BusinessMirror July 07, 2023

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

ECCP pitches urgency of EU-PHL FTA talks

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

FOLLOWING the European Commission’s proposal to extend the European Union Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU GSP+) for the Philippines, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) has stressed the urgency anew of concluding the talks on a free-trade deal between the EU and the Philippines. This, it said, will increase market competitiveness, among others. In a statement on Thursday, the ECCP welcomed

the proposal of the European Commission (EC) to extend the EU GSP+ grant to the Philippines, saying the Philippines has “greatly” benefited from such a scheme.

On July 4,2023, the EC announced through an Explanatory Memorandum that it is proposing to extend the validity of the current GSP regulation for an additional four years or until December 31,2027.

The European Commission, an executive arm of the European Union, is responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation. The ball is now with

the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the EU, to decide on the proposal to extend the GSP+ scheme for the Philippines. (Full story here: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/07/06/ec-move-to-extend-eugsp-bodes-well-for-phl-says-dti/)

Citing data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the ECCP said, “With a 77 percent utilization rate, €2.93 billion worth of Philippine products were exported to the EU using GSP+ last year,” adding that among the top exports to the EU include crude coconut oil, tuna, pineapple, other agricultural products,

among others.

But besides the EU GSP+, the Chamber underscored the “urgency and importance of a timely and successful conclusion of the EU-Philippines FTA.”

According to ECCP, the EU-PH FTA will lead to improved trade and investment opportunities, resulting in economic diversification, increased market competitiveness and openness, better employment prospects, and innovation and technological advancements.

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona

Jr. told reporters late Wednesday that apart from inflation, the Monetary Board will also consider the country’s GDP growth rate as well as the next move of the US Federal Reserve.

Remolona stressed that the decision of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will be considered on the basis that it also provides data for the Monetary Board.

“You know, 5.4 [percent] is just one number so it’s not a trend, necessarily. So we’ll see. We’ll look at the data,” Remolona told reporters. “[Other factors?] well, output

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

Special to the BusinessMirror

CLIMATE change is the main culprit in the frequent Lightning Red alerts being issued by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to guide airlines and staff on the ground.

Transportation Secretary

Jaime J. Bautista told the BusinessMirror the MIAA is just “following international standards,” which dictates that a red alert is issued when lighting occurs within a 5-kilometer radius around the aerodrome. “It even used to be 9 km,” he said, “but I told them to lower it to 5 km, which is the international standard.”

Interviewed on the sidelines of the recent public unveiling

growth [and to a certain extent] we’ll look at what the FOMC does, because that’s data as well but we look at a lot of data.”

One important consideration in looking at the decisions of the FOMC, Remolona said, is the US Federal Reserve's difference from the BSP.

“Yes, the data suggests that (extended pause) but you know that the BSP is an inflation-targeting central bank. That means it's structurally hawkish when it comes to inflation,”Remolona said.

of the new tourism slogan, “Love the Philippines,” Bautista recalled how Philippine Airlines (PAL), which he used to head, was able to fly in and out of airports even during thunderstorms. “But it’s really climate change,” he explained, which has given rise to more severe thunderstorms and the frequent Lightning Red alerts. “These alerts are meant to protect the people on the ground, including passengers,” he stressed, underscoring that MIAA has to “prioritize everyone’s safety.”

For his part, PAL president Capt. Stanley Ng suggested the reduction of the safety radius around the airport to minimize flight disruptions.

“Maybe we can reduce it pa to 2 km like in other countries.”

New anti-laundering strategy to fill gaps

dress the gaps raised by the FATF, a global financing watchdog, on the country’s measures against money laundering and terrorist financing.

hOnEY On hO-hO Manila Mayor honey lacuna (left), together with tourism Secretary christina Frasco, spearheaded the inauguration of the “hop-On hop-Off tourism bus tour” organized by the Department of tourism at the Kartilya ng Katipunan (bonifacio Shrine) in Manila on july 6, 2023. the hop-On hop-Off program is meant to offer tourists a convenient and flexible way to explore various destinations, facilitated by a streamlined, contactless transportation and tour booking system. ROY DOMINGO

new NACS will replace the National Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing strategy 2018-2022.

Under his Executive Order (EO) No. 33 dated July 4, 2023, Marcos said NACS 2023-2027 aims to ad -

“The adoption of NACS 20232027 will enable the Philippines to address the International Cooperation Review Group [IGRG] Action Plans, ensure that the country exits the Financial Action Task Force Grey List, and improve its anti-money laundering, counter terrorism financing, and counter proliferation financing [AML/CTF/CPF] regime,”

DESPITE the recent low inflation print, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said this may not be enough reason to consider another pause or a rate cut in the next policy rate setting.

@akosistellaBM

DOE: LPG players may still seek license to operate beyond July 7

industry without the said LTO and corresponding Certificate of Registration (COR) shall be in violation of the prohibited acts and will be penalized accordingly under the LPG Industry Regulations Act,” the DOE advisory stated.

It, however, clarified that they could still continue to apply for an LTO after July 7.

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“So the (FOMC) is not an inflation-targeting committee which means they put not as large a weight on inflation as an inflation-targeting central bank like the Philippines,” he explained.

Under the LPG Industry Regulation Act, LPG industry stakeholders have until July 7 to convert their Standards Compliance Certificate (SCC) to License to Operate (LTO).

If they fail to operate without the LTO starting July 8, then their op -

Set…

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In Hong Kong for instance, a red lightning alert is issued when cloud-toground lightning is predicted to affect

erations are deemed illegal. Under DOE Circular 2022-110037, any SCC shall be considered void after July 7.

“By implication, any DOE-regulated LPG industry participants conducting business in the LPG

within 1 km of the HK International Airport island.

Chain reaction

H E a greed that climate change was also the cause of the increased frequency of lightning alerts, “and partly because we’re more safety-conscious

“The July 7, 2023 deadline, however, does not prevent any applicant to continue the submission of LTO and COR (Certificate of Registration) application and the DOE will continue to accept and process them beyond the said deadline,” the agency said.

Earlier, the Federation of Affordable Independent Refillers and Resellers of LPG (FAIRR-LPG) asked the DOE to extend the July 7 deadline.

as well. Before, we allowed that [lightning] to happen [and still flew], but that’s not safe for the ground employees, like the mechanics. So it’s better that way. But if you have that [red lightning] in the morning, it’s a chain reaction of delays even until the next day sometimes.”

FAIRR-LPG is a group of LPG refilling plant owners, dealers and other LPG players.

FAIRR-LPG President Felipe Galang said if there is no extension, then this will result in an LPG shortage not for lack of supply but simply because no one will attempt to sell without a license.

The stiff penalty for non-compliance also discourages them to sell, he added.

The fine starts at P5,000 per day for LPG distributors that operate without permits and up to P1 million for non-compliance with the design, per -

According to MIAA, it issued a total of 439 combined Lightning Red and Yellow Alerts in 2022. The average duration for a red status is an hour and two minutes before being downgraded to a yellow alert.

The ni noy Aquino International Airport has 20 lightning arresters and four lightning shelters strategically located at the ramp area. These lightning arresters are devices designed to protect electrical and telecommunication facilities from the damaging effects of lightning. They capture and direct lightning surges onto the ground, where they are safely absorbed, as per the MIAA.

At the same event, n g s aid the carrier will tackle recent passenger complaints of unrepaired plane toilets, broken handrests and the like. “During the pandemic, some of the planes were parked. w h en we activated the planes last year, the cosmetics (physical appearance) didn’t become a

mits and protocols for the transport of LPG tanks.

According to the group, 90 percent of the existing LPG sellers in the country are non-compliant for various reasons such as the voluminous requirements prior to the release of the LTO.

For LPG refilling plant owners and dealers, Galang said they are required to produce at least 32 and 33 documents, respectively. FAIRR-LPG asked the DOE to trim the number of requirements, saying some of these are redundant while others are unnecessary and impractical.

priority because there was a sudden surge in demand [for travel]. But mid-year last year, we ordered the spare parts already.”

He also expressed hope that the situation among air passengers will improve after a spate of flight cancellations by local carriers triggered a wave of complaints that caught the attention of lawmakers. For PAL itself, he said, “ we p roactively cancel our flights, as far as a month already, because we try to prevent passengers from going to the airport and queueing until outside.”

He added, “ we t ry to book them to other flights, even to other airlines, so it’s not really an issue. The problem lang [three] weeks ago, it was really a chain of events. Of course the supply-chain issue, challenges with the engine manufacturer….So we just try to reduce some of our flights.” See, “Carriers to cut flights, lease more planes to mitigate crisis,” in the BusinessMirror, June 22, 2023.

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Marcos said in EO 33, which he issued through Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin.

Countries which have weak measures for both illegal activities are included by FATF in its grey list, while those with “serious strategic deficiencies” become part of its blacklist.

As of June 23, there are currently 26 countries in the FATF grey list, including the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the black list include the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, and Myanmar. New power and composition

A n E w feature of the new n ACS is its inclusion of proliferation financing, which the FATF defined, as the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as identified by relevant United n ations Security Council Resolutions (U nS CRs).

EO 23 gave the national AML/CFT Coordinating Committee ( n ACC) the power to reorganize its

During the press briefing, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. reiterated that the original projection of the central bank is for inflation to hit below 4 percent by around October this year.

Asked if this would be a signal to cut rates, Remolona only said that this will be considered by the Monetary Board. He added that setting policy rates is not a onetime thing for the BSP.

Remolona said when the Monetary Board decides on setting rates, its not enough to consider just one rate but the path of the policy rate.

we ’ll do it one meeting at a time. But in doing it one meeting at a time, we’re also looking forward to what we might do down the road. we ’re not looking at just one policy rate, we’re looking at a path of the policy rate. So it’s implicit on every decision we make,” Remolona explained.

Metrobank’s take

M

E A n w H ILE , i n its economic bulletin, Metrobank said the recent slowdown in inflation to 5.4 percent in June provides enough support for a pause in the rate hikes.

This may also be a good start, said Metrobank, in considering rate cuts by the end of the year. The bank said inflation expectations are already on the downtrend.

“However, Metrobank Research noted that despite the recent decline in both headline and core inflation, elevated inflation may continue to persist, due to ongoing upside risks stemming from price constraints on key food commodities such as rice, the potential impact of the recently approved wage hike, and the imminent El niño,” Metrobank said.

EL ni ño was also considered one of the major upside risks to inflation in the next few months, according to the BSP and the national Economic and Development Authority ( n e da).

The Philippine weather bureau, Pagasa, on Tuesday issued an advisory that El ni ño’s impact will be most pronounced in the latter part of 2023 and will extend until the second quarter of next year (Full story: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2023/07/06/june-inflationslows-to-5-4-el-nino-a-risk/).

ECCP…

Continued from A1

Moreover, such a deal “would also help contribute towards achieving a greener, more inclusive, and sustainable Philippines,” the Chamber said.

ECCP FTA poll

composition including the creation of a sub-committee to counter proliferation financing.

It also made the n at ional Intelligence Coordinating Agency ( n ICA) an additional member of the committee.

The n ACC will be chaired by the Executive Secretary, while the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, who is the concurrent Chair of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMCL), will serve as its Vice Chair.

Its members are the heads of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Department of national Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Trade and Industry, Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, and the n ICA. Samuel P. Medenilla

M E A n w H ILE , a s the European-Philippine business community pointed out the “strong sense of urgency” in the conclusion of the EU-PH FTA talks, the ECCP said it conducted an ECCP FTA survey during the first half of 2023.

The survey among 200 respondents from the European-Philippine business community showed 81 percent believe that holding the conclusion of the EU-PH FTA talks is significant for their respective company and business strategies, while almost 80 percent of the respondent sees the importance of the resumption of the EU-PH FTA talks.

“This shows a strong appetite for the recommencement and conclusion of EU-PH FTA talks. The ECCP continues to advocate for the timely conclusion of the said FTA deal,” ECCP said.

The results of the survey showed that if concluded, about 83 percent of the respondents anticipate “heavy utilization” of the EU-PH trade deal.

In particular, 42 percent of the respondents in the European-Philippine business community said they expect to use the deal for trade in goods while 23 percent will use it for trade in goods and services; 26 percent will use it for trade in services.

In addition, ECCP noted that sourcing locations as well as priority-end markets were identified as the “key factors for the development of an FTA optimization strategy of the respondents’ respective firms.”

The survey also identified that the major bottlenecks in trade are “onerous customs and administrative procedures, charges on imports, license requirements, red tape,” among others.

THE Department of Energy (DOE) said Thursday it would continue to accept and process applications for the issuance of permits to qualified LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) participants.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Solons vow passage of laws vs agri

products smuggling

HOUSE leaders on Thursday vowed to expedite the passage of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act amendments, and called on the Department of Justice and National Bureau of Investigation to file charges of economic sabotage against agricultural product smugglers, hoarders, and price fixers.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy S. Co made the call after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent order to the Department of Justice and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to run after agricultural smugglers.

This call is “timely” in the face of rising prices of commodities like onions, said Co.

While he is in favor of further liberalizing the importation of agri products in short supply, the lawmaker, however, stressed that imports should be limited during harvest season to protect local producers and farmers.

Co, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to President Marcos for recognizing the hard work of Congress, especially Speaker Martin Romualdez, Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, who earlier unmasked the criminal syndicates behind unabated agricultural smuggling and hoarding.

The lawmaker said the President’s order to investigate and prosecute smugglers, hoarders and price manipulators shows his firm resolve to end serious economic crimes that victimize millions of ordinary Filipinos.

Earlier, Romualdez said the directive of the President for a probe on the smuggling of onions and other agricultural products should be enough to deter further supply manipulation of agricultural

products and help stabilize prices, especially amid reports that prices of onion are on the rise again.

It was Romualdez who called for a congressional probe on onion smuggling after the prices of the agricultural product hit a record high of P700 per kilo in December last year.

Romualdez assured the public that the House would remain vigilant against price fixing by monitoring the prices of onion, rice, and other vital commodities and services to protect the interest of consumers.

With the forthcoming the start of the 2nd Regular Session of the 19th Congress, Romualdez said the lower chamber will immediately buckle down to work for the passage of the proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

The measure is among the 20 bills slated for approval by Congress before the year’s end during the 2nd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) full meeting presided by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang last Wednesday.

“The inclusion of this measure among the LEDAC priority legislation manifests the commitment of Congress to support President Marcos’ drive against unfair business practices that hurt consumers and local farmers alike, but also derail the administration’s efforts to attain food security,” Romualdez said.

Two down: Another Muntinlupa RTC judge inhibits from de Lima drug case

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

MUNTILUPA Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 Presiding Judge

In a four-page order, Alcantara canceled the hearing on the case scheduled today, Friday, as he ordered that the records of the case be immediately transmitted to the Office of the Clerk of Court of the Muntinlupa RTC for re-raffle in order to avoid further delay in the resolution of the case.

However, Judge Alcantara maintained that his decision to acquit de Lima in the second drug case does not prove bias on his part as he maintained that his decision was based on the evidence presented.

Judge Alcantara said he decided to grant the motion “not because the prosecution’s assertion is true but to put to rest any questions against his credibility, integrity, and fairness.”

“At the very first sign of lack of

Remulla announces return after heart bypass surgery

“Enactment of this measure will institutionalize and improve mechanisms, as well as provide more stringent penalties that would serve as a strong deterrent against smuggling of agricultural products, including onion,” he added. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz ‘I

Rep. Duterte pushes passage of law on regulation of motorcycles-for-hire

FOLLOWING a recent call by transport advocates for the government to lift the cap on the number of these vehicles allowed to ply the country’s roads, a lawmaker called on Congress for the speedy passage of a law regulating the operations of motorcycles-for-hire when session resumes this month.

Davao City 1st District Rep.

Paolo Duterte said the pilot study authorized by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on the viability and safety of motorcycles-for-hire as a mode of commuter transport has dragged on, continuing on its fourth year in 2023, with no certainty on when this would be concluded and its recommendations released to the public.

“As a result, the number of ‘habal-habal’ rides, or those motorcycles-for-hire operating outside the purview of the pilot study conducted by the LTFRB, has continued to increase.

Passengers who cannot book through motorcycle-hailing apps authorized by the LTFRB because of the lack of available rides are left with no option but to patronize these illegal habal-habal and compromise their safety,” Duterte said.

Duterte was referring to the Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (MC Taxi TWG) that was formed in 2019 by the LTFRB upon the directive of the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The MC Taxi TWG was reconstituted in November last year and continues to oversee the pilot implementation of

motorcycle taxi operations by companies like Angkas, Joyride and Move It.

Several transport advocacy and consumer groups clamored for the lifting of the limit imposed by the MC Taxi TWG on the number of motorcycle taxis allowed to operate. The cap is currently set by the MC Taxi TWG at 45,000 participants under the pilot study.

The groups said the lack of affordable, fast and convenient travel options, such as these motorcycle taxis, have given rise to illegal habal-habal rides, whose riders do not have proper training or insurance coverage to protect themselves and their passengers.

Duterte noted that these groups have raised a valid concern and that   House Bill (HB) 4470, which he filed last year with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS Rep. Edvic Yap, provides the legislation that would legalize and regulate motorcycle taxis, along with 14 other similar measures.

HB 4470 and similar other bills pending in the House of Representatives provide, among others, that motorcycles intended to be used as vehicles for hire must be registered with the Land Transportation Office, which shall ensure their roadworthiness before registering them or renewing such registration.

The House Committee on Transportation has created a technical working group to consolidate and harmonize HB 4470 and the 14 other similar measures.

’M back.”

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin

Remulla made this pronouncement on Thursday as he confirmed that he underwent a seven-hour heart bypass surgery last June 27 to remove a heart blockage that was discovered during his annual medical check-up conducted last June 21.

Remulla appeared before the media during a news conference to assure the public that he is now feeling better and ready to return to his duties as justice secretary on Monday.

“I’m okay. So far, so good. My voice is very clear, my mind is very clear,” Remulla said.

The 62-year-old justice secretary said he was very fortunate that his doctors were able to see the blockages, which are considered risk factors for stroke or heart attack.

Remulla said at present he is undergoing physical rehabilitation sessions in order to fully recover from the effects of being intubated for at least 16 hours.

Although he is scheduled to officially return to work on Monday, Remulla said he couldn’t be physically present at the Department of Justice everyday as he has yet to fully recover from the procedure.

“I will be meeting the leadership on Monday. A lot of undersecretaries, assistant secretaries. I’ll be meeting on Monday morning after the flag [ceremony] to give instructions, directions and necessary orders,” he said.

“But I’ll be talk ing to them often although have to play it by ear because I cannot force myself to immediately go back to normal, physically it’s better that I regain my full strength first,” Remulla added.

Remulla also dismissed the idea of resigning from his post in order to prioritize his health.

“N ever, never,” Remulla said when asked if he is entertaining the possibility of leaving his post due to his health.

The justice chief said he has spoken to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. who told him to prioritize his recovery so that he could continue with his duties.

“He is very happy that I made a decision that I did, to go through with the procedure and to come out of it very well and I thank the President for the trust and confidence given to me,” Remulla said.

Remulla took a 10-day wellness leave on June 26, 2023 due to “ personal reasons.”

He designated Undersecretary Raul Vasquez as officer-in-charge of the DOJ while he was on wellness leave. Joel R. San Juan

“Thus, to erase any doubt as to the impartiality of the Honorable Presiding Judge as well as to remove any impression that he will similarly decide on the instant case in favor of accused, the prosecution most respectfully moves that the Honorable Presiding Judge voluntarily inhibit himself from, hearing the instant case,” it added.

Judge Alcantara gave weight to the recantation of prosecution’s main witness, former officer-incharge (OIC) of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Rafael Ragos, in junking the drug case.

Voluntary Inhibition of the Honorable Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara in this case to maintain and preserve the trust and faith of the party-litigants,” the motion read.

faith and trust in his or her actions, whether well grounded or not, the judge has no other alternative but to inhibit himself or herself from the case,” the judge pointed out.

On Wednesday, the panel of prosecutors led by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr. filed a seven-page motion for voluntary inhibition against Judge Alcantara citing as ground his decision issued last May 2023 which acquitted de Lima in her second drug case.

“Having adversely decided against the People in the previous Criminal Case No.17-165, the undersigned Panel of Prosecutors cannot help but be apprehensive that the Honorable Presiding Judge will carry over his perceptions to the instant case,” the motion read.

Ragos executed an affidavit on September 5, 2016 claiming that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, they delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at the former’s residence in Parañaque.

He added that they made another delivery of the amount of P5 million contained in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan.

The money, according to Ragos, came from the proceeds of the drug operations of several high-profile inmates inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP).

However, Ragos recanted his statements against de Lima in his affidavit executed in May 2022.

“With utmost respect to the Honorable Court, the Prosecution submits this Motion for

The last drug case against de Lima was originally assigned to RTC Muntinlupa City Branch 256 Presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura until he decided to inhibit from further hearing the case last June 15. Judge Buenaventura’s decision to inhibit was prompted by the motions filed by de Lima’s co-accused, namely, Ronnie Dayan, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu and Joenel Sanchez.

The judge’s inhibition from the case was sought by the accused following his failure to disclose his relationship to lawyer Emmanuel Buenaventura.

Atty. Buenaventura, according to their motions, was the lawyer who assisted Dayan in the execution of his affidavit dated November 24, 2016, which was used as his testimony on a hearing before the House Committee on Justice implicating de Lima in the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. Dayan has recanted his affidavit and testimony saying that these were given under duress.   After Judge Buenaventura’s inhibition, the case was re-raffled to the sala of Judge Alcantara.

Abraham Joseph Alcantara on Thursday granted the motion of state prosecutors for him to inhibit from resolving the last drug case against detained former senator Leila de Lima and her co-accused.

BARMM to emerge as next energy resource hub–PBBM

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. said the newly signed Intergovernmental Energy Board (IEB) Circular will help bring in more “vital investments” and generate more jobs at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by allowing the private sector to access the regions rich mineral resources.

The Chief Executive made the pronouncement after he witnessed the ceremonial signing of the new IEB Circular on Petroleum Service Contracts (PSCs) and Coal Operating Contracts (COCs) in Malacañang on Thursday.

“In fostering a level playing field, we create an environment that encourages local and foreign investors to actively participate in the exploration and development of the BARMM’s energy resources,” Marcos said in his speech during the event.

The circular includes stringent environment protection regulations to ensure the extraction of resources in BARMM will be done in a sustainable manner, according to the President.

“It is essential to underscore that the guidelines shall also serve as a safeguard in ensuring the strict adherence of all exploration and development activities to rigorous regulations and industry-leading best practices,” Marcos said.

He lauded the timely completion of the IEB as his administration continues to push for the country’s energy security.

“Considering the challenges of the

depleting Malampaya reservoir and volatile fossil fuel prices, it is crucial to take decisive action, reigniting petroleum exploration, and fostering the development of indigenous energy resources,” Marcos said.

“By harnessing the enormous energy potential within BARMM, we will reduce our reliance on external sources, mitigate the detrimental impacts of price fluctuations, and build a solid foundation for our country’s energy security,” he added.

Qualifications

THE Department of Energy and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) of BARMM signed the IEB circular.

It operationalizes the provision in Section 10, Article XIlI of Republic Act No. 11054 or the Organic Law for

the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region allowing the national and BARMM government to “jointly grant rights, privileges, and concessions for the exploration, development, and utilization of uranium and fossil fuels, such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal within the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro.”

Under the IEB, the petroleum contracts can be awarded to any local/ foreign individual company or group of companies forming a joint venture/ consortium, organized, or authorized for the purpose of engaging in petroleum exploration and development.

Meanwhile, for coal contracts, an applicant must be a corporation or partnership with at least 60 percent Filipino-owned capital and duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or a

co-operative organized and authorized for the purpose of engaging in coal exploration and development.

The applicants must also comply with Section 2-A of Commonwealth Act No. 108 or the AntiDummy law, as well as the Foreign Investment Act.

The MENRE will be publishing a list of nominated/predetermined areas, which will be available for petroleum and coal contracts based on what will be submitted by the applicants.

Aside from the IEB, Marcos said he is eyeing more partnerships with the BARMM government.

“We will explore and seize every developmental opportunity that will empower the people of the BARMM and enhance their quality of life,” the Chief Executive stressed.

According to the DOE, the framework outlines the requisite requirements, procedures, and standards for companies seeking to apply for and operate PSCs and COCs and ensure that exploration and development activities will adhere to stringent rules and regulations, and best practices.

“The successful establishment of this IEB Circular holds immense potential. It will not only contribute to the energy security of the country but also unlock vast opportunities for economic growth in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region,” said DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

The energy chief also said that by leveraging its energy resources, the region will attract  investments, generate employment opportunities, and foster sustainable development. With Lenie Lectura

Sen. Jinggoy seeks reintegration to PHL work force of rehabilitated drug users thru holistic approach

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed a counterpart bill in the Senate that will ensure gainful employment for reformed drug users and provide incentives to companies that hire them.

“Providing incentives to establishments that will employ rehabilitated drug dependents who are graduates of technical-vocational education and training (TVET) programs specifically designed for them will provide

reformed drug users a holistic support system for their reintegration to society,” Estrada said in filing Senate Bill No. 2276.

A staunch labor advocate, Estrada is proposing collaboration between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in developing TVET programs specifically created for rehabilitated drug dependents.

The TVET and livelihood programs will focus on equipping individuals with competitive and employable skills, enhancing their chances of

finding sustainable employment or pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities.

The bill seeks to institutionalize the programs, ensuring their continuity and providing sufficient funding for their implementation.

Estr ada said TESDA has been providing training and livelihood scholarships to former drug dependents since 2016 and in 2021, of which 94 percent or 8,200 out of the 8,700 former drug dependents have already graduated from various courses from TESDA.

“This is enough indication of the willingness

of a large percentage of former drug dependents to lead better lives. It’s important to sustain the support that is being provided to them and expand its scope to include skills training and productivity enhancement that will prepare them to be self-reliant and qualified for gainful employment,” the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development said. “ This will not only improve their families’ economic conditions but will also contribute to the country’s development,” Estrada added.

DAR to distribute

land titles to 32,441 ARBs as PBBM signs New Agrarian Emancipation Act

AS President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the New Agrarian Emancipation Act in Malacañang today, Friday, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will conduct the simultaneous distribution of land titles to 32,441 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in various parts of the country.

The President and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III will lead the ceremonial distribution of the land titles for Central Luzon and Calabarzon ARBs in Malacañang.

It will be followed by the regional distribution in selected areas to be conducted by the DAR regional officials and local government unit (LGU) representatives in the following areas: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Newtown Plaza Hotel, Baguio City; Ilocos Region, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) Batac, Ilocos Norte; MIMAROPA, AKC Country Homes, Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Bicol Region, Fuerto Sports Complex, Cadilan, Pili Camarines Sur; Western Visayas, Cadiz City Arena; Central Visayas, Uypitching Auditorium, Dumaguete City; Eastern Visayas, Leyte Progressive School Tacloban City; Zamboanga Peninsula, Cultural and Sports Center, Dipolog City; Northern Mindanao, Atrium Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City; Davao Region, Arcadia Event Center, Matina Davao City; SOCCSKSARGEN, Sultan Kudarat Sports and Cultural Complex, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat; and Caraga, Naliyagan Grounds Capitol Agusan del Sur.

The New Agrarian Emancipation Act condones the amortization of principal payments, interest and penalties on the land they are presently tilling, in what is considered as the most significant piece of agrarian leg -

islation passed since the whole country was declared an agrarian reform area, by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. in October 1972.

The law will benefit 610,054 ARBs, whose total payables are approximately P57.55 billion to the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The government will also assume the obligation of 10,201 ARBs tilling 11,531.24 hectares of land to pay the remaining balance of the direct compensation due the concerned landowners under the Voluntary Land Transfer (VLT) or the Direct Payment Scheme (DPS) amounting to P206,247,776.41 million.

In his report to Malacañang, Estrella noted that from July 2022 to June 2023, the DAR distributed under Project SPLIT (Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling), a total of 16,445 e-titles covering an area of 22,656.1236 hectares benefiting a total of 15,481 ARBs, and a total of 23,009 Emancipated Patents and Certificate of Land Ownership and Acquisition covering an area of 23,689.37 hectares benefiting 25,374 ARBs.

The New Agrarian Emancipation Act is a huge step in achieving the President’s goal of food security for the country and giving importance to the farmers whom Filipinos depend on for their daily nourishment.

Estrella added that the DAR will continue fulfilling the President’s mandate to distribute all available land to farmers and other qualified beneficiaries, clear the backlog of agrarian cases, promote support services including training on modern agricultural techniques, and access to credit facilities to realize the vision of “Sariling Lupa Para sa Bagong Bukas na Masagana” for farmers.

Jonathan L. Mayuga

1,172 Bicolano farmers to get SPLIT e-titles from DAR today

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will distribute today, Friday, individual electronic land-titles (e-titles) to 1,172 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the Bicol Region.

The individual e-titles were generated under the Support to Parcelization of Land for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project that aims to fast track the process of obtaining land ownership for the farmers.

The distribution of individual titles will be held at the Capitol Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur.

This as DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III has ordered to expedite the subdivision of collective certificates of land ownership awards (CCLOAs) for about 1.3 million hectares of land nationwide.

DAR Bicol Director Reuben Theodore C. Sindac said the e-titles cover 1,977.3045 hectares of agricultural lands located throughout the region.

A total of 1,172 beneficiaries of agrarian reform will be awarded individual titles. These include 289 etitles for Albay, 249 for Camarines Sur, 1, 210 for Sorsogon, 141 for Masbate, 136 for Camarines Norte, 126 for Camarines Sur II, and 78 for Catanduanes.

In terms of land area, Albay will

have the largest number of individual e-titles with 476.2019 hectares. At 353.1582 hectares, Sorsogon came in second followed by Camarines Sur I with 327.1351 hectares. Camarines Sur II and Camarines Norte finished with 264.0873 hectares and 263.2829 hectares, respectively, while Masbate arrived at 209.6602 hectares and Catanduanes with 83.7189 hectares.

“By distributing individual e-titles to ARBs, the DAR seeks to empower farmers and unlock economic opportunities for them,” said Sindac.

“This initiative marks the government’s commitment to agrarian reform, and it is expected to bring significant benefits to the ARBs and their families,” he added.

With the parcelization of the CCLOAs and the issuance of individual titles, the regional director said the beneficiaries will be installed on their designated lots, thereby improving land tenure security and assert their rightful ownership of the land.

The distribution of e-titles will be done simultaneously with the signing into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condones debts and financial liabilities of some 610,054 ARBs worth over P58 billion.  Jonathan L. Mayuga

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. witnesses the ceremonial signing of the Intergovernmental Energy Board Circular on the Joint Award of Petroleum Service Contracts and Coal Operating Contracts in the BARMM at the Malacañang Palace on Thursday, July 6, 2023. NIB-PNA PHOTO BY JOEY RAZON

CIAC eyeing trade deals with Aussie companies

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE—The Clark International Airport Corp. has joined the recent international trade mission in Australia, which targeted potential investors for the Clark civil aviation complex, an executive of the government aviation on Thursday said.

O fficer-in-Charge Nancy Paglinawan said a CIAC team joined the Philippine Business Mission delegation, led by former Defense Secretary now chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority Delfin Lorenzana in a series of forums held in Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane from June 26 to 30.

Several companies were open to investment possibilities here in Clark, specifically interested in the profitability of investing at the Clark aviation complex,” Paglinawan said.

T he CIAC business team was composed of sales and marketing head Jesus Punzalan, Melissa Feliciano of the strategy and corporate management department, and lawyer Julius Raboca, chairman of the CIAC board committee on business development.

Our prime government lands surrounding the Clark airport have to be under the radar of global industry leaders so we hope the interests generated from our joining the investment mission will soon come to fruition,” Paglinawan said.

A lso present during the trip were representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry, Subic-Clark Alliance for Development, Poro Point Management Corporation, and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

Paglinawan said several companies engaged in business process outsourcing, renewable energy projects, agriculture and food security, infrastructure development, digital innovation, and electric vehicle manufacturing have expressed interest in forging trade deals with the CIAC.

S he noted Clark’s world-class international airport, the sprawling and uncongested aviation complex, and a business-friendly and disaster-resilient environment make Clark a distinctly viable investment option for Australian companies in the region.

S ome 584 hectares of prime real estate managed by the CIAC are up for lease for mixed-use commercial use, logistics and transport hubs, service industries for airlines, manufacturing, information and technology, and other nonaviation-related industries.

T he Australia-Asean Business Forum was attended by around 500 participants and featured business leaders and experts in Southeast Asia and Australia, including Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing Hon Tim Ayres MP and Australia’s Special Envoy for Southeast Asia Mr. Nicholas Moore.

A fter which, dialogues were also held with the Asean Business Advisory Council, and the Australia-Philippines Business Council.

DOJ building up ‘strong’ economic sabotage case against onion cartel

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

A t a news briefing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the investigation would start with the personalities named

during the hearings conducted by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food last year as allegedly behind the cartel.

The committee headed by Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo had earlier confirmed the existence of cartels in the onion industry.

We are looking at the minutes of the congressional hearings and of course we will look at our own notes to be able to put together a good case of economic sabotage against those who insist on the creation of a cartel within the country, which is definitely against the law,” Remulla said.

“ There are six to seven names that come out whenever we look at the picture, so we have a very good idea. We just have to catch them in the act,” the DOJ chief said.

R emulla earlier created the AntiAgricultural Smuggling Task Force (AASTF) to investigate the smuggling of onion and other agricultural

products in the country.

Th is was in response to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the agency to lead the probe and hold those responsible for the illegal activity accountable.

T he justice department said it would collaborate with the other government agencies, particularly, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to carry out the directive of the President.

The task force will be composed of a special team of prosecutors “primarily focused on protecting the entire agricultural sector, not only the onion industry.”

A lso part of the task force are the Office of the Prosecutor General, headed by Chief State

Prosecutor Richard Fadullon and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headed by Director Medardo de Lemos.

In an interview, Fadullon said the task force would also look into the possible involvement of some officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the smuggling of onion and other agricultural products. The main objective of the task force, according to the justice department, is to dismantle smuggling networks and ensure that those responsible are brought to the courts.  A t present, the DOJ said, it is conducting a case-build up against certain individuals and organizations believed to be involved in onion smuggling.

Senate panel probes ‘VIP treatment’ of detained drug suspect Jad Dera while under NBI custody

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATE probers are digging deeper into the “VIP treatment” granted to a high profile drug detainee while under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

A cting on the reports, Senator Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, promptly moved to pursue an inquiry into the reported privileged treatment accorded to drug suspect Jose

Adrian “Jad” Dera.

Tolentino on Wednesday spearheaded a “motu propio” investigation in connection with the supposed unauthorized activities of the drug suspect outside the NBI Custodial Center in Manila.

I nitial reports reaching Senate probers indicated that Dera and six members of the NBI security personnel assigned as the suspect’s jail guards were arrested inside the NBI Compound last June 21 after it was found out by higher authorities that Dera was able to leave his

detention cell in Ermita, Manila “for about four hours just to eat in a hotel together with his partner.”

M oreover, Tolentino asked NBI Director Medardo De Lemos to provide Senate probers with additional information, saying: “ Gusto natin malaman dito , Director, kung papaano po ito nangyayari—na kahit walang court order, kahit walang justification, kahit walang dahilan, medical man o hindi—ay nakakapunta ng Tagaytay, Calatagan sa Batangas, at maging sa high-class restaurants

‘Makabata Helpline’: DOLE partners with DSWD to boost child labor reporting system

By Patrick V. Miguel

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently launched the “Makabata Helpline” to strengthen child labor reporting system. T he helpline, launched on June 23, World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) Culminating Activity, is designed for “faster reporting and response” to concerns on children, such as child abuse and child labor. It is also part of DOLE’s intent to eradicate

child labor in the Philippines.

L abor Undersecretary Benjo Santos Benavidez said, “Let us continue working toward our shared goal of a child labor-free Philippines.”

We will not stop until all children are truly #BatangMalaya, free from child labor, free to play, free to get an education, free to become safe and healthy, free to achieve their dreams, and free to become just children,” Benavidez stressed.

The DOLE-initiated Batang Malaya Child Labor Knowledge Sharing System web site was also launched that day. It provides accessible information on child labor-related data.

A ccording to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are 1.37 million working children ages 5 to 17 in the country in 2021. This is higher than the previous year with a 1.5 percent difference. I n relation, 68.4 percent or 935,000 of these working children are engaged in child labor or hazardous work, done in long hours.

From 2018 to 2022, DOLE profiled 620,556 child laborers and 148,448 were withdrawn from child labor.

Makabata Helpline can be reached by phone at 0960- 377-9863 (Smart), 0915-802-2375 (Globe), or by e-mail at makabata1383@cwc.gov.ph.

Groups raise alarm on rise of HTP use

ANTI-TOBACCO advocates expressed alarm after Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC), the local affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., announced that an estimated 75,000 Filipinos switched from smoking cigarettes to IQOS.  Quitting from addiction is different from shifting to another form of addiction. Taking a poison using a different mechanism is still taking a poison,” the Parents Against Vape (PAV) stated.

What is not being said, PAV stressed, is that the design of IQOS, other heated tobacco products (HTPs) and e-cigarettes “unfortunately appeal to the youth.”

“Government should ensure that these products are not marketed and advertised

to the youth. Otherwise, we will end up creating new poisonous vices for our children,” the group added.

For Child Rights Network, the recent industry spin that promotes e-cigarettes as a solution for adult smokers is merely a distraction from the bigger problem caused by the industry itself: the addiction of Filipino teens to vaping.

“Let’s not be swayed by the industry’s message that Filipinos have successfully quit smoking cigarettes due to the introduction of heated tobacco products. The introduction of these products has actually given rise to a more significant problem: teen vape and nicotine addiction. According to the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 1 in 7 Filipino students aged 13-15 use vapes or e-cigarettes,”

welcome EO cutting red tape in infra permit process

Continued from A24

T he document quoted PLDT President Alfredo Panlilio as saying: “Through collaborations such as this workshop, we hope to address the urgent need to operationalize policies to ultimately ensure the highest possible quality of service for all Filipinos, and consequently support the government’s digitalization efforts.”

The EO made it clear that “No other national or local permit or clearance shall be re -

quired in the construction, installation, repair, operation, and maintenance of telecommunications and Internet infrastructure.”

A mong those exempted from EO 32 coverage are building permits issued by the Office of the Building Official; Height Clearance Permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), homeowners associations and other community clearances, clearances from other government agencies, and other requirements as mandated by the Constitution and existing laws.

T he President’s order also mandates all cities and municipalities to set up one-stop shops for construction permits, which will provide frontline services to applicants securing building permits and other related certificates.

S ubject to existing laws, rules and regulations, all covered government agencies and LGUs are enjoined to implement zero backlog policy in all applications for permits and clearances covered by EO 32, which also required them to comply with the annual

said Mr. Romeo Dongeto, Child Rights Network Convenor and Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development.

M r. Dongeto said that there is an excessive attribution of the smoking decline to the existence of heated tobacco products when, in reality, it is the substantial contribution of recent tobacco control laws, particularly tax increases, that is driving down smoking prevalence in the Philippines.

Suddenly, they are concerned about people quitting smoking because they now have replacement products. Where were they in encouraging Filipinos to quit when vapes and e-cigarettes didn’t exist?” Mr. Dongeto asked.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

submission of list of pending applications and compliance with the ARTA.

The EO also organizes a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Telecommunications and Internet Infrastructure as an oversight body to ensure efficient implementation of the order.

The TWG, chaired by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), is mandated to craft the EO’s implementing rules and regulations within 60 days from the effectivity of the order.  Lorenz Marasigan, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

dito sa Metro Manila ang isang

high-profile detainee?” Tolentino asked NBI Director De Lemos. Paano nakakalabas ang isang high-profile detainee sa piitan ng National Bureau of Investigation kahit walang order ang husgado?” the senator asked.

At the same time, Senate probers pointed out that initial investigation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed that Dera allegedly bribed NBI personnel assigned at the Bureau’s Security Division “for them to allow him temporary leave

from the agency’s detention facility,” adding that “the six jail guards reportedly even joined the detained drug suspect during his supposed dinner inside an undisclosed hotel establishment in Makati City.” M oreover, Senate probers were told that the “incident was not the first time that the NBI personnel allowed and escorted Dera outside the premises of the NBI since the drug suspect reportedly even went to Tagaytay City, a day before he and the assigned jail guards were caught.”

‘No grade completed’: 1-M Filipinos have no formal education—PSA data

OVER a million Filipinos aged 25 years old and over failed to complete their formal education, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Based on the data from Census of Population and Housing, PSA data showed 1.019 million Filipinos aged 25 years and above were classified as “no grade completed.”

P SA Deputy National Statistician Officer-in-Charge Minette Esquivas told the BusinessMirror that the data took into consideration completion of grade levels.

The “no grade completed” category means these Filipinos did not have a chance to attend school.

The data showed that the number of those with no grade completed accounted for 1.86 percent of the 54.82 million total population of Filipinos aged 25 years old and over.

The number of those without any grade completed was composed of 512,447 women and 509,059 men.

I n terms of age group, Filipinos aged 35 years old and over accounted for more than half of those who had no grade completed with 821,192.

T his was followed by those aged 25 to 29 years old with 99,683 with no grade completed and the 30 to 34 years old, 97,631 with no grade completed.

Meanwhile, the PSA said of the 97.6 million Filipinos aged five years old and over, some 94.63 million or 97 percent are literate.

Th is translates to a 1.2 percentage point improvement from the 85.95 million or 95.8 percent that was recorded in 2015.

PSA said the literacy rate in 2020 was slightly higher among females at 97.1 percent than among males at 96.8 percent. The same trend was observed in 2015.

A mong the 17 administrative regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) posted the highest literacy rate at 98.9 percent.

A side from the NCR, seven other regions had a literacy rate higher than the national rate at 97 percent, namely: Region I—Ilocos Region at 98.6 percent; Region IV-A—Calabarzon, 98.5 percent; and Region III—Central Luzon, 98.3 percent.

The data showed the literacy rate of Region II—Cagayan Valley was at 98 percent; Region VI—Western Visayas, 97.7 percent; Region V—Bicol Region, 97.4 percent; and Region VII—Central Visayas, 97.1 percent.

M eanwhile, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had the lowest literacy rate at 86.4 percent.

Cai U. Ordinario

ERC SHOW-CAUSE ORDER TO NGCP: EXPLAIN DELAYS

Continued from A24

Moreover, the NGCP is mandated under its franchise to enhance the grid’s capacity to efficiently transmit power from generating plants to directly connected consumers, public utilities and ultimately to ordinary electricity consumers.

The ERC also said that based on the Transmission Development Plans submitted by NGCP to the Department of Energy (DOE), the transmission grid only increased by 8 percent in terms of line expansion, from 19,425 circuitkilometers in 2009 to 21,027 circuit-kilometers in 2022. During prepandemic years from 20112018, NGCP’s line expansion, on the average, was only at 1.05 percentprogress rate per year.

The ERC order was promulgated on June 14 and issued on July 4. The NGCP has yet to comment as of press time.

L ast May, NGCP assistant corporate secretary Atty. Ronald Concepcion said despite the company’s best efforts, delays in the completion of certain projects could not be avoided due to the pandemic.

He said construction works had to be temporarily suspended due to quarantine regulations. Even when restrictions were eased, NGCP could not fully resume work  T he NGCP also said that the delays in the implementation of these projects “are not intentional.”

It is not because we don’t want to finish them. There were many hurdles encountered, like right of way (ROW),” NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza earlier said. NGCP holds the sole and exclusive concession and franchise for operating the Philippines’s transmission network. Lenie Lectura

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Thursday that it is now gathering evidence to be able to file a strong case of economic sabotage against those involved in the smuggling, hoarding and price fixing of onion and other agricultural products.

Telcos

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

Regional Office No. IV-A

4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362

July 7, 2023

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S)

Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s: NO.

1 ALMEX TECHNOLOGIES PHILIPPINES INC.

Phase 4, Block 18, Lot 9, Cavite Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

2 ALMEX TECHNOLOGIES PHILIPPINES INC. Phase 4, Block 18, Lot 9, Cavite Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

11 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

12 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

LI, RUIBIN

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

13 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

LI, XIUYING

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

14 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

LI, YUEPING

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

LI, ZHANFEI

15 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

LIN, SHIDONG

16 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

LUO, WEIMING

17 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

NIU, HONGQIANG

18 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

NIU, ZHIHUI

19 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description: Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

ZHOU, XINYU

20 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Handle the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

53 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

54 NIBER PHILIPPINES CORP.

Unit 1, Lot 9, Blk. 7, First Cavite Industrial EstateSpecial Economic Zone, Langkaan I, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite

55 PANASONIC MANUFACTURING PHILIPPINES CORPORATION

Ortigas Ave. Ext., San Isidro, Taytay, Rizal/LTI, Don Jose, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

PARK, JAEMIN

Vice President

Brief Job Description:

Oversee internal operations and implementing strategies to increase operations efficiency

KONO, SATOSHI

Executive Director of PMPC and Vice President of PPH

Brief Job Description: Translate management directions into marketing strategies and comprehensive plans to create a strong brand value for Panasonic products

- Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Bachelor degree in Business Administration or related; Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Salary Range: Php90,000Php149,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent command of Nihongo (speaking, reading, writing) and have minimum 30 years work experience in Manufacturing Business / Appliance company

Salary Range: Php90,000Php149,999

56 SHING HUNG PLASTICS COMPANY INC.

Lot 8, Phase 1, First Philippine Industrial Park, Santa Anastacia, City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas

57 THN AUTOPARTS PHILIPPINES INC.

Lot 5, Block 3, Calamba Premiere International Park, Batino, City of Calamba, Laguna

LIAO, MEI-YUN

General Manager

Brief Job Description:

Prepare and submit monthly financial reports in Chinese character to president

PARK, DAEHAN

Quality Manager

Brief Job Description:

Review customer feedback and understand customer needs and requirements to develop effective quality control process

Basic Qualification: Ability to work well with all levels of management

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Korean language and with knowledge in ISO 9001/14001, IATF 16949 and VDA

Salary Range: Php90,000Php149,999

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 Regional Office IV-A located at 3rd and 4th Floors, Andenson Building II, Parian, Calamba City, Laguna, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE Regional Office IV-A if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

By authority of the Regional Director:

ATTY. MARION S. SEVILLA, LL.M. Assistant 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

Millions left with no aid as West Africa suffers worst hunger crisis in 10 years

By Chinedu Asadu The Associated Press

UN records the highest number of ‘grave violations’ against children in conflicts

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS—Children experienced the highest number of “grave violations” in conflicts verified by the United Nations in 2022, with the conflicts between Israeli and Palestinians and in Congo and Somalia putting the most youngsters in peril, the UN children’s agency said Wednesday.

Nearly half of the 11.6 million people targeted for food aid during the June to August lean season are not receiving any assistance, the agency said in a statement. It warned that hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of joining armed groups, getting married early or engaging in “survival sex” in their desperation to survive.

“We’re in a tragic situation. During this year’s lean season, millions of families will lack sufficient food reserves to sustain them until the next harvests in September,” said Margot Vandervelden, WFP interim

regional director for Western Africa. “We must take immediate action to prevent a massive slide into catastrophic hunger,” she said.

Long before last year’s flooding and Russia’s war in Ukraine, West Africa already was facing its worst food crisis in 10 years with more than 27 million hungry people mainly as a result of conflicts but also due to drought and the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Food insecurity in West and Central Africa is now affecting 47.2 million people in this year’s

lean season, which is when hunger peaks, the WFP said, with women and children the most vulnerable groups.

“Malnutrition rates have also surged, with 16.5 million children under 5 set to be acutely malnourished this year—an 83 percent rise from the 2015-2022 average,” the agency said.

In central Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger where jihadists have become increasingly deadly, UN agencies estimate that the number of people fleeing violence there has nearly quadrupled from 30,000 in January to 110,000 people in June.

“We need a twin-track approach to stop hunger in the Sahel—we must address acute hunger through humanitarian assistance while tackling the structural causes of food insecurity by increasing investments in resilient food systems and expanding government social protection programs,” Vandervelden added.

UNICEF also expressed particular concern about their plight in Haiti, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ukraine, where Russia has been put on the UN blacklist.

“Grave violations” include the recruitment and use of children by combatants, killings and injuries, sexual violence, abductions, and attacks on schools and hospitals.

Omar Abdi, UNICEF’s deputy executive director, told the UN Security Council the more than 27,000 grave violations, up from 24,000 the previous year, are the highest number verified by the UN since its monitoring reports began in 2005. The number of conflict situations “of concern” was also the highest—at 26.

Since the report, Abdi said, a serious conflict has erupted in Sudan where over 1 million children have been displaced by violent conflict and the UN has received reports that hundreds have been killed and injured. He also said UNICEF expects an increase in Palestinian children affected due to recent escalations in violence.

Government and parties to conflicts are not fulfilling their commitments to protect children, and “meaningful and unambiguous action” is needed, the UNICEF official said.

In his yearly report to the council late last month, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put Russian forces on the UN’s annual blacklist of countries that violate children’s rights in conflict for killing boys and girls and attacking schools and hospitals in Ukraine. But the UN chief did not put Israel on the blacklist for grave violations against 1,139 Palestinian children, including 54 killings last year—as supporters had hoped – saying the UN welcomed its “identification of practical measures including those proposed by the UN” to protect children.

The UN special envoy for children in armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, told the council that the 27,180 grave violations in 2022 were carried out against 18,890 children and included 8,620 who were killed or injured, 7,622 who were recruited or used by governments or armed groups in conflicts, 3,985 who were abducted, 1,165, almost all of them girls, who were raped, forced into marriage or sexual slavery or sexually assaulted.

The United Nations also verified attacks on 1,163 schools and 647 hospitals, a 112% increase from 2021, she said.

While armed groups were responsible for 50% of grave violations, Gamba underscored that governments were the main perpetrators of the killing and maiming of children and of attacks on schools and hospitals.

Gamba said, for example, last year three girls were gang raped in South Sudan “during five days of terror,” many boys were killed by an explosive device at a school in Afghanistan, a 14-year-old girl in Myanmar was abducted and burned alive, and an airstrike in Ukraine left a girl with amputated limbs.

For 3 days in a row, the Earth’s average temperature remained at a record high

By Seth Borenstein & Melina Walling

The Associated Press

EARTH’S average temperature remained at a record high Wednesday, after two days in which the planet reached unofficial records. It’s the latest marker in a series of climatechange-driven extremes.

The average global temperature was 17.18 Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That matched a record set Tuesday of 17.18 Celsius (62.9 Fahrenheit), and came after a previous record of 17.01 Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Monday.

Scientists have warned for months that 2023 could see record heat as human-caused climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil, warmed the atmosphere. They also noted that La Niña, the natural cooling of the ocean that had acted as a counter to that warming, was giving way to El Nino, the reverse phenomenon marked by warming oceans. The North Atlantic has seen record warmth this year.

“A record like this is another piece of evidence for the now massively supported proposition that global warming is pushing us into a hotter future,” said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field, who was not part of the calculations.

University of Maine climate scientist Sean Birkle, creator of

the Climate Reanalyzer, said the daily figures are unofficial but a useful snapshot of what’s happening in a warming world.

While the figures are not an official government record, “this is showing us an indication of where we are right now,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chief scientist Sarah Kapnick. And NOAA indicated it will take the figures into consideration for its official record calculations.

Even though the dataset used for the unofficial record goes back only to 1979, Kapnick said that given other data, the world is likely seeing the hottest day in “several hundred years that we’ve experienced.”

Scientists generally use much longer measurements—months, years, decades—to track the Earth’s warming. But the daily highs are an indication that climate change is reaching uncharted territory.

On Wednesday, 38 million Americans were under some kind of heat alert, Kapnick said.

That included communities that aren’t used to feeling such heat. In North Grenville, Ontario, the city turned ice hockey rinks into cooling centers as temperatures Wednesday hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with humidity making it feel like 100.4 degrees (38 degrees Celsius).

“I feel like we live in a tropical country right now,” city spokeswoman Jill Sturdy said.

“It just kind of hits you. The air is so thick.”

With many places seeing temperatures near 100 degrees

Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), the average temperature records might not seem very hot. But Tuesday’s global high was nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (a full degree Celsius) higher than the 1979-2000 average, which already topped the 20th- and 19th-century averages.

High-temperature records were surpassed this week in Quebec and Peru. Beijing reported nine straight days last week when the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and ordered a stop to all outdoor work Wednesday as more high temperatures were forecast. Cities across the US from Medford, Oregon to Tampa, Florida have been hovering at all-time highs, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Alan Harris, director of emergency management for Seminole County, Florida, said the county has already surpassed last year for the number of days they’ve activated their extreme weather plan—something that happens when the heat index hits 108 Fahrenheit or greater.

“It’s just been kind of brutally hot for the last week, and now it looks like potentially for two weeks,” Harris said.

In the US, heat advisories include portions of western Oregon, inland far northern California, central New Mexico, Texas, Florida and the coastal Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center. Excessive heat warnings are continuing across southern Arizona and California.

ABUJA, Nigeria—The UN World Food Program said Wednesday that millions of hungry people in West Africa are without aid as the agency struggles with limited funding to respond to the region’s worst hunger crisis in a decade.

MALNOURISHED children wait for treatment in the pediatrics department of Boulmiougou hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on April 15, 2022. The United Nations food agency says millions of hungry people in West Africa are left without aid because it is struggling with limited funding to respond to the region’s worst hunger crisis in 10 years. In a statement issued Wednesday, July 5, 2023, by the UN World Food Program, a top official described the situation in the region as tragic. AP/SOPHIE GARCIA

EU mission in Gaza Strip once represented hope. Now, it’s a symbol of a sputtering Western vision

By Josef Federman The Associated Press

“There is no other solution. Everything else is almost inevitably a prescription for disaster,” Olmert said.

JERUSALEM—It’s

been 16 years since the borders of the Gaza Strip slammed shut after Hamas militants seized control of the territory.

The takeover forced the European Union to withdraw monitors who had been deployed at a Gaza border crossing to help the Palestinians prepare for independence. Yet the EU has regularly renewed funding for the unit since then, most recently late last month.

The continued existence of the unit known as EUBAM is an extreme example of the West’s willingness to keep pumping hundreds of millions of dollars a year into the moribund vision of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Proponents say this approach remains the best chance for securing an eventual peace deal. Critics argue that opting for such costly conflict management helps keep a 56-year-old Israeli military occupation in place and allows Europe and the US to avoid making the hard political decisions needed to end the conflict.

This week’s deadly Israeli raid of a West Bank militant stronghold and previous eruptions of violence also underscore the limits

By Marc Champion

NEW data on military aid to Ukraine highlights a significant change in the balance of heavy weapons on the nation’s battlefields after more than 16 months of war.

An update Thursday of the Ukraine Support Tracker database maintained by Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy said Kyiv’s backers had delivered 471 new tanks since the start of the war, with a further 286 still to arrive, even as the rate of new pledges slowed.

Combined with a tally of equipment lost or captured by the open source intelligence group Oryx, widely considered to be conservative, the figures suggest that Ukraine’s tank fleet has grown since the start of the invasion last year, even as Russia’s has halved.

The gap also narrowed in terms of artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, although by much smaller margins.

The data on tanks in particular tallied with parliamentary testimony given by UK Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin on Tuesday.

“Russia has lost nearly half the combat effectiveness of its army,” Radakin told the legislature’s defense committee. “Last year it fired 10 million artillery shells but at best can produce 1 million shells a year. It has lost 2,500 tanks and at best can produce 200 tanks a year.”

According to Oryx, which records only losses it can confirm, 2,082 Russian tanks have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned or captured since the start of the war in 2022. Moscow began with 3,417 tanks available, according to the Military Balance, an annual compendium of world armories published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.

There are huge uncertainties around such figures, with both sides treating their losses as state secrets and significant difficulties in open-source collection— especially when it comes to Ukrainian

of international efforts to contain the conflict.

“The international community, in my view, understands the reality that the two-state solution is gone,” said Marwan Muasher, a onetime Jordanian foreign minister and former ambassador to Israel. “It does not want to acknowledge this publicly, because acknowledging it publicly is going to have to force the international community to start talking about alternatives, all of them problematic.”

Muasher, now a vice president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is unusual among his peers. The legions of diplomats and politicians who have devoted their careers to Mideast peacemaking remain committed to the two-state vision, even as the ground around them has shifted.

“I am still a believer,” said Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who led the last round of substantive peace talks with Palestinian leaders before leaving office in 2009.

The two-state approach has guided international diplomacy since the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The interim accords were meant to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Palestinians seek the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, for their state.

The land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, made up of pre-1967 Israel and the occupied lands, is populated in roughly equal parts by Palestinians and Israeli Jews. Pollsters predict an eventual Palestinian majority because of higher birth rates.

Proponents of partition say it would create a democratic Israel with a clear Jewish majority in defined borders and enable Palestinians to realize their national aspirations.

Without partition, the default is an apartheid-like reality in which a shrinking Jewish minority controls a growing Arab majority with few political rights. Leading rights groups say an apartheid system is already in place.

Since the Oslo accords 30 years ago, the US and EU have spent billions of dollars on development projects and direct aid to the Palestinian Authority to promote the

losses, which are less well recorded. There are also no reliable figures for the number of replacement tanks or artillery pieces Russia has either produced or pulled from deep storage since the start of the war.

Ukraine did, however, seem to come through the first year of the war with roughly the same number of heavy weapons it had at the start, despite heavy losses, according to Yohann Michel, a land warfare specialist at the IISS. Michel conducted his own analysis of the available data earlier this year, adjusting for likely biases in the data. There have since been both more losses, deliveries and seizures of Russian tanks.

The same, though, can’t be said for Russia, which also has to reserve a portion of its forces for defenses elsewhere across the world’s largest country. The change in the balance of heavy arms is important, but far from decisive for Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, according to Michel.

Cost ‘still high’ for Ukraine

EVEN if the situation is more equal in numbers, that isn’t how it works,” said Michel. “The problem is that Ukraine now needs to regain territory, so it’s on the offensive against well-prepared defenses and for that you need a strong advantage.”

That explains the focus of Ukrainian forces on destroying Russian artillery and supply lines before committing the bulk of the brigades prepared for the counteroffensive. Ukraine’s general staff recently has been claiming the destruction of more than 30 Russian artillery pieces on an almost daily basis. Artillery losses are particularly difficult to verify, as they are generally hidden well behind front lines.

The Kiel Institute’s update of its figures for February 25 to May 31 found that aid pledges were significantly lower than over the winter, despite some large packages from Germany and the US, with military pledges totaling €9 billion ($9.77 billion) in the period. Bloomberg News

two-state vision. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both pledged support for a partition deal.

Yet the West has little to show for its efforts. Peace initiatives led by successive US presidents were derailed by violence, Israeli settlement expansion and mutual distrust.

Hamas, shunned by the West as a terrorist group, has fought four wars against Israel and remains entrenched in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority, which governs semi-autonomous enclaves in the West Bank, is weaker than ever. Israel’s far-right government opposes Palestinian independence and is racing to expand a settler population that has ballooned to over 700,000 people.

Preoccupied with the war in Ukraine and its rivalry with China, the Biden administration has done little more than condemn Israeli settlement plans and call for de-escalation.

Recent opinion polls show that only about one-third of Israelis and Palestinians still favor a two-state solution.

Even some members of the Palestinian Authority, which has the most to gain from independence, have begun to speak publicly about equal rights between the river and the sea, rather than two states.

“The basis for us is ending the occupation, obtaining freedom,” said Mahmoud Aloul, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas. He said

it does not matter if the conflict ends with two states or a single binational state for Israelis and Palestinians.

In academic and human rights circles, many now speak about a “one-state reality” – in which Israel wields overall control over Palestinians. Muasher said given this environment, it is time for the world to focus on Palestinian human rights instead of unrealistic peace plans.

Ines Abdel-Razek, executive director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, an advocacy group, said calls for a two-state solution are “comfortable” for the international community, but insincere.

She said that if the US were serious about peace, it would force Israel to reverse its settlement enterprise. Instead, she said, Washington gives Israel billions in military aid, allows settlement groups to raise funds in the US, engages with institutions promoting the annexation of the West Bank, and pushes for normalization with other Arab countries.

“The problem is the dire gap and hypocrisy between the discourse and then the policies and practices that are put in place,” she said.

Nearly a generation ago, when EUBAM was established, Palestinian statehood hopes hadn’t yet been crushed.

The unit was set up after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. The border monitors helped the Palestinian Authority run the territory’s

Rafah crossing with Egypt, while coordinating with Israel. It had 130 workers and helped some 2,700 people cross the border each day.

Florin Bulgariu, the current director of EUBAM, said the initial agreement included plans to help the Palestinians develop a seaport, airport and take over additional border crossings.

Those plans came crashing down when Hamas won Palestinian parliament elections in 2006 and took control of Gaza in 2007, driving out Abbas’ forces. The EU shuttered the Rafah operation but still maintains a scaled-down office in Israel.

With a staff of 18 and a budget of 2.5 million Euros a year, EUBAM helps train Palestinian officials in the West Bank to spot counterfeit documents, use X-ray technology and stop drug and weapons smuggling.

“The idea is for the PA to be fully prepared to take over the Rafah crossing point when the time comes,” he said, acknowledging that the odds of this happening anytime soon are nonexistent. Some of this training has bolstered PA border agents in the West Bank as well, he said.

Bulgariu said he is proud of what the mission has accomplished but also frustrated “because I cannot share or implement all what I know.”

Yet he remains committed to the EU’s two-state vision. “This is the only solution that might work in the end, separate borders, everyone with his own business,” he said.

Russia is losing its heavy weapons advantage in Ukraine, data show

Sweden’s Nato goal enters home stretch as Turkey upholds block

By Kati Pohjanpalo, Natalia Drozdiak & Niclas Rolander

S

The World

China reports 239 people died in June from Covid-19 in a significant uptick

BEIJING—China reported Thursday that 239 people died from Covid-19 in June in a significant uptick months after it lifted most containment measures.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 164 deaths in May and none at all in April and March.

China started employing a “zero-Covid” containment strategy in early 2020 and credits the strict lockdowns, quarantines, border closures and compulsory mass testing with significantly saving lives.

But the measures were lifted suddenly in December with little preparation, leading to a final surge in which about 60,000 people died, according to the official toll. Deaths this year peaked in January and February, hitting a high of 4,273 on January 4, but then declined gradually to zero on February 23, according to the Chinese CDC.

Chinese health officials didn’t say whether they expect the trend to continue or if they would recommend for preventative measures to be restored.

Two of the deaths in June were from respiratory failure caused by infection, while the CDC said the others involved underlying conditions. Those can include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other chronic illnesses.

Between Jan. 3, 2020, and July 5, 2023, China reported 99,292,081 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 121,490 deaths to the World Health Organization.

Experts estimate that many hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps more, may have died in China—far higher than the official toll, but still a significantly lower death rate than in the United States and Europe. AP

HK new law to cut directly elected council seats, undermining democratic challenges

By Kanis Leung

The Associated Press

HONG KONG—Hong Kong

lawmakers on Thursday passed an amendment to a law to eliminate most directly elected seats on local district councils, the last major political representative bodies chosen by the public, shutting down further democratic challenges in the city.

The changes include slashing the proportion of directly elected seats in the municipal-level organization being from some 90 percent currently to just about 20 percent—even lower than the level when these bodies were first set up in the 1980s, when Hong Kong was ruled by Britain.

The rest of the 470 seats will be filled by members appointed by the chief executive, rural committee chairpersons and others elected by local committees that are packed with pro-establishment figures.

All incoming councilors will be vetted by a committee to ensure “patriots” are administering Hong Kong. A performance monitoring mechanism will be introduced for “sanctioning misconduct” of councilors.

The electoral overhaul reflects Beijing’s increasing control over Hong Kong following months of mass prodemocracy protests in 2019. In 2021, Hong Kong amended its electoral laws for its legislature, drastically reducing the public’s ability to vote and increasing the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers making decisions for the city.

Analysts said the latest amendments would marginalize public participation in the city’s affairs, warning that the government could further lose popular support.

In the past, elections for city district council seats typically drew little international attention as the councilors mainly handled municipal matters, such as organizing construction projects and ensuring that public facilities are in order.

But the councils took on importance after the city’s pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory in the last poll at the height of the antigovernment protests in 2019. The camp then hailed its strong gains in the race as a “victory” for the Hong

Continued from

to placate Turkey at Nato’s Brussels headquarters, hosted by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, just as a key court ruling in Stockholm may boost the mood for those talks.

“The United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden’s membership in Nato,” Biden said, reiterating a long-held stance.

“And the bottom line is simple: Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger and has the same value set that we have in Nato. And we’re anxiously looking forward to your membership.”

Bolstered by support from the alliance’s

Fed minutes reveal divisions over decision to pause in June

By Catarina Saraiva

FEDERAL Reserve officials struck a tenuous agreement to pause interest-rate increases at their June meeting, all but committing to hike again later this month in a bid to keep fighting stubborn inflation.

The minutes from the Fed’s June 13-14 meeting show that while almost all officials deemed it “appropriate or acceptable” to keep rates unchanged in a 5 percent to 5.25 percent target range, some would have supported a quarter-point increase instead.

of policy moves, as rates are now in a range most economists see as restrictive. Going into the meeting, a sizable minority of policymakers had warned inflation was not falling as quickly as they expected and voiced support for more action.

Kong people.

Many pro-democracy district councilors resigned in 2021 after authorities introduced an oath-taking requiring them to pledge allegiance to the city. Their mass resignations followed media reports that councilors may have to repay their wages if they are later disqualified from office, which the government had not confirmed or denied at the time.

Critics regarded the requirement as part of a broader crackdown on the pro-democracy movement after the enactment of the sweeping national security law in 2020.

The resignations and other disqualifications had left about one-third of the 479 councilors still working, the government said.

The bill passed Thursday unanimously by the city’s legislature, as most legislators are largely proBeijing. Many lawmakers, including Regina Ip, voiced their disapproval over the performances of some prodemocracy councilors elected in 2019.

“The councils became increasingly radical and turned into a very big resistance that obstructs the government’s work and many measures that aim to improve people’s livelihood,” said Ip, a leading member of the Executive Council, Hong Kong’s Cabinet.

But John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the drastic cut in the number of directly elected seats would undermine a legal and legitimate way for the people to communicate with authority.

“Hong Kong has never been a democracy,” he said. “The changes do, however, roll back political participation, which could further undermine Hong Kong people’s support for the government.”

Kenneth Chan, professor at Hong Kong Baptist University’s government and international studies department, said the overhaul aimed to install pro-government representatives through heavily controlled methods.

“The district councils are expected to degenerate into echo chambers for the administration, and will no longer serve as a key platform for democratic reforms at the grassroots level,” Chan said.

biggest member, Sweden is looking to persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to drop his objections at next week’s summit and declare his intent to ratify the Nordic country’s accession.

T he diplomatic push on Thursday will see Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom meet with two new counterparts: Turkey’s Hakan Fidan and Finland’s Elina Valtonen, both of whom took their positions in June following elections in their countries.

While Turkey has said it plans to take stock of the situation after Thursday’s talks, comments by Erdogan suggest there’s little chance of a significant breakthrough amid a disagreement over the burning of a Koran in Stockholm. Turkey’s opposition stems

“It was a little surprising given that the decision was sold as unanimous from Fed officials,” said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. “It’s pretty clear that there was a divergence of opinions, with some officials pretty clearly giving some reluctance for a one-month pause.”

The minutes also showed that a large majority of policymakers— “almost all”—agreed that more tightening will likely be needed this year. That, coupled with a reference to the importance of post-meeting communication to clarify officials’ intentions, provided ample evidence that the Fed likely isn’t done.

The readout paints a picture of an increasingly divided committee trying to navigate the pace and intensity

Strong majority

CHAIR Jerome Powell has repeatedly emphasized the decision was unanimous in several public appearances following the meeting, and has said that most officials see at least two more increases as necessary, if not more.

“A strong majority of committee participants expect that it will be appropriate to raise interest rates two or more times by the end of the year,” Powell said at a conference in Madrid hosted by the Bank of Spain last week. “Inflation pressures continue to run high, and the process of getting inflation back down to 2 percent has a long way to go.”

Powell’s messaging has helped

narrow the gap between Fed officials’ estimates—which call for two more rate increases this year—and market expectations of tightening. Investors now put the odds of a July hike at 85 percent, compared with 62 percent right after the June meeting.

But some at the Fed have expressed more reticence about how much more tightening is needed.

“There is time for us to wait and let our policy work,” Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, who doesn’t vote on policy this year, said last week in Dublin. “I don’t see as much urgency to move as others, including my chair.”

Stubborn inflation

OFFICIALS supporting a hike in June cited tight labor markets and relatively few signs that inflation was slowing toward their 2 percent goal, according to the minutes. Some policymakers have expressed concern that core inflation, in particular, hasn’t budged much in the last six months.

The personal consumption expenditures index, less food and energy, rose at a 4.6 percent annual pace in May, a report showed last week, virtually unchanged since the beginning of the year.

The Fed’s decision last month was the latest slowdown in policy after officials lifted rates at the fastest clip in four decades last year, including four consecutive 75 basis-point hikes. They started reducing that speed in December and delivered quarter-point increases at each of the first three meetings this year.

Officials have said the rapid rise

in interest rates since early 2022 allows them room now to assess how that tightening is affecting the economy, and to watch for signs of economic spillovers from the March banking turmoil.

Most officials have pointed to the resilience of the US economy as an overall positive feature that has so far kept a recession at bay. But that underlying strength—such as the persistently strong labor market—has also prompted concern about how much time it will take to bring inflation down to the Fed’s 2 percent goal.

Recession forecast

THE economic forecast prepared by the staff for the June meeting continued to assume that further tightening in bank credit conditions, amid already tight financial conditions, would lead to a mild recession starting later this year, followed by a moderately paced recovery.

“Given the continued strength in labor-market conditions and the resilience of consumer spending, however, the staff saw the possibility of the economy continuing to grow slowly and avoiding a downturn as almost as likely as the mild-recession baseline,” according to the minutes.

Officials will get two key economic reports before the July 25-26 FOMC meeting: the June employment report Friday and readings on consumer prices for the same month on July 12. With assistance from Jordan Yadoo/Bloomberg

Russian cruise missile

attack on Ukraine city of Lviv kills 4 people, wounds more

By Mstyslav Chernov The Associated Press

LVIV, Ukraine—Russia fired cruise missiles Thursday at a western Ukraine city far from the front line of the war, killing at least four people in an apartment building in what officials said was the heaviest attack on civilian areas of Lviv since the Kremlin’s forces invaded Ukraine last year.

The nighttime attack destroyed the roof and the top two floors of a residential building, injuring nine people as emergency crews with search dogs went through the rubble.

Debris and wrecked parked cars lined the street outside the building, which overlooks a small neighborhood park with swings and climbing frames amid trees.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said around 60 apartments and 50 cars in the area of strike were damaged.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink described the attack as vicious.

“Russia’s repeated attacks on civilians are absolutely horrifying,” she tweeted.

The Kremlin’s forces have repeat -

from its view that Sweden isn’t doing enough to clamp down on groups Ankara views as terrorist.

S weden, meanwhile, has lifted a ban on arms sales to Turkey and amended its anti-terrorism laws as part of a deal clinched last year to break the impasse. In Sweden’s view, the new legal measures satisfy its last remaining obligation under an agreement signed at Nato’s Madrid summit to pave the way for ratification.

W hat’s more, a court ruling is expected Thursday in a case against a supporter of the PKK—a group that’s outlawed in Turkey—on trial for attempted extortion, an aggravated arms offense and trying to raise funds for a terrorist group. The prosecutor in the case has asked for the

edly hit civilian areas during the war, though Russian officials say they choose only targets of military value.

Lviv is near the western border with Poland and is more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the front lines of the war in eastern and southern Ukraine, where Kyiv’s counteroffensive to dislodge Russian forces is in its early stages.

Ukraine’s air force reported it intercepted seven of the 10 Kalibr cruise missiles that Russia fired from Black Sea toward the Lviv region and its namesake city around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Sadovyi addressed residents in a video message, saying the attack was the largest on Lviv’s civilian infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion last year.

“Russians are hitting us. That’s how they love us. I’m sorry for those people who were killed. They were young. So sorry for them,” said Ganna Fedorenko, a local resident, holding her hands crossed on her chest. She received injuries on her face, and an adhesive plaster turned red with blood on her right cheek. “This is terrible. They hit civilians.”

man to be extradited to Turkey after serving his sentence. It’s possible Swedish negotiators could seek to use the ruling to demonstrate to their Turkish counterparts they’re cracking down on terror.

Fellow applicant Finland won Turkey’s approval three months ago and joined the alliance in April.

Turkey wants Sweden to join Nato, officials who are directly familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, reiterating Ankara’s insistence that the Nordic country must uphold pledges to crack down on terrorism. They also rebuffed any suggestion that Turkey’s request to buy F-16 warplanes from the US could be linked to its approval of the Nordic nation’s membership in Nato.

China premier warned former Japanese official of damage from chip restrictions

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy posted a reaction on Telegram, saying, “Unfortunately, there are wounded and dead. My condolences to the relatives! There will definitely be a response to the enemy. A tangible one.”

Sadovyi, the mayor, addressed residents in a video message, saying the attack was the largest on Lviv’s civilian infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion last year.

In the early days of the war, Lviv served as a main transit point for millions of refugees from different parts of the country that crossed the border to Europe. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from the east and south remained in the calmer and safer Lviv.

Like the rest of the country, Lviv suffered power outages when Russia fired hundreds missiles over the winter, aiming to destroy Ukraine’s energy system. However, the attacks in the city were not as frequent as in the capital Kyiv, and Thursday’s strike was a deep shock for many in the city.

Ukrainians shared messages of support on social media for Lviv residents.

Kristersson on Wednesday rejected throwing in the towel, saying “nothing has been determined, in either direction.”

“We are approaching the Vilnius summit and I feel strengthened by the fact that all allies feel that this is a natural point in time to make the necessary decisions,” he told reporters in Washington following his meeting with Biden. “But we won’t make Turkey’s decision—we respect that only Turkey can do that.”

Another key issue for Nato members at the Vilnius summit is signing off on three regional defense plans for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The plans spell out in detail how countries will defend the alliance if it

CHINESE Premier Li Qiang said Tokyo’s impending export controls on cuttingedge chip equipment will damage the global economy, according to a Japanese former senior official.

Li told Yohei Kono he had reservations about the restrictions and urged countries not to mix politics with economics during a meeting on Wednesday, the former Japanese foreign minister’s secretary, Kazuo Koga, said in a press briefing.

The Chinese premier added that Europe’s economic outlook was grimmer than that of Japan or China, according to Koga, who attended the meeting along with the Japanese ambassador to China and nearly 80 members of a business delegation.

The Eurozone fell into recession in the first quarter, with the bloc’s economy shrinking 0.1 percent between January and March, according to data released last month. In contrast, Japan’s economy expanded at a faster pace than initially expected, while China’s economy grew albeit at a weaker rate.

C hinese state media coverage of the meeting didn’t directly mention export controls or Europe’s economy, instead focusing on expanding business ties with Japan. “China will, as always, support Japanese companies in expanding investment in and cooperation with China,” Li said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Bloomberg News

comes under attack by Russia or terror groups and cover the Atlantic and High North, Europe North of the Alps, as well as South of the Alps, including in the Black Sea region.

But that hasn’t gone without a hitch.

Turkey and Greece have been in a dispute over the terminology of straits in the Mediterranean region, which has so far prevented the alliance from clearing the blueprints at committee level ahead of the leaders’ summit, according to a senior US defense official. Still, allies are hopeful the issue will get resolved by the summit, the official said, adding that Turkey moved ahead along with other allies to assign troops to the plans at a recent pledging conference. Bloomberg News

Must have at least 3-year work experience in sales and marketing management of it products. Knowledgeable in it product solution designs and planning. Familiar with the design, implementation and planning of it solutions for key scenarios in the government industry. With technical skills in project operation and customer relationship management. With strong sales skills, case analyzation, innovation and learning ability. Must have TOEIC training on listening and reading. Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, sales, communication or other related courses. With Master’s degree is an advantage. Highly proficient in Chinese and English languages.

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above; graduate of any vocational or bachelor’s degree course;

Qualification: College graduate. Fluent in Mandarin and English languages.

Undertake marketing projects for the benefit of the company. Organize creative campaigns and promotional events that can make a difference for the company’s success according to trends and customer requirements.

Barbie’s message is not fantastic

SuBliminal messages are words or images presented below our conscious awareness. in advertising, video producers usually use short frames cut into a video feed, where the subliminal message appears so quickly—usually less than one tenth of a second —that our minds do not register their appearance. a 2012 review of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies showed that subliminal stimuli activate specific regions of the brain despite participants’ unawareness. Subliminal priming can direct people’s actions even when they believe they are making free choices.

Subliminal manipulation is often considered harmless because its effects typically perish in an instant. However, “growing evidence indicates that the human unconscious can perform various high-level cognitive functions that might allow decision processes to benefit from subliminal messages.”

RAND Corporation is a non-partisan American nonprofit global policy think tank that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure. A RAND article said: “The People’s Liberation Army psychological warfare community has discussed a variety of technologies that it envisions leveraging for future operations. These include advanced computing, especially big data and information processing; brain science, especially brain imaging; and legacy proposals that remain of interest, including sonic weapons, laser weapons, subliminal messaging, and holograms.”

Is China using subliminal messaging techniques in movies that are being released globally?

Vietnam believes it does. That’s why it banned the film “Barbie” from screening in all Vietnam cinemas “for featuring a map depicting the illicit “nine-dash line” that China uses to illegally claim its sovereignty over most of the East Vietnam Sea.” “Barbie” was set to hit theaters in Vietnam on July 21. Vietnam has also banned movies like “Uncharted” and “Abominable” over similar maps featured on screen.

The Vietnam “Barbie” ban prompted our senators to weigh in on calls to ban the cinema exhibition of said movie for showing an image of the nine-dash line map that China has been using to illustrate its claim over most of the South China Sea. Two senators, Jinggoy Estrada and Francis Tolentino, asked the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the film “Barbie” for abetting Beijing’s infringement on Philippine sovereignty. (Read, “Senators weigh in on 9-dash-line in ‘Barbie,’” in the BusinessMirror, July 5, 2023).

However, Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, one of the most vocal in denouncing Beijing’s “bullying” in the past, said the movie is a work of fiction, and thus, a ban might not be appropriate.

Tolentino stressed that if the invalidated nine-dash line was depicted in the movie “Barbie”, then it is incumbent upon the MTRCB to ban the film as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty.

Estrada recalled that this is not a first as there had been similar cases in the past such as the movies “Uncharted” and “Abominable” that have been pulled out from Philippine cinemas because of a brief glimpse of the nine-dash line of China. He added: “If the MTRCB in the past banned commercial screenings of these movies, I wouldn’t be surprised if the agency will take similar action especially since the production behind the film “Barbie” is facing a similar issue.”

Hontiveros, however, said “the movie is fiction, and so is the nine-dash line. At the minimum, our cinemas should include an explicit disclaimer that the nine-dash line is a figment of China’s imagination.”

Estrada said: “It may be a work of fiction but still, this is a very sensitive issue. It is contrary to our national interest and China has no historic rights in the waters within the nine-dash line. No less than the Arbitral Tribunal already held in 2016 that this infamous line has no legal basis. We fought long and hard for this. It’s but right that we assert our rights on issues of sovereignty. We expect that MTRCB can hand down a decision on this soon.”

“On July 12, 2016, the arbitral tribunal adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China in the South China Sea ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, determining that major elements of China’s claim—including its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation, and other activities in Philippine waters – were unlawful.”

Still and all, the “Barbie” movie featuring China’s nine-dash line, at the end of the day remains a work of fiction. As Hontiveros pointed out so well. This is therefore a tricky balancing act for MTRCB, which must weigh whether China can use a powerful medium like popular films to “normalize” images and maps that were already proven to be legally dubious. As for concern over China’s possible ploy to imperceptibly embed its South China Sea claims into global popular culture, it’s worth considering this counterfoil, as Senator Hontiveros suggested: let local cinemas include “an explicit disclaimer that the nine-dash line is a figment of China’s imagination.”

Taking Philippine-Spanish relations to new heights

sonny M. angara

Better Days

ThiS year we mark the 21st Philippine-Spanish (Phil-Span) Friendship Day. By virtue of Republic act 9187, we commemorate the cultural and historical ties, friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and Spain on June 30 of each year. This was one of the legacies of my father, former Senator Ed angara, who saw the importance of looking at one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history in a positive light. it marked a new chapter in the history of both countries as it celebrates life rather than death and friendship rather than enmity.

Coinciding with the annual PhilSpan celebration is the commemoration of the historic Siege of Baler, which is now on its 125th year. On this occasion we remember how 33 Spanish soldiers holed up in Baler Church for 11 months, even after the Philippines won its independence, eventually emerged after President Emilio Aguinaldo passed a presidential decree commending their heroism, promising them safe passage and declaring them as friends of the State. We must never forget all the battles and sacrifices of our countrymen in the past. But at the same time, we also choose to remember what is good about this relationship we have with Spain and move forward in a positive direction.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pan-

gandaman, who was our guest of honor for this year’s celebration in Baler, took note of how the colonial relationship between the Philippines and Spain has now been replaced by a friendship that is founded on mutual harmony and respect. It is a friendship that endures and was very much evident during the height of the pandemic when Spain fostered Philippine access to Covid vaccines through the COVAX initiative.

Javier Salido Ortiz, the Director General for North America, Eastern Europe and Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, described the relationship between the two countries as one that is bound together by deeply rooted cultural and historical connections. DG Ortiz believes there is room for growth in the

bilateral relations between our two countries. In fact, he disclosed that the economic ministries of both sides are now negotiating economic and financial agreements that will establish a framework that will enhance investments and trade between the Philippines and Spain.

The 2023 Phil-Span and Siege of Baler rites were made even more significant with the inauguration of the Senator Edgardo J. Angara Convention Center and the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Philippine-Spanish National Museum. The convention center, the biggest infrastructure project of Baler in the last two decades, will provide a venue for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions and pave the way for the arrival of more visitors to Baler and the province of Aurora as a whole.

With the Philippine-Spanish National Museum, officially known as the National Museum of Baler, it will serve as a receptacle of everything that has to do with Philippine-Spanish friendship, history and relations. Designed by renowned architect Ed Calma, the museum will be able to preserve and showcase the culture, history and traditions of the two nations and teach our future generations about the importance of this relationship. We thank our good Secretary Mina for providing support for the construction of the museum under the 2024 National Expenditure Program. It is a blessing for Baler and the province of Aurora

Agrivoltaics in the Philippines

agRoPhoTovolTaicS (aPv) or agrivoltaics can improve food production while generating sustainable energy from the sun. it involves the integration of solar photovoltaics with farmlands in order to produce both food and energy in a land-useoptimizing manner. This system is synonymous with “agrovoltaics,” “agrisolar,” and “dual-use solar”.

Rows of elevated photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed with enough distance between these rows, allowing sunlight to pass through for photosynthesis of the crops grown underneath those PV panels. In some pilot projects, the space underneath the panels is also used for animal grazing and livestock. Traditionally, if some land is allocated for photovoltaic technology, it implies that less food is grown. The opportunity cost of building massive solar farms is the displaced agricultural production. However, energy and agricultural objectives can now be integrated with the application of

Agrivoltaics. There is growing global interest in this system because it is increasingly seen as a potential solution to concerns over competition on land use for energy and food security. Agrivoltaics is making progress in countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. There is likewise good experience with the technology in Germany, the Netherlands, and other European countries. The symbiotic relationship between the PV panels and the crops underneath allows for a relatively cooler environment for both the panels and the plants. Solar panels provide extra shade for the crops

shielding them from excessive sunlight at certain times of the day. The soil is likewise able to retain more moisture in this manner, allowing for lesser water consumption. On the other hand, the crops can provide additional cooling for the panels, thereby increasing the efficiency of these panels to eventually harness more energy.

In the country’s transition towards the adoption of clean energy, some jobs are displaced. Though solar farms create employment opportunities in the renewable energy sector, these gains can be countered by the displacement of certain jobs in the agriculture sector. Since Agrivoltaic systems combine the benefits of food and energy production, this synergy has the potential to create simultaneous employment opportunities for both sectors.

Agrivoltaic systems can provide an additional source of income for farmers. Aside from being able to utilize the land under the PV panels for crop cultivation, electricity is generated at the same time. When farmers in the local community have a stake in these solar farms, the energy generated can be used for the farming operation itself, allowing these agricultural activities to be less

that before joining the executive branch, Secretary Mina was a staff of my father and rose up the ranks to become his chief-of-staff. This is why she has a deep knowledge and appreciation of Phil-Span and has a special place in her heart for Baler. With the construction of the museum, Secretary Mina said she hopes this will aid in furthering awareness and promoting our rich culture and history. It is true what she said that it is by looking back and learning from the stories of the past that we dignify the essence of being a Filipino. It was my father’s dream for Baler and the entire province of Aurora to thrive and flourish and the construction of these two key structures is a realization of this aspiration. We thank Chairman Andoni Aboitiz and Director Jeremy Barnes of the National Museum for their support to this project and to our Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Miguel Utray Delgado and Chargé ‘d Affaires Richard Espinosa Lobo of the Venezuelan Embassy in Manila for gracing the event in Baler. We will continue to push forward this enduring friendship—Amistad duradera.

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.   E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

dependent on electricity from the grid. Meanwhile, any excess power generated can be sold off to the grid, providing additional economic benefits to the local community.

However promising the benefits of Agrivoltaics adoption, some limitations and challenges exist, especially concerning the upfront costs. Relatively high installation costs can make the system unappealing to potential investors, which in turn might affect its social acceptance by the local community. Unlike typical solar farms, Agrivoltaic systems need special components and modules, mounting systems, and even solar trackers that can considerably increase the overall cost. The PV panels must be elevated, and this elevation depends on the height of the crops underneath. The higher the mounting of these PV panels, the higher the cost. In addition, the tracker system for the panels in an agrivoltaics system setup comprises a big chunk of the cost, relative to ground-mounted solar panels. These solar trackers are necessary to efficiently harness the energy from the sun. It allows for the optimal change of the position or angle of the PV panels throughout the day, See “Eagle Watch,” A23

The real victims of Elizabeth Holmes

Taming tourism: What’s love got to do with it!

Tito Genova Valiente

annoTaTions

“Tourism has some aspects of showbiz, some of international trade in commodities; it is part innocent fun, part a devastating modernizing force. Being all these things simultaneously, it tends to induce partial analysis only.”

—Victor Turner

Some of the biggest names in business lost a combined $600 million that they invested in the failed consumer healthcare start-up Theranos founded by elizabeth holmes. But it is not the murdochs, the Devos’ nor the Waltons who lost the most—they are William evans and her sister, the founder’s children.

Many of us know the story of Theranos and its meteoric rise and eventual collapse. Investors pump money into start-up companies hoping for significant returns when they succeed. Holmes pitched to big-time investors the potential of Edison – a machine that supposedly could run an array of tests, numbering 240, with just a single prick of blood.

That technology had never existed, and with that pitch by Holmes, a mad rush to support the startup came by leaps and bounds.

The Waltons, with a combined net worth of $175 billion, poured $150 million; Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, with a fortune of $22 billion, invested $125 million; the family that owned Cox Enterprises, with a net worth of $34 billion, contributed $100 million; and the Devos family, with a net worth of $5.4 billion, invested $100 million.

Holmes’ pitch turned out to be a scam—the Edison machine did not work and the start-up collapsed faster than its ascent as the darling of Silicon Valley.

The money lost in Theranos by the high-profile names would hardly make a dent in their financial standing. That is not to say it is acceptable to defraud the loaded—anyone who scams people, regardless of the economic stature of their victims, should be held accountable.

Here lies the crux of the matter between the prominent, wealthy investors of Theranos and the children of the company’s founder. Whatever the investors lost, they can recoup. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Holmes’ children.

In 2018, Holmes was indicted on several counts of wire fraud. Despite the indictment, she and her partner Billy Evans decided to have a child. In March 2021, her lawyers advised the government that she was pregnant, with an expected due date in July 2021, the same month her trial was supposed to begin.

Holmes’ lawyers requested that the trial be rescheduled. It was the first time she “weaponized” pregnancy in this legal battle.

Naturally, the tongues of some legal experts started wagging if motherhood was being used to help influence a jury in Holmes’ favor. That is not a remote speculation at all, as even Assistant US Attorney Robert Leach said, “It’s frustrating and disappointing to learn about this now.”

Holmes gave birth to William Hol-

continued from A22

thereby improving both electricity and agricultural production.

In the Philippines, some private sector initiatives have been done towards the adoption of Agrivoltaics.

This includes the Agro solar projects of Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation and the “Solar Gulayan” program of ACEN Renewables (a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation) in Alaminos, Laguna. Both companies have likewise collaborated on similar projects. However, there is a need for a more specific policy in the country that will incentivize investors and local communities to accept and undertake more Agrivoltaic projects. Knowing the extent of the initial cost that is required for an Agrivoltaic

mes Evans on July 10, 2021. Her trial began the following month.

In January 2022, Holmes was found guilty on four of 11 Federal charges and faced up to 20 years in prison. Her firstborn was only five months old at the time of her conviction.

But it gets worse. At the time of Holmes’ sentencing in November 2022, when Judge Edward Davila handed down an 11-year sentence, Holmes got pregnant again. The timing of her pregnancy is highly suspicious. She fought all and sundry to avoid or delay a prison sentence, with her children being used by her lawyers as the reason she should be allowed to remain free, while she appealed her conviction, a process that apparently could take years.

Judge Davila ordered the disgraced Theranos founder to report to Federal prison on May 30.

We don’t know what Holmes was thinking, but deciding to get pregnant and having children even after indictment and conviction is either the ultimate act of irresponsibility or reckless manipulation. The former is unlikely— because as a consumer healthcare company founder, she is surely equipped with birth control knowledge.

A lot of people think that Holmes used pregnancy and motherhood to either help delay the trial or avoid jail. Her lawyers were not subtle about this, as they asked for leniency, citing her second pregnancy and portraying her as a devoted mother to her first child.

It could also be that Holmes thought her looming prison sentence of 11 years would prevent her from having children, so she decided to have one child after another before serving her prison sentence. But at what price when her children will ultimately suffer?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that “a mother’s absence seems to have persistent negative effects on children’s development.” Psychoanalyst John Bowlby, on the other hand, believes “that the relationship of a child and her mother between birth and five years of age is the most crucial to socialization.”

Both Holmes’ children will have a major portion of their first 1,000 days (the most crucial period in a child’s development) devoid of maternal love and affection. This disruption can inflict permanent harm on her children’s emotional development.

That loss is incalculable and sadly irretrievable, making Holmes’ children the biggest losers in the Elizabeth Holmes saga.

project, government support in the form of subsidies and grants, among others, is necessary to boost interest in this technology. Capacity-building programs and the right technical assistance to the local farmers are likewise essential. For instance, information on specific crops suitable for Agrivoltaics must be provided.

In addition, it is also imperative to properly communicate with local farming communities about the benefits of Agrivoltaics, as they are an integral part of the success of these projects. Overall, with the right government support, Agrivoltaics has the potential to contribute significantly to our country’s clean energy transition.

The fact is tourism is bad enough. It lives off human groups who need to have their cultures performed before strangers with the assumption that these outsiders are interested in them. It sells heritage, enabling the distortion of cultures if only to make them more attractive. Tourism allows an industry where prostitution of all forms is able to hide behind the cloak of goodwill and local allure. But we do not see all these when we talk of tourism. Victor Turner, the anthropologist, is right: we offer partial analysis only because, from the very start, we have accepted a practice that may bring in capital all at the expense of cultures, self-respect and identity. We refuse to acknowledge the dark features of a wholesale invitation to our islands, villages, and, to a point, sacred places.

Tourism has always eluded us. While we think we are one attractive country, statistics would show we never feature in the top destinations around the world. There is one reason for this: structures are not in place. We are neither here nor there in the development of systems and structures for tourists because we are remiss with building the basics for our own existence or living.

There is also the nature of tourism itself. In a paper by Rupert Stasch, published in the Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology, he talks of the contradictions of tourism: “In tourism, people thus rather paradoxically seek to flee realities that they have created and that have created them. Many types of tourism are explicitly motivated by desire to escape from work, or even from market-mediated forms of social experience more broadly.” Stasch proceeds to explain further: “Yet tourism is itself an intrinsically industrialized activity, dependent on market-organized infrastructures of transport and hospitality.”

Where markets and infrastructures are concerned, where does

our country stand? During the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Tourism, the president spoke of how the slogan “conveys a strong message to the world that we are ready and fully equipped to welcome the tourists.” In the same event, however, the secretary of tourism mentioned in the interview with CNN Philippines information from the World Economic Forum about how the country ranks “very, very low in tourism infrastructure and development.”

From the same interview conducted by Ms. Pinky Webb, Secretary Frasco talks of conducting a global, regional and local research and study that led to the production of the logo and the slogan. To this, Webb asked

about the process and how indeed did the notion of “Love” appear in the study. Frasco affirmed that of all the notions mentioned in the research, Love was linked to the Philippines as the destination.

In the light of the present controversy about not only the campaign but also the use of borrowed stock footage from non-Philippine cultural settings, wouldn’t it be enlightening for us to see the study itself? To the researchers, the interest would be: how was the survey question phrased? If it was an interview, how was the inquiry conducted?

What options were given to the respondents besides “love?” Was there a probing question? Were not the researchers interested (excited, perhaps) why “Love” was attached to this poor and corrupt country in Southeast Asia? Or, maybe, must maybe, they did not see us as such —mired in poverty and corruption?

Is love the only thing that makes us survive given how typhoons, volcanic eruptions, drought, killings, and other upheavals have constantly battered us? Is love equated with pity, and pity with cheap products? More

gan does not offer much of material culture but of people. These were enumerated: warmth of the people, the sound and other non-quantifiable, non-verifiable phenomena.

So, how do we measure the readiness and attractiveness of the Philippines as a tourist destination? We begin with the beaches and proceed to other natural resources but we skip the system that involves the mobility from one place to the other. For every warmth of the locals, there should be a concern for this tendency in towns and cities to filch tourists or strangers. True, there are exceptions but in other countries, honesty and forthrightness have become the rule. What about bus terminals and their stinking toilets? Deal with smelly canals, esteros, clogged sewers. Contend with the airports with money exchangers loitering outside toilets and middlemen inquiring every passenger what his flight number is even as the flight details are displayed on monitors.

In the years of martial rule, a Lady came up with one index for development: a smile. Does anyone still recall that poster with the slogan, Where Asia Wears a Smile? Well, the rest of Southeast Asia has the right to smile and grin because they have developed not only their tourism but also their economies while we still wallow in slogans, and have even resorted to borrowing landscape and mountainscapes from other countries in creating the mood video. And what is this mood video? As one expert explains: mood videos are aimed at contextualizing slogans. And we are so pathetic that we needed to borrow from other cultures if only to put meaning to that call, which we belabored to lure spenders to our land.

value for the dollars!

In the Love-the-Philippines campaign video still circulating, the slo-

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Yellen China visit seeks to create more talks amid tensions

By Viktoria Dendrinou & Enda Curran

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China this week with the goal of finding areas of common economic ground and opening communication channels amid an increasingly turbulent relationship between the world’s two biggest economies.

It will be the first major test of a policy she outlined in April that’s geared toward defending and securing US national security without trying to hold China back economically.

Yellen’s arrival Thursday comes days after China imposed restrictions on exporting two metals that are crucial to key technology industries, the latest escalation in a trade war that ramped up last year with US export controls on semiconductors and chipmaking equipment.

The US is also considering restrictions on China’s access to cloud computing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Yellen happens to touch down in Beijing exactly five years after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on the first wave of more than $300 billion of goods from China— duties that President Joe Biden has kept in place despite Yellen’s criticism of them.

“Relations have not improved but the US has increasingly realized—so has Europe—that the degree of economic interdependence with China is such that decoupling is impossible,” said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia Pacific economist at Natixis. “In other words, there is no way out through the back door: dialogue is needed.”

Her trip follows that of State Secretary Antony Blinken last month and adds to broader efforts by the Biden administration to re-engage with its chief geopolitical rival amid an uncertain global economic outlook that could also suffer from

fragmentation.

Yellen has for months hoped to visit the Chinese capital, but an escalation in tensions stemming from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip last year to Taiwan — which Beijing claims as part of China — and the flight of a Chinese balloon over the US left the plans in limbo.

Tariff efficacy

ON the trade front, Yellen has questioned the efficacy of the US tariffs in the past, saying they contribute to inflation and suggesting they could be rolled back. Biden briefly raised expectations for removal of the duties a year ago, when he said that he was reviewing their impact on consumer prices as inflation surged, but nothing came of those discussions.

The economic pressure to remove them has waned as inflation slowed, and the political pressure to keep them has increased as tensions with Beijing flared. That makes their continuation the most likely scenario, analysts say.

Still, while in Beijing, Yellen will seek to find common ground on other issues. She will meet with senior Chinese government officials to discuss the importance of responsibly managing the US-China relationship, communicating directly about areas of concern, and working together to address global challenges like climate change and debt distress in poorer nations.

A key priority for the Treasury has been pressing Beijing to boost debt

Yellen happens to touch down in Beijing exactly five years after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on the first wave of more than $300 billion of goods from China—duties that President Joe Biden has kept in place despite Yellen’s criticism of them.

relief for developing nations, where China has become one of the largest creditors. Yellen’s visit will follow a recent agreement in principle for Zambia, which she has praised.

Breakthroughs unlikely

A ND while a Treasury official sought to manage expectations, saying a major breakthrough was unlikely, the department hopes the trip will help build longer-term channels of communication with the Chinese government’s new economic team.

David Loevinger, a managing director in the Emerging Markets Group of TCW, said it’s shocking how little the US and Chinese governments speak at all levels, pointing to the fact that key economic officials in both countries don’t know each other.

Restarting such dialog is key given recent clouds over China’s economic outlook. Chinese authorities have cut interest rates and adopted measures to shore up the property market, which has suffered from an overhang of leverage and construction. Policymakers are also increasingly concerned about demographic issues including a declining population and a high youth unemployment rate.

“It’s vital that policymakers understand what’s going on in the other country,” said Loevinger, a former senior coordinator for China affairs at the Treasury.

More tensions

A MONG other potential issues in the upcoming talks: a recent crackdown by China on access to information about its companies, and continuing questions about prospects for Chinese firms listing on US exchanges. For their part, Chinese leaders have been continuously emphasizing that their country welcomes overseas firms.

Another likely source of tension is an impending executive order by the Biden administration curbing US outbound investment in China, which may come as soon as late July and which would cover certain investments in sensitive technologies including semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Even if expectations for this trip are set low, Yellen’s visit is important, as relations remain unsettled, according to Deborah Elms, executive director at the Asian Trade Center. “The first step to resolving any issue is to have lines of communication open,” Elms said. “That helps lower risk and uncertainty, even if the readout from any one meeting looks modest.”

Prominent Chinese scholars have recently repeated a common theme that Yellen’s visit would not fundamentally change bilateral relations or resolve major problems, but could improve the mood and lay foundations for further talks.

“Even if her visit does not solve specific issues, it can improve the atmosphere and allow more rational voices within the administration to surface,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, who spoke on the sidelines of a peace forum in Beijing on Monday. With assistance from Lucille Liu and Eric Martin / Bloomberg

Ms. Clarissa Ruth S. Racho-Sabugo is a graduate student at the Department of Economics of Ateneo de Manila University.

PHL mineral reserves value up 22% to ₧491.2B in 2022

By Andrea E. San Juan

Based on the Mineral Accounts of the Philippines, PSA said the monetary value of Class A gold, copper, nickel, and chromite reserves reached P491.19 billion in 2022.

T he PSA also said the total resource rent of the four mineral resources contributed 0.3 percent or P55.17 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022.

The Mineral Accounts of the Philippines aims to provide information on the stocks and changes in stocks of four metallic mineral resources in the country, namely, gold, copper, nickel, and chromite,” PSA explained.

“ These accounts allow for the monitoring of the sustainability of the extraction of these valuable

yet depletable natural assets. The compilation adheres to the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting 2012 Central Framework [SEEA-CF],” it added.

T he bulk of the total monetary value of mineral reserves amounted to P246.25 billion in 2022.

T his was accounted for by Class A nickel reserves, the value of which increased by 21.9 percent to P246.25 billion in 2022 from P201.95 billion in 2021. P SA said this was followed by Class A gold reserves, which amounted to P183.32 billion in 2022. This represented a growth of 20.5 percent from P152.09 billion in 2021.

T he data also showed that the

value of Class A copper reserves increased by 23.3 percent to P59.43 billion in 2022 from P48.20 billion in 2021.

I n 2022, Class A chromite reserves were valued at P2.20 billion, showing a more than fourfold increase from its value in 2021 amounting to P479.69 million.

“Class A reserves are commercially recoverable mineral resources which are confirmed to be economically viable by a defined development project or operation,” PSA said.

Meanwhile, PSA said that in terms of physical assets, accounts declined in 2022, led by Class A gold reserves.

T he data showed these minerals

ERC SHOW-CAUSE ORDER TO NGCP: EXPLAIN DELAYS

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has issued a show-cause order against the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to explain why it has not completed 37 transmission projects on time.

contracted 3.3 percent to 625.20 thousand kilograms in 2022 from 646.60 thousand kilograms in 2021.

T he data also showed Class A nickel reserves declined 3.2 percent to 557.86 million metric tons in 2022 from 576.38 million metric tons in 2021.

T he data also showed Class A chromite reserves recorded a drop of 0.2 percent to 35.89 million metric tons in 2022 from 35.97 million metric tons in 2021.

A decrease of 0.04 percent was recorded in Class A copper reserves to 165.98 million metric tons in 2022 from 166.04 million metric tons in 2021.

“ NGCP has filed several applications for the approval of its capital expenditure (capex) projects for the purpose of expanding and improving the transmission facilities. Some of these projects have already been approved by the Commission … The commission has observed that the said timelines were not followed and NGCP’s implementation of its approved capex applications have been delayed,” said the ERC.

O f the 37 projects cited by the ERC, 26 are still incomplete and three are yet to commence. On the average, NGCP’s delays in the 37 projects are at 820 days, ranging from 21 to 2,561 days.

For instance, the Tuy-Dasmariñas 500 kiloVolt (kV) transmission line project was delayed for 2,528 days.

O ther delayed transmission line projects cited in the ERC order include the Bataan—Cavite / Metro Manila transmission line (Phase1), which was delayed by 2,561 days; Cebu-Negros-

Telcos welcome EO cutting red tape in infra permit process

AFTER years of reeling from red tape, local telecommunications companies on Thursday hailed the signing of an executive order streamlining the permitting process for the construction of telecommunications and Internet infrastructure in the country.

I n order to guarantee the ongoing development of the nation’s digital infrastructure, EO No. 32 issued by the President stressed the need to institutionalize a set of streamlined guidelines for the issuance of permits, licenses, and certificates for the construction of telecommunications and Internet infrastructures.

E arlier, local telcos had campaigned for the extension of the streamlined procedure for such processes, calling for the institutionalization of the joint memorandum circular (JMC) of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) as mandated under Republic Act No. 11032 amending Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti Red Tape Act of 2007.

A ccording to Globe Group President Ernest Cu, the issuance of EO No. 32 is seen to pave the way for “greater digital transformation in the country” and will help in “bridging the digital divide by increasing access to digital resources, services, and opportunities.” “ We are grateful to President Marcos for issuing this EO, which will allow the telco industry and the adjunct towerco [tower company] industry to further ramp up infrastructure builds that will provide life-enabling connectivity in an equitable way across the country. This will help accelerate the country’s digital transformation and open doors for more opportunities to Filipinos in the areas of education, employment, and innovation,” he said.

Cu added that the order has longterm implications, as it encourages transparency and efficiency across

Panay 230kV backbone project (stage1), delayed for 2,210 days; Tuguegarao-Lal-Lo 230kV, 2,022 days; Cebu-Negros Panay 230kV (stage2), at 2,115 days; TacurongKalamansig 69kV, at 1,106 days; Manila-Navotas 230kV, at 1,249 days; Western Luzon 500kV backbone project, 1,589 days. T he grid operator was given 15 days to explain why it should not be penalized for the project delays.  “NGCP is hereby ordered to submit within 15 days from receipt hereof, its verified explanation and show cause why no administrative penalty should be imposed upon it for violation of Commission’s order and decisions issued pursuant to section 21 and 9 of EPIRA,” said the ERC. NGCP’s explanation, added the ERC, should include the cause of the delay per project, as well as the actual timeline of implementation per project.

T he ERC reminded NGCP that as the concessionaire contracted to operate the transmission assets owned by the National Transmission Company (TransCo), it bears the responsibility of improving, expanding, and maintaining the national grid.

Continued on A5

Value of construction buildings up to ₧398.93B

all government agencies and local government units (LGUs) involved in the process.

I n issuing the EO, Marcos said the order will cover all national government agencies (NGAs) and instrumentalities, including government-owned or –controlled corporations, as well as local government units (LGUs) involved in the issuance of permits, licenses, clearances, certifications, and authorizations.

A mong those covered include construction, installation, repair, operation and maintenance of Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructure; and, erection of poles, installation of aerial and underground cables and facilities, underground fiber ducts, ground terminals, and other transmission telecommunications and Internet infrastructure and facilities.

This EO isn’t just about expediting processes. It’s about setting the stage for a long-term, sustainable digital transformation in the Philippines. It fosters a more inclusive and competitive business environment, spurring innovation that ultimately benefits Filipinos,” Cu said.

F or his part, Dito Telecommunity Corp. Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano said the streamlined permitting process will help the company further in its infrastructure rollout plans.

“ The EO will most definitely benefit not only Dito in our efforts to hasten our infrastructure roll-out but most importantly the Filipino people who are to enjoy sooner the fruits of faster, more affordable, and reliable services,” he said.

Meanwhile, PLDT Inc. shared a press release on its partnership with the ARTA, which resulted in a workshop earlier this week. It noted that it “hailed” the issuance of EO 32.

THE value of construction buildings in the country increased to P398.93 billion in 2021 from P275.81 billion in 2020, with residential-type building constructions accounting for 53.1 percent of the total value of constructions in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In the Construction Statistics from Approved Building Permits for 2021, PSA said the total value of construction of residential and non-residential buildings grew 44.6 percent from 2020. T he data showed the combined shares of the top three regions, in terms of value of construction, amounted to P234.08 billion or 58.7 percent of the total. These regions were led by the National Capital Region (NCR) which posted the highest value of construction of P104.75 billion or 26.3 percent of the total.

T he data showed Calabarzon posted the second highest at P79.88 billion or 20 percent of the total; and Central Luzon at P49.45 billion or 12.4 percent of the total.

More than half or 53.1 percent of the total value of construction was accounted for by residential building construction, valued at P211.66 billion.

This amount, PSA said, expanded by 61.5 percent from the P131.08-billion total construction value recorded in 2020. The value of non-residential construction, P155.70 billion, accounted for 39 percent of the total construction value during the said year.

This reflects a 24.6-percent increase from the P124.96-billion value of constructions reported the previous year.

T he data also showed that for 2021, the value of construction for addition to, and alteration and repair to existing structures amounted to P4.25 billion or 1.1 percent of the total and P27.32 billion or 6.8 percent, respectively.

Both types of construction recorded increases in their respective values compared with their previous year’s annual rates of 41.8 percent for addition to existing structure, and 62.9 percent for alteration and repair.

I n terms of the total number of construction projects, PSA data showed there were 162,619, representing a 31.4-percent increase from the 123,783 total number of construction projects in 2020.

T he data also showed the number of constructions declined at an annual rate of 28.5 percent.

THE total monetary value of the country’s mineral reserves grew 22 percent to P491.19 billion in 2022 from the P402.73 billion recorded in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Century Pacific Food hikes budget for capex to ₧3.5B

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Pacific Food Inc.

(CnPF), the listed food manufacturing firm of the Po

t o deliver double-digit revenue growth for the year.

mid-market milk segment continues to gain market share.

Friday, July 7, 2023

McDonald’s will allow registration of SIMs in stores

increased

budget for capital expenditures (capex) for 2023

its bid to take advantage of growth opportunities.

Christopher Po, Century Pacific chairman, said the company will spend P3.5 billion this year, more than its usual annual capex of between P2 billion and P2.5 billion a s the company expands capacity, mainly its meat, pet food, and coconut businesses.

So that includes our packaging, manufacturing, because we manufacture some of our own tin cans. T hose would be the major capital

expenditures budgeted for this year. And all that means is we’re putting our shareholders’ capital to good use; we are finding high returns on investment for these capital expenditures, and that they should contribute to our future growth in the coming years.”

Po, however, said there is still uncertainty in the market, but the company is still looking at a stronger performance in the second half

“So early indications showed that in terms of top line, we’re still seeing resilient growth. Due to the performance of our branded businesses,” he said. “The recently announced minimum wage increase, a nd the lower inflation numbers are probably favorable factors. For the second half, profits are also looking to improve at some cost pressures ease.”

“Thus, were still expected to deliver a mid- to high-single digit bottomline growth for the year, as most of the overhang inventory we carried over from last year has been consumed.”

Gregory Banzon, Century Pacific’s COO, meanwhile, said the company is still confident of achieving a d ouble-digit topline growth to around 10 percent to 11 percent.

“So we are going to still see the net income grow by mid- to highsingle digits, affirming our previous guidance.”

B anzon said Century Pacific’s

We continue to invest in the category to scale the business and look for whitespaces to end there within the powdered milk, either by leveraging on the Birch Tree brand and the Angel brand.”

Century Pacific is also optimistic about the prospects of its coconut milk brand, Coco Mama, which c ould post a double-digit growth.

“The Philippines is a coconuteating country but 90 percent of households are still using coconut culinary cream from scratch or ‘piga.’ There’s still a huge opportunity to convert them into package co conut culinary producers and continue to develop the market and innovate in the space,” he said.

“The plant-based segment of our business which is still a very nascent category in the Philippines, we are seeing our brand, U nmeat gain traction in international markets where the category i s much more developed and much more active.”

Amazon expands support for SMEs

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

AMA z O n’ S e -commerce exports program, dubbed Amazon Global Selling, is expanding its support for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by introducing its innovative” tools and resources that will allow Philippine-based sellers to reach customers all over the world.

The e-commerce program will set up a new remote team to provide support to Philippine sellers t o tap into the opportunities of cross-border e-commerce.

Amazon said the team based in Singapore is focused on introducing the company’s “innovative tools a nd resources” to sellers based in the Philippines to guide them in expanding globally.

Anand Palit, Head of Amazon Global Selling in Southeast Asia said that as Global Selling reaffirms its commitment to supporting Philippine small merchants, “we have s een more and more local sellers starting from zero and gradually building their business on Amazon’s store worldwide.”

Palit said Amazon Global Selling is “inspired by Philippine sellers and has confidence in their p otential.”

Meanwhile, he said he heard from sellers that they are experiencing some “pain points” in d eveloping globally, particularly in terms of having ample “related knowledge and skills.”

“With this new team, we will provide insights and resources to support sellers in getting started with Amazon, launching products and building a global brand.”

Amazon said its program has been expanding its support to sellers in Southeast Asia including the Philippines in recent years.

In fact, it held the Southeast Asia Seller Summit last October which supported sellers from Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

With the rising adoption of ecommerce and mobile internet, and an emerging generation of young and tech-savvy users, the e-commerce program noted that the cross-border e-commerce landscape continues to show potential f or growth in the Philippines.

Citing a study by Alphabeta in 2021, Amazon said, “[Business-toConsumer] B2C e-commerce export revenue earned by sellers in the Philippines is estimated at P8.7 billion ($179 million), of which 25 percent goes to MSMEs.”

“Based on current e-commerce

adoption and export trends, e-commerce export revenues could grow at 9 percent per year to reach P13.4 billion ($ 276 million) in 5 years.”

If [micro,small, and medium enterprises] MSMEs were to accelerate the rate at which they export v ia e-commerce, the annual B2C e-commerce export revenue could reach P26.9 billion [$555 million] in 2026, according to Amazon.

Meanwhile, the company announced that Prime Day will be h eld on July 11 and 12. During Prime Day, customers will be able to shop products from top brands and third-party sellers, including SMEs from the Philippines.

“Prime Day is not only a celebration of Amazon Prime members but a lso an opportunity for sellers to gain customers through leveling up their brand awareness and building more sales performance.”

Survey: Jollibee is most endeared restaurant brand in PHL

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

DESPITE t he entry of a num -

ber of foreign firms into the local market, a survey indicated that Filipinos continue to choose local food and brands.

The recent PAHAYAG 2023-Q2 survey assessed the sentiments and preferences of Filipino consumers towards various Filipino brands in the market.

The survey, which included responses from a diverse group of participants across different demographics, aimed to gauge the emotional connection and affinity that consumers have towards Filipino brands in specific industries.

The survey showed that out of 31 Filipino restaurant and fastfood chain brands, Jollibee emerged as the top endeared brand at 74 percent while Mang Inasal secured the second spot with a 31-percent endearment score.

Chooks-to-Go and Red Ribbon garnered 13 percent each, while Goldilocks and Greenwich received 10 percent endearment ratings. Shakey’s Pizza and Mis -

ter Donut also earned notable scores of 8 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Purefoods emerged as the most endeared food brand, securing a 40-percent endearment rating. Datu-Puti claimed the second spot at 25 percent, while Century Tuna and Selecta shared third place with 23 percent endearment scores.

Magnolia garnered a respectable 17 percent rating, followed by San Miguel Beer at 15 percent. CDO Meat Products, San Marino, and Tanduay also received noteworthy endearment scores of 14percent, 7 percent, and 4 percent, respectively.

Out of the 14 Filipino brands evaluated in the health and personal care category, Mercury Drug took the lead with an impressive 67 percent endearment score. Watsons and U n I l A B secured second and third place with 51 percent and 27 percent endearment ratings, respectively.

Bench Body and Bath also earned recognition with an 8 percent endearment score.

In the telecommunications services category, Globe and Pl D T-

Smart engaged in a close battle for supremacy, with Globe slightly ahead as it garnered a 65 percent endearment rating, closely followed by P l D T-Smart with 61 percent. DITO, a new player in the industry, received a modest endearment rating of 16 percent.

Out of 13 Miscellaneous Services Filipino Brands, SM Supermalls tops as the most endeared supermarket and mall chain, followed by Puregold at 28 percent and Robinson’s at 21percent.

Additionally, n a tional Bookstore remains as the most endeared bookstore/school supplies chain despite the pandemic disruption.

Among 12 Filipino financial services, GCash emerged as the clear leader in the financial services category, securing an 80-percent endearment rating for digital financial services.

Maya (PayMaya) claimed second place with a 22 percent endearment rating, followed by BDOUnibank and BPI at 19 percent. Metrobank also earned recognition with an 11 percent endearment rating.

In terms of trust rating, GCash

is the most trusted financial service brand at 57 percent, followed by Maya (PayMaya) at 26percent, BDO-Unibank and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) both tied at 24 percent and Metrobank at 17 percent.

Other financial services players have a majority of Filipino voters claiming no basis and indicating no usage or experience of such.

The pollster said the survey findings highlight the significance of emotional connections and consumer sentiment in the success of Filipino brands.

It added that the brands that ranked highly in the survey have demonstrated their ability to establish a deep rapport with consumers, gaining their trust and loyalty in highly competitive markets.

The PAHAYAG 2023 survey is an independent and non-commissioned survey conducted by PUB l i CUS Asia Inc. between June 7 and June 12. It involved 1,500 respondents nationwide.

MC D O n A l D S Ph ilip -

pines is again opening the doors of some of its stores to Smart and T n T subscribers who want to register their SIM cards.

The online registration of SIM cards started on December 27, 2022. This was in line with the national efforts to ensure data privacy and protection and prevent cybercrimes.

In support of the initial run of the SIM registration, McDonald’s partnered with P l D T wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) and turned 35 branches with unused party areas into temporary sites that were used by subscribers.

The fastfood company said this initiative “broadened” accessibility and convenience for more Filipinos, especially those who needed assistance in registering their SIMs.

More than 10,000 Smart and T n T subscribers registered their SIMs in chosen McDo outlets since the launch of temporary sites in April.

n o w that the deadline for registration has been extended until July 25 by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, subscribers will have more time to prevent SIM deactivation.

On July 10, McDo and Smart will continue to provide assistance to customers in the

former’s participating stores in Mart One, Capas, Calapan Roxas Drive, Calapan, Pili CamSur, Marymart Iloilo, Pavia, Kabankalan City, Robinson’s Place Iloilo, Pison Avenue, Cadiz, San Carlos, Araneta Bacolod, Tagum Highway, l i mketkai, Valencia, Downtown Butuan, San Franz, Butuan Gaisano, and Gaisano Capital Surigao.

Registration is free for all walk-in customers who subscribe to Smart and T n T. They just need to bring a valid government ID to enlist. Registrants also have a chance to win treats courtesy of McDo.

“With our continued commitment to nation-building, McDonald’s Philippines supports the government’s push for SIM registration by making it accessible to more Filipino communities,” McDonald’s Philippines Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Oliver Rabatan said.

“Just like how we turned our party areas into study halls [McClassroom] during the pandemic, we continue to maximize the use of our stores to cater to the evolving needs of the communities we’re in.”

Unregistered new and existing Smart Prepaid and T n T customers may also visit P l D T and Smart Stores, or access Smart’s SIM Registration portal through https://www.smart.com. ph/simreg. Roderick L. Abad

passage of House Bill 531 or the Protected Geographical Indications Act.

“It is not hard to think of a province or region in the Philippines with a globally-competitive product. To name a few, we have the Bataan Tinapa, Ilocos Bagnet, Guimaras Mango or Davao Durian. These products are so closely associated with their origin that mere mention of the province is enough guarantee that the product is world-class.”

Roman said due to the commercial viability and lack of regulation on the use of these geographical indications, it has been subject to abuse by many unscrupulous producers.

“It is envisioned that with the passage of this bill, the local producers will be incentivized to preserve their methods of production which have close ties to Filipino culture and tradition. n o n-discerning consumers will also be protected by being informed.”

Century

family, has

its

in

BPI

waives

fees in use of EFT for up to ₧1k

THE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) announced it will temporarily waive transfer fees for small InstaPay transactions made through its mobile application.

BPI said the use of the electronic fund transfer (EFT) service in transactions up to P1,000 will not be charged any fees between July 5 and September 30.

This means BPI clients will be able to transfer funds to other bank accounts, go Dutch in settling bills or pay for any transaction sans any fee.

BPI Consumer Platforms Head Fitzgerald S. Chee said the lender is encouraging clients to take advantage of the new BPI mobile application and transfer up to P1,000 via Instapay for free “to fully enjoy and maximize the benefits of digital banking.”

“As the oldest bank in the Philippines, we are committed to staying ahead of the curve,” Chee added.

BPI is one of the first banks to drop interbank transfer fees after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) proposed that financial institutions remove fees for small-value online transactions.

As of Thursday, BPI’s website said Instapay transfers to other banks or eMoney issuers carry a fee of P25.

The BSP has cited in February that the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) was receptive to bringing down transaction costs in lieu of lowering the reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

Former BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said paying P5 to P10 per transaction or as much as P15 to P20 per transaction is significant, especially relative to small transactions of around P200 to P500.

The BSP is hoping that bringing down the RRR would encourage banks to waive the fees for these amounts.

In June, the BSP lashed the RRR of banks by as much as 250 basis points, bringing down the effective ratios across banks to single digit, as it seeks to ensure “stable” domestic liquidity and credit conditions.

This is the first RRR reduction made by the BSP since 2020, when it cut the ratio by 200 basis points to the present 12 percent.

The BSP cut the RRR of universal and commercial banks by 250 basis points to 9.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the RRR of non-bank financial institutions with quasi banking functions (NBQBs) and thrift banks, rural banks and coop-

BSP sets ON rate as Libor use ends

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

As of July 6, the rate on the BSP website stands at 6.75 percent for ON lending; 6.25 percent for ON reverse repurchase (RRP); and, 5.75 percent for ON deposit.

The BSP said the rates use as reference the secondary market rate

on the 28-day BSP bill to compute an ON equivalent.

reference rate,” according to the central bank.

In pursuit of its statutory mandates, the BSP siphons excesses or augments shortfalls in market liquidity via open market operations. The main tool is the ON RRP facility, which is based on the BSP policy rate.

The BSP also disclosed last Thursday that effective July 14, it will accept all bids in the auction for the ON RRP facility.

The central bank said this is also in line with the transition from a fixed-rate fixed-volume to a fixedrate full-allotment auction and then, to an eventual variable-rate auction.

in the financial system,” according to the BSP.

Under the existing framework for the ON, the RRP facility auctions a pre-announced amount at a fixed rate. The ongoing enhancements, such as the change in the auction window from 4 p.m. to 11 a.m., however, are designed to encourage more active liquidity management by the banks.

The BSP said the expected result of these improvements is a variable rate from the ON RRP facility that would be more responsive to changing market conditions.

securities. The BSP said it discussed with market stakeholders the “urgency of having a credible yield curve” given that key macro-financial decisions are based on a credible benchmark.

Libor was an interest rate benchmark used in a wide range of financial transactions globally. The transition away from Libor was initially announced in 2017.

This transition reached a crucial stage with the March 2021 announcement by the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority of the formal timeline for the discontinuation of the benchmark.

“This refinement to monetary operations is another step in the BSP’s efforts towards a more flexible approach to managing liquidity

Prudence and efficiency: Words of wisdom

IRECENTLY attended a board meeting of a convention center management company, presided by its outgoing chairman. As an association executive, what struck a chord in me were two words of wisdom on keeping the company going for long-term success: prudence and efficiency. This advice resonates with associations as well.

Associations play a vital role in bringing together like-minded individuals and organizations to achieve a common purpose, mission or advocacy. Whether it is a professional or trade association, a nonprofit organization, or a community group, the success of an association hinges upon its ability to operate with prudence and efficiency.

Prudence is the virtue of diligently considering decisions and actions to avoid unnecessary risks and ensure sound judgment. It is the bedrock of association governance. Prudence becomes even more critical to associations that are often saddled with limited resources and have fiduciary responsibilities toward their members.

The following are a few key areas where prudence plays a crucial role.

1. Financial management. Associations need to exercise prudence when managing their finances by, among others, creating and adhering to budgets, monitoring expenses, conducting regular financial audits and protecting investments. Prudent financial practices help associations maintain stability, plan adequately for the future, and fulfill their obligations effectively.

2. Risk management. Associations face a variety of risks, including legal, reputational, and operational.

“This starts a broader initiative to enhance the BSP ON RRP Agreement facility. Once the enhancements are fully completed, the new rate from the RRP facility will become the ON Octavio Peralta Association World

Prudent risk management involves identifying potential risks, developing mitigation strategies, and implementing appropriate safeguards. By being proactive in risk management, associations can protect their interests, maintain credibility, and ensure long-term sustainability.

3. Governance and compliance. Prudence extends to the governance and compliance practices of associations. Establishing robust governance structures, defining clear roles and responsibilities, and adhering to regulations and legal obligations are essential for association success. Prudent governance ensures transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct, fostering trust among members and stakeholders. Efficiency refers to the ability to achieve desired outcomes with minimal waste of resources. In essence, it means maximizing impact with limited resources. Associations often operate with limited budgets, manpower, and time, making efficiency a key factor in their ability to deliver value to their members.

The following are some of the reasons efficiency matters for associations:

1. Resource optimization. Efficient associations maximize the utilization of available resources by prioritizing activities that align with their mission and strategic goals, ensuring that every funding, volunteer

hour, or staff effort is directed towards the most impactful initiatives. This approach allows associations to optimize their limited resources and drive meaningful results.

2. Streamlined processes. Efficiency involves streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary steps or duplication of efforts. Associations that adopt efficient workflows can save time, reduce costs, and enhance productivity. From member onboarding to event management and communication strategies, streamlined processes enable associations to operate smoothly and achieve operational excellence.

3. Member satisfaction. Efficient associations prioritize member satisfaction by delivering timely and high-quality services. By providing responsive member support, facilitating easy access to resources, and leveraging technology for seamless interactions, associations can enhance the overall member experience. Satisfied members are more likely to stay engaged, renew their memberships, and advocate for the association, thereby contributing to its long-term success.

Prudence and efficiency are indispensable for the effective functioning and long-term success of associations. By upholding these virtues, associations can thrive, fulfill their missions, and make a positive difference in the lives of their members and the communities they serve.

Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail: bobby@ pcaae.org.

SSS, Abra LGU ink MOA to promote social security

BANGUED, Abra–The Social Security System (SSS) announced last July 6 that its Bangued Branch and the local government unit (LGU) of San Isidro, Abra signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will benefit 107 job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers under the SSS’s “KaSSSangga Collect” program.

The SSS said that under the partnership, JO and COS will be registered as self-employed members of the SSS. Meanwhile, the LGU shall deduct the monthly contributions from the JO and COS workers’ salaries and remit them to SSS Bangued Branch on schedule.

The regular remittance of SSS contributions shall make the JO and COS workers qualified for social

security benefits such as sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death, and funeral, and benefits under the Employees’ Compensation Program such as sickness, disability, and death. They can also avail of SSS short-term loan privileges such as salary and calamity.

In addition, the “SSS eWheels sa Barangay” was also conducted to bring SSS services to the baran-

gays in San Isidro and teach it residents how to use the various digital platforms like the SSS website, the My.SSS Portal and the “uSSSap Tayo” Portal. The SSS said its personnel also assisted the constituents of the LGU with their contribution and loan verifications, disbursement account enrollment, benefit and loan applications, and other SSS online services.

Asia bonds, currencies have lost their traditional link

ASIA’S emerging-market currencies are losing their traditional close relationship to local bonds as falling hedging costs means more investors are choosing to offset their foreign-exchange risks. The correlation is also breaking down as China’s gloomy outlook weighs on Asian currencies, while having little impact on regional debt markets.

The average 90-day correlation between a basket of emerging Asian currencies and government bond yields has fallen to 0.1 from 0.42 at the end of last year, according

to data compiled by Bloomberg. A level of 1 would mean the two move in lockstep.

The breakdown in the relationship shows why increasing inflows into Asia bonds this year are having only a limited spillover into the regional currency market. Cheaper hedging costs and growing expectations for rate cuts in Asia suggest currencies will remain under pressure for the rest of the year.

“It’s about relative interest rates,” said Galvin Chia, emerging-market strategist at NatWest Markets in Singapore. “Rates in the US have

continued to rise with it being clear that the Fed’s disinflationary target has not yet been met, while rates in Asian economies have mostly remained lower, resulting in falling hedging costs.”

The cheaper cost of hedging is making it more attractive for global funds to offer dollars in exchange for Asian currencies. For example, three-month non-deliverable won forwards have dropped to minus 6 basis points—or 1.7 standard deviations below their five-year mean— from minus 2.9 basis points at the end of December.

Earlier, former BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said that after six months, the 28-day BSP bill rate will be replaced by the average rate based on the 6-month yield curve of trades for various tenors of market

(Full story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/06/22/phlcreates-overnight-rate-as-liborera-ends/).

PHILHEALTH CEO

This photo courtesy of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. shows Emmanuel “Mandy” R. Ledesma Jr. who was appointed as PhilHeath President and CEO on July 5. “The entire PhilHeath family expresses its gratitude to His Excellency President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for his full trust and confidence to Ledesma and commits to provide full support to him as he leads PhilHealth in providing every Filipino with financial access to quality and affordable health care services, whenever and wherever they need them,” a statement from PhilHealth read.

CREDIT: PhIl PPInE hEalTh InsuRanCE CoRP

Filipinos had difficulties meeting financial needs

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

MORE than a thousand Filipinos expressed last January they experienced difficulties “meeting financial needs based on monthly earnings alone.”

A joint survey by Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy Inc. (SMRSC) and YouGov Plc. of 3,479 adult Filipinos revealed that 36 percent said so. The survey aimed to determine the impact of inflation in household incomes.

The figure, however, indicates an improvement from the 52 percent who said in September last year that relying on monthly earnings alone couldn’t meet financial needs.

SMRSC President and CEO

Germaine A. Reyes said January’s figure is still much higher than the 31 percent experienced in June 2022 when the economy reopened.

said consumers will realign their spending priorities focusing on essential items.

Moreover, she said the pandemic has caused a lot of Filipino families to shift their focus towards health and wellness.

Fifteen percent of the respondents said they are planning to spend more on healthcare products and food supplements.

This is followed by sanitary care/toiletries, at 8-percent higher incidence, according to Reyes. She added that categories that will have maintained incidence are for financial and investment products, household cleaning and laundry and, to a certain extent, mobile and Internet services.

Reyes said the latter two “seemed to be a must across many households.”

The divergence between Asian bond yields and regional currencies can clearly be see in the case of Malaysia. Overseas investors bought $842 million of the nation’s debt in May, above the average net inflow of $388 million for the previous six months, according to the latest central-bank data. Still, the ringgit fell by more than 3% against the dollar in May, the worst-performing Asian currency.

The 90-day correlation between an index of Malaysian bond yields and the dollar-ringgit exchange rate has fallen to around 0.3 from more than 0.5 in December. Bloomberg News

“In fact, 7 out of 10 Filipinos are expected to reduce their household spending over the next 12 months if major factors such as inflation do not improve,” Reyes said in an interview last Wednesday afternoon in Makati City.

“Despite the easing of pandemic restrictions, inflation continues to hinder consumer spending,” she added.

In January of this year, the Philippine inflation rate peaked at 8.7 percent, primarily driven by escalating prices of food, utilities, and housing. Although the inflation rate declined to 6.6 percent in April, it remains higher compared to the previous year’s 4.9 percent.

With inflation remaining a constant threat in the purchasing power of the household, Reyes

As inflation continues to ease up, Reyes said the country’s economic managers hope that consumer spending will be induced further. Right now, she said, people are on a wait-and-see stance in terms of spending.

Reyes said such behavior presents “a window of opportunity” for brands to extend a lifeline to customers by being considerate and avoid introducing price hikes, extending support to customers by offering products/services that align with their budget or offer innovative solutions that will provide better value for consumers to spend on.

She said it remains to be seen if inflation will lead to substantial and long-term changes in consumer behavior.

Reyes said the firm “will also be monitoring if consumers craft new strategies to reduce spending while participating in the postpandemic reopening.”

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has set an overnight (ON) rate to serve as market reference amid the cessation of the global use of the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor).

WOW! It’s more fun to love the Philippines!

WHEN ‘It’s more fun’ was launched in 2012, the public got on board and joined the fun by contributing their own memes. By 2019, some 8.3 million international travelers visited the Philippines, from just 4 million at the end of 2011. IMAGES FROM THE DOT

SO what’s in a tourism slogan? Well, if you’re like New York, their long-running “I ❤ New York” campaign adopted in 1977 brought them almost 67 million visitors in 2019, prior to the pandemic, from 17 million in 1978, a year into that tourism campaign.

To this day, anywhere you go in the city, there are t-shirts, coffee mugs, ballpens, refrigerator magnets, key chains stamped with the iconic logo and slogan still being sold at souvenir shops and street kiosks.

“I ❤ New York” encourages a sense of pride for those living in the city, which has become a global center for award-winning cuisine, its depth and breadth of cultural activities, the incredible array of iconic and historical landmarks, and just the sheer fun and madness of working or staying there.

It has stood the test of time: through political upheavals, Wall Street crashes and economic booms, the savings-and-loan scandals, increase/decrease in crime, and, yes, even the Donald...people still love New York and love visiting it.

On the other hand, it is still not clear what the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its advertising agency DDB Philippines Inc. wanted to convey when they heralded the “Love the Philippines” slogan as an anchor to the government’s enhanced branding campaign. The amount of verbiage from the DOT in explaining the why of “Love the Philippines” is just staggering—and confusing. “We want to inculcate pride of place.” “What foreign tourists love, they can find in the Philippines.” “It is our love letter to the world.” This alone shows that even they are not clear about the target market of this new slogan. (If it’s a love letter, then put a comma: “Love, the Philippines”, as some writers and tourism experts have suggested.) Are we the target market? But who among us Filipinos doesn’t love our country—yes, despite

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS

DAY: Michelle Kwan, 43; Berenice Bejo, 47; Shelley Duvall, 74; Ringo Starr, 83.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A thorough approach to whatever you do will pay off this year. Dedication, loyalty, compassion and common sense will take you to a place that offers peace of mind. Refuse to let what others do tempt you to make poor decisions. Choose honor and integrity over risk and manipulation. Look for alternatives that help you focus on what’s important to you. Face the future with optimism, imagination and fearlessness. Your numbers are 6, 13, 18, 24, 36, 40, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Do something physical that will ease stress, keep you from saying something you shouldn’t and encourage you to do your own thing. Personal improvements will lift you and motivate you to do something you enjoy. ★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consistency will lead to success. You’ll gain ground if you are persistent and willing to do the work yourself. Don’t put things off due to temptation or interference. Make your voice heard and your plans feasible. ★★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Bide your time. Spontaneity and haste will take you in the wrong direction. Work alone to avoid interference. Ask experts questions, but trust in yourself to make decisions. Personal improvements will attract attention.

★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Avoid controlling situations. Speak on your behalf to ensure you get both your point across and recognition for your thoughts and solutions. Hard work, intuition and intelligence will help you bring about positive change. Put faith in yourself, not others.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take care of financial, legal or health matters swiftly. You’ll learn something that helps you cut corners and save time and money. Don’t let a decision someone makes ruin your plans. Carry on by yourself or with someone like-minded. ★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Adjust and carry on as planned. Use your knowledge, skills and experience in unique ways to get ahead or to help others. Turn a joint venture into a social event. A trip or shopping spree will go over budget if you aren’t careful. ★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Do your best and finish what you start. Making a good impression is crucial if you want to get ahead. Conflicts between personal and professional responsibilities will lead to trouble. Communication and compromise will help alleviate a problem. ★★★

CONTINUED ON B5

Creditor renews DEI and workplace inclusion anew with launch of Pride Club

AN award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion organization, and equal opportunity employer, Home Credit Philippines announced recently the establishment of its Pride Club, a collective of LGBTQ+ identifying Home Credit employees who are tasked to be the company’s workplace inclusion champions. June is an important month for the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines, as it signals a month-long festivity and celebration of the Pride Month. Every year, different advocacy groups, civil society organizations, and organization mount Pride celebrations that usually culminate with a Pride March. Companies join these celebrations either by releasing solidarity statements, public participation, or mounting their own pride events. Home Credit Philippines, the country’s leading consumer finance company, has been

Quezon City, Philippines, sending almost 200 of its employees to join the Pride March. It also supported the Iloilo Pride Team, organizers of the Iloilo Pride March, during the Pride Pyesta event in Iloilo City

Governance programs. Highlighting this is its diverse workforce made up of 14,000 plus employees, 52 percent of which are female. Its board also consist of five women executives. Home Credit has been proactively

collaborating with advocacy partners to strengthen its DEI policies and programs. In 2022, the company joined the Philippine Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) and the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (PLCC) to further cement its commitment to workplace inclusion.

Last year, the company went through the Gender Equality Assessment Results and Strategies (GEARS), in partnership with PBCWE, to understand gaps, opportunities and strengths of its strategies in relation to workplace gender equality.

This year, Home Credit Philippines renews this commitment with the establishment of the company’s Pride Club, an employee resource group that will lead and champion DEI and workplace inclusion initiatives in the organization.

More information is available at www. homecredit.ph.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Refuse to get angry or frustrated with others. Instead, put a unique touch on whatever you do, and you’ll come out ahead. Express your thoughts and desires with compassion and empathy for others. Address issues that can cause problems before they become overwhelming. ★★★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Temptation to get involved in endeavors that sound too good to be true will engross you. Step back and rethink what’s best for you before you commit to something debatable. Pay attention, and you’ll avoid getting trapped or paying for someone else’s mistake.

★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sharing will backfire on you. Do your thing and pay your way. Set high standards and take the initiative to add unique touches that will be noticed and admired. Taking on someone else’s fight will be costly. ★★★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Remain consistent to avoid backlash. Too many changes will make people question what you are doing. Designate how much you want to spend and on what before signing an agreement. A kind gesture will leave you in a vulnerable position. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Make plans to have fun. Let your ideas shine through, and you’ll gain approval from someone you love and respect. Don’t be too quick to give someone access to your financial picture. Some things are best not shared for the time being. ★★★

BIRTHDAY BABY:

You are courageous, strong and empathetic. You are helpful and consistent.

‘utter nonsense’ BY PAUL COULTER

The Universal Crossword • Edited by David Steinberg/Anna Gundlach/Jared Goudsmit

TAR is her name. Lydia, the first name is lost in the flamboyance and arrogance of that surname. There is the voice—elegantly mannish because it is coming from a woman. There is the face, the manner (mannered to a lovely degree; didn’t she portray one of the most mannered actors in show business, Katharine Hepburn, in The Aviator?). It is Cate Blanchett’s. The film is called Tar. It is about a conductor who happens to be a woman. The gender is both an accident and incident.

She is conducting no less than the Berlin Philharmonic. This is the orchestra considered to be one of the most brilliant in the world. Gilded and guarding histories replete with a dark past (it played for Hitler), the Tar of Blanchett, if we heed the plot, follows a tradition of excellence held by Gustav Mahler, Edvard Grieg and Brahms. Remembered also in the history of the orchestra is Wilhelm Furtwängler, considered one of the greatest conductors of all time and controversial for that night he performed for the Nazi. He did flee Germany and, in this film, he is a presence. As with other notable names like Leonard Bernstein from whom Tar traces her artistic lineage.

So, you see, Tar, the film asks us to be in a hallway of names related to music and to geniuses, to the privileged perspectives offered by the canonical in classical music. At the center of this backdrop, Blanchett the actor has one requirement to fulfill,

Show

A WOMAN SCORNED

WHY is the celebrity so mad at her ex to the point that she has sought legal action? She is so angry that she gets angrier when people tell her to move on. Well, the celebrity has just cause for her anger. Just recently, she discovered that he is able to monetize one of their social media platforms just because he was the one who opened it. When she made this discovery, she realized that it was the reason why he could still afford to live in a condominium despite being jobless. The revenue that he is earning from said social media platform is still quite substantial. It is strange that he never informed the celebrity that money was still coming in and they should

GENUINELY NICE CEO

AMID all the drama among female CEOs on TikTok, some of them stand out for being genuinely nice. People look down on these CEOs because they think the brands they founded are small and not worthy of attention. But, the truth is that many of them can make millions in one day. One of the nicer female CEOs is this lovely woman whose private life has been the subject of speculations. Despite this, however, she is well liked by most of the other CEOs. This CEO recently made headlines because she was spotted wearing a very expensive item. Her photo wearing the item even became viral on TikTok.

A CHANGED PERSON

their agency, many of whom are now working for the private sector and contributing their talents to make those companies profitable.

Meawhile, the DOT and DDB’s explanations of the supposed “changed traveler” as the reason for the shift from “fun” to “love” just doesn’t wash. After being cooped up at home because of the pandemic, travelers now want to experience “authentic experiences” and adventures their friends back home have not yet tried, the agencies said. (And so what? They are averse to “fun”?)

According to Marie Adriano, group strategic head of DDB, Diving into social listening, which essentially follows public social listening sites, ‘Love’ is the positive theme they associate with our country. Frequently mentioned in high volume globally. The Philippine mentions are even double than that of the US. While fun remains a positive theme and certainly part of the Pinoy DNA, there is less volume of mentions.”

While she doesn’t cite the source of this survey, let’s just say it’s true. But these are tourists, who have already visited the country and experienced its pleasures. We’re not trying to attract them again— because with or without a slogan, they will return

that she not only be credible as a conductor and as a musical artist, but to justify her persona in a mind that is almost a museum filled with excellence and eccentricities, of a heritage that counts Bach and Beethoven as its prime DNA. We must believe Blanchett and we need to accept her as Tar.

As if Mahler (his 5th symphony is up for rehearsal) is not daunting enough, the writers of the film have to make Tar a lesbian. Not that gender—or that sexual identification in particular—diminishes a skill or artistic ascendancy; in this film, Tar seems to be on a downward spiral in her character involved in bad decisions that has nothing to do with music but with morality. Or ethics.

Tar hears sounds. She is obviously bothered by her senses. She goes home to her partner, who is the concertmaster of the orchestra she conducts. They have a daughter, Petra, who is bullied. In one glorious politically incorrect scene, Tar approaches the bully and threatens her extinction. The fact is Tar is a grand bully.

Tar has an assistant, Francesca, who seems to be either on the verge of tears or a breakdown. A conversation between them yields a name—Krista. This would be a crisis later, one that would hasten the fall of Tar from grace.

Sharon, Tar’s wife, lives in the shadow of the more prominent partner. Sharon, however, has her own instability. And yet, in the face of what Tar hides and continues to pursue—like a new relationship with a young, lovely Russian cellist—Sharon is a rock.

If you are the type that relishes master classes (YouTube has a wonderful collection from a very gentle Renata Tebaldi to a more academic Marilyn Horne), Tar should be a feast for you. Short of being a pedant, Blanchett imbues her artist with such an impeccable coolness, you would wish all your music mentors—or, at least your Humanities teachers— were like her. Instead of that failed artist who uses his bad drawings as a starting point for learning about lines and vanishing points. But Blanchett/Tar can be a bitch. Note her scene with a student who dismisses

if they enjoyed their time here. We’re supposed to attract the new travelers, the “changed traveler,” the tourists who have yet to visit, or hasn’t even heard of us beyond the few mentions in TV shows and movies. We need a tourism slogan that would grab their attention, engage them, make them act on impulse and start booking trips here, while seated at their computers.

Tourist: So, why should I visit the Philippines?

DOT: Because, Love the Philippines!

It doesn’t make sense. Second District Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who is one of the most hard-working promoters of his province and has joined tourism selling missions abroad, uses statistics to prove the power of “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.” From 2012 to 2019, while the “fun” slogan was being used, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of international arrivals in the Philippines was 8.6 percent. And this was despite of Super Typhoon Yolanda, diplomatic issues with Taiwan, the hostage-taking of Hong Kong tourists, Tanim-Bala, along with infrastructure and arrival challenges in the country.

The fact is, you cannot argue with success. So much so that President Duterte didn’t ask for the “fun”

Bach because the composer is white heterosexual. She asks the conducting student to join her onstage as she releases a barrage of critiques about sexual orientation, race and musicality, responding to the student’s love of jazz by calling it the Negro music popularized by the Jews—all of this in that terrific vocal delivery that simmers with a condescending glow, altogether patronizing and yet educating. As the student puffs and walks out, we stay in the auditorium wishing Tar would insult the world that has limited itself to sexuality and politics in assessing the vast world of music.

As Sharon, Nina Hoss, the multi-hyphenated German actor, is a delight to watch as she reacts to the movement of Tar. She is our gauge of how Tar is behaving or misbehaving. Hoss is so compelling that we share in her judgment of the artist’s moral compass (oh, there is that word, again).

Partial to actors who are mannered in performance—think of Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Ingrid Bergman, and Nora Aunor and Lolita Rodriguez—Cate Blanchett is one reason to be with Tar. She surprises us with a build that is masculine as she removes her jacket, leading us to a scandal that has been a male preserve for a long time. The winding lines from Blanchett as Tar can be daunting, peppered as they are with references to real data about music but we listen. The hyper-real in the film is even achieved at the start with Adam Gopnik, the New Yorker essayist, conducting the interview of Tar. The surreal, however, is the ending—for us Filipinos. Tar is written and directed by Todd Field. The film premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in 2022 where Cate Blanchett won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. She would win Best Actress at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. The film was acclaimed as the best by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the London Film Critics’ Circle, and the National Society of Film Critics. Tar was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, among other nominations, at the 95th Academy Awards. n

slogan to be changed. (Jimenez’s brilliance cut across political fences that even former Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez told me they wanted to retain him at the DOT.) I would imagine that President Marcos Jr. wouldn’t have bothered as well, if he wasn’t needled to change it. As one high-ranking government official told me recently, “The President is too busy with larger problems; I don’t think he would have minded if ‘It’s more fun’ was retained, like Duterte.” I think so, too.

I remember when the “fun” slogan was launched in 2012, the public took to it immediately. Memes soon popped up all over social media. It captivated the imagination and creativity of the nation that they couldn’t help but join the “fun.” That is what’s lacking in the “love” slogan. It doesn’t have the same drive and energy as “fun.” Love doesn’t make us stand out as a people, as a nation. Because there is also love in Barbados, and love in Cyprus, and, yes, love in New York. Love just isn’t a unique proposition in a tourism campaign, and understandably the people have not taken to it. Instead, they have been ridiculing it by using photos of iconic tourist sites abroad and stamping it with the “love” slogan.

The “Love the Philippines” slogan has become a joke. And for that reason alone, DOT just needs to drop it. n

WHEN she was still with her ex-boyfriend, the actress was problematic when it came to her work schedules. One time, she was filming and couldn’t be found or even contacted. Her father once visited her at the home she shared with her then boyfriend but she couldn’t even wake up to face him. Since getting involved with a new guy, the actress has changed. She is no longer late for appointments and she has a better relationship with her family. She also seems happier and more relaxed, and this convinces her fans that the new guy in her life is the right one for her.

LOVETEAM PLAGUED BY RUMORS

A LOVETEAM being built up by a studio is plagued by talks that the guy is gay. There’s really nothing wrong with being gay but if you’re a showbiz newbie who’s being paired with a girl, that could be a problem. This newbie was reportedly quite open about being gay when he wasn’t in show business yet and all his high school schoolmates know him as gay. He is also reportedly in a relationship. According to sources, the girl in the loveteam is willing to work with the guy. There really shouldn’t be a problem except that these days, it’s more difficult to keep such matters a secret.

‘I CAN SEE YOU’ NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON FREEVEE

THE hit GMA romance anthology series I Can See You is now available on Amazon Freevee. In I Can See You viewers in the US are treated to a lineup of unique stories featuring their favorite GMA stars.

“Love on the Balcony” features a story of a videographer, Iñigo (Alden Richards), as he searches for his ideal girl. An incident with his drone and a medical frontliner, Lea (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), causes them to meet. Will friendship eventually grow between them because of this accident?

In “The Promise,” Frank (Paolo Contis) struggles to move on from the untimely death of his wife, Clarisse (Yasmien Kurdi). Frank’s cousin Jude (Benjamin Alves) and his girlfriend, Ivy (Andrea Torres) visit Frank to help him feel better after this tragedy.

High-Rise Lovers” features a story of a married couple, Samantha (Lovi Poe) and Luis (Tom Rodriguez), who just moved into a new condo unit. Samantha continues to strive hard at work to get a promotion not knowing her husband already longs to have a baby. Will their relationship survive upon reaching this crossroad in their lives?

In “Truly. Madly. Deadly.”, Coleen (Jennylyn Mercado) successfully saves her best friend Abby (Rhian Ramos) from Pampanga’s most wanted killer, Drew (Dennis Trillo).

A heartbreaking tale is featured in “On My Way to You!” as runaway bride Raki (Shaira Daz) has second thoughts as she walks down the aisle of her wedding. How will her groom, Albert (Gil Cuerva), handle this situation?

In “#Future,” Vinchie (Miguel Tanfelix) is faced with a tough choice while taking risks in the search for viral news for the sake of his job. Will he continue down this path if he finds out his father is involved in his latest sensational story?

A thrilling tale, “The Lookout” features the story of Emma (Barbie Forteza) who is under investigation because of her alleged involvement in the Penuliar family’s criminal case. Will they find a motive for her to make the family suffer?

Love is in the air with these brand new offerings now available on Amazon Freevee. Formerly IMDb TV, it is a streaming video service with thousands of premium movies and TV shows, including Originals and FAST channels, available anytime, for free. Freevee is available as an app on Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and as a free channel within Prime Video across hundreds of devices. Freevee is also available as an app on third-party devices. The app is also available on iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile devices. More information is available at www.amazon.com/freevee

ALDEN RICHARDS and Jasmine Curtis-Smith in

‘Tar’: Indulgent and indulging

36 young leaders participate in BKR Asia Pacific's Future Leaders Program

Sarah Geronimo joins Sun Life as new brand ambassador

SUN Life Philippines has revealed that Asian Popstar Royalty Sarah Geronimo is joining its roster of brand ambassadors. Sarah is at the forefront of Sun Life’s latest campaign dubbed Partner for Life, together with her husband Matteo Guidicelli, who is a long-time Sun Life brand ambassador himself. The campaign emphasizes the importance of having someone who will help us achieve our financial goals, live a healthier life, and be the best version of ourselves.

“We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Geronimo as part of the Sun Life family. Her values align with ours and having her as a partner in furthering our advocacies on financial literacy, health and wellness and sustainability is something that we’re very excited about,” Sun Life Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer Carla Gonzalez-Chong said.

“Sarah’s journey to becoming an empowered woman taking control of her career, businesses, health, finances, and advocacies inspires us. Her eagerness to continuously learn and find support from the people she loves makes her a perfect ally of Sun Life in encouraging more Filipinos to pursue their own version of a brighter life,” she added.

shared through Sun Life’s social media platforms and played on select radio stations nationwide.

A series of digital and on-ground activities will also be mounted to further amplify the campaign and encourage more Filipinos to secure the future of their loved ones.

“I’m happy and thankful to be part of the Sun Life family,” Sarah said.

Apart from Sarah and Matteo, Sun Life has Piolo Pascual and Donny Pangilinan as Clients and advocates of financial literacy and health and wellness.

“We are grateful to have the support of our brand ambassadors in advancing Sun Life’s purpose,” Gonzalez-Chong said. “We are privileged that they have chosen to partner with Sun Life to help more Filipinos pursue lifetime financial security and live healthier lives.”

THE Future Leaders Program (FLP) organized by BKR International Asia Pacific recently concluded at the prestigious Melia Hotel, bringing together 36 talented young leaders from various countries in the region. The program saw an overwhelming participation from the Philippines which consists of more, along with delegates from India, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The three-day event, held from June 16th to June 18th, 2023 provided a platform for these emerging leaders to network, share experiences, and develop essential skills to drive regional collaboration and foster growth. The program aimed to empower the next generation of professionals to overcome challenges and lead with innovative ideas in an ever-changing business landscape.

Now in its fourth year, the FLP commenced with a keynote address delivered by BKR International’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Morris. While Carine Tan, the Asia Pacific Chair of BKR International, delivered welcome remarks at the event.

Salvio Valenzuela, Executive Director

for BKR Asia Pac expressed his enthusiasm for the diverse group of participants and highlighted the significance of cross-cultural collaboration in fostering regional growth. She encouraged the young leaders to seize the opportunities presented during the program and build lasting connections that would contribute to their professional development.

Throughout the program, the participants engaged in interactive workshops, panel discussions, and teambuilding activities designed to enhance their leadership abilities.

“The Future Leaders Program has been an incredible platform for young professionals like us to connect, learn, and grow together,” expressed by Kenneth Ng, Partner, Head of Audit of RT ASEAN Singapore. He added that, “The diversity of perspectives and experiences here has expanded my horizons and will undoubtedly shape my future as a leader.”

The program also featured networking events and social activities, enabling participants to forge lasting connections with their peers and industry experts.

“The connections that we got are expected to form the basis of a robust professional network for us young leaders” quoted by Cindy Madonero, Director for Regulatory Government Services of Alas Oplas CPAs Philippines. She added “these connections will continue to support and inspire the participants long after the program’s conclusion”.

Reflecting on the success of the program, organizers expressed their delight in witnessing the enthusiasm and talent displayed by the young leaders throughout the event. The FLP is a testament to BKR International Asia Pacific’s commitment to nurturing the leaders of tomorrow and fostering regional collaboration. The connections established during the program are expected to lead to exciting partnerships and innovative solutions in the years to come.

With the success of this year’s event, anticipation is already building for the next edition of the Future Leaders Program, which promises to continue its tradition of empow ering young professionals and facilitating collaboration in the ever-evolving global business landscape.

DOH turns over newborn hearing screening machines to 10 Level 1 health facilities in the Ilocos Region

THE Department of Health (DOH)

– Ilocos Region has turned over a total of 10 newborn hearing machines to Level 1 health facilities in the Ilocos Region as part of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program (UNHSP) for the prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention of hearing loss among infants and newborns.

“It is very important that all infants undergo hearing screening to find out if they have a hearing problem, especially during their early development, because it can affect their ability to communicate effectively. Hearing is necessary in the speech development and mental growth of a child,” Regional Director Pula Paz M. Sydiongco stated during the turnover ceremony held in San Juan, La Union on June 30, 2023.

“Through hearing, babies develop speech and language skills by listening and imitating sounds from the environment. It enables them to bond with their parents and other members of the family because they can recognize voices and understand verbal cues. Infants acquire knowledge through auditory stimulation and any delay or impairment in hearing can significantly impact an infant’s cognitive, social, and emotional development,” she explained.

A total of 10 newborn hearing screening devices were donated to Piddig District Hospital, Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos District Hospital in Ilocos Norte; Ilocos Sur District Hospital–Narvacan, Ilocos Sur District Hospital–Bessang Pass, Ilocos Sur District Hospital–Salcedo in Ilocos Sur; and

Bolinao Community Hospital, Umingan Community Hospital, Dasol Community Hospital, Manaoag Community Hospital and Pozorrubio Community Hospital in Pangasinan.

The hearing screening devices are worth P412,500 each, or a total of P4.125 million. It includes handheld unit, cradle, carrying bag, probe cord and thermal printer.

Assistant Regional Director Rodolfo Antonio M. Albornoz emphasized the importance of establishing newborn hearing screening units in various public health facilities in the region. “This also includes come up with a regional registry for newborn hearing so that we can monitor how many infants have been screened,

As part of the campaign, Sarah and Matteo are starring in a thematic video which highlights Sun Life’s promise of being a Partner for Life. The couple co-created the video with Sun Life, exuding sincerity as it gives a glimpse of the way they support each other. The video will be shown on national television, as well as @SunLifePH on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Sarah is also the voice behind the new Sun Life jingle entitled “Kasa-Kasama,” a duet with Inigo Pascual, who co-wrote the song and is himself a part of the Sun Life family. The jingle, a fun yet heartfelt tribute to one’s Partner for Life, will likewise be

FWD Philippines, JA Philippines launch financial literacy program for the youth at media event

FWD Life Insurance Corporation (FWD Philippines) and Junior Achievement of the Philippines (JA Philippines) recently announced the launch of JA SparktheDream at a media event held at the Heroes Headquarters at Shangri-La Plaza.

JA SparktheDream is a financial literacy program that integrates financial, social, and life skills education to help boost financial literacy in the country. As part of FWD Group’s 10th anniversary year community initiatives, the program aims to benefit 25,000 students across Asia-Pacific by 2024.

“Nation-building starts with the young, and we hope to make a difference with our student participants of the program to help them learn and become their best selves, and in turn share that spark with their families and communities,” FWD Philippines President & CEO Antonio “Jumbing” De Rosas shared how early education is crucial for building a financially savvy future in the Philippines.

The JA SparktheDream program consists of three areas: financial awareness, financial capability, and economic and social inclusion. Students will develop their financial literacy skills through financial management lessons led by FWD volunteers, interactive online learning platform, family activities, and community engagement.

“There are skills, habits and mindsets that take root most effectively if the seeds are planted early on. There is a sense of empowerment that comes with knowing

you can make choices in life that can positively impact yourselves, your families and the broader community,” JA Asia Pacific President and CEO Maziar Sabet shared on the program’s focus on young learners.

As part of JA SparktheDream, students will also participate in a regional social innovation showcase, where they work with FWD volunteers, parents, teachers and each other to identify and address a local issue. The outstanding teams will represent Philippines and participate in the JA SparktheDream Social Challenge with students from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. With the commitment to reach out to young people, FWD also partnered with UMG Philippines and tapped The Voice Kids Season 2 Grand Champion Elha Nympha to launch a new single “Spark the Dream,” which debuted during the event. The young singer is known for her life story and has made it her mission to inspire others to nurture their own dreams.

“As the insurer of the next generation, FWD is always exploring creative and innovative ways to promote financial literacy and inclusion with young people and enable them to secure their best future,” said FWD Philippines Chief Marketing and Digital Business Officer Roche Vandenberghe. JA SparktheDream is just one of the many programs that FWD Life Insurance has in store for 2023. To learn more about the initiative, visit ph.jasparkthedream.org.

detected and treated. And from these data we can determine the number of newborns affected by hearing loss and we can provide them with immediate intervention and treatment.”

The regional office will conduct a training activity for health workers who will manage the newborn hearing screening machine to effectively operate the device.

Regional Coordinator for Newborn Screening Cyrus Jed Ramos said that a total of 16,884 infants were screened from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023.

“We are encouraging mothers of newborns to submit your child to hearing screening test to ensure their health and safety.”

DOH - Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco and Assistant Regional Director Rodolfo Antonio M. Albornoz hands over a newborn hearing screening machine to one of the ten recipients from various level 1 health facilities of the region during the turnover ceremony held in San Juan, La Union on June 30, 2023

Swim body OKs Olympic medalist Sanchez’s transfer as Filipino athlete

SWIMMING’S international federation approved Kayla Sanchez’s change of nationality from Canada to the Philippines effective Thursday (July 6).

“ The World Aquatics has approved the request for the sport nationality’s change of the Athlete [Sanchez], born on 7 April 2001, in the Aquatics sports of Swimming, from Canada [CAN] to Philippines [PHI],” said World Aquatics Legal Counsel Loic Loutan in a letter dated Tuesday (July 4) and transmitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Thursday.

Therefore, the Athlete is entitled to represent Philippines [PHI] in international competitions from 6 July 2023 onwards,” Loutan added.

T he POC, through its president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, fervently pursued Sanchez’s change of nationality for the past year, which included her completing a year-long residency requirement.

Finally the good news,” Tolentino said. “The country now has a very strong anchor in its national swimming team.”

S anchez will officially start swimming for the Philippines in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games set September 23 to October 8. She won’s be competing upon the advice of her coach at the world aquatics championships that starts July 14 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Thank you so much for helping me get the approval from World Aquatics,” Sanchez earlier told Tolentino.

S anchez was part of Canada’s silver medal-clinching 4x100 meters freestyle relay team at the Tokyo Olympics. She also owns three world championships gold medals while swimming for Canada.

ticket

By Josef Ramos

SOUTHEAST Asian Games

long jump king Janry Ubas

is all geared up for the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok hoping not only to make the podium but to achieve the Paris Olympics grade. But he has to work double hard— his personal best of 8.08 meters is short of the Olympic qualifying mark of 8.27 meters.

I really need to condition myself,” Ubas told BusinessMirror during a break in training at the PhilSports oval in Pasig City on Thursday. “Sometimes it happens in an instance during a competition when you can jump so far, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.”

U bas knows that pretty well. He made 8.08 meters in decathlon where he settled for a silver medal, but got to 7.85 meters, enough to win gold in long jump.

The 29-year-old from Misamis Oriental said he’s motivated by world No. 3 and Asian record holder Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, who became the first Filipino to qualify for Paris when he made the men’s pole vault qualifying mark of 5.82 meters in Stockholm just days ago.

The Asian championships are set July 12 to 16 in the Thai capital.

Japan, Vietnam whip up PVL semis

TOP club teams from Japan and Vietnam will be out to stir up play in the semifinal round of the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference on July 20 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The Kurashiki Ablaze from Yokohama and Kinh Bac Bac Ninh are all set to spice up the chase in the mid-season conference of the league currently on a break for the men’s Volleyball Nations League Week 3.

E liminations action resumes on July 11 among 11 teams divided into groups with the top two from each side advancing to the next phase with the two guest teams.

Japan backed out at the lastminute in last year’s edition of the Invitational after some of Kobe Shinwa members tested positive for Covid-19, leaving the KingWhale Taipei as the lone foreign guest squad.

The Taiwanese went on to make the finals but eventually lost to the Creamline Cool Smashers.

BRAZIL’S BACK IN FIERY FORM

BRAZIL vented its ire on the Netherlands with an easy 25-21, 25-15, 25-20 win to climb the team standings in Volleyball Nations League (VNL) men’s tournament Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Nursing the wounds of their tough defeat in the crucial Week 3 opener on Tuesday to Italy, the Brazilians bounced back in style by dispatching their foes in only 72 minutes to hike their won-lost record to 7-3, good for third place behind unbeaten Japan (9-0) and the United States (8-1).

L ater on Thursday, Italy fended off a gritty challenge from Canada, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-9, to stay within striking distance of the pace-setters—including Brazil.

The world No. 4 Italians recovered from a collapse in the fourth set to scrape past the hard-fighting Canadians and stand side-by-side with rival Brazil in the critical final leg of the 16-team VNL gearing up for the 8-team finals in Poland from July 19 to 24.

L ong-time Olympic foes Italy and Brazil, which swept the Netherlands

earlier with a 25-21, 25-15, 25-20 win, are now tied at 7-3 won-lost record but the latter holds a slight set points advantage at 22-20.

Brazil, the world No. 3 and the 2021 VNL champion, silenced Dutch ace Nimir Abdel-Aziz, the world’s top-ranked spiker, while launching attacks from all fronts to avenge its 23-25, 20-25, 25-15, 21-25 loss to Italy two days ago.

Henrique Honorato and Lucas Saatkamp had 10 points each while Ricardo Lucarelli Souza and Alan Souza had nine each in a lethal Brazilian quartet combo with the world’s best setter in Bruno Mossa Rezende preparing the table with 10 sets and a point.

“ We tried to limit their strong attackers. They have the best [opposite] spiker in the world in Nimir and we made a great job blocking him. That was the main thing in this win,” said Rezende, Brazil’s team captain.

A nd the Brazilians did, bagging their first win with a bang in the Philippine leg of the VNL organized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the Volleyball

World with Ganten, Gerflor, Mikasa, Mizuno, Senoh and Stake.com as global sponsors.

A bdel-Aziz, after a 24-point eruption in a 25-22, 25-22, 17-25, 2518 win over Canada on Wednesday, bled eight points as the Netherlands played catch-up to the in-form Brazil all match long.

Brazil trailed early in the first set and was never threatened from there, leading by as many as 10 points in each of the last two frames.

The win also primed up Brazil, which will embark on a crucial outing today against world No. 1 Poland lurking at No. 4 spot in the final preliminary leg of the VNL that also has PLDT, Rebisco, Akari and the PSC as major sponsors.

Wouter Ter Maat, with 10 points, was the only bright spot for the world No. 10 Netherlands, which stayed at No. 8 with a 5-5 card but should be wary of the ninth-running and reigning champion France (4-5).

O nly the Top 8 teams will qualify in the final round from July 19 to 24 in Poland from the 16-team VNL.

But the Kurashiki Ablaze side packs a lot of promise with hitters Saya Taniguchi, Sayaka Tanida, Yukino Yano and Saki Tanabe and opposite strikers Asaka Tamaru, Reina Fujiwara and Honoka Okuda expected to lead their charge.

The team, which campaigns in the Japan V.League Division 3, topped the 13th National Six-Man Volleyball

League, Western tournament, placed second in the 12th National Volleyball League and finished third in the 13th National Volleyball League Grand Champion Match. K inh Bac-Back Ninh, on the other hand, gained status when it bagged first place and earned the right to compete in Vietnam’s National Championship in 2018. Ranged against the strongest teams, it nailed the bronze medal in 2019 and finished among the Top 3 in the next two years.

Meanwhile, the battle for the semis berths heats up starting Tuesday with a busy four-game bill, led by the Petro Gazz-Farm Fresh clash at 9:30 a.m. to be followed by the Cignal-Foton duel at 12 noon, the Akara-Chery Tiggo encounter at 4 p.m., and the explosive Choco Mucho-F2 Logistics face-off at 6:30 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.

C reamline leads Group A with a 2-0 slate followed by PLDT (1-0), Chery Tiggo, Akari and Gerflor, which tote similar 0-1 cards, while F2 Logistics and Choco Mucho won their first two matches in Group B, making their upcoming clash truly a match to watch.

Petro Gazz and Cignal split their respective first two matches while Foton and Farm Fresh have no win to show in two games.

SBP links up with electrolyte drink

THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) sealed a partnership with Gatorade as a major local sponsor for the country’s co-hosting of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 2023 World Cup in September.

We at Gatorade are excited to join the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. With this partnership, Gatorade will bring basketball closer to all through FIBA, fueling both athletes and fans in this once in a lifetime event as the World’s #1 Sports Drink,” said Ray Pine, Marketing Director of

NCC Aquatics Center’s ‘baklad,’ capiz design gets UAP recognition

GLOBAL architects based in Dubai recognized the New Clark City (NCC) Aquatics Center for its outstanding design as a public facility during the 2023 United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Dubai Design Awards.

The Dubai chapter of the UAP bestowed the Civic and Cultural Project of the Year Award to the Aquatics Center, which was designed by Royal Pineda + Architecture•Design as part of the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) Phase 1A project of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in New Clark City.

The aquatics facility competed with the New Clark City Athletics Stadium for the award, as the two projects were both shortlisted under the same category.

Even after three years since it was completed, the New Clark City sports complex still continues to in-

spire awe and bring pride to Filipinos due to its high-caliber design and attention to the needs of the people,” BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Engr. Joshua Bingcang said.

This award is a proud achievement for the thousands of Filipinos who made this project possible through their hard work, ingenuity, and dedication,” Bingcang added.

W ith design influences based on the weaving patterns of the “baklad,” and capiz shells, the New Clark City Aquatics Center embodies the coastal heritage of the Filipino people, giving honor to the Filipino identity while embracing modern sensibilities.

The facility, together with the Athletics Stadium, was completed within 18 months in time for the hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

“

The New Clark City and its sports facilities serve as a spark to trigger and introduce what is modern Philippines. I am happy and overwhelmed

THE country’s top Obstacle Course Race (OCR) athletes who dominated the Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games showcased their skills during the recent 2023 Dayaw Obstacle Course Race (OCR) in partnership with Team Kwago at Davao’s latest lifestyle and recreation destination Northtown Center.

S andi Abahan, gold medalist at the 2019 and 2023 SEA Games and thrice Guinness world record holder and top 21 at the 2021 Spartan World Championships and

with the idea that we’re able to share and also bring our presence to the world,” Pineda said. “To be appreciated and recognized means that our efforts to better our country, our nation and our people through architecture and design is felt not only by our

people, but by the world.”

W ith more than 400 global Filipino architect-members from 382 companies, UAP Dubai is the 124th chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines.

The UAP Dubai Design Awards

Davao perks up with Dayaw OCR

World’s Highest Obstacle Race champion, led the national athletes in the event that attracted participants of various ages and skill levels in the kids, team, elite and open divisions.

A lso gracing the event were SEA Games champions Elias Tabac, Marites Nocyao, Jeff Reginio and Glorien Merisco. The Dayaw OCR event marks a significant

milestone for Northtown Center’s developer, Alsons Development and Investment Corporation (Alsons Dev), which has been building commercial and residential projects in Davao City for over 60 years.

Our developments are designed to promote an active and healthy lifestyle, which is why we were more than happy to host Dayaw OCR at Northtown Center,”

PepsiCo Philippines.

Being the official electrolyte drink of FIBA’s flagship event, we pride ourselves in providing hydration and fitness solutions to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels,” Pine added.

David Crocker, Executive Director of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, expressed excitement about partnering with a universal global brand like Gatorade.

“ If you think of sports drinks anywhere in the world, you think Gatorade,” Crocker said. “The product is everywhere and has been the trusted choice around the world to fuel athletes forward.”  SBP chairman Emeritus Manuel V. Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio welcomed Gatorade’s entry as a major local sponsor.

“ Is there any athlete anywhere in the world that hasn’t enjoyed at one time or another the taste of Gatorade?” said Pangilinan, FIBA Central Board member and chairman and CEO of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.  Gatorade and FIBA World Cup 2023 is a union of what’s best in global sports. They complement each other. And this partnership will go a long way in ensuring the success of our hosting this prestigious event.”

The 32-national FIBA World Cup starts on August 25.

celebrates projects that exemplify design excellence, and demonstrates exceptional skill and creativity in the resolution of formal, functional, and technical requirements. The annual awards program also honors the year’s top architects, designers and firms.

Alsons Dev Director Miguel Dominguez said. “We support this partnership and welcome other opportunities to participate in community engagement.”

Athletes and OCR enthusiasts from all over the region vied in the thrilling fourkilometer race featuring 40 challenging obstacles.

A h ighlight of the event was a special 100-meter exhibition sprint featuring some of the Philippines’ OCR champs who traveled all the way from Manila.

JMC Philippines Head of Operations John Lucas (left) leads the signing formalities with (from left) COO Dino Laurena, NCB Brand Manager PepsiCo Philippines Cristina Sim and PH Beverages Head of Marketing Ray Philip Pine and TV5 Network Inc. President & CEO Guido Zaballero.

Ubas all geared up to go for Paris

ROYAL PINEDA receives the award during the 2023 United Architects of the Philippines Dubai Design Awards.

of obstacle sports racing.

BRAZIL’S Henrique Honorato draws three Dutch defenders at the net. NONIE

KiaPhiliPPinesaimshigh undernewleadershiP

KIA Philippines Motor Corporation

(KPMC) recently introduced its newlyappointed country head. As Chief Operating Officer, Brian Buendia will lead the brand’s business direction aiming for a bigger, bolder, and more innovation-packed Kia Philippines. Regarded as a veteran in the industry, Buendia has been with AC Motors— the automotive arm of Ayala Corporation (AC)—since 1998.

“Dynamic, innovative, and inspiring. These are the pillars upon which my vision for Kia Philippines is based,” said Buendia. “We will refine the Kia buying and ownership experience by bringing our corporate identity and culture to the fore; strengthen our industry rankings through the introduction of new and exciting models; expand our already growing nationwide dealership network; and establish Kia as a major player in the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) market through our EV6 and future new energy vehicle (NEV) models.”

Customer experience and service dedication

For Kia, the new corporate identity through its new logo and redesigned dealerships goes beyond representation. Putting dedication to exceptional service and a pleasurable customer experience first is what the brand is all about.

KPMC aims to improve the customer

experience by reducing vehicle downtime during service or emergency repairs through parts availability. The recent partnership with Entrego was a significant factor. Another commitment is the on-time delivery of emergency parts within the Metro Manila network, thanks to a massive parts warehouse to ensure parts availability.

Further, Kia Philippines is committed to continuously improving skills among its sales and aftersales personnel. There will be regular dealer workforce training through certification programs and audits. o ne key program is the Kia National Skills Cup - a dealer-wide competition showcasing the ability of the aftersales department and its mission to provide the best customer experience. The rigorous competition involves a theoretical, practical, scenario-based test. The program’s current champion represents the Philippines in the 6th Kia Service Advisor World Competition in South Korea.

Sales target and network expansion

ThE entire Philippine automotive market recovered and finished strong in 2022, closing at 370,000 units sold. The 2023 outlook is 10 percent growth compared to pre-pandemic levels of 400,000 units sold.

Kia Philippines is set to outpace industry growth in 2023 by double digits. Its position in the industry rankings will be fortified by introducing new models and further strengthening the distribution network. By 2024, Kia will expand its network to 50 fulloperating dealerships nationwide.

Considering the availability of key models, sales are estimated to increase towards the second half of 2023. The Stonic remains the volume driver model with 49 percent, followed by the Soluto and K2500. Despite supply limitations, Kia grew 19 percent versus the same period last year.

Sustainable mobility

ACCor DINg to Kia, its global strategic plan is to improve EV sales and become a sustainable mobility solutions provider. KPMC’s initial step toward sustainable mobility was introducing the multi-awarded EV6 to the local market. The all-electric model, as the ultra-modern face of Kia, with its technology and innovation, is also part of the roadmap to a more dynamic, innovative, and inspiring future for Kia under the new leadership.

Aside from being poised to grow a larger share in the local EV segment, the launch of the EV6 will also take advantage of the current incentives, which include tax exemption until early 2028, and a 30 percent discount on motor vehicle registration, inspection, and renewal fees. Moreover, the Ayala group has established charging infrastructures (EV parking and charging slots).

g lobally, Kia plans to complete 15 EVs in its lineup by 2027. In the Philippines, two NEVs and two other mainstream Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) models will be introduced to strengthen the lineup further and align with Kia’s global strategy. By 2027, 14 percent of total automobile sales are forecasted as EV models. given these trends, electric mobility plays a huge role in the strategy of Kia Philippines. More importantly, all Kia vehicles globally undergo sustainable design development while keeping with Kia’s “opposites-united” design philosophy, which expands the use of recycled plastics and the application of eco-friendly materials.

Forward-looking

U NDEr Buendia’s leadership, background, and experience in sales, business development, and network operations, Kia Philippines is confident in the new leader’s ability to anticipate and carry out crucial brand and market executions for Kia in the future. “Kia Philippines is already a major player in the local industry and the region,” said Buendia. “Kia Philippines became one of the fastest-growing car brands locally and was also recognized by Kia Asia Pacific (K-APAC) for achieving the highest growth rate in the region and being the number one independent distributor in retail sales in 2022. I will build upon these accolades to further steer Kia Philippines to greater success.”

Story & photo by Randy S. Peregrino

KPMC’s new country head Brian Buendia. Kia PhiliPPines

The introduction of the Kia e V6 in the local market spearheaded KPMC’s sustainable mobility drive