonia, Spain; Riesling from Mosel, Germany

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Interacting with people who have something to offer will lead to greater opportunities. Sign up for a course or participate in an activity that interests you. Do a background check before you trust someone with your money or your personal information. HHHHH

W

HEN Kowloon House down the block from my house took down its sign, I felt a profound sense of regret. It was a neighborhood fixture where even nonresidents would stop by to have their mami and siopao by the take-out counter, or at one of the two tiny wrought iron tables under the tree that shaded them. It had also been the unlikely venue for the impromptu wine tasting sessions with my good friend Jolo when the hankering for siomai trumped whatever wine was up for tasting. But the wine somehow always came through and I’d walk away from those sessions thinking about what else will work with dim sum— and Chinese food.

Here are more suggestions from avowed foodies who love their wine as well: n JAY LABRADOR, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL WINE AND FOOD SOCIETY, PHILIPPINES BRANCH­. “Lots of flavors in Chinese food [that it is] so hard to say one wine fits all. Many suggest Gewürztraminer but I find it too heavy for most Chinese dishes. I would go with a German Riesling Kabinett. Very versatile wine that’s got a good balance between acidity and fruit, and goes well with a lot of Chinese food.” n CHEF GENE GONZALEZ. “I’ll have beer, unfiltered sake or Korean Makgeolli. The grainy flavor of the beer will stand up to the myriad of dim sum flavors...the yeasty fermented characters of beer and unfiltered sake or Makgeolli have high aminos that will heighten flavors.” n ARNIE DEL ROSARIO, MEMBER, CHAÎNE DES RÔTISSEURS. “Riesling or sweetish sparkling usually.

New World Pinot Noir if we are having Peking duck.” n KATHY YAO-SANTOS, WINE IMPORTER. “Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc, Beringer Luminus Chardonnay, Dierberg Pinot Noir, Joseph Phelps Insignia....” n CLEMENT LIM, SINGAPORE-BASED SAKE SOMMELIER. Clement thinks wine, sake and beer with

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Dedicate more time to gathering information and facts before you decide to get into a debate with someone who can influence your position or advancement.

Knowledge will determine how well you do. Don’t underestimate the competition. HHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll learn quickly.

A partnership looks promising, but before you take a leap of faith, make sure you are dealing with someone reputable. Ask around and rely on reviews to help you make a sound decision. HHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don’t make a change for the wrong reason. If someone pushes or pressures you, back away and do your own thing. Be confident in your ability to come up with your own means and methods to accomplish what’s best for you. HHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): What are you waiting for? If change is needed, make it happen. Own your responsibilities, and make moves based on your needs. Socialize and network, and you will make connections that will lead to relationships that will help you personally and professionally. HHHHH

f dim sum and Chinese dishes: wine—Pouilly-Fumé, Chablis, aged Red Burgundy; sake—Niigata styleKimoto Junmai Ginjo; beer—lighter style lager like Kirin or Sapporo. n JEANNIE JANS, DALLAS-BASED WINE COLLECTOR, MEMBER, COMMANDERIE DE BORDEAUX, LA CONFRÉRIE DES CHEVALIERS DU TASTEVIN. “I love dim sum.

Champagne is my go-to, even with sushi. A fruity red like a light Pinot Noir, or a dry German or Austrian Riesling. A rosé should work, too.” n JOLO DELGADO, WINE IMPORTER. “I’ll have an Albariño all throughout a Chinese meal...or an oaked Verdejo.”

With dim sum, bubbly in all its expressions

had never failed me. I’ve had the Zonin Prosecco Cuvée Black (a glera-pinot noir blend) with roast goose, and the Taittinger Nocturne Sec with shrimp dumplings and steamed custard buns. I remember having the Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc (a viognierchardonnay-chenin blanc blend) with the exquisite Cantonese menu at the Ying Jee Club. There was the Hakutsuru junmai nigori that I had with spicy, baked pork buns.

A new year merits new beginnings and renewals.

And for me, that includes opening up to more food and wine pairing possibilities. Like cheese with the many styles of sake. It’s the Year of the Rat after all (and rats like cheese). Kung Hei Fat Choi! n

Dot Property Awards 2019 fetes Southeast Asia’s Best DOT Property Director for Events and International Markets Adam Sutcliffe (from left), Ngoc Bui, head of Business Vietnam Development, with Novaland Group Project Finance Director Nguyen Duc Dung, and Dot Property CEO Matthew Campbell

ASIA’S best and brightest real-estate developers and professionals recently gathered together for one glamorous night in Bangkok for the prestigious Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards, which recognizes the industry’s most outstanding industry professionals from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Top officials from the region’s biggest realestate portal were present to warmly welcome over 200 guests who came to Park Hyatt Bangkok to join the celebration. Dot Property CEO Matthew Campbell, Commercial Director James Claassen, and Director for Events and International Markets Adam Sutcliffe went onstage to congratulate the winners. “Their hard work and dedication to being the best at the regional level deserve this recognition,” added Sutcliffe. “The Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards presentation and ceremony,

and the Winners Party was an event unlike anything the industry has ever seen. We’re delighted so many industry leaders from throughout Southeast Asia were here to join us for an amazing night.”

From the Philippines, Grand Land, represented by its President Ryan Go, garnered the Best Mid Range Condominium Development Award for Amani Grand Citygate Davao, while Santos Knight Frank, represented by Assistant Manager for Residential Services Marievie Gimena, was recognized as one of Southeast Asia’s Best Real Estate Agency for 2019.

SM Development Corp. also won Best Township Development for Gold Residences. Dot Property Philippines Country Manager Tanya Yu accepted the award on behalf of SMDC. Vietnam’s Novaland Group bagged the night’s biggest honor, the Developer of the Year 2019 Award.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take a step back and talk to someone you admire and respect. Getting a unique perspective on a situation you face will give you the insight you need to make a decision. HH LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Get away from your home turf and explore new territory. What you discover will inspire you to make changes to the way you live or handle people who are too demanding. HHHH

g

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Learn all you can and explore your options. Don’t let someone make decisions for you. Keeping the peace will not buy you the freedom you want. Speak up and make choices that will help you reach your goals. HHH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’ll be distracted easily. Refuse to let someone put ideas in your head that aren’t valid or use emotional tactics to get you to do something you shouldn’t. Stick to tried-and-true friends who offer stability. Romance is highlighted. HHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Demands will be made, but that doesn’t mean you have to agree. Weigh the pros and cons, and do what’s in your best interest. If someone wants to take a risk, walk away and do your own thing. HHH

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Look for an opportunity to use your skills to bring in more cash. Take action and start something that will help you build a strong base for something you want to pursue. HHHH

k

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Proceed with caution. Someone will feed you false information or use persuasive tactics to get you involved in something that isn’t going to make you look good. Protect against a broken heart, ill health and emotional manipulation. HH

l

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are industrious, original and outgoing.

You are clever and helpful.

‘fourth coming’ BY SAM ACKER The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Ecology or geology: Abbr.

4 Moves vertically while filming 9 Flag maker Ross 14 Move horizontally while filming 15 Empathetic words 16 Speed-skating great Ohno 17 Actress Thurman 18 It comes after the first quarter, in college 20 Colorful biters in a colony 22 Homer’s cry 23 Lacto-___ vegetarian 24 “Umbrella” singer’s nickname 25 Mortise and ___ 27 It comes after the second quarter, in football 32 It often one-ups a king 33 Manual reader 34 Green dip, informally 36 Word before “twisting” or “wrestling” 37 Car part that slides open 41 Sports ___ 42 18-wheeler 44 A3 automaker

5 Prohibit 4 46 It comes after the third quarter, in astronomy 51 Black Friday destination 52 Injured 53 Bird related to a cassowary 56 Singer with a black-and-blond wig 57 Arranges in a row 60 It comes after the fourth quarter, in a pizza parlor 63 Soccer chant 64 Carry-on label 65 Test episode of a TV show 66 ___ Vegas 67 Words on a Spanish valentine 68 Wheel of Fortune turns 69 Approximate no.

DOWN 1 Stimulate, as growth 2 Group on a film set 3 Stuck 4 Ear ring?

5 Rapper/actor on SVU 6 What bills may become 7 Attempt

8 Sowing machine 9 Buy manhattans all over Manhattan, say 10 Short records: Abbr.

11 Big fuss 12 Croat or Serb 13 Move up and down rapidly 19 First-rate 21 Bark sound 25 Outdoor apartment amenity 26 Eggy drink 27 Golfer Bill or actor Lukas 28 Ames sch.

29 Bathroom door sign 30 Gum on the bottom of a shoe?

31 Eight-legged pets 35 Is unable to 38 Not just mine 39 Poem of praise 40 Some stockings 43 They may help you get a job 47 “We have the green light!”

48 Dark film genre 49 Groks 50 Pool shark’s stick

3 Make less wordy, perhaps 5 54 Way of doing 55 Beauty chain 57 Riverdale costar Reinhart 58 App symbol 59 Annoyance 61 On the ___ (fleeing) 62 Upper or lowerbody part Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Relationships BusinessMirror

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Friday, January 31, 2020

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MORMON SCHOOL TO ALLOW SAME-SEX PARTNERS IN BALLROOM EVENT SALT LAKE CITY—Brigham Young University (BYU) will allow same-sex couples to compete in a national ballroom dance competition hosted by the school, a move that goes against the institution’s code against gay relationships, officials said.

BYU was required to lift its ban on same-sex couples competing in the US National Amateur Dancesport Championships, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. The Provo university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has hosted the competition since at least 1997.

The change goes against BYU’s Honor Code. The university does not allow men to dance together in its own classes despite being a renowned school for ballroom dance.

The National Dance Council of America (NDCA) revised its policy in September under the threat of a lawsuit and public pressure to allow “samesex/gender-neutral couples” to compete alongside opposite-sex couples in all of the organization’s events. In order to hold the March 2020 competition, BYU will be required to abide by the new rules.

BYU spokesman Carri Jenkins said in an e-mail that “in consultation with the leadership of the National Dance Council of America, it was determined that the magnitude of the competition at BYU warranted a full sanction, which requires adherence to all NDCA rules and regulations.” AP

LANDERS SUPERSTORE ACCEPTS IN-STORE AND ONLINE DONATIONS FOR TAAL VICTIMS

WANT to send help to Taal victims but don’t know where to send donations? Or have you been thinking of reaching out to those displaced by the eruption, but are too busy to drive to the nearest drop-off center? Landers Superstore, the fastestgrowing membership shopping establishment in the country, provides an easy way as it partners with the Philippine Army relief operations project for the victims of the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano.

Simply gather the items you want to donate, and drop them off at any Landers Superstore branch. Donations will be accepted every day between 9 am and 9 pm. Members and nonmembers can give all kinds of donations, except perishable items.

Too busy to drop by the branch? Landers members and nonmembers can still donate without having to drive all the way to the store. All they need to do is log on to or create an account at www.landers.ph, buy items they want to donate online, and key in the voucher code HELPTAAL upon checkout via debit- and credit-card payments.

The code will tag the items as donations, and will then be packed and endorsed to the membership counter where they will be included in the donations to be picked up by the Philippine Army. An acknowledgement e-mail will be sent to the donor member. The delivery address would vary depending on their chosen locations.

All donations, including those purchased online, will be turned over to the Philippine Army which will take charge of the sorting and distribution to the respective victims in the affected areas in Batangas.

More information is available at

Outbreak C

LEANLINESS is next to godliness.

That’s what many folks of our Generation X used to nag us kids in the late 1960s and 1970s, to get us to wash our hands frequently, brush our teeth three times a day and take a bath at least once a day, especially after playing in the streets.

One of the important cleanliness prompts in our childhood was to cover our mouth with our handkerchief (does anyone still use one besides me?) when coughing. If without a hanky, use a Kleenex, or our hands. Of course, if using our hands, it’s best to immediately wipe these with facial tissue or wet wipes, or rub them with alcohol or hand sanitizers.

These tiny reminders constantly drilled into our heads by our mothers might well be what will save many of us from the novel coronavirus (nCoV), if and when it strikes our country. God willing, I hope it doesn’t, although, as I write this, China has already reported close to 6,000 confirmed cases of nCoV infections. And we’re still allowing them to come here as Pogo employees and tourists.

What to do? What to do?

Well, I’ll tell you what I have been doing so far.

I’ve already bought surgical masks—yes, the one with the blue color on one side and white on the other. No one can really agree what side we should use to cover our mouths with, as there are some doctors who say there is a filter layer in between both sides anyway.

But to follow the majority of suggestions, when leaving the house, use the surgical mask blue side out, to protect oneself from viruses, bacteria and germs in the air, along with other air pollutants. In my case, since I’m still coughing due to my asthma (triggered by the recent Taal Volcano eruption, thank you very much!), I use the white side out of respect for others.

(Just an aside, last Sunday at Mass, I had a mild coughing fit—again because of my asthma—and I

Since the news of the rising number of nCoV cases, I’ve tried to minimize leaving the house just to avoid crowds.

Hermit na kung hermit, but one can never be too praning and OA, especially at this time. This has proven to be a bit of an annoyance, especially for someone like me who needs to get her heart rate up by taking 10,000 steps everyday though the nearby malls. swear the people beside me in the Church pew took two steps to the right! Hahaha!)

When I come home, I immediately wash my hands with soap and water. A few doctors on social media advise 20 seconds of washing. For good measure, take a bath, as well; use the bimpo or your favorite bath sponge to really get the soap in every nook and, ahem, crevice of your body. (Who knows where all those germs and viruses lurk?!)

Since the news of the rising number of nCoV cases, I’ve tried to minimize leaving the house just to avoid crowds. Hermit na kung hermit, but one can never be too praning and OA, especially at this time. This has proven to be a bit of an annoyance, especially for someone like me who needs to get her heart rate up by taking 10,000 steps everyday though the nearby malls. But you’re just asking for trouble by mingling about with the gazillions of people whiling their time away in these retail behemoths. It’s best to keep your kids busy at home with “Scrabble,” “Snakes and Ladders,” or “Monopoly”—oops! I mean video games.

Anyway, the neighborhood is now my “mall,” and instead of admiring the goods in stores, like Uniqlo and Marks & Spencer, or inhaling the delicious aroma in Bread Talk during my walk-exercise, I now trudge though the barangay, looking at the roadside stalls of Aling Nena’s ukay-ukay, Bebot’s barbeque, and Jeje’s sari-sari store.

If you need to meet colleagues, friends or family, it’s better to restrain yourself from bussing them on the cheek. Offer a handshake instead, or pretend

you have colds and say you don’t want to pass it on to them. (Who knows where they’ve been, and who they’ve been in contact with?! Ugh.) I just wish our government was more proactive in implementing measures to prevent the spread of nCoV in our country. As I write this, Malacañang has just ordered a study on how to prevent the entry of nCoV into the country. “Better late than later,” I guess, as we like to joke in these parts. But it took them long enough to even decide to pick up our citizens in Wuhan requesting to be repatriated. Of course, government failed to say how and where our kababayan would be quarantined once they arrive here.

On social media, I’ve been echoing the call of various tourism stakeholders groups to impose a temporary travel ban on inbound Chinese tourists, and stricter medical screening procedures for other nationalities arriving from countries where nCoV cases have already been confirmed.

So in case you’ve come from abroad and running a fever right now, may I strongly urge you to go to the nearest hospital. It pays to be a little hypochondriac and err on the side of caution. I hope our hospitals can install hotlines so concerned would-be patients can call to ask about procedures on how to go about getting checkups. Hospitals also need to have a dedicated wing, or spaces, for patients who feel ill and self-volunteer for an nCoV checkup.

I know we’ll get through this new health crisis. If only we be more conscious of our health and hygiene.

Be safe, people! n

De La Salle Philippines goes greener as EDC’s new BINHI partner DE La Salle Philippines (DLSP) lives up to its green legacy through its new BINHI partnership with geothermal leader Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

BINHI is EDC’s greening legacy program that aims to bring back to abundance our endangered Philippine native tree species. It is also the only corporate-led forest restoration initiative that has been bridging forest gaps using these native tree species for over 10 years now. DLSP will build its first botanical garden in its 34-hectare property in Porac, Pampanga, that will be a platform for understanding and identifying potential environmental solutions through scientific research, biodiversity conservation, education and recreation.

DLSP has tapped EDC to provide

technical assistance in propagating, sourcing, collecting and transporting seedlings of threatened Philippine native tree species under the latter’s BINHI greening legacy program.

EDC will also provide selected threatened Philippine native tree seedlings from the flagship 96 native tree species that it has identified and collected, and is currently propagating.

The company has already done an initial assessment and given its recommendations on the native tree species that are suitable to the botanical garden, but the actual project kickoff will be this year for DLSP. “The EDC partnership will be a key point as the La Salle Botanical Garden develops its programs, formulate its master plan and phase to establish the

different thematic gardens,” said Warren Joseph D. Dollente, director of DLSPLasallian Institute for the Environment.

“We are honored to have DLSP as our 177th BINHI partner,” expressed Atty.

Allan V. Barcena, head of EDC’s CSRPR group. “Ours is a greening legacy partnership that will benefit not only our current generation, but even future generations as we save endangered native trees from extinction.”

EDC’s 1,475-MW capacity accounts for 37 percent of the country’s total generated renewable energy, making it the country’s leading RE company. Its 1,181-MW geothermal portfolio accounts for 61 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity, and has put the Philippines on the map as the thirdlargest geothermal producer.

WARREN JOSEPH D. DOLLENTE (from left), director of DLSP-Lasallian Institute for the Environment; and DLSP Chief Operating Officer Br. Alexander Ervin T. Diaz, FSC, signed the BINHI partnership agreement with Atty. Allan V. Barcena, head of EDC’s CSR-PR group; and Eduardo L. Jimenez, stakeholder relations expert of EDC.

D4

Show BusinessMirror

Friday, January 31, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Meghan Trainor puts pain behind and changes it up on new CD

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By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

EW YORK—Four years ago, Meghan Trainor won the Grammy Award for best new artist. On the first anniversary of that very win she was literally speechless— under the knife for vocal surgery.

It was her second time in the operating room for vocal cord work and it led to weeks of silence, anxiety and depression. The “All About That Bass” singer worried she’d never be able to perform again.

“I went to a dark place. And I climbed out of it and I conquered it, and I was really proud of myself,” she tells The Associated Press “My therapist was like, ‘You should treat yourself after what you went through.’”

So that’s why Trainor’s third album is called Treat Myself, a 15-track collection that sees the singersongwriter stretch past her signature doo-wop pop sound to embrace hip-hop and electronic elements.

GEORGE MACKAY JOURNEYS BACK TO ‘1917’ Continued from D1 man, I already felt like I had a sense of him, and that we were kind of equivalent in some ways.... There’s so much literature on the war, fact and fiction. We did loads and loads of research. We went to Belgium, we went to France, and there was a research pack given to us by the production. There was so much that we could dive into, and it was then just about cherry-picking the bits that felt relevant. For me, it was learning about the Somme, particularly, and sussing out a lot of first-person accounts of what was there, because that’s something it’s alluded to that Schofield has been through.

Did the film change your understanding of heroism?

I don’t think the film is about heroism. Sam and I talked about the story, about a soldier delivering a message. And the inspiration came from Sam’s grandfather who was a messenger in the war, but just to make it clear, I’m not playing Sam’s grandfather and neither is Dean. But the idea came from Sam’s grandfather—a soldier delivering a message and that became two soldiers in our story. And Sam spoke a lot about chance—the line between life and death is minute and it’s often about chance or luck. So, therefore, it’s not about a hero. I don’t think it’s necessarily heroic. But I think that there is a sense of duty and there’s dignity— and there’s getting out of the way of yourself for someone else or for something else, which might be things that can be attributed to heroism. I think the film celebrates these individuals and the bond they have with each other, their friendship forged in these terrible conditions.

Another memorable scene comes when Schofield is running across a line of soldiers advancing from the trenches. How long did it take to choreograph that extraordinary sequence?

You know, the thing is when you are doing very long shots—eight, nine minutes sometimes, mistakes can happen. Well, that was a case when one of the mistakes was actually good. There’s that big run toward the end of the film, and I’m going one way and there’s a lot of soldiers running the other way across me, and I just got clattered by one of the guys running the other way. We’d been working on that shot for weeks and I didn’t intend to get hit in the way that I did, but it wound up being something that made it’s way into the film. Sam had said to me before “Don’t stop, whatever happens.” So I just carried on, and that was the take that is in the film.

Can you talk a little more about what it was like, as actors, to work with the long shot format?

I think in relation to our understanding of what it would have been like in the war, you can only ever get that to an extent. But with the one-shot format, given the technicality of it and the time we spent rehearsing, it becomes muscle memory so when we came to do those long sequences we kind of got lost in the moment.

We were leaving everyone behind and completely in our own world, while we were doing it and acting out those scenes was a very present, natural feeling. And the sets were so incredible, and you could just get lost in them and be in that place for 10 minutes, and it was kind of easy to do that. The work that was done by all the various departments on the film was incredible and all we had to do was be in that world, and that allowed us to be as close to a real person as we could be. n In Philippine cinemas on February 5, Sam Mendes’s 1917 is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

There’s the Sia-like “Wave,” the slinky club banger “Please To Meet Ya” with Nicki Minaj, and soaring ballads like “After You” alongside familiar retro and 1960s-inspired tunes like “No Excuses” and “Evil Twin.” “I’ve always been writing songs in many genres,” she says. Her dad introduced her to gospel, soul and funk, like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

Mom leaned toward the pop of Madonna and ABBA. A Trinidadian uncle turned her on to soca music.

She herself grew up with Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

“When I try to write, I try to give all my influences in that. I always want to make up a pretend genre—six different genres in one song,” she says.

Tommy Bruce, her manager, has watched as Trainor over the past three years has explored whatever musical inspiration strikes, not caring about labels or charts. “She is such a wildly talented artist, from musicianship to songwriting to producing, and she has this ability to move between genre and style with such ease,” he says.

Listen very carefully to Trainor’s new album and you’ll discover it’s very much a family affair. Her brothers—Justin and Ryan—have writing credits and sing background. Her parents—Gary and Kelli—supply background vocals and claps. Even her husband, actor Daryl Sabara, sings on nine tracks.

“He’s my No. 1 fan, like legitimately,” she says of Sabara. “He plays my music all the time. I hear him blasting it in the car and when he’s in the shower. It’s just the best to feel so loved and supported like that by your husband.”

For this album, Trainor sought out new producers, which resulted in stretching her sound. She had success with Ricky Reed on the last album, Thank You, but says she felt too safe doing it again.

“I’m a creature of habit. When I found someone who understood how I worked, I thought, ‘This is great. Let’s do this forever.’ So for this album, I really wanted to get out there and meet as many songwriters and producers as I could.”

This time, some of the producers include Mike Sabath, Eddie Benjamin, King Henry, Ojivolta, Zach Skelton, Sigala, Tyler Johnson and Andrew Wells, purposely trying to lift up emerging talent.

She also shared the microphone with Minaj, Nicole Scherzinger, AJ Mitchell, Lennon Stella, Sasha Sloan and Sabath.

“We felt like finally we have an album full of hit singles and I’m so confident in every song. We kept writing and saying, ‘May the best song win,’” she says.

“Now we have this album that we’re finally ready to show the world.”

Many of the songs have Trainor’s trademark messages of empowerment. “Love yourself,” she sings in “Babygirl.” On “Workin’ On It,” she admits to fighting thoughts of self-loathing: “I should give myself way more love.” And on “No Excuses,” she

demands respect: “I don’t disrespect you, don’t you disrespect me.”

“It’s really hard to write a self-love, empowering anthem without being cheesy,” she says. “That’s something that the world loves and needs. I know I need it, and it’s something I want to hear on the radio.

So those are my favorite songs to write because I’m working on it every single day—my confidence and my self love. I know somebody else needs it, too.”

The album also has a few inside jokes. It gives her a kick that the title Treat Myself is her initials backward. And she has a call-back to her first big hit in “Genetics” when she sings “How you get dat bass?”

Trainor, who plans to tour with Maroon 5 this year, also has a side hustle as a musical judge. She spent two seasons on The Four and recently replaced Jennifer Hudson in the spinning chair at The Voice UK. For someone who’s been writing songs since she was seven, is it easy for an artist to shoot down another artist?

“It is weird, I’ll tell you that. The majority of the singers on The Voice are way better singers than I am,” she says. “It was really difficult to be like, ‘Who’s the best of the best?’ and knowing we had 40 more people to listen to. It was a very difficult mission to accomplish.” n

GMA rings in 70th anniversary with world-class programs MEDIA giant GMA Network welcomes the new decade with a solid lineup of worldclass offerings that promise to uphold its legacy of bringing pioneering and innovative programs. For this milestone, the network brings together Filipinos worldwide through heartfelt stories of love, hope and breakthroughs bannered by some of the biggest names in the industry.

The TV adaptation of the popular 1984 Regal Films movie, Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday brings together Barbie Forteza, Kate Valdez, Snooky Serna, and Dina Bonnevie in a dramedy that chronicles a friendship that unravels through decades and generations.

It also stars Migo Adecer, Jay Manalo, Jean Saburit, Teresa Loyzaga and the legendary Celia Rodriguez, with Lovi Poe and Max Collins in special appearances as young Dina Bonnevie and Snooky Serna, together with Jason Abalos, Pinky Amador and Mike “Pekto” Nacua. Mark Sicat dela Cruz directs this prime-time soap.

All bound to do anything and everything for love are the intriguing characters in the series Love of My Life, top billed by Carla Abellana, Mikael Daez and Rhian Ramos, and starring Coney Reyes and Tom Rodriguez in a very special role. Don Michael Perez directs this inspirational family drama.

Showcasing an endearing love story like no other is the local adaptation of the global hit Descendants of the Sun, headlined by Dingdong Dantes and Jennylyn Mercado.

Joining them in reporting for duty are Rocco Nacino and Jasmine CurtisSmith, together with Antonio Aquitania, Ricardo Cepeda, Paul Salas, Lucho Ayala, Jon Lucas and Prince Clemente; plus Andre Paras, Chariz Solomon, Renz Fernandez, Nicole Donesa, Jenzel Angeles and Reese Tuazon. DOTS also stars Neil Ryan Sese,

Ian Ignacio, Rich Asuncion, Marina Benipayo, Hailey Mendes and Roi Vinzon.

Viewers can look forward to surprise cameo appearances of exciting artists. This flagship project of the network is under the direction of Dominic Zapata.

Another sensational adaptation GMA viewers should look forward to is the remake of the 1989 award-winning blockbuster by Regal Films, Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit, top billed by superstar Nora Aunor in the iconic character of Cedes. The series also stars Mylene Dizon and Kyline Alcantara. Joining them are Zoren Legaspi, Gabby Eigenmann, Ina Feleo, Yasser Marta, Divina Valencia and Isabel Rivas.

Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit is directed

by Laurice Guillen.

Making his small-screen comeback is Bong Revilla Jr. in Agimat ng Agila. In this weekly drama-fantasy series, fans will be able to join him soar as he takes them along on action-packed adventures to protect the Earth and the environment, while tackling moral lessons and various societal issues.

More captivating dramas are in store for GMA fans: the much-awaited series First Yaya, which features the first pairing of two of the network’s top stars—Marian RiveraDantes and Gabby Concepcion, together with Pancho Magno; the groundbreaking series Legal Wives, top billed by Dennis Trillo and Bianca Umali; and the hearttugging drama Babawiin Ko Ang Lahat, starring John Estrada, Pauline Mendoza and Carmina Villarroel.

Meanwhile, love and revenge take a different spin in Seed of Love, headlined by award-winning actress Glaiza de Castro, Valerie Concepcion and Mike Tan; and romance-and-action mix in Sanggang Dikit, which reunites reel- and real-life

couple Derek Ramsay and Andrea Torres.

Meanwhile, award-winning GMA News headliner Vicky Morales takes on a new role in the reality-drama program Ilaban Natin ’Yan! Viewers will see a new side of Vicky, as she helps families resolve their issues by reaching out to the people in the barangays, getting into the root of their problems and encouraging them to make positive changes in their lives.

From the team that produced well-loved TV series I Heart Davao, Inday Will Always Love You, TODA One I Love and One of the Baes, GMA Public Affairs presents its top-notch prime-time offerings this 2020 which include the mystery-drama series Lolong, with Ruru Madrid, Sanya Lopez and Kim Domingo; and two romanticcomedy series: Owe My Love, and Taiwan and Only.

GMA also amps up the noontime fun and entertainment via All-Out Sundays, which debuted on January 5. And avid viewers will have the chance to spend more time with well-loved host Willie Revillame as he extends the fun, suspense and

excitement of the top-rating weeknight variety program Wowowin and Wowowin Primetime on Saturdays.

It’s all about nonstop entertainment on the upcoming game show Catch Me Out Philippines; while dreams come true anew on the third season of The Clash.

Finally, discover a new breed of talent on Centerstage and Sing 4 Hearts.

More information is available on www. gmanetwork.com.

FROM left: Nora Aunor, Dennis Trillo and Vicky Morales

Motoring BusinessMirror

Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame

Editor: Tet Andolong

Friday, January 31, 2020

FORD LAUNCHES THE NEW FX4

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E1

Story & Photos by Patrick P. Tulfo

ORD Philippines overhauled its own best-selling Ranger as it launches the new Ford Ranger FX4, making it the automotive company with the widest lineup of pickup trucks in the country with 13 available variants to boot.

The new Ranger FX4’s eyecatching design is instantly recognizable as it showcases its difference among the entire Ranger lineup. The unique 18-inch alloy wheels, new mesh grille, extended steel sports bar, and ebony black accents on side mirror caps, door handles, front and rear bumpers, and fender features give the Ranger FX4 a distinctive look and style. The standout decals along the lower doors and a 3D badge on its tailgate complement its attractive design.

Ford Philippines Managing Director PK Umashankar said “The new Ranger FX4 is a strong addition to our Ranger lineup as we continue to offer a variety of our ‘Built Ford Tough’ pickup trucks to consumers with different needs,

THE 2.2-liter Duratorq diesel available for this variant is rated at 160 hp and 385 N-m of torque.

THE interior also boasts of new features.

budget and lifestyle, clearly signifying that there is indeed a Ford Ranger for everyone.”

On the inside, the R anger FX4 retains its refined look with F X4 - embossed leat her seats, FX4-branded f loor mats, sporty dark environment highlighted by race red stitching accents on the soft top instrument panel, center console, gear shifter and door trims.

T he R anger F X4 is a lso equ ipped w it h feat u res t h at en h a nce t he d r iv i ng e x per ience for both dr ivers and passengers, as it offers enter tainment through an infotainment system w ith Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, including a new 8 -inch f u l l color touchscreen.

THE new Ranger FX4

THE vaunted 800-mm water wading capability was showcased during the three-day event.

It is also packed with driverassistance technologies that include Cruise Control, Anti-lock Braking System and Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Rear Parking Sensors, Rain Sensing wipers, Power Folding Mirrors a nd Elec t ron ic Power A ssist Steering, collectively bringing in comfort, safety and convenience in every drive.

The new Ranger FX4 is powered by their proven 2.2-liters Duratorq diesel engine mated with a sixspeed manual or automatic transmission, delivering an impressive 160PS and 385 N-m of torque.

Ford also held its first leg of the Ranger FX4 experiential test drive from January 24 to 26, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, in Pasay City. During the three-day event, customers had the chance to test drive the new Ranger, and other Ford vehicles on the specialized driving course that will showcase the vehicles’ best-in-class features and capabilities.

Starting on January 23,2020, the new Ranger FX4 is available in Ford dealerships nationwide with a retail price of just P1.256 million for the 4x2 manual variant and P1.316 million for the 4x2 automatic variant. It comes in five colors—Absolute Black, Aluminum Metallic, Arctic white, Meteor Grey and True Red. T he new Ford R anger FX4 boasts a bold design inside out and features that will help widen

the appeal of the Ranger among costumers seeking for a versatile and capable pickup trucks.

But aside from the new Ranger FX4, Ford Philippines is also introducing a series of enhancements and upgrades to its entire lineup.

Ranger XLS and XLT variants now come w ith a new eightinch LCD touchscreen radios with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Capability. The R anger XLS Sport 4x2 A /T variant is now available to those looking at the XLS range.

Meanwhile, Ranger Wildtrak 4x2 variants now have a new wheel desig n and LED headlamps. The Wildtrak 4x4 also has a new wheel design, LED headlamps, camera-based Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and high-mount USB feature to support various dashcam models.

The top end Ranger Raptor now also comes with a camera-based Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, highmount USB and LED headlamps.

“We have gone further in our pickup truck lineup by bringing more value to our customers with enhanced technology and content in all our Ranger products while retaining current pricing-more value at the same price. With the widest price brand and higher value for our pickup trucks, there is indeed a Ranger for everyone in the Philippines” Umashankar said.

Moto

Business

E2 Friday, January 31, 2020

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

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By George Royeca

HE system can take its toll on you, and it’s almost inevitable feeling jaded about the way business in this country works, especially a disruptive upstart in a sector that is heavily regulated by the government.

Though this month has been a very trying month for me and Angkas, it just didn’t end with a mere turn for the better but rather, was truly something short of a miracle: for the first time in a long time, I can say I’ve just witnessed true democracy in action.

Let’s circle back a bit: back in November 2019, the technical working group (TWG) for motorcycle taxis began reviewing the extension of the pilot program Angkas is participating in, and

by December 20 (Friday) had released a set of very controversial guidelines that were expected to take effect the very next Monday on December 23.

At the top of this list was the new supply cap of 30,000 in Metro Manila, split evenly among three players (Angkas and two new ones would each get 10,000 bikers for this run). This meant two things: first that many of our 27,000 bikers would possibly lose their jobs if the others were unable to accommodate them, and second that much of our work as pioneers would simply be stripped away in favor of new, untested players.

Not only was this problematic regulation going to penalize us for the hard work we had spent as first movers (and discouraging innovation in the process), it was going to cost at least 17,000 families their livelihood at a time where the government should be creating them and not taking them away.

For perspective, the global economic crisis forced Lehman Brothers to lay off over 24,000 jobs globally. This decision of the TWG was essentially destroying 17,000 jobs in a single metropolitan city.

On top of that, these new players had no track record whatsoever coming in, and suddenly were expected to handle a volume of bikers and users overnight.

It took us three years to ramp up to 27,000, and at about two years to get to 10,000. We could have scaled fast if we wanted to. In fact, we’ve trained almost 120k bikers but failed close to 70 percent of them. Instead, we took our time to gather relevant experience first to offer the safest and most professional service to commuters.

With so much at stake with so little time, we did the only thing the Constitution ensured we could do: protest in the streets and petition our case in the courts.

Over 22,000 bikers gathered at White Plains on December 22 in solidarity to protest the situation, while we worked with the different biker groups to file their respective petitions in court. #SaveAngkas became a top trend on Twitter that day, and we saw an outpouring of support from the public, as well as various members of Congress and the Senate, who pledged to look into this soon after their recess.

This was not Angkas’s first rodeo in our three years of existence. We were first shut down November of 2017, then again December 2018. We had been through hard times, and each one we did what we could to keep the company and our bikers afloat, but at no point was there any certainty that we would be fine this time around.

We went into the holidays not knowing whether we could really #SaveAngkas, and it an unimaginably long and excruciating few weeks before Congress,

the Senate, and the courts were back to hear our cases.

Soon after we were able to secure a TRO on the supply cap, but one which would only grant us reprieve for a few weeks.

Through all of this, the TWG stood firm on their decision and on the morning of the Senate hearing, took everyone by surprise and recommended the immediate termination of the pilot and the blacklisting of Angkas.

After nearly a month of uncertainty, the Senate, with many external experts and stakeholders from civil society weighed in on the issue. These were long grueling hours of back-and-forth between the TWG and the various stakeholders but which ultimately resulted in support of the motorcycle taxi industry.

During the Senate hearing, Sen. Grace Poe, the chairman of the committee on Publice Services didn’t pull any punches on insisting the TWG reconsiders their position. Sen. Imee Marcos along with Sen. Joel Villanueva questioned the rationale behind the cap and the jobs it will cost while Sen. Ralph Recto and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian systematically chopped down the basis for the blacklisting of Angkas.

To everyone’s awe, Sen. Bong Go stood up for the people and promised to talk to the the President and Secretary Arthur Tugade of DOTr. The next day, Tugade called Angkas and the two other operators together with the TWG to a closed door meeting where they discussed ways on how to move forward. Tugade insisted that the pilot must continue under the spirit of harmonious cooperation as this was not only critical for the success of the pilot study but ultimately, was our responsibility to the Filipino people.

The next day, Congress called a public hearing and an executive session. In that executive session, more questions were raised but after hours of dialogue, they were able to ratify the concessions made between the operators and the TWG reiterated the importance to pass the law on motorcycle taxis. We are now being given a higher cap in deference to our experience and capacity, and to accommodate the thousands of hardworking veterans in the streets. New areas were also included in the pilot study which now covers Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. And last, the TWG promised to ensure close coordination with Congress and Senate on decisions made through the course of the study, as well as include external stakeholders and subject matter experts to form part of the consensus report to be submitted to legislators when the study is concluded. It’s been a long journey and still a long way to go as we inch our way to legitimacy, but for now, we can breathe a little easier knowing we are being heard, and knowing that this system can work out for those it really needs to serve.

After much uncertainty and craziness over the last month from protests in the streets, to court cases, it ended with a series of hearings between the Legislative and Executive branch. All three co-equal branches of government along with the media and the public all played an important role in resolving this impasse, proving once again, that the fire of democracy lives on in the veins of the Filipino people.

And with that, we promise we will never give up because we believe, and we have proven, time and time again, the Filipino can!

Mabuhay ang ating demokrasya. #SaveAngkas

THE 2020 VOLKSWAG

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Story & Photos by Patrick P. Tulfo

HE Lamando is part of the revamped Volkswagen lineup in the country that includes Santana, Lavida and the Tiguan, which aims to make the brand affordable and more competitive in the market that emphasizes the tagline, “Affordable German Car.”

THE dashboard boasts of excellent ergonomics and luxurious design

LUXURIOUS but sporty styling similar to the Passat

THE 1.4-liter, four-cylinder TSI engine produces 150 hp and 250 N-m of torque. It is a perfect combination of power and fuel economy

The Lamando is the company’s entry in the midsize sedan segment, which is traditionally dominated by the likes of Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It replaces the Passat in the company’s lineup in the country.

A further research about the Lamando revealed it’s based on the fifthgeneration Jetta platform just like the Sagitar, another model that was based on the same platform—both the Sagitar and Lamando slots between the Lavida/Bora and Passat in China.

It’s also the same here in the country as the Lamando is a bit smaller than the Accord or Camry but bigger than a Corolla or a Civic. It seems the Lamando has a segment of its own.

Styling wise, it bears a strong resemblance to Passat which boast of a luxurious but sporty styling. The front end with its signature chrome grille that displays the VW logo boldly is flanked

by pair LED headlamps that provides great illumination at night. The fog lamps integrated on the bumper has a single chrome bar dividing it. The rear is also very similar to the previous Passat with the Lamando possessing a more artful styling in taillights.

The same VW logo can also be found on the middle which also doubles as a latch to open the trunk. This also hides the reverse camera that opens partly when the car is backing up.

The rather large black sunroof pairs nicely with the shiny red paint of the top variant Highline unit. The 17’inch alloy wheels look wider than it is and has nice sporty design on it.

Inside the sporty luxurious theme continues with the sporty bucket seats upfront and molded seats at the back.

The seats boasts of classy-looking leather covers while the dashboard uses soft plastic and faux wood that

THE rear is as good looking as the front

is not out of place. Having driven almost all of the company’s offerings since they came back to the country, the Lamando also boasts of the same excellent ergonomics wherein all controls are intutively within your grasp.

The only gripes I have about the Lamando is the low seating position that requires one to raise it to get a better view of the road. Another thing that I found a bit annoying is the sunroof fabric cover that won’t stay on its place

FOTON HOLDS ITS ANNUAL DEALE

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NITED Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI), the exclusive distributor of Foton vehicles in the Philippines held its Annual Dealers Appreciation Night at the City of Dreams on January 24.

All the Foton dealers from Luzon NCR, Visayas and Mindanao were present at the event. During his speech, Foton Philippines President Rommel L. Sytin said, “On the second full year since the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion [TRAIN] law, vehicle sales seem to be on an uptrend. Data released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. [Campi] showed that combined sales with the Truck Manufacturers Association [TMA] reached 369,941 units last year, higher than the 357,410 units

sold in 2018—closing the year with a modest growth of 3.5 percent.”

“Foton Philippines closed the year with a growth of 4 percent compared to 2018 sales figure and maintaining our No. 9 position at Campi-TMA and No. 10 overall in the industry.

Vehicle sales were propelled by our commercial vehicles which validates the continued trust of the market to our Foton Brand. As I have said last year, kayang-kaya.

Amid rising global uncertainties our economy remains strong and projected to grow 6 percent in 2020,” he added.

Sytin said continuous government infrastructure projects will continue to spur economic growth. Total foreign investments approved by the seven IPA’s just for the third quarter

FOTON Philippines President Rommel L. Sytin

of 2019 amounted to 182 billion which was higher by fourfolds compared to

2018. These investment pledges are set to start taking form this year.

oring

sMirror

Friday, January 31, 2020

GEN LAMANDO

when fully closed. It always slides a few inches back whenever the car encounters road irregularities.

The Highline variant boasts of a 9.2 inches monitor infotainment system which connected easily to

both my android phone and iPhone.

The control can also be accessed via controls on the steering wheel. The sound that came out of all its speakers are wonderful whatever songs I played, although it takes sometime

to memorize all of its functions.

The 1.4 liter TSI (Turbochargedstratified) injection engine may looked small compared with its competitors but its rated at 150 hp and 250 N-m of torque. It pairs perfectly with the seven-speed DSG or dual clutch transmission.

The engine is very refine when idling but lets out a nice growl once the turbocharger spins. The transmission has two settings, the normal drive mode and sports mode, personally, I find the normal mode lethargic to my taste that’s why I just kept it on the sports mode for most of the time.

Driven sedately, this engine returns a respectable average of more than 7/kms to a liter of gas which goes up considerably to more than 15/kms to the liter if driven at steady 100 kph.

The ride and handling are typical of a German car. It handled very well on the corner and swallowed most of the road imperfections that is a common trait of all roads throughout the country.

Safety-wise, it is equipped with seven air bags, ABS, EBD, tire pressure monitor, proximity sensors and, since VW has been in the forefront of child safety campaign, it has ISOFIX child seat tethers.

The Lamando Highline variant is competitively priced at P1.703 million and it comes with a three-year warranty or 100,000 km, whichever comes first.

CALTEX POSTS STRONG FEATS IN 2019

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ALTEX with Techron, the record-setting fuel, closes 2019 with a series of milestones that make it stronger than ever. By opening 30 new service stations in 2019, Caltex will be able to reach more customers nationwide. Other notable Caltex highlights for 2019 were setting a new world record, naming a new brand ambassador and inking new partnerships.

Caltex was able to open two service stations before entering 2020 with new sites along Osmeña Highway, San Andres, Manila; and along Dinalupihan Road, Porac, Pampanga.

The growing number of their retail sites is a testament of Caltex’s determination to reach out to every community in the country by providing fuels that power every drive to a joyful ride. Caltex aims to open more stations this year to provide quality and reasonably priced fuels, and help millions of Filipino motorists set personal records on their journeys.

Aside from the continued growth of its retail network, 2019 saw Caltex forge strategic team-ups with leading companies, such as LICA Auto Group, AC Motors, and Lalamove to bring clean, safe and quality fuels to more customers. The team-ups allow the customers, employees, and contractors of these partners to earn big fuel savings through their Caltex SavePlus card.

Caltex has always proven how their fuels take every ride to the next level. Last July 2019, the same Caltex with Techron that Filipino motorists use in their everyday journey is the same fuel that recently powered a 28-year-old car to set an official Guinness World Record of fastest 1,000 meter ascent up Thailand’s Doi Chang Mountain, in under seven minutes.

In the same month, Caltex also announced the newest Caltex brand

provinces.

“For this year, dealership network expansion will continue to remain as one of our focus—with goals of setting our foot in more of both the developed and emerging market areas, as well as forging new and improved partnerships,” Sytin said.

Every year you hear us say that we are committed to continuously improve our products and services, now as a testament to this commitment, I am proud to share with all of you that both UAAGI and FMPI are now ISO Certified,” Sytin announced.

“After almost two years of grueling work, the certification for ISO 9001:2015 was awarded to us last December. With this, know that we will unceasingly challenge ourselves to be more relevant and competitive in

this cutthroat of an industry that we are in by progressively improving our practices and processes, purposefully elevating our standards even further, and intensively developing each member of our human resources. All these we are sure to translate and reflect on all products and services provided to our dealer partners and customers,” Sytin said.

Sytin continued, “But this certification is even made more meaningful because of my team’s tireless dedication to achieving this, which included sleepless nights, weekends lost and, of course, buckets of tears.

Such a great milestone to end 2019, indeed! And as for 2020, keeping our spirits high, I am declaring that we will have another stellar performance with a double-digit growth.”

ambassador, Dingdong Dantes, who embodies Caltex’s tagline and philosophy of “Enjoy the Journey.” The multi-awarded actor represents the brand’s personality of being positive, friendly, genuine and encourages people to enjoy the journey of whatever they are doing and wherever they are going.

Chevron Philippines Inc., marketer of Caltex, was also able to comply with the government’s initiative to deter oil smuggling in the country. CPI is the first of the “Big Three” to join the fuel-marking program.

“I am very glad that we are able to pull off 2019 with success. Our achievements are the product of what our hardworking employees have delivered. These accomplishments fuel us to strive more and provide our customers the vehicle support they need. We open 2020 with more desire to make one’s journey a wonderful ride.” says CPI Country Chairman Louie Zhang.

In 2019, Caltex became the only fuel brand to extend rewards offering to utilities, telecoms, and toll roads, in addition to food and groceries, for

loyal motorists by partnering with the MVP Group for the Caltex-MVP Rewards Loyalty Program. The partnership offers motorists rewards in the form of cash rebates each time they fuel up in a Caltex station. This is in addition to the rewards customers receive each time they pay their PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TNT bills.

Cardholders can also enjoy various deals and privileges from partner establishments when they show their Caltex-MVP Rewards Card, a prepaid Visa card powered by PayMaya.

Aside from service stations, the Caltex Havoline autoPro Workshop Program’s expansion shows no signs of stopping. Since the opening of its first site in Davao City last May 2019, it has established its presence in other parts of the country and more shops will open in 2020. Caltex Havoline autoPro Workshop is tailored for quick-lube and automotive service business owners who want to partner with a global brand to gain credibility as a preferred operator.

Caltex enters 2020 more determined to provide world-class quality products that will meet motorists’ fuel needs.

HYUNDAI STARTS THE NEW DECADE STRONG

HYUNDAI Asia Resources Inc. Chairman Edward S. Go (from left); Hari President and CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo; Hyundai Angeles Pampanga Deputy COO Yves Amiel S. Hizon; Angeles City Legal Officer Atty. Ralph Macalino; and HAP Executive Vice President and COO Marco O. Hizon. To mark the launch, Hyundai Angeles donated an H-100 ambulance to the city government.

ERS APPRECIATION NIGHT H He said the Jeepney modernization project is in full swing, and they are taking steps to augment production volume and ensure fulfillment of cooperatives’ present and future requirements. “Through close coordination with DOTr, our Foton Jeepneys are one of the first few prototypes that got the PNS certification, meaning full compliance with the DOTr mandated specifications for categories 1 and 2,” Sytin said.

He said, these plus the airport modernization projects of DOTr will provide opportunities for people around the world to travel and explore more places in the Philippines, thus promoting tourism arrivals. Such projects will decentralize and diversify economic development, while stimulating the economic expansion of other

E3

YUNDAI, the No. 1 Korean automotive brand in the Philippines, unveiled its newest full-service passenger car (PC) dealerships in Angeles City, Pampanga, on January 23, 2020.

Being home to the Clark International Airport and former US military-operated Clark Air Base, Angeles City was heavily affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

Three years after, the city recovered with the creation of the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ). Angeles City today is a first-class highly urbanized city—Pampanga’s commercial, financial, and industrial hub, and the entertainment and gaming center of Central Luzon.

According to the 2019 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) released by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), Angeles City ranks second in the Most Improved Rankings for Highly

Urbanized Cities category. The city also received its Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) last 2016.

The legacy of Hyundai Angeles

HYUNDAI Angeles is the second Hyundai PC dealership in Pampanga and the third in Central Luzon operated by the Hizon Group. The Hizon Group counts among the first four pioneer Hyundai dealers in the Philippines. “We are right where we should be,” affirmed Hari President and CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo. “The third Hyundai dealership under the Hizon Group is designed to respond to the needs of the booming business, tourism and transport industries of Angeles.”

Yves Amiel S. Hizon, Deputy COO of Hyundai Angeles Pampanga, took pride in the Hizon Group’s as one of the four pioneer dealers of Hyundai

in the Philippines. “Bakit Hyundai?

My classmates asked back in 2001.

I asked my mom and she said, ‘Your father saw the future of Hyundai… my father had faith. Hyundai Pampanga opened in December 2001 and is currently No. 3 in its area per market share. Hyundai Tarlac, which opened in November 2007, ranks No. 2 in its area per market share.”

This third generation Hizon is now bent on carrying on his father’s legacy by bringing Hyundai Angeles to success in this new decade.

Sidelines of the inauguration were the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), allocating some 700 units of the Hyundai H-100 Class 1 Modern Jeepney to local transport groups; and the turnover of an H-100 ambulance to the local government. Both activities signify Hyundai’s solid support for the national PUV modernization program.

Motoring BusinessMirror

E4 Friday, January 31, 2020

Toyota has a new president; Standard writes

T

OYOTA Motor Philippines (TMP), the country’s undisputed automotive leader since its rebirth in 1989, has a new president.

Atsuhiro “Hiro” Okamoto, only 51, has a tough act to follow in his predecessor Satoru Suzuki, who is now a top gun in a major subsidiary in Tokyo’s Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC).

In my rather intimate chat with Okamoto-san during TMP’s traditional Thanksgiving Media Dinner at the swanky Hyatt Manila at BGC, he said he will do his best to maintain what Suzuki had done to keep “Toyota always No. 1” in the Philippines.

In those precious minutes, I found Okamoto, an economics degree holder from Keio University, to be straightforward, firm and committed to his job, which is not a surprise, indeed, as he is coming in fresh from his challenging post as executive vice president of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific (TMAP) based in Singapore. That was the position of the eminent Vince Socco until his retirement late last year. But because Soccosan is that good a soldier, Alfred Ty, the youthful TMP chairman,

has recalled Vince to head a major GT Capital subsidiary dealing chiefly with dealership concerns.

A ny way, here’s Ok a moto’s speech on January 27: “Good evening, I am Atsuhiro Okamoto. You can call me Hiro. I am excited to meet all of you.

“I heard so many wonderful stories about Philippine media friends! While you are experts in having fun during good times, you also know how to help others in tougher times, such as now.

“The eruption of Taal Volcano during my first month here in the Philippines is very unfortunate for many Filipinos, as well as our operations.

“But it also gives me a glimpse of the famous Filipino bayanihan and resilience. The ability to hope amid very challenging times is

THE author (from left) and Atsuhiro “Hiro” Okamoto

truly a wonder. I believe this is what moves this country forward.

I look to make this my second home in the coming years.

“Let me tell you something about myself.

“I joined Toyota Motor Corp. in 1992. For the past 28 years, I gained ex perience in sales, and marketing, for Toyota and Lexus brands.

“For the last five years, I had closer understanding of Asean markets through my assignment in Toyota Motor Asia Pacific.

“Unlike my predecessors, this is my first assignment in the Philippines.

“Unfortunately, my wife has to stay in Japan with my two young teenagers, one of whom is about to enter the university. That means, I have so much time available for more work….

“I love to eat and drink, that’s why I have to do some activities to balance with health. I look forward to some days of running around safe parks in BGC, and spending some weekends playing golf.

“I heard the media team won

third place in last year’s Waku Doki Football cup. Well, I don’t play football, but I was a rugby player many years ago. So let me try, OK? Please don’t get your expectations up.

“Speaking of Waku Doki, I look forward to being part of the many exciting things planned for 2020.

“Just today, we signed the memorandum of agreement with Anton del Rosario, one of the best players of the Philippine National Football Team, the Azkals. Anton will help us kick-start our Start Your Impossible Sports Event: Toyota Football for Tomorrow. Through this activity, we hope to encourage indigent kids to do sports and have a shot at joining the national team.

“By the second quarter, we anticipate the start of this year’s Vios Racing Festival. Now on its seventh year, Toyota’s Motorsports Program aims to have a more inclusive and grassroots participation through a regional autocross challenge and eSports.

“Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone of you for joining us tonight. I heard that the Toyota media thanksgiving parties

in the past were always legendary.

“However, this year presents to us a very special situation. We have decided to downscale this year’s party, and reallocate funds to support the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption, particularly the evacuees currently hosted in various centers in Batangas province.

“With your understanding and support, Toyota Motor Philippines has donated a total of P2 Million, which will go to evacuation centers in Batangas and Santa Rosa, to provide funds for necessary supplies to support thousands of families displaced by Taal eruption.

“I thank you, our friends from the media, for joining us in this sacrifice.

“In closing, I would like to ask you to be my Facebook friends as I am new here in TMP. I look forward to seeing each one of you in my Facebook, and in all our succeeding media events.

“Thank you very and enjoy the rest of this simple but meaningful dinner.”

Standard DNA

JOHN B. ECHAUZ, the president and CEO of Standard Insurance Co. Inc., wrote me a letter that lifted the spirit. Here: “Dear Mr. Mendoza, “ Thank you ver y much for mentioning Standard Insurance in your ‘full tank ’ of January 24, 2020. It is commendable you remember what Standard Insurance did for its customers during Typhoon Ondoy. We are writing to answer your question: ‘Will Standard Insurance do the same to our ashfall victims?’

“We are proud to say, Yes. “We wish to bring to your attent ion what Stand ard Insurance is currently doing for ashfall victims.

“Fi rst, ju st l i ke ot her c a r manufacturers, we also posted

advisories on how people should clean their cars and their houses, especially their roofing, which may be subject to corrosion if left unattended. We are sharing our ad and social-media posts to you for reference.

“Standard’s comprehensive car insurance customers, affected by heavy ashfall, may contact us at [02] 8845-1111 to book for car detailing that covers not just car body cleaning, but also areas where small ash particles [like our airconditioning system and the vehicle air valves] may be affected.

This is to ensure that the life of their vehicles is not adversely affected by the ashfall.

“We hope we answered your question. And our sincerest thanks again for remembering what we did for Ondoy, something that has been ingrained in the Standard DNA. As climate change escalates the incidence of catastrophes, you can be assured Standard Insurance will be quick in anticipating the needs of customers.

“Very truly, John B. Echauz.”

Thank you, Sir. If all businessmen are like you, this country w i l l move for ward pr imar i ly for the common good. May your tribe increase.

PEE STOP Here’s

a glass to the members of the Pampanga High School Class 1958 who will celebrate their 62nd reunion on February 8 (10 a.m. onwards) at Villa Victoria Multi-Purpose Hall, Barangay Dolores, San Fernando City. The members of the organizing committee—Red del Rosario (United States), Jake P. Ayson (Philippines), Millet Lacsina, Lulu Lusong, Glo Yutuc, Ceny Wy, Noel Perez, Elias/Gigi Miranda and Vangie Cayanga— deserve commendation for their unselfish support in making the event a reality. Cheers!

BEISSBARTH ENSURES PROPER HEADLIGHTS ALL THE TIME

I

N light of the recent ashfall brought about by the eruption of Taal Volcano, headlights and other automotive lighting systems have become the center of attention for motorists who were caught by the aftermath of event.

Beissbarth, the German motor vehicle testing expert, has introduced to the country the Levelled Test Bay (LTB) for headlight accuracy measurements to make sure our headlights are in proper condition during times like this.

The evaluation and adjustment of modern headlight systems requires precisely leveled testing areas. Beissbarth’s LTB 100 is a smart solution that ensures a leveled testing area in workshops and PTI test facilities.

Workshop floors and Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (MVIC)

facilities often feature a significant slope and unevenness. There are precise specifications and requirements needed in order to test the beam direction and brightness impendance of headlights, which may not be achieved by uneven

and less sensitive equipment. The LTB100 can be leveled with an accuracy of ±1 mm per 1-meter.

According to manufacturer specifications, a leveled workplace for headlight adjustment and calibration

of driver assistance systems is absolutely required. The Beissbarth solution guarantees a perfectly leveled workplace, meeting the OE specifications for a leveled testing area.

The modular and cost-effective design of the LTB 100 Test Bay is suitable for subsequent installation onto the workshop floor or workshop pits. Compared to a four-post lift, the system is maintenance-free and requires only a fraction of the space.

Vehicles with a maximum allowed axle load of 2.5 t can be tested. An adjustable height compensation of zero to 40 mm on 4m/6m system length is possible.

The LTB 100 Test Bay is one of the equipment Beissbarth is using in their MVIS centers, like Opus in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Autoreach in BF Las Piñas and BSB Junrose Autoparts in Sta Cruz, Manila.

IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR DAILY DRIVE

P

OWER up and improve your performance with Motul. Known for its engine protection and performance which was harnessed by its experience in the tough and highly competitive realm of motorsports, Motul is a mineral-based engine oil blended with additives that formulated with a highperformance anti-wear additive system to provide an optimized protection from engine wear and tear, while assuring compatibility with the emissions systems and provides protection from engine power loss. It effectively controls sludge to help maintain engine cleanliness.

Now available in Cleanfuel Stations all over the countr y, both Motul and Cleanfuel aim to provide bet ter qualit y fuels and engine oils. The corporate tie-

up with Motul PH is no longer a surprise ac tually because our racing team has been powered

by our fuels and Motul’s line of oil and lubricants specifically the 15W40 series oil. Motul

is sold in all our stations nationwide,“ said Cleanfuel President At t y. Bong Suntay.

Priced at P285 per liter, Motul’s 15W40 engine oil is designed for gasoline/diesel engines, LPG, Turbo or naturally aspirated engines. ‘Our advantage is that it is really cheaper compared to its competitors plus the brand cer tainly speaks for itself,” added Suntay.

E xclusively dis tributed

by Pres tige Autospor t Center Corp., Motul has car ved a respec table niche in the global market with it s wide range of per formance oils and lubricant s which are being used by OEM, racing teams and racing organizations, such as the Japan Super GT, World Rally Championship and the DTM Series of Germany.