BusinessMirror July 09, 2022

FORMER JAPAN PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE ASSASSINATED »A5 ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDS

2006 National Newspaper of the Year 2011 National Newspaper of the Year 2013 Business Newspaper of the Year 2017 Business Newspaper of the Year 2019 Business Newspaper of the Year 2021 Pro Patria Award PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY 2018 Data Champion

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

A broader look at today’s business n

Saturday, July 9, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 274

EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS

BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR

(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS

P25.00 nationwide | 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

SJORS737 | DREAMSTIME.COM

WHEN MORE IS NOT ALWAYS MERRIER

Popcom girds for review of 50-year-old population policy as 26-million Pinoys grapple with poverty

E

By Cai U. Ordinario

FFORTS to help lift families from poverty comprise the next phase of the Philippines’s population and development efforts as the government prepares to review the country’s 50-yearold population policy, according to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom).

In a recent televised interview, Popcom Executive Director and Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio A. Perez III said the country’s population policy was laid down in 1969 during the term of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. The main goal of the policy then was to bring down the country’s fertility rate.

Half a century later, Perez said, the country has attained its desired fertility rate, which meant couples have two children, and households now have two parents and two children. This means the country is now ready to undertake the next phase on its population and development agenda.

“Nagpaplano na sila, responsable na sila. So dapat maiahon sila sa kahirapan. Dahil mataas pa ang level ng poverty both sa household and sa population, umaabot pa ng 26 million ang nabubuhay below the poverty line. So ito ang gusto namin tutukan, gumawa ng mga patakaran ang iba’t-ibang ahensiya para tugunan ang population poverty, ang family level na poverty. [Couples are now using family planning, and they are now responsible. The next step is to lift them from poverty. Poverty is still high at the household and population level since there are still 26 million who

POPCOM Executive Director and Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio A. Perez III: “The next step is to lift them from poverty. Poverty is still high at the household and population level since there are still 26 million who are living below the poverty line. This is what we want to focus on, for agencies to address poverty at the family level.”

are living below the poverty line.

This is what we want to focus on, for agencies to address poverty at the family level],” Perez said.

In order to attain this, Perez said, Popcom would focus on continuing the family planning program, which supports the family planning needs of 8 to 9 million Filipinos. This will help maintain the country’s population growth

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.9090

rate at 1 percent annually, making it more manageable to grow the economy and cut poverty.

Youth as procreators

PEREZ also said efforts to promote adolescent health to prevent a renewed increase in teen pregnancies, which still reach 150,000 annually, will also be pursued. He said starting next year, the Popcom and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide social protection for teen mothers and their children.

Popcom will also push for the need to increase employment for the youth and women, as well as shift to a living wage as opposed to a minimum wage.

Perez earlier told the BusinessMirror that, ideally, the country should adopt a living wage, which is about P15,000 a month.

However, given the consequences of such a move, one of which is inflation, it may be a low-hanging fruit to adjust minimum wages to at least make them on a par with the poverty threshold, which was pegged at P12,082 a month in the first half of 2021 by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Support ratio

THE University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) earlier said each Filipino worker is supporting more than two consumers, leaving little room for savings and investment in their incomes. This is a major roadblock in reaping the demographic dividend.

UP demographer Michael del Mundo said the country’s support ratio was at 0.43 before the pandemic. This is below the recommended 0.5 support ratio that each country must have in order to reap the demographic dividend.

The demographic dividend, he said, is not only about bringing fertility

rates down but also ensuring that the population is able to earn, consume, save and invest.

Based on the study, since the country’s average support ratio is 0.43, which is still below the threshold of 0.5, one effective worker is supporting 2.33 effective consumers or, simply put, 100 effective workers in the country are supporting 233 effective consumers.

The number being supported by each worker takes into consideration the workers and two or more family members who are considered non-productive consumers, or those who could not economically support themselves.

Del Mundo explained that some of the non-productive consumers are those between the ages of 15 and 64 who are not earning a living. In order to reap the demographic dividend, each worker must be able to support himself or herself plus one family member.

Apart from this, Perez said Popcom, an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), would also continue its efforts on zero hunger. He said their focus, together with the government’s Zero Hunger Task Force, will be on food-producing families who also experience hunger.

to understate the structural as well as contingent factors and gives the government an excuse not to solve these,” Ibon said.

“While expanding fuel subsidies to include tricycles and offering free train rides for students are welcome for the short term, actual subsidy distribution to households, transport workers and producers still has a huge backlog,” it added.

Ibon said oil prices could be lower without the fuel excise tax.

The group estimated that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) monitored gasoline price of P98.40 per liter as of end-June, for instance, could be lower at P88.40 if the excise tax on gasoline was removed.

It could reach P76.50 if both the excise tax and the value-added tax (VAT) were to be taken out. As for diesel, the P98-per-liter monitored price can be lowered at P92

if excise taxes were removed and P80.20 if the VAT is also taken out.

Moreover, Ibon said the impact of increasing prices could be mitigated by subsidies, but these are coming in too little too late.

The P500 monthly household subsidies for six months promised by the government four months ago will be given to only 12.4 million families.

If finally distributed after four months since promised, the P500 per month subsidy will also just be equivalent to P60 per day or a measly P12 per person for a family of five.

The amount is paltry, Ibon said, noting that in the National Capital Region the minimum wage still barely meets Ibon’s estimated family living wage of P1,106 for five members despite a belated P33 wage hike.

Low prices

ADDRESSING poverty also means keeping prices low. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ibon Foundation Inc. said the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should not play down the severity of high inflation and say that it is beyond government control.

“The new administration needs to admit the breadth of the price crisis to undertake real solutions. However, Marcos disagreeing with the PSA-reported inflation figure as not that high tends

n JAPAN 0.4110 n UK 67.2250 n HK 7.1245 n CHINA 8.3427 n SINGAPORE 39.9208 n AUSTRALIA 38.2362 n EU 56.8315 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.8936

Source: BSP (July 8, 2022)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, July 9, 2022

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Wall Street says a recession is coming. Consumers say it’s already here

By Philip Aldrick, Enda Curran & Michael Sasso

T

Bloomberg News

HE recession calls are getting louder on Wall Street, but for many of the households and businesses that make up the world economy the downturn is already here.

Take Gina Palmer, who runs She Salon on Atlanta’s busy Northside Drive west of downtown. She’d ordinarily expect her business to be alive with the din of customers on a Friday morning. But on that day late last month, it was largely empty and quiet, save for a few employees. With summer break moving into full swing, her clientele is preoccupied with affording summer camps for their kids amid soaring food and gasoline costs.

“When people look at their budgets, the first thing they cut is self care,” Palmer said. “I’ve seen my clients go from having weekly appointments to bi-weekly, and my bi-weekly clients are now coming in every six weeks.”

4,000 miles away, Abbie Marshall, the landlady of The Buck Inn in the countryside of northern England, is also trying to cope with surging costs. When she took over the pub last year, she ran the numbers on a 4-percent inflation rate— an assumption that would normally be seen as conservative given it’s twice the Bank of England target.

But now it’s above 9 percent and rapidly heading for double digits.

Marshall has changed the costs on her menu four times and

raised the price of a pint of beer on three occasions.

For Palmer, Marshall and many others, the technical definitions of a recession—traditionally two quarters of contraction—are irrelevant.

Is it here?

GOLDMAN Sachs Group Inc. economists put the risk of such a slump in the US in the next year at 30 percent. A Bloomberg Economics model sees a 38-percent chance in the same period, with the risks building beyond that time frame.

But for many it already feels like it’s here. More than one-third of Americans believe the economy is now in a recession, according to a poll last month by CivicScience.

The worries among small business owners, consumers and others are illustrated by so-called Misery Indexes, which blend unemployment and inflation rates.

The gauge for the US is already 12.2 percent, similar to levels witnessed at the start of the pandemic and in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, according to Bloomberg Economics.

The UK is similarly elevated, and other measures echo that grim

view. US consumer expectations as measured by the Conference Board have dropped to the lowest in almost a decade. Sentiment across OECD member countries has fallen for 11 straight months and hasn’t been this low since 2009.

“People are getting poorer,” said Ludovic Subran, chief economist at Allianz SE. “So this is not a recession, but it really feels and tastes like a recession.”

The reason? Prices are soaring worldwide, particularly for essential foods and fuels, eroding the spending power of families. Central banks are responding to the inflation surge, but as they push up interest rates that turns the screw on those with debts.

Workers are complaining their wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, a frustration that’s already led to strikes in some countries.

Quite simply, people’s money is disappearing fast, and they’re worried it could get a lot worse.

What’s in store?

AND as 2022 hits the halfway mark, new worries are taking hold.

Layered on top of the inflation squeeze are the mounting concerns about the outlook for economic growth, not just this year, but into 2023. That’s sparked talk of stagflation, a nasty cocktail of little to no growth—or worse—and faster than usual price increases.

The situation is a far cry from what was once expected for 2022 and beyond, which for a time included the idea of a new “Roaring Twenties.” Instead, euphoria is in short supply and the narrative is one of downgrades.

Last month, the OECD cut its outlook for 2022 global growth to 3 percent from 4.5 percent, with even slower expansion seen next year. The World Bank lowered its projections, warning of “danger” for the economy.

There’s also alarm in markets, where the S&P 500 has plunged more than 20 percent from its January high, and the Stoxx Europe 600 is down about 19 percent. The near-constant stream of warnings, along with gloomy headlines, mean there’s a chance that a recession becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where apprehension forces consumers and businesses to hunker down and cut back on spending. That would suck demand out of the economy, exacerbating any downturn.

A 2021 paper co-authored by Danny Blanchflower, a Dartmouth College economics professor and former BOE policy maker, said that declines in US consumer expectations gauges of 10 points or more, from either the University of Michigan or Conference Board surveys, are predictors of recessions going back to the 1980s. The Conference Board measure is down almost 30 points this year.

For the US, the National Bureau of Economic Research is the

official arbiter of recessions, which it defines as a “significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.”

Any such declaration will usually only come well into a slump, or even after it. In the meantime, the debate rages on. Deutsche Bank AG Chief Executive Christian Sewing sees a 50-percent chance of a global recession, a prediction that Citigroup Inc. economists have also made.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says a US recession is a possibility, but not inevitable. Morgan Stanley economists expect a mild euro-area recession at the end of 2022.

Away from that back and forth, businesses and consumers are fretting about their finances and trying to figure out how to keep their heads above water as the pressures intensify.

Inflation was already heading higher coming into 2022 amid a post-Covid demand bump. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, energy and food costs jumped, and the world found itself dealing with soaring prices, a very unfamiliar situation after years of low inflation. Gasoline in the US topped an average of $5 per gallon for the first time last month.

Given the impact on basics, from filling the gas tank to the supermarket run, few have escaped the squeeze.

In New Mexico’s capital city, the cowboys at the annual Rodeo de Santa Fe last month were sweating the price of fuel more than mounting a 2,000-pound bull. The number of entrants in the contest fell by a third, which President Jim Butler blames on the price of gasoline. While farmers and truckers can pass along their fuel costs, “the cowboys don’t have it,” he said.

Tough times in Asia

THE tough times stretch to Asia too, where China’s Zero-Covid policy and lockdowns sent the world’s second-biggest economy into a tailspin, compounding the damage from a real-estate slump.

In Beijing, 31-year-old Tian Lijun began the year shutting the two florists she ran. After finding work as a sales representative for a high-end medical clinic, she lost that job in May. To make ends meet, she’s taken to selling flowers at stalls in community compounds and stopped shopping for anything beyond necessities.

“There’s no way to make money nowadays. I can only manage to repay my loans, pay the rent and feed myself,” Tian said. “Forget about entertainment or any other spending.”

Financial tailspin

MANY have to make even tougher decisions on simple day-to-day spending, sometimes forced to choose between the electricity bill or food. UK grocery chain Tesco Plc says shoppers are buying fewer items and trading down to cheaper own-brand versions of staples.

Just as the pandemic and its recovery proved to be K-shaped, so the next deterioration may prove similarly unequal. In the UK, a report by the Resolution Foundation think tank said that years of income stagnation have left the poorest families “brutally exposed” to the cost-of-living crunch.

Phil Storey’s recent experience as chief executive at Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank in London is more evidence of that. With food prices up almost 9 percent, he’s seen an increase in demand.

“We’re seeing people who were on benefits but stable financially, people who really know how to budget, now coming to us,” Storey said. “We’re even seeing working people, those on zero-hour contracts, needing help to tide them over.”

At The Buck Inn, Marshall raises a similar concern as she tries to balance protecting her income with not driving away customers.

“The cost of goods is moving so quickly, I have to pass that on,” she said. “But at what point does my pricing become prohibitive? Does going out become so expensive that it is only for the better off?”

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

News BusinessMirror

Debt-to-GDP ratio to start tapering down next year to 52.5% by 2028

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

F

INANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno said they expect the national government’s debt as a share of the economy to be reduced to 52.5 percent—within the internationally accepted threshold—by the end of the Marcos Jr. administration in 2028.

Spea k ing in a press conference fol low ing the meeting of the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on Friday, Diokno said the national government’s debtto- GDP ratio will start to taper down next year coming from 61.8 percent this year.

“In other words, by the end of the Marcos years, we expect the national debt-to-GDP ratio to be below 60 percent which is the old threshold,” Diokno told reporters after DBCC’s first meeting under the Marcos administration.

While the debt-to-GDP ratio this year is seen to breach the 60-percent threshold, Diokno reiterated that this is not a cause for concern, adding that this is one of the lowest for emerging economies.

“That’s really nothing to worry about. The way out of this is by growing at a faster rate. We have to simply outgrow our debt,” he added.

However, Diok no sa id t hey are not rushing to bring back the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio to the record-low pre-pandemic level of 39.6 percent in 2019.

The finance chief argued that the best way to reduce the debt ratio at this time is to support the country’s economic growth in a bid to also

raise revenues.

“Given where we came from, I think it will be wrong for us to shoot for that level. I think we have to prioritize growth first rather than going back to that number. As I said, it’s not crucial that we revert to 39 [percent]. We must prioritize growth and the needs of the people, of Filipinos,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Apart from supporting the country’s economic growth, Diokno has since said they plan to raise revenues through improving the tax administration, imposing taxes on digital services, single-use plastics, and carbon emissions, among others.

He expressed confidence that these measures would be enough to raise the needed revenues for the country to outgrow its debt.

To reduce the impact of the currency fluctuations on the country’s debt, Diokno said they also plan to increase the share of the national government’s domestic borrowings to 80 percent of the total, higher than 75 percent previously.

For this year, the government had set to borrow a total of P2.2 trillion.

As of end-May, the national government’s outstanding debt dipped to P12.5 trillion from a record-high of P12.76 trillion as of end-April, due to its repayment of a P300-billion short-term, zero interest loan from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The national government’s debtto-GDP ratio as of the first quarter of the year rose to 63.5 percent, the highest since the country’s debt as a percentage of the economy hit 65.7 percent in 2005 under the Arroyo administration.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

A3

Economic team raises inflation forecast; adjusts foreign exchange rate projection

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

P

R ESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s economic team raised its inf lation forecast for this year to a range of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent, even higher than the level expected by the previous administration.

Fol low i ng its f i rst meet i ng u nd e r t he t e r m o f P re s i d e nt Marcos Jr., the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on Friday announced that inf lation for this year remains “elevated ” as fuel and food prices rose as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine

war and supply chain disruptions.

The new projection is above the government’s target band of 2 to 4 percent and the 3.7 to 4.7 percent revised forecast of DBCC in May under the Duterte administration.

Likewise, the DBCC hiked its projection for inflation for next year to 2.5 to 4.5 percent, also above the former economic team’s previous forecast of 2 to 4 percent. From 2024 to 2028, it is expected to finally settle within their target band.

Apart from inflation, the DBCC also adjusted its projection for the peso-dollar exchange rate to P51 to P55 for next year until 2028 due to heightened global uncertainty such

as the aggressive monetary policy tightening by the US Fed, market aversion amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, and increased global oil prices.

However, it retained the previous forecast of P51 to P53 for the pesodollar exchange rate for this year.

The DBCC also adopted the GDP growth targets that the economic team stipulated in their six-year Medium Term Fiscal Framework that they submitted to President Marcos Jr. earlier this week.

For this year, the Marcos administration is expecting the Philippine economy to grow 6.5 to 7.5 percent. However, this is slightly lower than the downscaled goal

of Duterte’s economic team of 7 to 8 percent.

Nonetheless, the current economic team is more bullish in its GDP growth targets for 2023 to 2028 at 6.5 to 8 percent. To recall, the previous DBCC only targeted 6 to 7 percent for 2023 to 2025.

With these economic targets for this year and next year, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has since expressed confidence that the country will post the highest growth rate for both years among the countries in the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Plus Three region, including China, Japan, and South Korea.

China EV makers urged to invest in ‘flourishing’ Philippine market

By Andrea San Juan

T

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) offices in China, together with partners from the private sector, are encouraging Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers to invest in the Philippines DTI Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) Assistant Secretary Glenn Peñaranda, in his opening address to the attendees of the 2022 International Summit on Lithium Battery Technology and Application for Light Electric Vehicles (BLEV2022), said, “The Philippine market is growing and will grow even bigger as the adaptation of EVs is expected to accelerate with the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 11697 otherwise known as the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) in May 2022, which provides for a national policy

framework to develop the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines, particularly for the shift to EVs and for further attracting investments and creating high-value jobs.”

Peñaranda added, “With EVIDA’s passage, (the Philippines) will be crafting a Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which will be a national development plan for the EV industry to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of EVs and the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS).”

Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou’s (PTIC-Guangzhou) Vice Consul (Commercial) Froilan Emil Pamintuan, in his presentation, also cited some of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Programs already in place in the Philippines, as well as the incentives already awaiting investors in green

ecosystems under Tier II of the Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP).

“Currently, incentives are already in place under the SIPP for activities that include assembly of EVs, manufacture of parts and components, establishment and operation of EV infrastructure such as charging stations; renewable energy; energy efficiency and conservation projects; energy storage and integrated waste management, disposal and recycling,” DTI said in a news statement.

Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) President Edmund Araga also delivered a message during the two-day BLEV 2022 event, while P T I C - G u a n g z h o u S e n i o r Tr a d e a n d Investment Consultant Mr. Allan Liu joined the Asean panel discussion, which included representatives from Malaysia

and Thailand.

BLEV 2022 was organized by Battery China and the Guangdong Electric Vehicle Chamber of Commerce, which have been working closely with the PTIC offices in China, EVAP, and the Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) in promoting the Philippines as an attractive investment destination for Chinese businesses involved in e-vehicle assembly and manufacturing , including e-batteries.

In 2021, China was ranked as the Philippines’ top trading partner with total trade amounting to $38 billion and was the second largest export market receiving Philippine exports amounting to $11.6 billion.

Approved investments in 2021 amounting to $43.53 million placed China as the Philippines’ seventh largest source of investments last year.

PBBM tests positive for Covid, Think Tank: Uphold legacy of 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration Ruling now in isolation–Malacañang

P

R ESIDEN T Ferd inand R .

Marcos Jr. tested positive for Covid-19 in an antigen test, and is under isolation, Malacañang Palace revealed on Friday.

The President is otherwise fine except for a slight fever.

Briefing reporters, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the immediate staff, including herself, who were with him in an oath-taking tested negative, however.

Rep. Sandro Marcos, the President’s son, also tested negative, she added.

Those who attended the event have all been advised to watch for symptoms.

Replying to a question, Cruz-Angeles said First Lady Liza AranetaMarcos and her two other sons were not exposed to the President because they are out of town.

Joining the briefing virtually, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the President “will be isolated for seven days from the time he tested positive in an antigen test.”

Vergeire, in reply to a query, said that Marcos will undergo confirmatory RT-PCR test but for now, he was

already placed in isolation following health protocols.

Vergeire also said that all Department of Health officials who met with the President on Wednesday likewise tested negative for Covid-19.

“Based on current protocols we don’t need to unless we are symptomatic,” she told the BusinessMirror.

“But since we have a meeting later [Friday afternoon] in OP (Office of the President) we had our RT PCR tests and results are all negative,” Vergeire said.

Aside from Vergeire, other officials who tested negative despite being exposed to the President were: Undersecretaries Lilibeth David, Maria Carolina Vidal-Taino, Abdullah Dumama Jr. and Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran. The DOH officials had a meeting with the President to discuss the country’s Covid-19 response.

Marcos also met with officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Senate sets review of K to 12 program

By Butch Fernandez

T

he Senate, taking the cue from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., is poised to mount a parallel review of the K-to-12 education program.

Acting on a resolution filed

by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the Senate committee on education is set to get inputs from education officials that will enable lawmakers to get a grip of what legislative measure is needed to further improve the education system.

Among other items, up for review by the Senate panel is the K to 12 program that President Marcos had also asked the Department of Education to review soon after he assumed the presidency.

Based on the resolution filed

by Gatchalian, who retained the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Education, the panel was tasked to review the K-to-12 curriculum, as well as the medium of instruction, tools and mode for teaching, learning modules and competency of teachers, among others.

F

oreign policy, international law, and maritime security experts will mark the sixth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea through a forum on how we can develop capabilities to secure our maritime jurisdiction and achieve stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Top Philippine think-tank Stratbase ADR Institute is organizing the forum themed “Redefining Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in an Age of Uncertainty” which will be held at 9AM on Tuesday, July 12, and livestreamed online.

“We must not allow China’s blatant disregard of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). The Filipino people deserve a government that prioritizes the security and welfare of its citizens before others,” said Professor Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, president of the institute.

“We must unceasingly uphold the legacy of the 2016 arbitral ruling and our leaders

should step up in unified action to defend the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, a United Nations body based in The Hague, the Netherlands, ruled in the Philippines’ favor on July 12, 2016 and said China’s claims of a nine-dash line had no basis.

The decision, however, came at the start of the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who refrained from asserting our legal victory and reduced it to the argument that we would never win a war against our giant neighbor.

A powerhouse roster

In the July 12 event which marks the 6th Anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez will deliver the keynote address.

The list of speakers includes international geopolitical experts: Lisa Curtis, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program and Senior Fellow for the Center for a New American Security (Revitalizing

the Alliance through Strategic Autonomy and Rules-Based System), Murray Hiebert, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Aligning IndoPacific Strategies for the China Challenge), Dr. Renato de Castro, Stratbase ADRI Trustee and Program Convenor (A Roadmap of Philippine Foreign Policy: Prospects for further Indo-Pacific Presence), and RADM. Rommel Jude Ong, Executive Director, Security Reform Initiative (Contextualizing the Philippines’ Defense Posture today in the Indo-Pacific Region).

H.E. Jana Sediva, Ambassador of the Czech Republic (Developing the EU Defense Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific for Maritime Capacity Building), and Alistair White, Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in the Philippines (Building on the UK Security Strategy in the Indo-Pacific towards Maritime Cooperation) are panelist from the diplomatic community.

From the academe are: Yusuke Takagi, Associate Professor of the National Graduate

Ebdane backs excellence in maritime education

By Henry Empeño

S

AN NARCISO, Zambales—Gov. H e r m o g e n e s E b d a n e J r. , w h o has declared education as one of his administration’s priorities, vowed full support for the development of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) as the country’s premier maritime school during graduation rites here on Thursday.

Ebdane, who was the guest of honor and speaker in the school’s 199th commencement ceremonies, reiterated his commitment to prioritize education to make Zambales a sustainable community, a program he unveiled during his inauguration as four-term governor last week.

“As governor, I’d like to elevate the level of education at the PMMA and in Zambales in general. My office is ready to provide what help is needed for the sake of our students,” he said. “I believe that these

youth will be the warriors of tomorrow, and on their hands lay the progress of our country.”

At the same time, he called on officials of the state-run maritime school, along with teachers and parents, to help raise the bar for PMMA education.

“The PMMA as an educational institution should strive and commit itself to enhancing and improving maritime education. Teacher training, infrastructure and facility advancement, and research and development should form part of its thrust toward excellence,” Ebdane pointed out.

“Together, we can fulfill these dreams,” he added.

Ebdane also noted the need for local graduates to excel in leadership to meet today’s human resources requirements for managerial competence, not just technical skills.

The PMMA, which is among a dozen government-operated maritime higher education institutions (MHEI’s) today, is

aspiring to be declared as the national maritime academy.

It had recently embarked on a P25-million program to establish smart classrooms, remote-access workshops, online platforms, and even augmented reality and virtual reality equipment for its students, and inaugurated last week a new 50-person barracks as part of facility expansion.

Ebdane’s call for excellence in maritime education came at a time when a Zambales native topped the school’s academic rolls.

Marl Cheston Felarca Ravelo, who is valedictorian of the PMMA’s Masidlayag Class of 2022 with a degree in Marine Engineering, hails from San Marcelino town here.

Ravelo and the other members of his class, like graduates before them, has three career options: enlist with the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Coast Guard, or join the merchant marine fleet.

Ebdane said that with the expected shortage of officers in the global shipping

Institute for Policy Studies (Japanese Maritime Diplomacy: Maintaining the Freedom of the Indo-Pacific Waters), John Blaxland, Professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies Australia National University (Elevating Australia’s Maritime Security Relations in line with Current and Emerging Threats),

‘A perfect opportunity’

The presence of speakers from different regions shows the need for the support of allies and like- minded countries in pursuing a just order in the Indo-Pacific.

It is not only the national government that could uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity, Manhit said. “We should foster multi-lateral, inclusive cooperation through alliances and strategic partnerships.”

“Already, there is a strong aggrupation of support from like-minded states to counter threats from China or other traditional and non-traditional security challenges that the Philippines should align with,” Manhit added.

industry and a steady demand for seafarers in the next 10 years, PMMA graduates are assured of a bright future. However, he reminded them of the challenge they must contend with as young seafarers: “how to keep yourself qualified, competent, and relevant.”

The governor also urged the graduates to “sail beyond and conquer the world” and, at the same time, exhorted them to share their success, “especially with those who are in dire need of help.”

“If you finally go out to the sea to find success, take care. And if you find success, come back home and share your experience and wisdom with the next generation, so that your victory would also become the victory of our Motherland,” Ebdane concluded.

The PMMA held its first face-to-face graduation ceremony last Thursday after two years of online commencement exercises because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although a sudden heavy rain midway through the two-hour program marred the occasion, PMMA cadets valiantly stood their ground throughout the downpour and later sloshed through flooded field for the pass and review.

A4

News BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 9, 2022

PBBM ‘open’ to declaration of state of calamity on food crisis–PCAFI

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

P

resident Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is “open” to the possibility of declaring a state of emergency or calamity to “immediately” address the food security problems of the country, an industry group said.

Leaders of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) recently met with Marcos Jr., who is concurrently the agriculture secretary, and presented the group’s recommendations to address the problems of the agriculture sector.

One of the recommendations of the group is the Presidential declaration of a state of emergency or calamity on food security to allow Marcos Jr. to intervene in the allocation of local government units’ (LGUs) funds toward boosting domestic food production.

PCAFI President Danilo V. Fausto said Marcos Jr. was receptive to the various recommendations of the group, including the declaration of a state of emergency or calamity on food security.

Fausto explained that it “might” be “necessary” for Marcos Jr. to make such a declaration to “encourage” and “direct” LGUs to allocate some of their funds for food production.

Fausto added that the President has requested his legal team to review the possibility of making such a declaration and address “sensitivities” surrounding the matter.

These sensitivities, Fausto explained, include priorities of the LGUs, particularly those that are not in rural areas, and the budget making process of the LGUs. “All our recommendations were okay to him. From what I understand, he (Marcos Jr.) has requested his legal team to review [our proposal to declare a state of emergency or calamity] because of the sensitivities involved,” Fausto said during the group’s maiden PCAFihan session at Victorino’s Restaurant on Friday.

Fausto said the declaration of the state of calamity is among the few options that the President has to immediately mobilize necessary financial resources to ensure the

country’s food security.

“He realized that and patango-tango siya. He is very cautious and he will study [everything] carefully but he understands the urgency,” Fausto said.

The BusinessMirror broke the story recently that industry leaders were urging Marcos Jr. to declare a nationwide state of calamity on food security problems to allow him to promptly address the country’s food supply challenges. (Related story: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2022/07/04/ declare-a-state-of-calamityon-foodcrisis-pbbm-urged/).

Fausto emphasized that Marcos’s number one problem in addressing agricultural issues is the lack of funding or budget, especially for this year. Fausto claimed that the government’s budget for the whole year may have been already obligated given the nearly 86 percent obligation rate in end-April.

Latest data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed that as of end-April the agency’s total allotment releases has reached P4.3 billion, which is

about 85.6 percent of the P5.023 obligation program for 2022.

“The problem is that the treasury is empty. The national budget for 2022 was almost, if not, totally obligated and spent before July,” Fausto said.

The group also proposed that Marcos Jr. issue a directive to Philippine Guarantee Corp. (PhilGuarrantee) to “provide credit guarantee” to farmers, which would help them in accessing available credit portfolios in both state-owned and private banks.

“Our food producers need the state guarantee because they cannot go to the banks without collateral. With the guarantee from PhilGuarantee, the banks may perhaps be able to lend to our food producers and not see agriculture as a risky business,” Fausto said.

“This money with PhilGuarantee should be given back to the farmers and food producers so that they will have access to credit. [Marcos Jr.] can do this by giving a marching order to PhilGuarantee. There is about P1 trillion available for lending for agri-agra,” Fausto added.

DOT regional offices raise fund availability concerns during Frasco’s ‘listening tour’

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

convergence program with the Department of Transportation, which oversees aviation and sea concerns.

“I’m hopeful as well that you would be open to the innovations we wish to introduce to the Department, if only to fulfill our President’s vision to equalize opportunities for tourism promotion and development across the Philippines. On one hand, to maximize the potential of our already well-known tourist sites and, on the other hand, to further develop areas that have not necessarily been given equal attention,” she said.

Special to the BusinessMirror

T

HE new leadership at the Department of Tourism (DOT) encouraged the regional offices to keep in touch with local government representatives and stakeholders in their respective areas to align tourism development goals.

Tourism Secretary-designate Christina Garcia Frasco met with DOT regional directors from the Visayas and Mindanao to discuss their respective concerns, as part of her “listening tour,” the first leg of which started on Thursday in Cebu. “Moving forward, I would want for us, in the same way, that I am reaching out to you, to continuously reach out to our local government officials and local stakeholders because I think that the model for that—which has been Cebu—has proven very successful, that even throughout the pandemic, domestic tourism still flourished,” she told the DOT regional officials of Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, the Davao Region, Socksargen, and Caraga. The meeting took place at Radisson Blu Cebu.

She explained that the success of domestic tourism in Cebu, despite the pandemic, was because, “the DOT region, the provincial government, local government officials, and private stakeholders were all aligned. And it is this alignment that we need across all regions that will spell the success of our endeavors in the Department.”

She stressed that country’s tourism

Grateful for exchange

Tourism Secretary-designate Christina Garcia Frasco (3rd from left) enjoins regional directors (RD) of the Visayas and Mindanao to keep touching base with their local government officials and stakeholders to be able to align tourism goals in their respective destinations. Frasco met with the RDs on the first leg of her “listening tour” on Thursday in Cebu. With her are (from left): Assistant Secretary Rica Bueno, OIC-Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation Shalimar Tamano, and Undersecretary/Chief of Staff Atty. Elaine Bathan. Photo courtesy of DOT industry will rise or fall “on the success or failure of our regions because this is where our tourist destinations are located.”

Common concerns

The regional directors had an opportunity to discuss one-on-one with Frasco their concerns. Among the common issues raised were: fund availability and utilization, tourism infrastructure, and transportation.

The new DOT chief enjoined the regional offices to consolidate and review their work and financial plans, to be able

to efficiently use the agency’s budget, which has been cut to just P2.74 billion this year, from P3.52 billion in 2021. The Commission on Audit earlier took the DOT to task for the low utilization of its funds last year. (See, “COA to DOT: Covid no excuse for unutilized funds,” in the BusinessMirror, July 4, 2022.)

Frasco likewise evaluated the possibility of developing more air and seaports and additional routes to create more convenient connections for domestic and international visitors. The DOT has a

In a Viber message, Regional Director (RD) for Eastern Visayas Karen S. Tiopes told the BusinessMirror, “The RDs were happy to be given the chance to engage with the Secretary. Speaking as the most senior RD in terms of years in office, I can say this is the smoothest transition so far.”

She added, “The Secretary assured us that she took note of our concerns—both common and region-specific—as well as our individual recommendations, [saying that] she will act on these concerns, especially those that needed urgent attention.”

Frasco said she wanted to personally listen to the concerns of DOT regional offices and stakeholders, and make sure the agency is “in touch with the realities on the ground.”

(See, “Frasco to go on ‘listening tour’ of the PHL,” in the B usinessM irror, July 5, 2022.)

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Tolentino bares planned changes in Senate Blue Ribbon Committee

By Butch Fernandez

S

enator Francis Tolentino, the incoming chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC), is planning some changes in the way the powerful panel conducts its business with a view to streamline the process, while protecting the rights of all concerned.

A key reform he is eyeing is to have a preliminary determination—where the committee does an initial perusal of the issues sought to be investigated by one senator. This means the Blue Ribbon will not immediately call a hearing right after a senator files a resolution seeking an inquiry.

The inquiry will also be time-bound or guided by a clear schedule; the distinction between commitment order and a detention order will be made clear once the BRC cites a party in contempt; and the committee will have a permanent general counsel.

He also wants the committee to have a provision for what is called a referral to prosecute. This means, the committee report they will craft will be sent to relevant government agencies if the BRC recommends

prosecution of certain parties after concluding the Senate investigation.

Earlier this week, incoming Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that Tolentino, a lawyer and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman, would surely become the new chairman of the BRC as this is the consensus of the emerging majority bloc in the Senate.

Comebacking Senator Allan Peter Cayetano was reported as saying earlier he will only join the majority if he is assured of the BRC post, but it was unclear whether Zubiri had gotten around to talking to Cayetano.

The BRC was chaired earlier by former senator Richard J. Gordon, also a lawyer and veteran legislator and local government executive.

Gordon had a long-running word war with then-President Rodrigo Duterte, who accused him of using the BRC for his political agenda. But Gordon, who led an inquiry into the misuse of some P10 billion of pandemic funds in the Pharmally scandal, said Duterte abused his power to harass senators and state auditors—an indication, Gordon said, that he wished to protect some guilty parties.

Marcos Jr.’s big promises to PHL face economic reality

A

fter the initial euphoria from a landslide victory on promises of a building binge, more jobs, cheaper food and tax breaks, Philippines’ new President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is finding that his populist pledges are running into reality.

The government simply lacks the fiscal space to allow tax concessions, or spend big on building bridges, roads and ports after racking up debt to help cushion the impact of the pandemic. That’s forcing Marcos Jr., the only son of late strongman and former Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., to take a different path.

The first signals from his new administration are that populism can wait. He’s vetoed a proposal to create a special economic zone and a Freeport covering San Miguel Corp.’s New Manila International Airport because it came at a cost to the government: tax revenue.

It’s not just corporates for which Marcos Jr. is reassessing benefits. The 64-year-old leader recently tempered his campaign pledge to reduce the price of rice to P20 pesos a kilogram as an aspiration and walked back on his support for suspending oil excise tax.

“The most important area will have to be the economy,” Marcos Jr. said in his first Cabinet meeting on July 5. His comments at a news conference days before assuming the presidency provided more insight into how he plans to manage the economy. Social programs will be “very focused” because the government is “not so well funded,” he said.

Philippines’ budget deficit at an estimated 7.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year is the highest in the Asia-Pacific, not counting crisisridden Sri Lanka, according to forecasts compiled by Bloomberg. Its debt-to-GDP ratio currently at 63.5 percent is a tad above the internationally prescribed 60 percent threshold.

While that isn’t a concern as long as the economy can grow at a faster clip, a World Bank study warned that elevated debt levels for an extended period can be costly for countries as it can hurt growth.

Marcos Jr.’s economic team, led by former central bank governor Benjamin Diokno, needs to find ways to overcome the funding shortfall as well as return growth to its pre-pandemic path of at least 6 percent annually—key to winning higher grades from sovereign ratings companies to keep investor faith. Also at stake is the reputation of the Marcos name that was used in the election to evoke a time of economic prosperity, while glossing over reported hardships and alleged human rights violations under his father’s term.

Marcos Jr.’s performance on economic issues will make or break his family’s legacy after he successfully rehabilitated their name, said Ronald Holmes, a professor of political science and development studies at De La Salle University in Manila. “If he fails to address the problems, including inflation and employment, that will definitely hurt his presidency, and in the longer term, lessen whatever is the appreciation of the family’s legacy.”

For all his focus on fiscal prudence, Marcos Jr. isn’t free of missteps. His comments Tuesday that inflation was “not that high” despite June data showing prices rising 6.1 percent are prone to being interpreted as insensitive. That prompted his economic managers to clarify that the president was referring only to the year-to-date number that averaged 4.4 percent.

Concurrently, the new administration has said it prefers targeted support programs over wide-scale subsidies and excise tax suspensions to help ease the pain of rising prices.

Not alone

The Philippines isn’t alone in facing budget constraints. Many Asian economies are also dealing with finances battered by the pandemic, and are trying to work around by cutting spending, including weaning all but the most-needy households away from subsidies to shield them from inflation.

Interest-rate hikes by monetary authorities worldwide in an effort to stem price gains and protect currencies—including by the Philippine central bank—are also making borrowings costlier for everyone, including the government.

Among those feeling the pinch in the Philippines is lottery bet collector Luzviminda Veruen, who is one of the more than 31 million who voted for Marcos Jr. She’s holding on to his promise to slash rice prices.

“There aren’t enough jobs. How can everyone pay for growing bills?” said Veruen, as she fell in line in front of Marcos Jr.’s campaign headquarters waiting for free lunch. “I hope the Philippines, as Bongbong promised, will soon rise again, soon thrive again,” she added, using the President’s nickname.

Despite the challenges, a Bloomberg survey showed that the Philippine economy will grow annually by at least 6 percent through 2024. That’s a pace officials say would pare government debt back to below the 60 percent of output typically viewed as sustainable and bring the poverty rate down to single digits.

Expanding by that clip over the medium term would also help secure a sovereign credit ratings upgrade, and bring investor confidence back, according to Christian de Guzman, senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service in Singapore.

‘Be creative’

Ensuring the Philippines will meet its debt obligations is the first priority, Finance Secretary Diokno has said. Principal payments for pandemic-related borrowings are due from 2023, according to former finance officials.

Tax management will be improved in the early years to fund projects without adding tariffs nor bloating debt, said Diokno, who’s also a former budget minister. The government will also revive a public-private partnership program to bankroll infrastructure.

“We have to be creative here. We have to engage the private sector,” Marcos Jr.’s Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said at a July 4 briefing.

For de Guzman at Moody’s, the current debt level isn’t the main concern, as interest costs form less than 10 percent of revenue.

“The uncertainty comes in terms of the path, the trajectory of institutions and government strength,” he said.

The Philippines, like many emerging economies, is no stranger to political flux.

Previous Presidents were embroiled in corruption scandals and faced coups that hurt efforts to liberalize and grow the economy.

In 1986, a popular uprising against the dictatorship led the Marcoses to flee the nation.

Social-media narratives helped to paint his father’s dictatorship as a “golden age” when the economy was flourishing, prices were low and infrastructure was booming, eventually winning Marcos Jr. the presidency. However, these online narratives will have to contend with real-world economic pain, given inflation has typically been one of the public’s top concerns in the Philippines.

“It’s really a question of how difficult life would be for many Filipinos,” De La Salle Professor Holmes said. “Being elected is one thing, fulfilling your promises is another.”

Bloomberg News

ww.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

TheWorld

Putin tells Ukraine: Russia has barely started its action

M

OSCOW —With Russia’s militar y action in Ukraine in its fifth month, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned Kyiv that it should quickly accept Moscow’s terms or brace for the worst, adding ominously that Russia has barely started its action.

Speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Kremlin-controlled parliament, Putin accused Western allies of fueling the hostilities, charging that “the West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian.”

“It’s a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it looks like it’s heading in that direction,” he added.

“Everybody should know that largely speaking, we haven’t even yet started anything in earnest,” Putin said in a menacing note.

He declared that Russia remains ready to sit down for talks to end the fighting, adding that “those who refuse to do so should

know that the longer it lasts the more difficult it will be for them to make a deal with us.”

“We are hearing that they want to defeat us on the battlefield,” Putin said. “Let them try.”

Earlier in the conflict, the Kremlin demanded that Kyiv acknowledge Russian sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and recognize the independence of Moscow-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Moscow also said it expected Ukraine to bow to the existing situation on the ground, a reference to other land gains it has made since Russian troops rolled into Ukraine on February 24.

After failing to capture Kyiv and other big cities in Ukraine’s northeast early in the campaign, the Russian military shifted its focus to the eastern industrial heartland of Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian troops since 2014.

Chinese general demands end to US-Taiwan military ‘collusion’

B

EIJING — China has demanded the US cease military “collusion” with Taiwan during a virtual meeting between the joint chiefs of staff from the two countries whose relationship has grown increasingly fractious.

Gen. Li Zuocheng told Gen. Mark Milley on Thursday that China had “no room for compromise” on issues affecting its “core interests,” which include self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

“China demands the US...cease reversing history, cease US-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-US ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Li said.

The Chinese military would “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. “If anyone creates a wanton provocation, they will be met with the firm counterattack from the Chinese people.”

Such language is fairly routine and Li was also quoted in a Defense Ministry news release saying China hoped to “further strengthen dialogue, handle risks, and promote cooperation, rather than deliberately creating confrontation, provoking incidents and becoming mutually exclusive.”

The meeting follows fiery comments by Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe at a regional security conference last month that was also attended by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Wei accused the United States of trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.”

At the same meeting in Singapore, Austin said China was causing instability with its claim to Taiwan and its increased military activity in the area. AP

BusinessMirror

A

Xinhua News Agency reported. In another meeting with India, a nation that has moved closer to the US after military clashes on its border with China, Wang told counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that ties have improved of late and called for more efforts to put the relationship back on track.

“It is driven at least in part by Beijing’s desire to be seen as providing security solutions, and pushing back against US charges that China is undermining security,” said Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the US. “China likely sees that there is growing concern about Chinese policies, so it needs to step up its game to improve its image and keep countries onside.”

Blinken and Wang were slated to meet Saturday on the sidelines of the G-20 in a high-level meeting expected to set the stage for a phone call between Xi and US President Joe Biden. The secretary of state last visited Southeast Asia in December, when he traveled to Indonesia and Malaysia, but was forced to skip Thailand due to a Covid case among his entourage. He’ll make up for that with a trip to Bangkok this time.

The Biden administration has sought to reassert US influence in Asia in recent months, hosting leaders of Asean at the White House and visiting Japan and Korea in May. The US has tried to play down the need for countries to line up against China, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin telling a security forum in Singapore last month that smaller nations should be “free to choose, free to prosper and free to chart their own course.”

Most Asian nations are reluctant to take a side and have sought instead to maintain good relations with both. The

A5

Former Japanese Premier Abe dies after being shot, NHK says

F

ormer Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—Japan’s longest-serving premier and a figure of enduring influence—died after he was shot during a campaign event Friday, national broadcaster NHK said.

The attack shocked a nation where political violence and guns are rare. Abe, 67, was shot from about 10 feet away with what appeared to be a home-made firearm in the western city of Nara as he was giving a campaign speech for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Video and images from the scene showed the former premier collapsing to the ground, with blood on his shirt, after two blasts.

A Nara Medical University Hospital spokesperson said that there will be a press briefing at 6 p.m. local time, with the doctor who was in charge of treating Abe. Prior to the NHK report, top officials from the ruling LDP said

the election for Sunday would go ahead as planned, albeit with increased security.

The suspect was identified by local media as a 41-year-old local man who was a veteran of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The man told police he intended to kill Abe because he was frustrated with the former premier, national public broadcaster NHK said.

The incident was one of Japan’s highest profile acts of political violence since World War Two and came as the country holds an upper house election on Sunday, which the LDP is expected to win.

World leaders expressed concern over Abe, who spent more time as

premier than anyone since Japan established the office in the 1880s.

Japan is a country with some of the strictest gun laws among leading economies and shootings are rare. But political violence still occurs from time to time: In 2007, Itcho Ito, the mayor of Nagasaki, died after being shot twice by a member of an organized crime gang. The last time a current or former Japanese prime minister was shot was 90 years ago.

There were few details about the weapon used in the attack on Abe. Video from the scene showed what appeared to be two long tubes wrapped together with black tape on the ground at the scene.

A b e ’s r e c o r d - s e t t i n g r u n brought stability to Japan after a revolving door of six administrations, including a previous stint by where he served as leader. Abe helped Japan escape from a cycle of deflation, endured a Trump administration that questioned the nation’s only military alliance, and worked to improve ties with its biggest trading partner China, which were at their most hostile

in decades when he took office.

Abe also devoted energy to trying to resolve a World War II territorial dispute with Russia, which has simmered for seven decades, lavishing hospitality on Vladimir Putin, in a policy that was reversed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Abe is perhaps best known for his plans to revive Japan’s flagging economy through unprecedented monetary easing and regulatory reform that was eventually labeled “Abenomics.” He has been seen as a steady hand who has consolidated power during his record run and been able to overcome scandals, including one that came to light in 2017 over questionable government land allocations for schools provided to associates of Abe and his wife Akie.

The news of his shooting left citizens and colleagues shaken.

“I thought it impossible for something like this to happen in this day and age, in the 21st century,” said Yoshitaka Sakurada, who served as a minister under Abe. Bloomberg News

Boris Johnson’s plan to drag out his UK departure is under pressure

B

oris Johnson was still in Downing Street on Thursday night after announcing his intention to resign as British prime minister, but his plans for an orderly retreat were under threat.

The ruling Conservative Party is urgently drawing up plans for an accelerated contest to choose his successor by the end of the summer, rather than allowing the extended three-month swan song officials at No. 10 had floated earlier in the day.

“I have tried to persuade my colleagues that it

China diplomatic blitz counters US as Blinken arrives in Asia s US Secretary of State Antony Blinken takes part in Group of 20 meetings on his first visit to Asia in more than six months, his Chinese counterzpart is halfway through a twoweek diplomatic blitz across the key strategic battleground.

Since Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has secured a fresh pledge from Thailand to complete a $5.2 billion rail link between the two countries and expressed a willingness to open a “golden age” of ties with the Philippines’ newly elected president, Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. Wang also attended a regional summit in Myanmar, which the military regime hailed as a sign of growing recognition of its rule, more than a year after ousting the civilian government in a coup.

Wang’s 11-day trip was part of China’s push to offer an alternative to the US’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and assuage regional suspicions of its own intentions by emphasizing shared economic benefits.

The urgency of that effort has been increased by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has fueled concern that China could take military action to resolve its own territorial disputes in places like Taiwan.

Blinken is expected to press the US’s case that Russia’s actions set a dangerous precedent during G-20 meetings that begin Friday in Bali, Indonesia. Wang, for his own part, has been promoting the Global Security Initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in April, in an effort to appeal to developing nations that may be wary of the Western-led campaign to punish Russia with sanctions.

In Bali, Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries while further expanding bilateral cooperation,

Saturday, July 9, 2022

recent trip by Wang appeared designed to take advantage of that hedging strategy, by offering a less-interventionist vision for global security that doesn’t emphasize democracy and human rights.

That contrasts with Biden’s effort to expand a coalition of “like-minded democracies,” via groupings like the Quad—with Australia, India and Japan.

Most countries in the region count China as their largest trading partner and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity that Biden rolled out in May remains largely conceptual.

‘Playing catch up’

It’s not “a question of either/or,” said Shahriman Lockman, a director at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia. Southeast Asian nations “will soak up the attention and resources that are being directed their way. The Chinese are, to a certain extent, playing catch up as well.”

In his meeting with Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Wang reaffirmed Beijing’s desire to keep territorial disputes over the South China Sea from defining relations between China and the Philippines. No senior US official has paid a personal visit to Marcos— the son and namesake of the late strongman former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.—despite the landslide election win in May that put him in charge of a key American treaty ally.

Earlier in the week, Wang secured a commitment from Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha to complete a delayed railway project critical to connecting the two countries via Laos. The Chinese foreign minister told a briefing Tuesday that the “economic corridor” connecting the three nations would promote logistics, trade and economic development.

Bloomberg News

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to media next to 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, July 7, 2022. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign, his office said Thursday, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future that has paralyzed Britain’s government. An official in Johnson’s Downing Street office confirmed the prime minister would announce his resignation later. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made. AP

would be eccentric to change governments,” Johnson said in a statement outside 10 Downing Street after he had accepted there was no way past a mass revolt from his ministers and MPs. “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader.”

After three tempestuous years in office, the most charismatic British politician of his generation had been brought down by the consistent lapses in judgment that have punctuated his career. Another prime minister might have been undone by Johnson’s botched effort to change the parliamentary rules to get an ally off the hook, or his misleading statements about the parties in Downing Street during the Covid lockdown, or his police fine for attending one of them—becoming the first premier found to have broken the law in office.

In the end, it was the

revelations last weekend that he’d known about a sexual misconduct complaint against an MP when he named him to a key government job that brought him down.

On Wednesday night, he’d been determined to fight, as he had done so often in the past. But when he saw the next day’s newspaper front pages he decided he couldn’t carry on, according to a person familiar with his thinking. At 5 a.m. he spoke to his chief of staff Andrew Griffith and told him he’d changed his mind, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private conversations.

Attention now shifts to the critical 1922 Committee of rank-and-file Tory MPs which is deep in discussions about how to run the leadership contest as swiftly as possible.

They want to whittle down candidates to a final two by July 21, when Parliament goes on its summer recess.

That would still mean

another six weeks to complete the second part of the process—when the finalists tour the country and grassroots Conservative party members pick their favorite—so the next prime minister would not be in place until September.

Johnson told a Cabinet meeting after his resignation he would not seek to “implement new policies or make major changes of direction” as a caretaker prime minister, his office said. Instead he “would focus on delivering the agenda on which the government was elected.”

Still, Johnson’s aspiration to stay on until the next prime minister is elected had been greeted with dismay from much of his party and John Major, a Tory grandee who led the country for seven years in the 1990s, called on him to leave immediately.

Major said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Johnson to remain leader, and that his new Cabinet may not be able to “restrain him.”

In a letter to 1922 Committee Chair Graham Brady, Major suggested Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could serve as acting premier, or that the leadership contest could be sped up.

Much of Johnson’s new Cabinet, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi, have publicly said they don’t have confidence in his leadership.

Another Cabinet member, Attorney General Suella Braverman, has already announced

A6

Saturday, July 9, 2022

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

TheWorld BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Saturday, July 9, 2022

A7

World leaders mourn fatal shooting of former Japan leader Shinzo Abe

W

orld leaders paid tribute to former Ja p a ne s e P r i me Minister Shinzo Abe, after the political titan widely credited with reviving the nation’s economy and seen as a close friend by other major democracies, was shot to death.

Japan’s longest-serving premier was shot from about 10 feet behind during a campaign event in the city of Nara on Friday, ahead of a parliamentary election this weekend. The attack stunned a nation where political violence and guns are extremely rare.

Abe, 67, came from a conservative political dynasty and had a reputation as a deft political operator who maintained enduring influence after leaving office.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “shocked and saddened beyond words” at the tragic news about one of his “dearest friends.” “He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader and a remarkable administrator,” Modi wrote on Twitter.

“He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place.”

India would mark a day of national mourning on Saturday “as a mark of our deepest respect,” the Modi said in a Twitter post.

Japan and India are part of the so-called Quad grouping that also includes the US and Australia.

Abe visited India several times as Japan’s premier, and the two leaders launched a “special strategic and global partnership” collaborating on areas including

civilian nuclear energy and maritime security.

United Kingdom Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Abe’s passing “incredibly sad.” “His global leadership through unchartered times will be remembered by many. My thoughts are with his family, friends and the Japanese people,” he wrote on Twitter. “The UK stands with you at this dark and sad time.”

United States Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meetings in Bali that he was “deeply saddened” by the shooting.

Former US president Donald Trump, who once called Abe Japan’s greatest prime minister, called the news “devastating,” according to a statement shared on Twitter by Dan Scavino, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications.

“He was a true friend of mine and, much more importantly, America,” Trump wrote, after the news of Abe’s shooting, according to the post. “This is a tremendous blow to the wonderful people of Japan, who loved and admired him so much.”

Taiwan “Former Prime Minister Abe is not only my good friend, but also Taiwan’s most staunch friend,” Taiwan’s leader Tsai Ing-wen wrote in a Facebook post, after the news of the shooting. “He has

supported Taiwan for many years and spared no effort in promoting the progress of Taiwan-Japan relations. I hope former Prime Minister Abe can get out of danger as soon as possible.”

Japan and Taiwan enjoy close but unofficial ties that have deepened in recent years, with the democratic island’s security status having a direct impact on its neighbor.

China President Xi Jinping hasn’t made a statement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China was shocked by the attack at a regular press briefing earlier in the day, noting the shooting shouldn’t be linked with ChinaJapan ties.

Abe stabilized Tokyo’s relationship with Beijing while in office, restoring official visits and opening the nation’s doors to Chinese tourists. But mistrust simmered, and Abe’s visit to a controversial shrine honoring Japan’s war dead—including convicted criminals—days after leaving office infuriated Beijing.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “saddened” by Abe’s death, calling the Japanese statesman “one of Australia’s closest friends on the world stage.”

“Abe was a leader in the IndoPacific, championing a vision of a free and open region,” he added, in a statement. “Mr Abe was also a giant on the world stage—a leader in the G7, the G20 and the

DFA issues statement on passing of former Japan PM Shinzo Abe

T

he Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday expressed profound sadness with the passing of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “We express our deepest condolences to the Japanese government and people on his tragic death. We send our most heartfelt sympathy to Mme Akie Abe and their family.

We pray for their comfort in this most difficult time,” a DFA statement read.

“Mr. Abe was greatly admired by many Filipinos. We thank him for his key role in the strengthening of Philippines-Japan relations and for establishing a very deep bond of friendship with our country. Mr. Abe will be very much missed and always remembered,” the DFA said Earlier Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said the government was “shocked and dismayed” after Abe was shot by an assailant after delivering a

campaign speech in Nara, Japan.

Other international personalities, who condemned the attack include New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, European Council President Charles Michel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Muslim pilgrims pray at Mt. Arafat as hajj reaches apex

M

OUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia—Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the world raised their hands to heaven and offered prayers of repentance on the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Friday, an intense day of worship considered to be the climax of the annual hajj.

Multitudes stood shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, for the emotional day of supplication in the desert valley where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and unity among Muslims.

The experience sent many pilgrims to tears. Muslims believe prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers east of the holy city of Mecca, is their best chance at salvation and spiritual renewal.

The pilgrims set out for Arafat before dawn, chanting as they trekked.

They remain there until nightfall in deep contemplation and worship.

“I feel I am so close to God,” said Zakaria Mohammad, an Egyptian pilgrim praying as the sky brightened over the hilltop.

“He gave me such joy. This is my feeling now—joy, great joy.”

Men wore unstitched sheets of white cloth resembling a shroud, while women wore conservative dress and headscarves, their faces exposed.

The hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.

“God brought me here,” said Khadije Isaac, who traveled to Mount Arafat from Nigeria, her voice clipped with emotion. “I cannot describe the happiness that I have.”

Strict pandemic limits had upended the event for the past two years, effectively canceling one of the world’s biggest and most diverse gatherings and devastating many pious Muslims who had waited a lifetime to make the journey. This year’s pilgrimage marks the largest since the virus struck, although the attendance by 1 million worshippers remains less than half of the pre-pandemic influx.

All pilgrims selected to perform the hajj this year are under age 65 and have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Pilgrims spend five days carrying out a set of rituals associated with the Prophet Muhammad and the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael in the Bible, before him. The rituals began on Thursday with the circling of the Kaaba, the black cube in the center of Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world face during their daily prayers wherever

they are in the world.

Around sunset on Friday, the pilgrims will march or take a bus 9 kilometers west to the rocky desert of Muzdalifa, where they comb the area for pebbles to carry out the symbolic stoning of the devil. That rite will take place on Saturday in the small village of Mina, where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to God’s will.

Pilgrims stone the devil to signify overcoming temptation. The ritual is a notorious chokepoint for surging crowds. In 2016, thousands of pilgrims were crushed to death in a gruesome stampede.

Saudi authorities never offered a final death toll.

In their most noticeable effort to improve access, the Saudis have built a high-speed rail link to ferry masses between holy sites.

Pilgrims enter through special electronic gates. Tens of thousands of police officers are out in force to protect the areas and control crowds.

With so many people from so many places crammed together, public health is a major concern.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry urged pilgrims to consider wearing masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, although the government lifted a mask mandate and other virus precautions last month. AP

United Nations. He legacy was one of global impact.”

“He was one of the first leaders I met when I became PM. He was deeply committed to his role but also generous & kind,” she said. “My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Japan.

Events like this shake us all to the core.”

France President Emmanuel Macron wrote in French on Twitter: “Profoundly shocked by the heinous attack of which Shinzo Abe was the victim. My thoughts are with the family and those close to a great prime minister. France is with the Japanese people.”

Italy Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi said: “The Italian government condemns the attack against Shinzo Abe. Italy supports him and the Japanese population in this dramatic moment.”

Israel Israeli President Isaac Herzog posted on Twitter to say he was “horrified by the despicable murder” of “one of Japan’s most preeminent leaders in modern times.”

Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, host of the G-20 meeting in Bali, condoled the killing. “I wish to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences from the people and govt of Indonesia to the people and govt of Japan in this time of sorrow.” Bloomberg News

Food price drop offers stretched household budgets some relief

G

lobal food prices dropped from near a record amid prospects for fresh supplies and fears about a recession, potentially offering some respite to strained households.

A United Nations index of world food costs slipped 2.3 percent last month. While it will take time to filter through to grocery stores, it could be good news for consumers who are also being squeezed by high prices of everything from energy to motor fuel to clothing.

Food prices had already climbed during the pandemic, and spiked even higher after the start of the war in Ukraine stifled grain exports from the country known as the breadbasket of Europe. But agricultural prices have eased lately as Northern Hemisphere harvests start and worries about an economic slowdown weigh on commodities.

Last month’s decline in the UN’s food gauge was the third straight retreat, the Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday. The index is still up 15 percent this year.

Corn, wheat and palm oil futures tumbled at least 18 percent last month on worries that an economic slowdown will crimp demand for commodities.

On the supply side, wheat availability should rise with harvests underway in the US and Europe, while American farmers are planting more corn than expected. Palm oil giant Indonesia is ramping up exports following a recent ban.

Still, any drop in crop prices may offer limited relief for now.

Food prices still remain very high and, along with expensive fuel, are contributing to a cost-of-living crisis that’s led to worker strikes in some countries. A more sustained downturn in food prices will be needed to bring relief to strained consumers, Arif Husain, chief economist at the UN’s World Food Programme, said in an interview this week. Bloomberg News

A8

Saturday, July 9, 2022

TheWorld BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Inflation, expenses rise sharply as top priorities: AP-NORC poll

W

ASHINGTON—Concerns about inflation and personal finances have surged while Covid has evaporated as a top issue for Americans, a new poll shows, marking an upheaval in priorities just months before critical midterm elections.

Forty percent of US adults specifically name inf lation in an open-ended question as one of up to five priorities for the government to work on in the next year, according to a June poll from The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s a sharp rise from 14 percent in December and less than 1 percent the year prior.

Seventy-seven percent mention

the economy in any way, up from 68 percent in December.

Now, too, Americans increasingly call their personal finances a major issue: 44 percent mention it, up from 24 percent in December and 12 percent the year before.

That includes more mentioning gas or energy prices (33 percent now vs. 10 percent in December) and food costs (9 percent vs. less than 1 percent).

Those shifts may be advantageous to Republicans as they campaign to win control of Congress in this year’s midterms; the economy has increasingly been a sore subject for President Joe Biden.

Still, the economy isn’t the only issue getting more attention this year. Many also prioritize other issues that are core to Biden and Democrats’ agenda, including abortion, women’s rights and gun policy, which could help Democrats as they try to pad—or at least protect—their razor-thin majority.

In a troubling sign for both parties, the poll finds many Americans say they think neither side of the aisle is better at focusing on the issues important to them or getting things done.

Sara Rodriguez said she’s concerned about the impact of rising prices of goods, gas and oil on her household’s finances, especially because her income isn’t

keeping up.

“We’ve had a savings built up and we’re noticing that it’s definitely going down fast because we don’t make enough money to cover how much the cost of everything has risen,” the 43-year-old quality control coordinator in Bristol, Connecticut, said.

Rodriguez and her husband and son have had to get to their workplaces and run errands using one car over the last couple of months because of her husband’s brokendown truck.

“We just haven’t had the money to get it back on the road,” she said.

The rise in concerns about the economy is paired with a steep decline in the percentage naming Covid-19 as a top issue, even as new variants continue to emerge: Now just 4 percentmention it, down from 37 percent in December 2021 and 53 percent in December 2020. AP

Asian markets follow Wall St higher as recession fears ease

B

EIJING —A sian stock ma rkets fol lowed Wa l l Street higher Friday after two Federal Reserve officials said the US economy might avoid a recession and news reports said China might boost construction spending to stimulate its struggling economy.

Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced for a second day. Oil prices declined but stayed above $100 per barrel.

Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 1.5 percent on Thursday after a member of the Fed panel that sets interest rates, James Bullard, said a “soft landing” for the economy still was his “ base case.” Another member of the Fed panel, Christopher Waller, said “fears of a recession are overblown.” “ I nv e s t or re c e s s io n f e a r s ebbed,” said Robert Carnell and Iris Pang of ING in a report.

The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.2 percent to 3,370.85 after news reports said China might add 1.5 trillion yuan ($220 billion) to spending on public works construction this year to stimulate economic growth.

T he Ni k k e i 2 25 i n Tok yo gained 1.4 percent to 26,869.82 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.5 percent to 21,757.04.

The Kospi in Seoul rose 0.7 percent to 2,350.97 and Sydney’s S&PASX 200 was 0.5 percent higher at 6,680.10. New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets advanced.

On Wa l l Street, the S&P 500 rose to 3,902.62 for its fou r t h d a i ly increase. Rough ly t hree fou r t hs of t he stoc k s in t he inde x ga ined.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1 percent to 31,384 and the Nasdaq composite advanced 2.3 percent to 11,621.35.

Investors a re u nea sy t h at

ag g ressive US a nd Eu ropea n interest rate h i kes to cool inf l at ion t hat is r u nning at a fou r- decade h igh m ight dera i l globa l econom ic g row t h.

Bullard, who is president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, said “it would make a lot of sense” to raise the US central bank ’s key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, or triple the usual margin, at its meeting this month. That would repeat the dramatic midJune rate hike, the Fed’s biggest in 28 years.

Waller, speaking at a separate event, said he also supported a 0.75-percentage-point hike. He said the Fed might risk “causing some economic damage,” but with a strong labor market, that shouldn’t be too big.

The US government is due to report June employment data.

On Thursday, official data

showed the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits topped the 230,000 mark for the fifth consecutive week. It was the highest level in almost six months.

Bloomberg News re por ted C h i n a’s Mi n ist r y of Fi n a nce was consider ing a pl a n to a llow loca l gover nments to ra ise money from bond sa les to spend on bu i ld ing road s a nd ot her publ ic work s.

It wasn’t clear whether that represented additional spending or was future plans for bond sales brought forward to help shore up economic growth some forecasters say fell close to zero in the quarter ending in June after anti-virus controls shut down Shanghai and other industrial centers.

Markets also have been on edge about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent oil and other commodity prices soaring. AP

A customer scans a mobile phone QR code on cryptocurrency automated teller machine (ATM) inside a BitBase cryptocurrency exchange in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, May 16, 2022. The wipeout of algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD and its sister token Luna knocked more than $270 billion off the crypto sector’s total trilliondollar value in the most volatile week for Bitcoin trading in at least two years.

Crypto needs consistent regulation across nations, US Treasury says

T

he US and its foreign allies must work together to create shared standards for regulating cryptocurrencies to make it harder for bad actors to get away with crimes, Treasury said Thursday.

“Uneven regulation, supervision, and compliance across jurisdictions creates opportunities for arbitrage and raises risks to financial stability and the protection of consumers, investors, businesses, and markets,” Treasury said in a news release.

Inadequate anti-money laundering and terrorism financing rules across different countries make it harder for the US to investigate illicit transactions when money flows offshore, such as with ransomware payments, the department said.

The need for shared standard-setting was one of the topics addressed in a framework for international cooperation the department said it delivered to President Joe Biden Thursday. Treasury was directed to develop the framework—in coordination with other agencies like the State and Commerce Departments—under the White House’s March executive order calling for an government-wide strategy for digital assets.

As part of the framework, Treasury also said the US must continue to work with international partners and be a leader in the discussions on central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, and digital payment architectures more generally.

The Federal Reserve as been exploring the possibility of a US CBDC but no final decision has been reached.

“Such international work should continue to address the full spectrum of issues and challenges raised by digital assets, including financial stability; consumer and investor protection, and business risks; and money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, sanctions evasion, and other illicit activities,” the department said.

Treasury committed to continue working within several key intergovernmental organizations, including the G7, G20, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Bloomberg News

China’s Cabinet underscores G20 diplomats face unity headwinds on Ukraine invasion, war’s impact cybersecurity after data leak

N

USA DUA, Indonesia— Top diplomats from the world’s richest and largest developing nations are confronting multiple crises as they open talks beset by sharp divisions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impacts on food and energy security, along with climate change, endemic poverty and the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 countries begin meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Friday with little prospect for achieving the kind of lofty consensuses on weighty issues that have been a hallmark of past gatherings. And, as they attempt to prepare for a G-20 leaders’ summit to be held at the same venue in November, they got a last-minute jolt with Thursday’s resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of the champions of the West’s hard line on Russia.

While Johnson’s departure is unlikely to dent U.S. and European efforts to promote a tough line on Russia among other G-20 members, it will almost certainly be seen as a sign of weakness by China and Russia, both of which will be represented by their foreign ministers in Bali, Wang Yi and Sergey Lavrov.

They will face off against US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

A police officer prepares an ATV for patrol ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Thursday, July 7, 2022. Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations are gathering in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali for talks bound to be dominated by the conflict in Ukraine despite an agenda focused on global cooperation and food and energy security. AP

and his French and German counterparts who had expected to be joined by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. She instead left early to return to London to deal with the fallout from Johnson’s resignation.

US officials say they are determined not to allow distractions to divert attention from what they believe should be the primary focuses of the Bali conference: the disruption to world food and energy supplies caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, blaming Moscow

for its cause, and marshaling an international response to prevent further shortages that are already wreaking havoc in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.

Yet, with East and West so divided and North-South differences emerging, the potential for a G-20 agreement on a way forward appears negligible. US officials have said it is less important for the G-20 as a group to present a unified stance than it is for smaller blocs of countries and individual nations to speak out and take action.

In the past, however, the G-20 has produced joint communiques on key issues like terrorism, transnational crime, climate and economic matters that have been lauded as important international policy blueprints.

Thus, competition for such support among the group has been fierce. Wang and Lavrov each stopped in various Asian capitals on their way to Bali, drumming up support for various Chinese and Russian positions and fortifying their ties among non-allied nations in the region ahead of the G-20. Blinken, the Frenc h, Ger m a n s a nd Br it s, meanwhile, all arrived in Bali from two Western-oriented and organized gatherings in Europe last week: the G-7 and Nato summits at which there was little sign of rancor or debate and unity on Ukraine was assured.

With its broader membership, including countries like host Indonesia and large developing nations like India, Brazil, South Africa and others, the G-20 is far more diverse, skeptical of Western intentions and more open to entreaties and offers from big neighbors like China and Russia and more vulnerable to their threats. Others attending include: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and the European Union. AP

C

hina’s Cabinet stressed the need to bolster information security, following a huge leak of personal data that could be the largest cyber-attack in the country’s history.

A State Council meeting led by Premier Li Keqiang emphasized the need “to improve security management provisions, raise protection abilities, protect personal information, privacy and commercial confidentiality in accordance with the law,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency. These measures would allow the public and businesses to “operate with a peace of mind,” the report added.

Xinhua didn’t directly reference the breach, and other state media agencies have so far been silent about the incident. Earlier this week, unknown hackers claimed to have stolen data on as many as a billion Chinese residents after breaching a Shanghai police database. The purported theft of more than 23 terabytes of information has exposed potential data and security lapses and set the technology industry abuzz.

“The breach has clearly caught the attention of China’s top leadership—and no wonder,” said Kendra Schaefer, a partner at Beijingbased consultancy Trivium China.

“It is particularly embarrassing for a government body to be the source of the largest known data breach

in China’s history, particularly at a time when data security has become one of China’s top policy priorities.”

Questions remain about how the unknown hackers apparently gained access to the trove run by the Ministry of Public Security’s Shanghai branch, which according to online posts included data detailing user activity from popular Chinese apps, addresses and phone numbers. A seller had asked for 10 Bitcoin, worth around $200,000, in exchange for the data.

“China is long overdue for experiencing a breach of this scale,” said Daron Hartvigsen, managing director at global advisory firm StoneTurn. “Historically, China is often disregarded as a viable target for criminal cyber-exploitation.

Threat actors typically focus on targets likely to cave to ransom and extortion demands. It is not clear if this business model will result in similar financial returns in China.”

President Xi Jinping has long identified data as key for governing and driving Asia’s largest economy. The meeting on Wednesday also discussed the need to investigate and address activities that abuse information and violate the legitimate rights of individuals and enterprises, according to the report. Bloomberg News

OurTime BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, July 9, 2022

A9

N. Cotabato gov assures elderly Makati centenarian woman receives of free medicine, hospital care P100,000 cash gift from Mayor Abby

By Carlos Bautista

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

K

IDAPAWAN CITY—North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza assured senior citizens in the province of free medicine and hospitalization services.

“Senior citizens play an important role in society and deserve to be provided not only respect but also what they need,” Mendoza said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mendoza led the oath-taking of newly elected officers of the 121,000-strong Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines (FSCAP)-Cotabato Provincial Chapter at the provincial capitol Monday.

“My administration will do what it can to ensure that the elderly in the province are provided the care and services they need,” she said.

Leonardo Sungcaya, FSCAPNorth Cotabato provincial chapter head, hailed Mendoza for her administration’s welfare program for the elderly.

Also present during the oath-taking were former mayors Vicente Sorupia of Aleosan and Eliseo Garcesa Jr. of Pigcawayan, and former provincial board member Onofre Respicio.

Mendoza won a new three-year term against Nancy Catamco in the recent elections after serving as vice governor since 2019.

In another development, the North Cotabato local government has launched a soil analysis initiative to help farmers improve their yield

C

NORTH Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza congratulates the newly elected Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines-North Cotabato Provincial Chapter officers during their oath-taking at the provincial capitol on July 4, 2022. Mendoza assured senior citizens of free medicine and hospital care.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION DIVISION-PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

in line with the Marcos administration’s food self-sufficiency program.

North Cotabato Provincial Agriculturist Sustines Balanag encouraged farmers to avail themselves of free soil analysis at the Amas Research and Experiment Station of the Department of Agriculture here.

“All the farmer needs to do is to submit air-dried soil samples from their farms to the station’s laboratory and come back for the results after a few days,” Balanag said in an interview Tuesday.

Soil analysis is used to determine the average nutrient status of an area and to give a measure of the available nutrients in the soil, he said.

“The quantity of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper, and zinc available in the soil samples tested also determine the amount of fertilizer that is required,” Balanag said.

A soil test also measures the acidity and alkalinity of farmland, humid matter, and exchangeable acidity.

“These analyses indicate whether lime is needed and how much to apply,” Balanag said, adding the results of soil analysis are only as good as the sample on which it is based.

A sample normally consists of 0.25-0.5 kilograms of soil and is taken to represent the entire sampling area or field, he said. PNA

ENTENAR I A N Felicidad M. Laygo has received her P100,000 cash gift from the city government of Makati. She is the 94th #ProudMakatizenCentenarian of the city since 2012.

Laygo is currently staying at a sibling’s residence in Barangay Poblacion.

Aside from the cash gift, Laygo also received a plaque of appreciation and bouquet of flowers on June 23.

Laygo celebrated her 100th birthday on March 7, 2022. She is blessed with three children.

She also became a Blu Card member on March 10, 2016. The Blu Card or Makatizen Card is a pioneering project that brings together social services, information, identification, and financial features to Makati’s constituents. It is a unified, multi-purpose governmentissued citizen ID that consolidates financial and social benefits for over 500,000 Makati residents.

Laygo is the 68th centenarian recognized under the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay.

On July 1, the Makati City government started distributing P1,000 gift certificates to fully vaccinated senior citizens. According to the city government, fully vaccinated senior citizens must bring their vaccination cards and their white card or Blu card. They can claim their P1,000 gift certificates

CENTENARIAN Felicidad M. Laygo

from the Makati City local government in two malls — the Ayala Malls Circuit and Glorietta 2. If a senior citizen cannot claim his/her GC,

he/she may send a representative who must bring his/her original identification card, its photocopy, and authorization letter.

WWII Medal of Honor recipient to lie in honor at US Capitol

W

ASHINGTON—Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, will lie in honor at the US Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday.

A date and other details will be announced later, Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement.

“Woody Williams embodied the best of America: living a life of duty, honor and courage,” Pelosi said.

Schumer said: “Woody Williams was an American hero who embod-

ied the best of our country and the greatest generation.”

Williams, who died on Wednesday at 98, was a legend in his native West Virginia for his heroics under fire over several crucial hours at the battle for Iwo Jima. As a young Marine corporal, Williams went ahead of his unit in February 1945 and eliminated a series of Japanese machine gun positions. Facing smallarms fire, Williams fought for four hours, repeatedly returning to prepare demolition charges and obtain flamethrowers.

Later that year, the 22-year-old

Williams received the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman. The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest award for military valor.

In remarks at a memorial Sunday in Charleston, West Virginia, US Sen. Joe Manchin said Williams “never quit giving back.” That included raising money for gold star families— immediate family members of fallen service members—with an annual motorcycle ride.

“It’s raised hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Manchin said. He joked that “it’s not going to be stopping,

Necessary spaces in our lives

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

M

ANY businesses and work places are starting to reopen, and everyone is allowed to go out and mix with others, relatively unencumbered by health protocols. The question now is, are we willing to return to the fast-paced juggling, bustle culture, and the multitasking that seemed “normal” before the pandemic?

My answer is an unqualified NO. One thing that the pandemic has taught me is that personal care should be the first priority. Now that we are in the living-with-Covid phase of the pandemic, even experts tell us not to forget to take care of ourselves. Life is more valuable now more than ever.

For me, personal care starts with creating more breathing space. Not just because physical distancing pre-

vents infection but also because more space means less stress, better for my physiological and mental health, not to mention spiritual health too.

It took the longest lockdown for some of us to re-discover the joy of isolation, that sometimes space is necessary to realize what our needs and priorities are and how we can best take care of ourselves, separate from our relationships with others who may have been suffocating us without knowing it.

This is why it is vital to strive to maintain our own private space and have some uninterrupted time to ourselves so that we can get in touch with our inner selves for mental and spiritual refreshment and a little bit of self-reflection.

If you have to renew connections

with friends, mates and colleagues, make the connections that really matter. Not the connections that waste your time with superficial and toxic chitchat.

Choose and cultivate relationships that are un-stressful, meaningful, enriching and help you become a better and greater person.

In my case I now tell my work mates or partners what day and what time I would be available and I gently advise them to message me in advance if they want to contact me. My cellphone is always on silent mode so I can maintain my equilibrium throughout the day, checking messages only at certain intervals.

Even married couples should give each other space so as to avoid exhausting each other’s oxygen and suffocating each other. While spending quality time with one’s partner is important, it’s equally important to spend quality time with yourself. Giving ourselves space allows us to still maintain individuality.

I have been trying to look for a Filipino term that can express this idea of space in between. I don’t like “espasyo” because that is an imported word. Could it be

because Woody would come after me in a heartbeat.”

Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said he will miss Williams’ phone calls, noting how Williams would always give him directions and to-do lists.

“I’ll miss him telling me how I’m supposed to vote. And when I didn’t, how I made a mistake,” Manchin said.

Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the US Marine Corps, said at the memorial that Williams always took exception to the notion that he accomplished that feat alone. He always acknowledged the other men

“puwang?” Sometimes when an attire is too tight, we say “luwagan mo naman para makahinga ako.”

Perhaps “paluwagan” comes near because it is a term we use for a payment mode that gives the debtor an easier and “looser” way to pay back what he owes.

I think the old Japanese concept of “tsubo niwa” may also express this idea of necessary oases in our congested life. I learned about it from watching a short video on the NHK channel. “Tsubo-niwa” refers to a mini indoor garden, which is a key feature of some traditional Japanese homes. It is designed to provide a touch of nature, bringing in a little sunlight to an otherwise dark living room as well as allow the breeze to ventilate the interior of a small home. It is often set up where it can be seen by the home occupants while relaxing, hosting a guest or having a meal.

But beyond its practical functions, the “tsubo niwa” is a special place that engages the senses, evokes one’s sense of wonder and beauty, and connects the person to the natural world even in the midst of a busy congested city.

As one Japanese designer of “tsubo niwa” gardens says: “…it’s about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do.”

Thus an inner garden is a special

on his team, some of whom never returned home.

“Woody may be the most genuine person I ever met,” Berger said, noting his unique combination of humility and humor. “He could make you laugh. He could make you care. That was his gift.”

Williams remained in the Marines after the war, serving a total of 20 years, before working for the Veterans Administration for 33 years as a veterans service representative. In 2018, the Huntington VA medical center was renamed in his honor, and the Navy commis-

place for relaxation and transformation, an isolated space where new breath can be infused into a weary body drained of strength and spirit.

The South Koreans have found a way to build self-healing private spaces into their busy schedules.

They visit special cafes, where they can stare at clouds and trees. And customers, mostly the stressed out individuals, are paying for these moments of privacy and isolation.

Once inside, no one is allowed to talk. Phones must be silent. No shoes allowed. The rules have one aim. Relax. Just space out or blank out.

They call it “hitting mung,” which is a Korean slang phrase that roughly translates to “spacing out.”

I remember one Buddhist admonition that says: “Don’t just stand there doing something, sit and do nothing.” Quieting the mind is a healthy practice.

The Korean word “mung” refers to a state of blankness. Comparable to the Zen Buddhist principles of reaching a state of blissful blankness in the mind, it’s another take on meditation or mindfulness.

Nothing is the new something in South Korea.

This could also be related to another Japanese concept of “ma.” It can be described as empty space, as a gap between one thing and

sioned a mobile base sea vessel in his name in 2020.

“He left an indelible mark on our Marine Corps,” Berger said. “As long as there are Marines, his legacy will live on.”

Manchin announced during his remarks that Williams would lie in state at the Rotunda, but Pelosi and Schumer said he would lie in honor.

The distinction, according to the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the building, is that government officials and military officers lie in state while private citizens lie in honor. AP

another, or as a pause within movement or flow.

The “ma” of the moment can be the quiet that many of us need in the midst of our busy lives to find stillness, peace, and meaning in who we are and what we do.

I can have my “ma” moment or do my spacing out anywhere. In between appointments, I sit down in a noisy fast-food restaurant and read a book, oblivious to the white noise around me. Or I look for an empty bench to watch streaming images on my cellphone to calm the mind before a meeting. Even young people know how to space out while inside the LRT by plugging their ears and connecting to their music files, blanking out the surroundings.

So as you go back to your workplace, be mindful of the spaces in between in all aspects of your life.

Learn to say no to overly intrusive relationships. Jealously guard the invisible spaces in between you and the people and situations in your life and work. Only in this way can you preserve your inner core, which in our language is “kaloob-looban.”

Keep in mind the lines from an old Japanese poem: Walls with windows and doors form the house, though the space within them is the essence of the house.

Education BusinessMirror

A10 A8 Saturday, July 9, 2022

State U asks new admin to invest in science, tech

T

By Roderick L. Abad

HE national government needs to ramp up public spending in science and technology (S&T) to boost the competitiveness of local industries, said the country’s state university.

In a policy document by the University of the Philippines (UP) on nation-building postpandemic, the country must boost science, technology, eng i neer i ng a nd m at hem at ics (STEM) learning under the new administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., based on its #PILIpiLUNAS2022 Governance Agenda.

Likewise, it calls for the government to support university-industry partnership in research and development (R&D).

The Philippines is still catching up with its R&D investment,

as revealed in its gross expenditure on R&D-to-gross domestic product ratio of 0.32 percent— lower than its peers in Southeast Asia, and 356 researchers per million population in 2018.

This is reflected in the dismal academic performance of the Filipino youth compared with their counterparts abroad.

The “2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science” study, for instance, cites that Filipino students ranked lowest among all 58 participating countries in Grade-4 mathematics and science.

This was preceded by the lowest scores of 15-year-old Filipino learners in reading, mathematics and science in the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment by the Organization of Economic and Cooperation and Development.

UP Diliman College of Science Dean Giovanni Tapang traced the relatively low enrollment and number of graduates of science and engineering programs in local universities to the low priority given to STEM in the country’s basic education.

The industrial policy states the required state funding for university-industry tie-up in R&D efforts to help heighten the performance of the local S&T community.

It mentions the importance of the Department of Science a n d Te c h n o l o g y ’s ( D O S T ) programs in developing such partners, despite the fact the agency has an allocation of only P24.268 billion in 2022— P919.8 million lower than last year’s.

Meanwhile, only 24 percent of S&T graduates nationwide are engaged in activ ities or employed in the said field.

Per the “Women in Science” study of DOST-Science Education Institute which used the 1990-2015 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, 76 percent of those who finished S&T courses landed in non-S&T professions, or jobs unrelated to their field of study. Among 3.7 million S&T programs graduates, some went abroad.

These are the realities of under- and mismatched employment being faced by the S&T and engineering graduates in the country, as highlighted in the paper.

W hile the curriculum may be considered as one of the concerns due to its unresponsiveness to the needs of the industry, the kinds of training needed by scientists and engineers to adjust to the changing industry must be identified, the policy document further stated.

Country’s leading culinary school blends best of hands-on training, online learning

M

ORE than ever, the culinary and hospitality industries are making a grand comeback. As such, there is huge demand for chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and dining staff. This also translates into financial offers and packages, especially to Filipinos who have shown exceptional skills in the kitchen. It should also help a lot to have a degree with the Philippines’s leading culinary school.

At CCA Manila, a student is exposed to the culinary world’s best practices—blending handson training with online learning.

“There is a booming demand in tourism and hospitality services, and food is part of it. Food enterprises are among the fastest-growing industries in the world,” said Chef Philip John Golding, CCA Manila culinary director. “Filipinos should take this [chance to study with us to be armed with required] skills to be competitive.”

Golding added: “Aside from the hospitality industry, there is a continuous, huge demand for central kitchens, cloud-based kitchens, and a huge movement all over the world to discover new concepts with growing regional cuisines coming from Asia, and in Southeast Asia in particular.”

He also shared that “CCA Ma-

CCA Manila baking students show off their luscious cakes.

nila also opened new satellite campuses in Antipolo and Quezon City to offer programs that are focused on diversity, blending hands-on training with online learning.”

With global demand for culinary grads especially in travel and tourism, and as global trends quickly evolve, culinary arts workers need constant and innovative education to remain competitive.

In these changing times, CCA Manila has adapted and continued to thrive with its relevant programs like Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management, Major

in Culinary Arts; and Culinary Agripreneurship.

Adapting to the times, there is a six-month PRO Chef hybrid program in CCA’s Antipolo Campus, as well as the fully online and self-paced Baking Club and Cooking Club. There’s also the Diploma in Culinary Arts and Technology Management flagship program, certified by the American Culinary Federation that has produced successful corporate chefs and food entrepreneurs.

The school has created two new timely and innovative programs:

Fundamental in Culinary Arts Course—a 12-day class that offers comprehensive hands-on training in developing the student’s cooking skills and new food concepts by tapping plant-based and Asian cuisines.

There’s also the 12-day Fundamentals in Baking and Pastry Arts Course, which will equip learners with proper baking techniques to keep them competitive with new pastry concepts.

CCA Manila also partnered with international organizations to elevate Filipino cuisine on a global scale, enabling its students and graduates to showcase their craft through virtual culinary competitions and webinars.

“There are far greater opportunities today than ever…It’s great to see more…opportunities across the hospitality industry opening up, as well as more diverse concepts, especially Filipino cuisine, making [their] mark,” said Golding.

With contemporary and innovative programs, CCA Manila provides its students a competitive edge in the industry. For inquiries, visit www.cca-manila.edu. ph, e-mail talktous@cca-manila. edu.ph, or contact 0917-8408400.

Campuses are located in Quezon City, Antipolo City, and soon in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Editor: Mike Policarpio

US aids Valenzuela youth in upskilling, employment

COURSE finishers display their certificates. US EMBASSY

T

HE United States government has helped more than 850 Filipino out-of-school and unemployed youth gain much-needed technical-vocational (tech-voc) training.

Ninety-six youngsters from Valenzuela City, with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), local government units, and private-sector partners, completed their tech-voc training last month.

They took up courses such as computer-systems servicing, food and beverage servicing, as well as electrical installation and maintenance through the TESDA Online Program. Almost half of them immediately secured full-time employment with private-sector partners.

During lockdowns caused by the pandemic, USAID collaborated with TESDA to restore access to tech-voc training in safe and inclusive ways through the agency’s flagship out-ofschool youth project “Opportunity 2.0.”

Partnerships with local entities,

including Valenzuela City’s Public Service Employment Office and the local chamber of commerce and industry, have provided the trained youth with a pathway to employment.

Together with the local government, USAID also helped establish the Valenzuela City Youth Development Alliance, which connects youth to local businesses for work, as well as other organizations for further education and entrepreneurship opportunities.

“The youth have endless potential, and it is amazing what they can achieve with the right opportunity and support,” said USAID Philippines Acting Education Director Yvette Malcioln. “It is easier to connect upskilled youth to local opportunities in academia, business, and entrepreneurship—thanks to Valenzuela’s active Youth Development Alliance.”

For the past 60 years, USAID has partnered with the Philippine government and local organizations to achieve shared development goals, investing more than P247.5 billion ($5.1 billion) as support.

UST academic staff hailed as top SEA educ researcher

U

NIVERSIT Y of Santo Tomas (UST) academic staff and researcher Prof. Allan B. de Guzman, Ph.D of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education (RCSSED) emerged as the Philippines’s most productive researcher, according to two bibliometric studies written in 2021 and 2012.

In the paper Research on Education in Southeast Asia (1996–2019): A Bibliometric Review by National University College of Education, Arts, and Sciences Dean Dr. Jessie Barrot, de Guzman was the most productive researcher (N=93) in Southeast Asia from 1996 to 2019. The latter currently holds the top spot despite starting his publication years in 2004.

Barrot’s bibliometric paper came out in the Educational Review journal published by Taylor and Francis, with a 3.605 impact factor score in the Web of Science, and a quartile 1 ranking in Scopus. In Barrot’s bibliometric findings, five Singaporeans, three Thais and an Indonesian made it to the Top 10.

A decade ago, a 2012 paper by University of the Philippines-Diliman aca-

demic Dr. Lorelei Vinluan looked at the most productive Filipino researchers in education and psychology. The paper Research productivity in education and psychology in the Philippines and in comparison with Asean countries found that De Guzman was the top education researcher (N=21 total publications at that time), while Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo of e La Salle University was the top researcher in psychology (N=15 during that time). Vinluan’s bibliometrics study came out in Scientometrics.

The Barrot paper also shows that UST is the top-producing Philippine university for studies in education (N=132), followed by DLSU (N=116). The Royal and Pontifical University is ranked 15th among Southeast Asian universities for published studies in education—a list the National University of Singapore leads.

De Guzman emerged as UST’s top researcher, and 49th nationwide across various disciplines in the Alper-Doger Scientific Index (adscientificindex.com), whose basis is the h-index in Google Scholar.

Mapúa offers DepEd-recognized senior HS homeschool program

M

APÚA University has begun offering Mapúa HOME or Homeschool: Onboard to Modern-day Education, its Department of Education-backed homeschooling program providing alternative and flexible senior high-school (SHS) learning.

Mapúa HOME is being offered to Grade 11 academic track students, with strands in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Accountancy, Business, and Management; Humanities and Social Sciences; as well as the General Academic Strand.

The new thrust is part of Mapúa’s move to champion limitless and online learning supported by powerful digital educational technology tools for young students to be unbound by time, distance, and even circumstances that hinder continuous learning.

The program will encourage learners to exercise independent learning, creativity, and discovery while utilizing the university’s cutting-edge educational solutions, its information and communications technology systems, and other available media.

They can tap Mapúa E-text Infinity Solution—an enterprise tool of various e-books and digital tools of Wiley, Cengage and McGraw Hill; virtual lab simulations in biology, chemistry, and physics; and MATLAB—a programming and numeric-computing platform for analyzing data, developing algorithms, and creating models.

Learners will also use Grammarly and Turnitin to develop their writing skills and reinforce proper revision habits. They will also utilize Mapúa’s collection of online databases, digital files, audio, video, and other digital institutional resources.

Mapúa HOME’s learning materials are aligned with the university’s SHS curricula. It will engage learners with the help of faculty members, as well as licensed and trained course specialists who will guide them in obtaining needed competencies for their chosen strands.

Teachers as learner-facilitators will conduct assessments. These are in the form of: (1) quizzes composed of “check-your-understanding” questions and practice problems to help learners master their lessons; (2) essays or writing activities for learners to reflect on, and increase the value of their recognition of their learning, and how they will apply it in real-life situations; (3) long quizzes or mastery tests covering the learning from quizzes and activities performed in the learning module; (4) performance tasks such as activities, outputs and

portfolios to be assigned at the end of the course module; (5) exit project like research paper; and (6) an 80-hour work immersion to gain hands-on experience, which is aligned with their preferred higher-education program.

Instructions will be given via the Cardinal EDGE, Mapúa’s online-learning platform. Recorded lectures and modules will be provided to learners.

For all activities and outputs, a subject adviser will provide verbal or written feedback, as well as to parents for them to track their children’s learning progress. Consultation hours every week will be held via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and e-mail.

Setting this modality apart from online education, which is a form of learning delivery electronically supported and relying heavily on the Internet for teacher-student interactions and class engagements, home-

THE university’s senior high-school program will go digital and online for homeschooling. schooling implements asynchronous study by students in combination with a one-onone facilitator-to-student form of teaching. This makes Mapúa HOME a different and more coordinated learning strategy for Mapúa SHS. Its discipline fosters independence by providing opportunities for students to reflect on the achievement of

student outcomes through asynchronouslearning modality, and encourages flexibility in distance learning by boosting appropriate learning strategies.

To know more about Mapúa HOME and Mapúa SHS education, e-mail www. admissions.mapua.edu.ph or visit www. mapua.edu.ph.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, July 9, 2022 A11 A9

Get lost in time in Dubrovnik, Croatia Story & photos by Joshua Berida

I

SPENT a few days in Zagreb before I took the overnight bus to Dubrovnik. I read that the latter was a touristy and crowded destination due to the popularity of Game of Thrones.

However, I assured myself that, that won’t be the case because I scheduled my trip during the winter (and during the Covid pandemic at that). The overnight bus ride was uneventful with a few stops before arriving at the station early in the morning. I didn’t get much sleep, but I was eager to explore Dubrovnik.

DUBROVNIK is a famous filming location because of its old world charm.

THE old city is home to many beautiful buildings and other structures.

SOAK in Dubrovnik’s nostalgic ambiance by starting your day early to avoid the crowds.

WEAVE in and out of Dubrovnik’s streets for a unique experience.

VISITORS are transported to a different epoch once they visit Dubrovnik.

Old world charm

AS I step foot into the old city, I found it still asleep with the early rays of the sun falling on the cobblestone streets and buildings. Closed stores, shops, and kiosks greeted me as I made my way to the hostel. It was a surreal experience to be in such a well-preserved ancient city with little to no people. I checked in and waited for an hour or so until the old city was alive and awake. After resting and eating breakfast, I made my way out of the hostel and was ready to get lost in the city’s old-world charm.

Dubrovnik’s history dates to the 7th century. It has experienced and seen the rise and fall of empires over the centuries, natural disasters, wars, and bombings. Fast forward to today, it has become a popular tourist destination for tourists from all over the world. I was fortunate enough to visit during winter and with an ongoing pandemic which meant fewer crowds and lower prices. I casually saw familiar spots in the old city

DUBROVNIK’S old churches are worth exploring within city limits.

TO get overlooking views, visitors should walk along the old city’s walls.

that reminded me of the few episodes of Game of Thrones I happened to catch and that’s about it for me.

Moving on, I weaved in and out of the narrow streets and spent a few minutes inside some of the churches. I went up and walked along the walls to get sweeping, overlooking views of the old city below. The reddish roofs of the

houses and buildings, and the belfries of the churches filled my line of sight. I could imagine the city defending itself against invaders from the land and sea because of its fortified walls that we built centuries ago.

I soaked in the city’s atmosphere while eating a sandwich, sitting in a café or one of the seats of a nearby food kiosk,

Spanish Ambassador visits newly restored La Loma Chapel facade

and by simply stopping to admire the view.

It didn’t seem like people were still worried about the pandemic. They were just as eager as I am to return to a semblance of normal.

No place like home

COMING from a grocery store and on my way back to my hostel, I met a local. He noticed that we were walking in the same direction and decided to start a conversation. I forget his name, but he said something that stuck with me. He and his family had lived in Dubrovnik’s old city for years. He has seen people

he knew sell their properties for huge sums of money because real estate within the old city’s walls is high value. However, he wouldn’t sell his house, he tells me. Dubrovnik is his home and he learned to appreciate his hometown more after his travels. He saw Dubrovnik with a new pair of eyes and probably loved it even more. For him, it’s not always about money.

The conversation drifted to other topics, vaccines, lost friends and loved ones due to Covid, religion, and his plans for the future.

He told me he would propose to his girlfriend soon (as if I was a long-time friend that could keep a secret). As we walked in the old city, we parted ways.

I spent an extra day in Dubrovnik before I decided to leave for Split. I walked around the old city a few more times. A wave of nostalgia swept over me. I was thankful to travel again after more than two years, despite Covid infections in our family and my circle of friends. Stories of death and longterm effects (regardless of age) of the disease circulated in the news and in my social media network. It made me realize that we live on borrowed time. As the cliché goes, every moment matters. It can all end in an instant. I took these thoughts with me as I packed my bags and prepared for my next destination.

29th Travel Tour Expo 2022 opens with big crowd

O

N June 27, Spanish Ambassador Jorge Moragas paid a visit to the newly restored La Loma Chapel with Instituto Cervantes Manila Director Javier Galvan. The recent restoration of the chapel was the product of the efforts between Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation Inc. or Escuela Taller and the Diocese of Kalookan. The restoration of the chapel facade took 11 months to complete.

The chapel that stands in the middle of the cemetery also known as Cementerio General de la Loma was built as a response to the environmental and health concerns during the Spanish period. It is declared a National Cultural Treasure, the highest designation given to a valuable cultural asset.

Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation is a non-profit school that trains out-of-school youth in skills and trades related to heritage conservation. It was estab-

T

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF KALOOKAN AND FRANZ SALAZAR

lished jointly by the Spanish and Philippine governments in 2009.

Graduates of the school were involved in the restoration of the chapel facade. The establishment of the school and its continued

operation is a testament to the shared commitment of the two governments to save its shared cultural heritage and also serve the marginalized communities and sectors in the Philippines.

HE biggest tourism event of the year, 29th Travel Tour Expo 2022, opened last Friday with a big crowd eager to avail of big travel discounts and amazing tour packages from more than 140 exhibitors. The three-day event featured numerous travel destinations and event-exclusive promotions with discounts in airfare, accommodations and tours. At the event, travelers were able to plan their travel schedules, choose their favored transportation mode and even secure travel insurance on the spot. Also, event attendees were treated to exciting raffles, corporate game shows and entertaining programs from exhibitors and sponsors.

With the theme “Braving and Shaping the future of Travel,” the Travel Tour Expo hopes to revive the travel industry by encouraging the public to proceed with their long delayed travel plans due to the pandemic.

The grand opening ceremonies were attended by special guests from government agencies, sponsors and officers of Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA). Photo above shows (from left) Rhoal Mica Esteban, Country Assistant Media Manager Unilever Philippines Inc.; Eds Faustino Cluster, Head for GMM Small and Micro Business PLDT Enterprise; Erhan Balaban, Country Manager Turkish Airlines; Vishal Kadian, Director Cards & Loans Head Citibank; Usec. Myra Paz V. Abubakar, Department of Tourism , Michelle Taylan, PTAA President; Atty.

Charles James M. Bautista, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Marketing and Promotions, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB); Evangeline T. Manotok, PTAA Executive Vice President; Stanley Ng, President Philippine Airlines; and Arlene C. Tena, Director of Passenger Sales, Cebu Pacific.

A10 A12 Saturday, July 9, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Instagram tests using AI, other tools for age verification

BY BARBARA O�TUTAY & MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press INSTAGRAM is testing new ways to verify the age of people using its service, including a face-scanning artificial intelligence tool, having mutual friends verify their age or uploading an ID. But the tools won’t be used, at least not yet, to block children from the popular photo and videosharing app. The current test only involves verifying that a user is 18 or older. The use of face-scanning AI, especially on teenagers, raised some alarm bells on Thursday, given the checkered history of Instagram

parent Meta when it comes to protecting users’ privacy. Meta stressed that the technology used to verify people’s age cannot recognize one’s identity— only age. Once the age verification is complete, Meta said it and Yoti, the AI contractor it partnered with to conduct the scans, will delete the video.

Meta, which owns Facebook as well as Instagram, said that beginning on Thursday, if someone tries to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, they will be required to verify their age using one of these methods. Meta continues to face questions about the negative effects of its products, especially Instagram, on some teens.

Kids technically have to be at least 13 to use Instagram, similar to other social-media platforms.

But some circumvent this either by lying about their age or by having a parent do so. Teens aged 13 to 17, meanwhile, have additional restrictions on their accounts—for instance, adults they are not connected to can’t send them messages—until they turn 18.

The use of uploaded IDs is not new, but the other two options are. “We are giving people a variety of options to verify their age and seeing what works best,” said Erica Finkle, Meta’s director of data governance and public policy.

To use the face-scanning option, a user has to

Are face-to-face events really back just like the old times?

HWANG IN-YOUP, an actor who became very popular during the pandemic because of his role in the webtoonbased drama True Beauty, lived in the Philippines for four years when he was younger. PHOTO BY BYS PHILIPPINES

Y

OU’D be surprised at how many Korean idols and actors have lived in the Philippines when they were young or have relatives here.

Idol and actor Sungjae of BTOB once lived in Cebu, while Cha Eun-woo studied for six months in the country. Other actors and idols who have connections to the Philippines, meaning they lived here, are iKON’s Jin-hwan, Dong-woon of Highlight, Kino of Pentagon, Yooh-yeon of Dreamcatcher, Solar of Mamamoo, and, of course, Sandara Park or Dara and her brother Thunder.

Actor Hwang In-youp is probably one of the Korean celebrities who spent the most years of his life in the Philippines. He studied Fashion Design at the Philippine Women’s College of Davao. The True Beauty star also went to high school in Davao City, at the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School.

Hwang In-youp said he lived for four years in Davao and in case you want to know, he remains in touch with the friends he made there.

“It has been 10 years since I saw my friends in person but we still keep in touch. Some of them have become professors. Some of them are living abroad, working abroad.”

He said he loves Davao but he also likes Metro Manila.

“I haven’t been to Cebu yet. I haven’t been to Boracay. I have been to Baguio so I would love to go to Cebu and Boracay. When I take that secret trip to Davao, I will also swing by Cebu and Boracay,” said Hwang In-youp during the press conference for his BYS Fun Meet in Manila held on June 19 at the New Frontier Theater.

The context of the “secret trip to Davao” is Hwang In-youp had said earlier he would take a secret side trip to the city.

Hwang In-youp came to Manila to meet his sizable fandom in the country, thanks to beauty brand BYS Philippines. BYS Philippines signed up Hwang In-youp as its endorser and headlined the #UncoverTrueBeauty campaign that coincided with the launch of the Skin by BYS Minis. Would Han Sohee, another BYS ambassador, be next?

During his fan meet, Hwang In-youp also shared that he loves the Philippine weather, even if it is hot, plus Jollibee, dried mangoes, pineapple, and kwekkwek (fried eggs coated in an orange batter).

Hwang In-youp, 31, debuted as an actor in 2018.

He became very popular among Korean drama fans when he appeared as the second lead in the 2020-2021 webtoon-based drama True Beauty.

It was actually very nice to be in an offline event again but the truth is, I had myself tested two days after just to be sure. So, yes, events are back but I’m not sure if they’re really really back as so many of my friends and colleagues are still hesitant to attend events just like the pre-Covid days. I’m also not sure if I can be comfortable events-hopping again. I wish we had a tracing app, like they do in Singapore so you’re informed if anyone in the places you’ve visited has tested positive. Right now, the situation is such that it’s all guesswork and speculation.

Anyway, back to Hwang In-youp: everybody was asking him about his skin-care routine and what his favorite BYS product was.

He said it’s not one particular BYS product but an entire regimen that includes toner, serum, lotion and cream to get the full effect.

“When I take a shower at night, I always make sure to finish with a cold wash on my face. That is cold water always. And then lip balm is essential. I like to put on a lot of it. That is probably because in Korea, there are four seasons. In the Philippines where it is hot, you probably don’t need that much,” he said.

If you’re a fan of Oreo cookies, you’d probably be surprised to know that it’s 110 years old. In connection with this, the brand has launched an Augmented Reality (AR) Facebook filter that invites people to blow out 110 candles from an Oreo Birthday Cookie.

“Oreo has been sparking joy for 110 years, bringing playful experiences to families around the world. And, what’s a birthday without cake? We’re inviting Oreo fans across Southeast Asia to join the celebrations. We’re delighted to debut a festive new flavor, supported with a unique AR experience that’s inspired by the universal act of blowing out candles—a tradition that transcends cultures and generations. We hope fans take a moment to blow out the 110 candles, make a wish for the year ahead, and enjoy our most playful celebration yet,” said Nikhil Rao, senior marketing director for Mondelez Southeast Asia.

Lucky Oreo fans also have the chance to win birthday gifts from the brand. One hundred and 10 lucky winners who get to blow out all 110 candles within 15 seconds using the Oreo AR filter on Facebook will have the chance to win up to P1,000 worth of Oreo products and more.

A limited-edition Oreo Birthday Cookie, the first Oreo flavor to feature rainbow sprinkles and a birthday cake flavored cream sandwiched between two delicious cocoa cookies, is being sold in the Philippines until December 31. ■

App developer covers 40 million Filipino workforce

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor OPEN finance is gaining ground in the Philippines as shown in the success of digital platform Smile API, which provides real-time user-authorized access to recent, verified and comprehensive employment data.

At the recent webinar “Let Your Data Work for You,” Smile API chief product officer Jan Pabellon told reporters that their service now covers 40 million Filipinos, consisting of 25 million salaried workers, 11.7 million self-employed individuals, and 4.1 million government employees.

With its efficient digital platform, the company has helped reduce the recruitment processing time of its customers, like business-to-business logistics firm TaraNa PH. “Prior to Smile API, 20,000 applications

used to take weeks to process; it can now be done in a matter of seconds. With Smile, we are now smiling,” said TaraNa PH chief operating officer Analyn Quizon.

By utilizing its services, she bared that they are able to quickly expand their delivery fleet to meet the growing demands of customers.

Plentina, an app-based Buy-Now-Pay-Later service, was also drawn to the third-party provider’s ability to deliver data even for the unbanked and underserved. In fact, 15 percent of its customers can be served by Smile API’s platform at present, per Plentina product manager Ashley Uy. “As we develop both our technologies, we can see a chance of that percentage growing higher and higher over time,” she noted. Positive that it’s wide scope and coverage will enable them to unlock over 90

percent of the local labor force, she projects that their approval rates will grow by about 12 percent “with the partnership moving forward.”

Smile API was founded late last year and since then has already attracted substantial funding, recently of which is from Afore Capital, a $300 million American venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Beyond its wide coverage, the regional app developer looks to reach out to various online platforms and institutions to provide even more comprehensive data.

Keen on the end-user side of the process, it will be running a three-month survey on different digital channels. In line with its corporate citizenship efforts, the company will be donating P50 per completed online survey (bit.ly/3uveGMI) to its chosen nongovernment organization-partner Tahanang Walang Hagdanan.

upload a video selfie. That video is then sent to Yoti, a London-based startup that uses people’s facial features to estimate their age. Finkle said Meta isn’t yet trying to pinpoint under-13s using the technology because it doesn’t keep data on that age group—which would be needed to properly train the AI system. But if Yoti does predict a user is too young for Instagram, they’ll be asked to prove their age or have their account removed, she said.

“It doesn’t ever recognize, uniquely, anyone,” said Julie Dawson, Yoti’s chief policy and regulatory officer. “And the image is instantly deleted once we’ve done it.”

5 tips and tricks to succeed on YouTube IF you want to be a successful YouTube content creator, you must understand how the video streaming platform works. This is what aspiring content creators and vloggers learned in the recently concluded NextUp Philippines Webinar Series, a collaboration between Smart Communications Inc. and YouTube.

The three-part event, hosted by content creator and talent manager Jako de Leon, gathered speakers composed of YouTube experts, NextUp program alumni, and industry luminaries to impart lessons and tips on community engagement, brand collaboration, content optimization and production to budding Filipino content creators.

Among the speakers who helped content creators maximize YouTube was Andrea Romualdez, strategic partner manager from YouTube’s creator and artist development team, who shared these five helpful tips: 1. THINK LIKE A NEW VIEWER. YouTube’s homepage, a top source of traffic to videos, ranks videos by performance and personalization. This means good content can easily be presented to users coming to the homepage, and your video can be among those. “Make the thumbnail clear and easy to read on desktop and mobile, and have a consistent title and thumbnail style,” says Andrea. Showing the video’s topic sets a clear expectation of what viewers will be in for, further enticing them to click on your video no matter where they see it.

2. UPLOAD CONSISTENTLY. Arguably, the best way to maintain traffic to your videos is to train your audience to expect a routine of your content uploads, so that they can build anticipation on a specific day of the week or time of the day. “Build consistency and a routine for your viewers so that they know when to come back to your channel,” says Andrea. This is an easy way to sustain their interest over time. “It’s good to upload frequently, but consistency is better than frequency.”

3. CREATE A SERIES. Other than the Homepage, another important source of traffic on YouTube are suggested videos which appear on the sidebar of a video that’s currently playing, enticing the viewer to keep watching. One way to take advantage of this feature is to create a series of shorter videos, so that the viewer will always be watching your videos. This is because the suggested videos featured tends to offer videos from the same creator. As long as you have a lot of content on your channel, both the suggested videos and the “up next” feature will likely play more of your content as the viewer keeps watching.

4. END WITH A CALL-TO-ACTION TO WATCH MORE. One simple way you can continue to direct traffic to your content is to end your videos with a call to action to watch more from your channel. A call-to-action is a quick and easy reminder for the viewer that there is more content on your channel, especially if it’s of the same or similar topic as the video they’re currently watching. It’s a bit of a subconscious sign for them to actually keep going because there’s more to discover.

5. USE PLAYLISTS AND END SCREENS. This extra step can go a long way, especially if you have a lot of content: take the time to fully use YouTube’s extra features to direct your viewers to your videos and keep them watching. Create playlists of similar videos to ensure that your viewers watch as much of your content as possible, especially if there’s something to learn thoroughly.

For your individual videos, utilize the end screen feature to present more videos that you think the viewer should watch. It can also be other videos of a similar topic, or a new video you’re trying to promote—it’s all up to you, and giving them options will go a long way to retaining their interest.

The NextUp Philippines Webinar Series is a collaboration between Smart and YouTube to provide growth opportunities for Filipinos to discover and cultivate their passions.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, July 9, 2022 A11 A13

True colors: Why make the switch to a Zenbook OLED laptop THE Asus ZenBook 14X OLED laptop.

OLED display technology has become more mainstream in recent years, and has been adopted widely for commercial usage, as it not only enhances the viewing experience but also ensures good eye health.

I

WAS already in high school when I finally accepted that I badly needed eyeglasses after years of squinting and being in denial (that playing too much Family Computer was to blame). I could still remember the first time I wore them and walked out of the optical shop—as if on cue, the song “True Colors” began to play in my head, because for the first time, the world I saw became clearer and more vibrant.

That’s the same sense of amazement I felt when I first tried out an Asus OLED laptop. Now you might think your display is fine, as I did too, but you’d be surprised at how much better it can get when you are working on an OLED screen. Asus Zenbook OLED laptops have been praised for having best-in-class color gamut, reproducing colors with superb real-life accuracy for professional-grade visuals.

The one I’m currently using to write this piece is the ZenBook 14X OLED (UX5401). As its name suggests, this stylishly compact laptop comes with a 14-inch OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, 100 percent DCI-P3, a Pantone Validated panel, and a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 H-series processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, promising a speed of up to 2.7x faster than the previous generation.

The Zenbook 14X OLED comes in Pine Grey color that gives it a classy, calm, professional look accentuated by the eccentric spun-metal finish on the lid. The finish though is quite the fingerprint magnet and the OC in me wanted to use a glove just to make sure it remains pristine.

The ZenBook 14X OLED retains the series’ thin profile with a chassis measuring only 15.9mm thin.

It is made of aluminum making it still lightweight at around 1.30kg. This small and light profile makes it easy to fit in your bag and be carried all day. For those doing hybrid work, you need to consider a laptop that’s compact and light so that it’s easy to carry around wherever your office for the day is.

It has a full-sized chiclet-style keyboard which Asus calls “Ergosense” and has 3 levels of white backlight. The keyboard has a 19.05 mm key pitch that is the same as a desktop keyboard allowing you to type with comfort and accuracy. For touch typists, good tactile feedback is important to let you know that your key press has been registered.

I find the integration of the Number Pad into the touchpad very intuitive and useful especially if you input a lot of numerical data. NumberPad 2.0 makes it a dual-function touchpad with an integrated LEDilluminated numeric keypad. Even when NumberPad is activated, the touchpad can be used for cursor control. As with other laptops, the power button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner/Windows Hello.

While it is quite fast and responsive, I wished they placed it away from the keyboard and not beside the delete button as its more prone to accidental presses.

The laptop comes with Asus’ ErgoLift hinge that elevates the keyboard by a few degrees for a more comfortable typing position and give it more breathing room. It can be pushed further to 180° to lay flat, should you need to show content with your colleagues around the table.

For I/O ports, the Zenbook 14X OLED has two ultrafast Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports that support fast charging, 4K UHD external displays and up to 40 Gbps data transfers, and there’s also an HDMI port and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port alongside a microSD card reader. Just make sure you are inserting your microSD card in the right port and not the vent.

Audio and display: Let me start first with the audio since it blew me away. The Zenbook 14X OLED has a Dolby Atmos stereo sound system that’s certified by the audio experts at Harman Kardon. Yes, I know almost every device has that Dolby Atmos certification, but the Zenbook 14X easily puts to shame other bigger laptops making them sound like a tinny transistor radio compared the Zenbook’s loud speakers. It delivers powerful, immersive sound that’s crystal-clear, with the multi-dimensional soundscape immersing you with sound that moves all around you with breathtaking realism.

Now for the headline feature of this laptop: the OLED touch screen display. OLED technology has become more mainstream in recent years and has been adopted widely for commercial usage, as the OLED panel not just enhances the viewing experience but also ensures good eye health.

OLED displays have the advantage of being easier on the eyes, due to the nature of the special organic light-emitting compounds they use. Compared to LCD displays it can reduce harmful blue light by up to 70 percent, making them extra gentle on the eyes to reduce the risk of retinal damage.

With the pandemic creating this new hybrid work

setup, many professionals and students are working and studying from home and the amount of time they spend on laptop screens has exponentially increased.

Regular screens produce high amounts of blue light, and this has been linked to problems like blurry vision, eyestrain, dry eye, macular degeneration, and cataracts. It can even cause some sleep issues.

Using a laptop with OLED screen reduces exposure to blue light by 70 percent, making it more comfortable and healthier to one’s eyes—something you should consider especially if you have younger children using the laptop. Since children’s eyes are not fully developed, with a more transparent lens and cornea, harmful blue light can penetrate the eye more easily, potentially causing premature aging of the retina.

Research has shown that in a five-year-old’s eyes, approximately 60 percent of the received blue-light emissions pass through to the retina, compared to only around 20 percent for a 60-year-old adult.

The 16:10 2.8K UHD OLED NanoEdge display on the Zenbook 14X OLED delivers stunningly detailed and realistic visuals, with ultra-vivid colors, Pantone Validated color accuracy, and a cinema-grade 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut. It’s also VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified for deep blacks and increased dynamic range.

With its cinema-grade 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut, colors reproduced on the display are richer more vivid and lifelike. This makes it ideal for creatives and photographers who do color-intensive projects. Asus OLED laptops also maintain a 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut at both high and low brightness levels, compared to a standard LCD laptop where the color gamut is reduced dramatically at low brightness levels.

Lastly, refresh rate has been upped to 90Hz from the usual 60Hz for smoother transitions and animations.

KROMA PUB CO. PARTNERS WITH LUNCH BOXER, SETS SIGHTS ON EMERGING FILIPINO CREATORS KROMA Entertainment’s publishing arm Kroma Pub Co. announces its partnership with food content brand Lunch Boxer as it sets its sights on empowering today’s promising Filipino creators.

Lunch Boxer is a food blog that gained momentum over the pandemic, amassing followers across TikTok and Instagram. It posts food hacks, unboxing videos, and stories about small food businesses worth supporting. A passion project of founder Fil Nacion, Lunch Boxer started as a platform for food and restaurant reviews in 2020. When Covid-19 happened, Nacion stumbled upon a surprise calling: directing friends and followers to small Filipino food businesses just as local entrepreneurs grappled with

trying times. He has since combined content with community, and storytelling with advocacy.

As Kroma Pub Co. seeks to amplify the voices of more creators, the group also sees the limitless potential of diverse storytelling in the online space.

“We wanted to see how we, as a publishing group, can elevate the idea of collaboration further. Through this series of partnerships, we not only want to champion today’s most promising storytellers but see how their stories can be told in new, exciting ways,” said Sarah Santiago, head of Kroma Pub Co. Kroma Pub Co. endeavors to partner with upand-coming Filipino content creators for its sister companies FreebieMNL and Wonder.ph, two online

lifestyle destinations under tradigital company KROMA Entertainment.

“That’s the beauty of the media publishing landscape today—the sky’s the limit when it comes to how you create and how you get your stories to your readers. It can be a new experience every time,” said Jebby Fronda, B2B Lead of Kroma Pub Co. Kroma Pub Co. allows audiences to connect with their favorite brands, and brands to their consumers via high-quality content provided by its portfolio of digital publishers. It also has B2B solutions such as content strategy development and implementation for web, social and other media; production and management; and tracking and reporting.

Simply put, the display of the Zenbook 14X OLED is amazing and easily one of the best displays I’ve seen in a laptop.

Performance and battery: The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED is equipped with Intel’s 12th Generation Alder Lake-based CPU and our unit has an Intel Core i7-12700H processor and 16GB RAM. Throughout our review, everything ran smoothly and we didn’t encounter any slowdown despite opening and switching between multiple tabs and browser windows, office apps and doing some light photo and video editing and gaming. This isn’t a gaming laptop but Intel Iris Xe does well for an ultra-portable notebook. I installed Valorant and some racing games like Asphalt and I didn’t have any problems.

As for the battery it comes with a 63Whr battery that lasted me for around 6 hours doing light work and at least 5 hours when used to watch movies and play games. You don’t have to worry though as the 100W USB-type C charger can fully charge it in about an hour. If only the charger was as ultra-portable as the Zenbook itself. For wireless connectivity solutions the Zenbook 14X OLED supports the latest WiFi 6 made even better by Asus WiFi Master Premium technology, which includes Asus WiFi Stabilizer to filter out wireless interference and Asus WiFi SmartConnect to select the best WiFi source, so you’ll always enjoy the fastest possible speeds.

The Zenbook 14X OLED ships with Windows 11 and, thankfully, Asus kept bloatware to a minimum with only McAfee antivirus and the MyAsus App preinstalled. MyASUS is a collection of handy apps and tools that pairs your iOS or Android phone with your Zenbook for easy multitasking. Link to MYAsus makes your files easy to access, wherever you are: you can transfer files quickly between your phone and your laptop, access your laptop’s storage remotely from anywhere, mirror your mobile apps on your laptop, or even use your mobile device as an extended PC screen. It also gives you access to additional settings, system updates, battery life indicator, etc.

Final word: The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED comes with notable refinements including the latest 12th Generation Intel Processor, Windows 11, and one of the best displays in a laptop, in a sleek and premium package. It also has a touch screen plus great sounding speakers that also make it an excellent entertainment device for watching your favorite videos or streaming content. If connectivity is a priority, the Zenbook presents a complete set of ports, with Thunderbolt 4 for fast transfers and a 100W adaptor for faster charging and WiFi 6 support. For young professionals and executives, or those working in creatives/photography and value the importance of accurate colors and vibrant details, the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED is a solid investment. If you are working long hours in front of the screen, it’s time to give your eyes the treat it deserves and get yourself this OLED laptop. ■

Sports BusinessMirror

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

A14 Saturday, July 9, 2022

NADAL OUT OF WIMBLEDON W

IMBLEDON, England— Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon because of a torn abdominal muscle on Thursday, a day before he was supposed to play Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals.

It is the first time since 1931 that a man pulled out of the oldest Grand Slam tournament before a semifinal or final.

“I made my decision because I believe that I can’t win two matches under these circumstances,” Nadal said at a news conference at the All England Club. “I can’t serve. It’s not only that I can’t serve at the right speed, it’s that I can’t do the normal movement to serve.”

The 22-time major champion sighed occasionally while answering questions in English, then Spanish, for more than 20 minutes total. He twice described himself as “very sad.”

Nadal said trying to continue to compete

could make the injury worse.

The only other time in his career that Nadal gave a walkover to an opponent by pulling out of a Grand Slam tournament prior to a match came at the 2016 French Open, when he withdrew before the third round because of an injured left wrist.

The 40th-ranked Kyrgios, a 27-year-old from Australia, advanced to his first title match at a major tournament and becomes the first unseeded men’s finalist at Wimbledon since Mark Philippoussis, who lost to Roger Federer in 2003.

“I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon,” Kyrgios wrote in an Instagram post addressed to Nadal.

Kyrgios will meet either three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic or No. 9 Cam Norrie of Britain for the championship on Sunday. Their semifinal will be played Friday.

The second-seeded Nadal, a 36-year-old from Spain, is 19-0 in Grand Slam action in

MICHAEL BIBAT snaps a nine-year title drought. BERNARD TESTA

BIBAT TRIUMPHS AT AOKI

M

RAFAEL NADAL says trying to continue to compete could make the injury worse. AP 2022, including trophies at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. That put him halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Nadal has been bothered by a stomach muscle for about a week, and the pain became nearly unbearable in the first set of his four-hour and 21-minute victory via fifth-set tiebreaker against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

After that match, Nadal said he had considered stopping before it was over—and

could not be certain whether he would feel well enough to play again Friday.

He wore two strips of athletic tape on his lower stomach and took a medical timeout to take painkilling pills; his father and sister motioned from the stands for him to quit.

On Thursday’s off day, Nadal went to the All England Club for a light practice session.

He was signed up on the official schedule to train on one of the competition courts but did not show up there, instead opting for practice courts to which fans don’t have access. AP

ICHAEL BIBAT ended a disquieting title spell of nine years ruined by a slew of near misses by winning t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n t a i n e r Te r m i n a l Services Inc. (ICTSI) Eagle Ridge at Aoki Invitational crown on a 71 in General Trias, Cavite, on Friday.

And Bibat pulled it off by beating the same player he upstaged in his breakthrough run at Rancho Palos Verdes in 2013.

Bibat pounced on a key two-shot swing on the daunting No. 13 to break free from a tied matchup with Lascuña then hung tough in the closing holes with the kind of resolve he showed in thwarting the tour’s big guns’ challenges almost a decade ago in Davao.

But the multi-titled Lascuña didn’t give up, threatening to within one with a clutch birdie on the 16th and giving the P2 million championship the kind of thrilling finish the event had guaranteed after putting up a stellar cast.

Bibat, however, pulled through in a duel of poise and nerves on the 72nd hole, which they both bogeyed. As the pressure mounted, they both missed the green with Bibat coming up short and chipping way past

Pogačar rules 6th stage, grabs yellow jersey

L

ONGWY, France—Tadej Pogačar is back in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. And it’s earlier than perhaps even he expected.

On the way to his wins in the 2020 and 2021 Tours, Pogačar took the yellow jersey in the mountains, but on Thursday all he needed was the modest Côte des Religieuses hill in the border town of Longwy.

Asked about the prospect of being back in yellow, which wasn’t confirmed when he was speaking, Pogačar said in televised comments that for now he was focused on the stage win and “anything

else is just a bonus.”

After an imposing sixth stage of nearly 220 kilometers (137 miles) through Belgium and northern France—the longest of this year’s Tour—Pogačar pulled away in the sprint finish on the crest of the Côte des Religieuses to take his first stage victory this year ahead of David Gaudu and Michael Matthews on Thursday.

Pogačar now leads the Tour by four seconds ahead of American Neilson Powless, thanks to the bonus seconds based on stage placings.

“Every time I win it’s even better,” Pogačar said. “We rode the last two

climbs really hard, it was above our thresholds. It was super hard for the final climb and hectic and everything. I guess I had good legs to push in the end.”

Wout Van Aert was the leader heading into the stage and was the focus of attention with a breakaway, but was caught with 11 kilometers remaining.

Van Aert dropped off on the hilly final section of the stage and eventually lost more than seven minutes.

It’s the earliest that Pogačar has worn yellow on the Tour after taking the lead on the 20th stage in 2020 and the eighth stage last year. AP

PLDT, Smart, MVPSF back POC trust fund for national athletes

PVL Invitational tourney unfurls

C

TADEJ POJAčAR is in a position to repeat as champion. AP

Tolentino rewards Tagaytay athlete with housing unit

P

LDT Inc., its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) and the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) are supporting the move of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to establish an incentive trust fund for national athletes who win medals in the Olympics, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games.

Following the successful performance of the Philippine team in this year’s SEA Games in Vietnam, the POC said that donations from private corporations will automatically go to the incentive trust fund for the athletes.

Filipino athletes bagged 52 gold, 70 silver and 105 bronze medals in Vietnam, including the stellar feats of MVPSFsupported athletes like Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, multi-medaled g y m n a s t C a r l o s Yu l o , c h a m p i o n a n d record-breaking pole vaulter EJ Obiena, and the Smart-supported Sibol esports team, among many others.

“PLDT, Smart and MVPSF are one with the POC in ensuring that our national team members have the assistance that they need to perform their duties well and worryfree,” said Alfredo Panlilio, President and CEO of PLDT and Smart, and President and Trustee of MVPSF. “As long-time supporters of Filipino athletes, we are eager to see this development inspire and motivate our players whenever they compete in the world stage,” added Panlilio, who is also the POC First Vice President.

Sports initiatives of PLDT, Smart, and other companies chaired by business leader Manuel V. Pangilinan are centralized under MVPSF. From basketball, badminton, gymnastics, weightlifting, esports and many others, the organization has b e e n e mpowering 17 national sports associations, backing hundreds of athletes and contributing to nation-building through sports advocacy since 2011.

Through MVPSF, PLDT and Smart have also built several sports centers for training of Filipino athletes, particularly in gymnastics, badminton and boxing.

By Josef Ramos

P POWERLIFTER Joyce Gail Reboton bears the Philippine flag ahead of the World Games opening ceremony. With Reboton are (from left) karate coach Okay Arpa, karateka Junna Tsukii, chef de mission Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, karate association head Ricky Lim and powerlifting coach Willord Capulong.

PHL athletes in high spirits at Birmingham World Games

A

LEAN 10-athlete Philippine delegation marched behind the country’s colors carried by powerlifter Joyce Gail Reboton during the opening ceremony on Friday at the Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

Delayed a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, chef de mission Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said the Filipino athletes packed energy and enthusiasm for the games that are played widely all over the world but are not included in the Olympic program.

“Our athletes are ready for the competition and hopefully we’re going to make the podium,” said Gregorio, president of the Philippine Rowing Association.

Heading Team Philippines is Carlo Biado, who clinched the country’s only gold medal so far in the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.

Joining Biado and Reboton are billiards ace Rubilen Amit, jiu-jitsu champion Annie Ramirez, karate star Junna Tsukii, muay

sensations Philip Delarmino and Leeana Bade and duathlon top bets Marion Kim Mangrobang, John Chicano and Fernando Caseres.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino expressed high hopes that the athletes could add to the one gold, five silver and five bronze medals that the country has won in the games since Filipino athletes started participating in the games’ debut in 1981 in Santa Clara, California.

“Coming off the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games, our athletes are prepared for the competition,” Tolentino said. “They have tapered down from the Vietnam SEA Games and are now in peak form.”

The Alabama edition of the games lured 3,600 athletes from 110 countries, including war-torn Ukraine, whose athletes were given a standing ovation as they marched around the stadium during the opening ceremony.

Magsayo-Vargas trade barbs

W

ORLD Boxing Council (WBC) feather weight champion Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo traded barbs with challenger Rey Vargas of Mexico on Friday ahead of their world title fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Magsayo (24-0 win-loss record with 16 knockouts) told the 31-year-old Vargas (35-0 record with 22 knockouts) “not to run to give the people the fight they deserve,”

adding “he never fought anyone like him in the featherweight division.”

“I hope Vargas won’t run too much so we can give a good fight to the people. I am not worried about him because I have already beaten the best in the division, so my confidence is very high heading into this fight,” the 27-year-old boxer from Tagbilaran City said during the fight’s news conference at Thompson San Antonio.

the hole on a downhill spot and Lascuña dumping his approach shot into a bad lie in the greenside bunker.

Bibat missed his par-putt bid and tapped in for bogey, giving Lascuña a chance for a playoff, which he, however, blew after his putt from 16 feet out grazed the cup, enabling the former Asian Games bronze medalist to savor the sweet taste of Tour victory.

“Finally, I won,” said Bibat, who banked the top purse of P360,000, more than doubling his earnings when he beat Lascuña and Elmer Salvador in the 54-hole Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) Palos Verdes Classic.

“I’m so thankful that I played well enough to be in contention, which was my goal at the start,” said Bibat, who anchored his triumph on a third round 66 that tied him with Lascuña and Lloyd Go on his way to a seven-under 278 total.

“I’ll enjoy this, for now, until the next PGT tournament,” he added.

“I had my chances, frustrated but happy that Mike won again,” said Lascuña, whose last-hole mishap gave him a 72 and a 279, which Reymon Jaraula matched with a closing 69 for joint second. Each received P186,000.

HILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino rewards homegrown athlete Jelly Dianne Casalme Paragile with a residential unit for her bronze medal at the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games.

“It’s our way of rewarding our very own athletes here in Tagaytay City,” said Tolentino, who’s now back as mayor of Tagaytay City after completing a full three terms as a member of the House of Representatives.

“I was so surprised, I thought I was only receiving a cash bonus, but I was given much more,” the 24-year-old 100-meter hurdles bronze medalist in Hanoi said. “I thought I was only being recognized when I was asked to go up the stage.”

“Suddenly, Mayor Tolentino made the announcement—I feel truly blessed with the blessing from Mayor Bambol,” she gushed.

Tolentino rewarded Paragile, a private at the Philippine Army, a unit at the Bahay Tagaytay Residences Tower in Barangay Mendez Crossing East. The residential tower is one of Tolentino’s major projects under his administration in Tagaytay City.

“As a beloved daughter of Tagaytay City who has given pride and honor to the city, it is but fitting to reward Jelly Dianne for her accomplishment,” said Tolentino as he announced Paragile’s reward, which came with a P50,000 cash bonus, during the Araw ng Tagaytay celebration last June 21.

With her reward, Paragile joined the ranks of Tokyo Olympics weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and boxing silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial who

now own houses and lots in Tagaytay City courtesy of Tolentino and Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino.

Paragile, a Physical Education degree holder from Far Eastern University (FEU), lives with her parents—William, 50 and a welder, and Dorothea, 46 and a barangay health employee—and 15-year-old brother Jordan Dale at the Kapalaran Compound in Sungay East near the Picnic Grove.

She won gold for FEU in the 2019 University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s 100 meter race of athletics, one of many local accomplishments that earned her a slot on the national team.

“Anytime soon I will transfer there,” said Paragile when asked when she’s moving to her new home. “Imagine, I haven’t won a gold medal yet internationally—and I really dream of making it to the Olympics.

With these rewards, I’m really motivated to work harder.”

Despite facing an opponent three inches taller at 5 feet and 10 ½ inches—with a 70-inch reach—Magsayo is unperturbed with what Vargas may bring inside the ring during their fight on Sunday.

“I have worked on a lot of things with Freddie Roach. If he wants to come to fight like he said, then I’m ready to end the fight with a knockout,” Magsayo said. “This is going to be a big night for me. We are ready to show who’s the best in the division. He has never fought a guy like me. You’re going to see that.”

Vargas, on the other hand, warned Magsayo of being over confident and belittled his knockout prowess.

“He says that I haven’t faced anyone like him before, but in reality, he has actually never faced anyone like me,” the Mexican said. “Magsayo may want to exchange blows so badly because that may be the only thing he knows how to do. He doesn’t know how to fight other wise. We will dominate him and take his belt. The higher his confidence is, the harder he falls.” Josef Ramos

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay City mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino presents Jelly Dianne Casalme Paragile her reward.

IGNAL HD sets out for another strong start while eyeing a stronger finish as it kicks off its title drive against Army as Choco Mucho and Chery Tiggo collide in the opener of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The HD Spikers dished out an impressive start in the recent Open Conference, dominating pool play and sweeping their way to the semis. They appeared headed to sustaining their charge but blew a 1-0 semifinals series lead and yielded to the Petro Gazz Angels.

But this time, coach Shaq delos Santos has guaranteed his wards’ readiness to go all the way to the championship on a team backstopped by Rachel Anne Daquis, Angeli Araneta, Gel Cayuna, Genn Layug, Frances Molina, Ria Meneses, Jerrili Malabanan and the comebacking Grazielle Bombita.

“We’ve prepared hard for this conference and our goal is to win each game,” delos Santos said. “We’re going all-out on every match since this is a single round elimination.”

Seven teams, including Creamline, Petro Gazz and PLDT, dispute the top four berths in the next round where two foreign squads— Japan Kobe Shinwa U and Chinese-Taipei’s King Whales—will spice up the title chase in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

The Cignal-Army match is set at 2:30 p.m. the Flying Titans-Crossovers duel starts at 5:30 p.m. for an explosive twin-bill aired live on One Sports (free to Air Ch 41 and Cignal CH 6) and One Sports+ (Cignal Ch 91 SD, Ch 261 HD). Both channels are also available on Cignal’s OTT Platform, Cignal Play, with video on demand also available on the platform.

Bohol all primed up for 5150 return

B

OHOL switches into triathlon mode as the Sun Life 5150 welcomed the more than 500 aspirants in various age divisions on Friday, ushering in a weekend of fun and excitement to tri-sport’s return to the mainstream following a two-year hiatus.

The first wave of athletes, including those vying in the Sunrise Sprint, have checked in at various official hotels simultaneously with the opening of the exposition on health and fitness and the official Ironman store at the Bellevue Resort’s Grand Pavilion in Panglao.

The pre-5150 activities heat up Saturday with the expo booths of Sun Life, Go for Gold, the Province of Bohol, Bellevue Resort, Rudy Project and 5150 store to open at 8 a.m. while the bike and gear check-in starts at 1 p.m. at the beachfront.

More than 500 triathletes, including beginners and weekend runners, make up cast in the first multi-sport event in postpandemic set to fire off Sunday. The host province, a top triathlon hub, has ensured another successful staging of the event featuring Olympic (1.5-km swim/40-km bike/10-km run) and Sprint distances.

“It’s been a long time since the last 5150 and even longer since the last race we had in Bohol. We have prepared an excellent and safe race with a very fast exciting course for everyone to enjoy,” race director Neville Manaois said.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

777 KORPHIL HOLDINGS CORP. Unit 2604, 26th Floor Ibp Tower, Julia Vargas Ave. Cor. Jade Drive, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig SEONG, DONGGYU Customer Service Specialist 1.

Brief Job Description: Perform customer support via phone, chat and email both in English and their national language

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

11.

2.

3.

Brief Job Description: To assist and support the business development in marketing activity

FAN, ZHENGANG It Manager Brief Job Description: Manage the IT Team

Basic Qualification: With Working Experience in Related Field Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

UBARIJORO KANJIJIMA, PRINCE FIDELE Multilingual Service Desk Member 12.

4.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for driving operational excellence within the team, raise relevant quality and or scope issues which may impact delivery and streamlines decision-making processes.

SIM SIAW SHUANG Bi-lingual Speaking Customer Service Officer 13.

5.

Brief Job Description: Provides customer service in foreign language, taking phone calls, answering to customer inquiries through e-mails, and solving customer issues.

Brief Job Description: Interprets data, analyzes results using statistical techniques and provides ongoing reports.

Basic Qualification: Accounting, Finance or any Business-related course graduates are preferred Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent writing, reading, listening and talking in French language. Preferably with prior experience of at least 1 year in similar BPO outfit.

LEE KANG KUAN Bi-lingual Speaking Data Analyst Officer 14.

Brief Job Description: Interprets data, analyzes results using statistical techniques and provides ongoing reports.

6.

Brief Job Description: Assists with the administration of the day-to-day operations of the human resources functions and duties

LO TUAN KIET Bi-lingual Speaking Data Analyst Officer 15.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Interprets data, analyzes results using statistical techniques and provides ongoing reports.

7.

Brief Job Description: Work with other members of the TAS Learning & Development team.

Basic Qualification: Work with other members of the TAS Learning & Development team.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ON QUOC HOA Bi-lingual Speaking Data Analyst Officer 16.

BIGCAT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, INC. 18/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Avenue Cor. Rufino Street, Salcedo Vill., Bel-air, City Of Makati

8.

CLARENCE REGIRALD ANAK RICHMAN Malaysian Language - Officer Marketing Brief Job Description: Create specific promotions for affiliates.

MAJUMDAR, TONU SREE Head Of Business Development 9.

Brief Job Description: Build solid relationship customer vendors and distributors as well as sales and marketing team present market research to director and suggest strategies to expand market research

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree With Experience in Business Management Finance Computer Software Marketing Sales or Related Field Fluent in Both Written and Verbal English Mandarin or Korean Language

SIM KHANG SHEN Bi-lingual Speaking Data Analyst Officer 17.

Brief Job Description: To manage the process of group and statutory reports preparation; financial budgeting and planning, developing and maintaining strong financial and management reporting systems and controls

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

CCT CONSTRUCTORS CORPORATION 3/f Planters Products Bldg., 109 Esteban St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the following languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. 1 year experience of working in a similar role.

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the following languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. 1 year experience of working in a similar role.

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the following languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. 1 year experience of working in a similar role.

Brief Job Description: Interprets data, analyzes results using statistical techniques and provides ongoing reports.

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the following languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. 1 year experience of working in a similar role.

CONCENTRIX SERVICES CORPORATION 18th, 20th, 21st Floor, Tera Tower, Bridgetown Along C-5 Road, Ugong Norte, Quezon City

18.

10.

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the following languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. 1 year experience of working in a similar role.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CC MOBILE FINANCIAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 2948 29/f Penthouse World Plaza, 5th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: Development of Strategy, KPIs and Targets for Entering WECA Region Using Tailored Plans to Attract, Sell and Retain Targeted Client Base..

LO THI KIM PHUONG Gaming Support Specialist

21.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

TANG VAN PHUONG Gaming Support Specialist

22.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

TRUONG TRUNG DUC Gaming Support Specialist

23.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

WANG, WENLIANG Gaming Support Specialist

24.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

QIU, LONGPENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative 25.

26.

27.

28.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GEORGIEV, CHRISTO DARINOV Treasurer And Chief Strategy Officer

Brief Job Description: Interprets data, analyzes results using statistical techniques and provides ongoing reports.

Basic Qualification: Degree holder, fluently speak and write in Malaysian language to cater foreign market.

BRIGHT LUME IT SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 202 Erisha Condominium, 1142 P Ocampo Street, Sta Ana, 082, Barangay 757, Santa Ana, City Of Manila

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

AVANZADO OUTSOURCING SERVICES CORP. Unit 25d, 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Isidro, City Of Makati ZHU, YANGCHAO Learning And Development Specialist

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in either French, Swedish and also English

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DEXIN 999, INC. Red Hotel No. 345, Edsa Cor. Don Carlos Revilla St., Barangay 147, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin

20.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ALPHA CENTURY CONSULTANCY INC. Unit 215 Campos Rueda Bldg., 101 Urban Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati HSU, CHUNG-HSUAN Mandarin Human Resource Specialist

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DO THI THOA Gaming Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: With at least 10 years’ experience in the construction industry

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ALLSECTECH MANILA, INC. 3rd Floor, Market! Market! Mall, Bonifacio Global City, City Of Taguig

YOH, ROBERT Bilingual French Analyst

No.

CHROMELAB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 25/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong KAWABATA, TATSURO Hr Service Delivery Specialist

Brief Job Description: Resolves issues utilizing excellent customer service skills

Basic Qualification: With IT Management Experience Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CGI (PHILIPPINES) INC. 2/f One World Square, Mckinley Hill, Pinagsama, City Of Taguig

AB LEISURE EXPONENT, INC. 5/f Sm Megamall Bldg. D, J Vargas, Wack-wack Greenhills, City Of Mandaluyong CHENG, KANG HAO Business Development Assistant Manager

Brief Job Description: Manage and execute overall plan for the assigned project

A15

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION IIKUMA, TOMOAKI Manager

Saturday, July 9, 2022

NGUYEN DUY THANG Advisor I, Customer Service Brief Job Description: Provide customer service for Google clients

Basic Qualification: Basic computer navigation skills and PC knowledge. Ability to work as a team member as well as independently.

19.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

WU, XINYU Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentations ZHANG, BINGQIANG Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentations ZHENG, HAIBIN Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentations

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

FU, QUANGANG Chinese Speaking Program Designer 29.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St., Barangay 289, Binondo, City Of Manila

LUO, BIN Marketing And Sales Agent 30.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas, and research to help develop marketing strategies; can help to detail, design, and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FIBERHOME PHILS., INC. U-19d 19/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St., Roxas Blvd. St., Barangay 3, Pasay City

DIEP HENH SAU Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

SONG, YIBIN Account Manager Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

31.

Brief Job Description: The account manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as account manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GAMMA INTERACTIVE INC. 21/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

BusinessMirror

A16 A6 Saturday, July 9, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION FONG KUEN YEE Customer Service Chinese Speaking

32.

Brief Job Description: Employee shall perform the duties such as reports on a daily operations call center activities.

LAN, HAN-CHING Customer Service Chinese Speaking

33.

Brief Job Description: Employee shall perform the duties such as reports on a daily operations call center activities.

WANG, CHUN-HSIANG Customer Service Chinese Speaking

34.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company CHAO, ABBIE YENPING a.k.a. CHAO, YEN-PING Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

35.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company CHEE SUANG JING Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

36.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for a company and developing efficient and intuitive marketing strategies.

CHUAN WEE CHING Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

37.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company GONG CHUN NAM Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

38.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company HONG, HAO-YONG Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

39.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company JAN SIONG KUAN Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

40.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company TAO, WENJING Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking

41.

42.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company

EUGENE KIM SOON KEAT Recruitment Officer Chinese Speaking Brief Job Description: Provide recruitment advice and support.

HUYNH THI NGOC LIEN Recruitment Officer Vietnamese Speaking 43.

Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for company

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with customer service experience.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HU, KE Mandarin Project Manager 48.

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with customer service experience.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

49.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 50.

51.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

LI, TUO Chinese Speaking Customer Financial Officer 52.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

53.

RICHARD KASENDA Marketing Executive- Indonesian Speaker Brief Job Description: Experienced in outbound calling.

LUO, BIN Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 54.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services

QU, JINWEI Customer Support Specialist 55.

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service

GAO SHOU TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 52/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

HUANG, YI-SHIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative 44.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

45.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

ZHANG, FUJIN Customer Support Specialist 56.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for, fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

GEDI CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of M

46.

Brief Job Description: The MANDARIN ADMIN MANAGER will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

JI, LONGSAN Mandarin Deputy Project Manager 47.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin deputy project manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service

GONG, LISHUAI Gaming Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as MANDARIN ADMIN MANAGER, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

DUONG THI LIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 60.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin site supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

NGUYEN KHANH THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 61.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN PHI KHANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 62.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Superior Customer Service Skills, Nice to Have Experience Working With Online Gaming/ Offshore Gaming Industry or Less Experience but a Good Attitude and Motivation to Learn, Excellent Communication Skills in Chinese, Both Spoken and Written

Basic Qualification: Superior Customer Service Skills, Nice to Have Experience Working With Online Gaming/ Offshore Gaming Industry or Less Experience but a Good Attitude and Motivation to Learn, Excellent Communication Skills in Chinese, Both Spoken and Written

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in english and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NGUYEN VAN THINH Vietnamese Technical Support Representative 63.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in english and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia - business level and English conversational level

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in english and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JK ESSENTIALS CORP. 2101 21st Floor The Finance Center, 26 St. Corner 9th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig PARK, JISEUB Sales Manager 64.

Brief Job Description: Managing organizational sales by developing a business plan that covers sales, revenue and expense controls.

Basic Qualification: College graduate.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JUDD WISY GROUP INC. Unit 2c One Ecom Bldg., Ocean Drive, Mall Of Asia Complex St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

LIU, WEI Sales Executive 65.

Brief Job Description: Identify business opportunities, researching and analyzing sales options. Identify product improvements or new products on industry trends, market activities, and competitors. Responsible in maintaining good relation with customers.

Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess at least Batchelor’s/ College Degree in Business Studies/ Administration/ Management, Marketing or equivalent. Excellent knowledge with communication and interpersonal skills.

Active listening skill, resilience, self-motivated and competitive. Able to establish trust with the customer/clients Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KOREAN AIRLINES CO. LTD. Lpl Plaza 124, L.p Leviste St. (alfaro), Bel-air, City Of Makati

66.

KANG, DAE JIN Deputy Station Manager Brief Job Description: ASSISTANT MANAGER FOR AIRPORT OPERATIONS

Basic Qualification: WORK EXPERIENCE IN SIMILAR POSITION Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

LIZARDBEAR TASKING INC. 17th To 20th Floors, Twenty Four Seven Mckinley Building, 24th Street And Seventh Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig VIJAYAKUMAR, SASI KUMAR Senior Manager Of Agile Development 67.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that quality strategies and processes are in place.

Basic Qualification: Master of maximizing analytical tools and improvement methods.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

MACRO EXCEL CONSULTANCY INC. 37/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WANG, BOCHENG Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 68.

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. U-2801 28/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information About Product And Services

Basic Qualification: With At Least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good In Oral Communication And Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

MAGKING SERVICES CORPORATION Unit 5d Rose Industries Bldg., #11, Pioneer Street, Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin deputy project manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

59.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

57.

YU, ZHENG Mandarin Admin Manager

DAU LAM THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin site supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin site supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SHENG, CHAI-JUI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 10/f Aseana I Bldg., Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for, fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

No.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin project manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

INFOVINE INC. 8th, 9th, 10th/f Aspire Corporate Plaza Bldg., Macapagal Blvd. St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

INFORM GROUP INC. Unit C 31/f, Cyberscape Gamma, Topaz & Ruby Roads Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field with recruitment experience.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin site supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

GRAND PREMIUM CREST HOLDING INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

Brief Job Description: The mandarin site supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

SU, ZIXI Mandarin Site Supervisor

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

Brief Job Description: The mandarin site supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

LIU, ZIXUAN Mandarin Site Supervisor

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin project manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

LI, YAJUN Mandarin Site Supervisor

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive experience

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

CHIANG, YU-HAN Chinese Customer Service Representative 58.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service queries; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in english and their respective native language for the position applied for; fluent in chines/mandarin is an advantage.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JUNG, HAEWON It Support Specialist 69.

Brief Job Description: IT support specialist to provide technical assistance to our staff.

Basic Qualification: Must be bachelor’s / college degree in any fields, at least 2 yrs. Of working experience in the related positions, ability to maintain high level of confidentiality Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

LIM, SANGMUK Operations Manager (Korean) 70.

Brief Job Description: Operations manager in performing their duties, ensure proper staffing at all store

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Must be bachelor’s / college degree in any fields, at least 2 yrs. Of working experience in the related positions, ability to maintain high level of confidentiality Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

NWAY NWAY THU Burmese Customer Service Representative 89.

71.

Brief Job Description: Reporting to the President and general Manager , Resolving technical client issues, Conducting training and seminars to local employees, with regards to new technologies that be able to adopt to improve our service, reviews and approves product specifications, making sre that our product and its application is tested safe and attending meeting, sessions and other company events with clients.

Basic Qualification: Expatriate, Degree Holder of Engineering Courses/ Buisness Courses/ IT Courses, Min. 5-10 years of experience as Technical In-Charge , Proficiency in Malaysian and English Language

90.

AIK AON Burmese Customer Service Representative 72.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires ARR KWAY Burmese Customer Service Representative

73.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

AYE AYE MAW Burmese Customer Service Representative

74.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires

AYE AYE MYINT Burmese Customer Service Representative 75.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

HLAING ZIN HEIN Burmese Customer Service Representative 76.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HNIN AYE AYE TUN Burmese Customer Service Representative

77.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

HNIN HTET HTET AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative

78.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

HTAW YIN PHEIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

79.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries KU YOUT KYIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

80.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries KUANG JIN GAI Burmese Customer Service Representative

81.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires KYAW KYAW KHAING Burmese Customer Service Representative

82.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires KYAW NAING NAING Burmese Customer Service Representative

83.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires KYAW PYAE AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative

84.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIN AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative

85.

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires MYA KAY KHAING Burmese Customer Service Representative

86.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries MYO LATT Burmese Customer Service Representative

87.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NANDAR LIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

88.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

91.

92.

93.

94.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

95.

96.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TWAN KYO YAN Burmese Customer Service Representative

97.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WAI YAN TUN Burmese Customer Service Representative

98.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WONG KE XIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

99.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YAN SHI PHUE Burmese Customer Service Representative

100.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YAN YONE SIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

101.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YE YINT AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative

102.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CAI, SONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

103.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires FAN, JINPENG Chinese Customer Service Representative

104.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires FENG, ZHIHUA Chinese Customer Service Representative

105.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires GENG, MING Chinese Customer Service Representative

106.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

HUANG, MINHUI Chinese Customer Service Representative

107.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, XIAOLONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

108.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, DAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

109.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries THAZIN OO Burmese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires THANDAR OO Burmese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SOE AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SHIN MYIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SAN SAN WIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires SAI AUNG HTET Burmese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries PYI WIN Burmese Customer Service Representative

MICRON CLEANROOM (PHILIPPINES), INC. Unit 906 Page I Bldg., Acacia Ave. Mbp, Ayala, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa TAN CHUN LONG Technical Consultant

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LI, ERJUN Chinese Customer Service Representative

110.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Saturday, July 9, 2022

A17

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

No.

LI, QICHENG Chinese Customer Service Representative 111.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

112.

113.

114.

115.

116.

117.

118.

119.

120.

121.

122.

123.

124.

125.

126.

127.

128.

129.

130.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHU, ZHENGHUA Chinese Customer Service Representative

131.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHOU, XIAOHUA Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHENG, ZHENYUAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHENG, TAIRONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHANG, ZHONGHUA Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHANG, ZHIXUE Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YANG, TIANHUIZI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YAN, SHI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires XIE, JIAWEI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WU, JIANXIE Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WEI, YONGQIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, RUSHI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TIAN, ZEYU Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TANG, BO Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires NING, ZIJIE Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires MA, GUANGSHAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LUO, SHUMEI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, YOU Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LI, XIAO Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LI, SHAOFENG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHUANG, CAIHUA Chinese Customer Service Representative

132.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A18 A6 Saturday, July 9, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DAVID Indonesian Customer Service Representative

133.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries FENNY Indonesian Customer Service Representative

134.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HARYOKI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

135.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HENDRI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

136.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HERMAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

137.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

HIA TEK NGUAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

138.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries JOHAN CHANDRA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

139.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries JONI CHANDRA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

140.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries MERY Indonesian Customer Service Representative

141.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NORFRITA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

142.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries PHANG SHU SAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

143.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries VALENCIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

144.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WIDYA CARORIN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

145.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CHANG WEE QUAN Malaysian Customer Service Representative

146.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

LOW BEE CHEN Malaysian Customer Service Representative

147.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires BE VAN KHAI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

148.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries BUI THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

149.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

CAO VAN DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

150.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

CHU THI OANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

151.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

LE THI CHI NA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

152.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

153.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG THI KHAM PHANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

154.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

No.

LUU THI HUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 155.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

156.

157.

158.

159.

160.

161.

162.

163.

164.

165.

166.

167.

168.

169.

170.

171.

172.

173.

174.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires PHAM NHU HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

175.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ONG VUONG GIA AN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries O VI THONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NONG VAN NGHE Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires NGUYEN VAN QUY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN VAN KY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN VAN DUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires NGUYEN VAN CHUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN THO THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN THI HUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN TAN HIEP Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires NGUYEN QUOC CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires NGUYEN KHAC KHOI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN DUY THONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN DINH TOAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN DINH HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NGUYEN CONG HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires NGUYEN BINH DAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGO DOAN DUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LUU THI TUYET NHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TANG THI HUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

176.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

No.

TRAN BAO CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 177.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

AHMAD FAUZI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 178.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

KADEK OKA SUWARDIKA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 179.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

180.

181.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

182.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

183.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

184.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

185.

186.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Must be fluent in Indonesian/Bahasa/Malaysian/ Vietnamese/Thailand and English Language.

HENDRIKEN Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Must be fluent in Indonesian/Bahasa/Malaysian/ Vietnamese/Thailand and English Language.

STEVEN RIO JONATAN Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Must be fluent in Indonesian/Bahasa/Malaysian/ Vietnamese/Thailand and English Language.

VERNANDO PRASETYA Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Must be fluent in Indonesian/Bahasa/Malaysian/ Vietnamese/Thailand and English Language.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

WONG SIEW LEONG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 187.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

ZHAI, XIANGDONG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 188.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CLAURENTIVO CHRISTIAN FLORIANUS Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative

LIN, SIN-YING Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

CHEN, SHENG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 189.

JIANG, LI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

190.

LI, XING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be 4 years bachelor degree in any course.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be 4 years bachelor degree in any course.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

LUH SUKMAWATI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 2/f 331 Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

191.

LIU, YANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

OU, JIANCHUAN Chinese Customer Service 192.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

ZHANG, CHAO Chinese Customer Service 193.

194.

195.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

JONI Indonesian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

LELY Indonesian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

WILLIAM Indonesian Customer Service 196.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

WITONO Indonesian Customer Service 197.

198.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

LIM PEI RU Malaysian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

ONG SZE MING Malaysian Customer Service 199.

200.

201.

202.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

KAUNG HTET Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

KHIN MAUNG WIN Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

KHIN OO Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

No.

NGUYEN HOA HOANG ANH Vietnamese Customer Service 206.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (native language).

207.

208.

209.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

210.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

211.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

212.

203.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

MA SEO HOA Vietnamese Customer Service 204.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN CONG VU Vietnamese Customer Service 205.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

TRAN XUAN SANG Vietnamese Customer Service 213.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

XIAO, RUI Project Manager 214.

Brief Job Description: Project managers are accountable for organizing telecom systems installation projects

215.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

FENNY Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

THUYEN BUU TUYEN Customer Service Representative 217.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

219.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (native language).

220.

221.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

PH GLOBAL KIDS SMART FUTURE TECHNOLOGY INC. 20th Floor Two/neo Building, 3rd Avenue Corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig YU, JIAXIANG Mandarin Operations Manager 218.

Brief Job Description: Devise and develop the overall brand marketing plans and strategies for the Philippine market and lead the entire marketing and branding assessment in all regional centers and leading mall stores.

Basic Qualification: Must be able to read, write and translate in mandarin; in both simplified and traditional.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Full-time operations assistant to assist on administrative work of Operations Team

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

S & L FINE FOODS INC. 135b, Yakal St., San Antonio, City Of Makati

EROL, RIDVAN European Food Technical And Warehousing Specialist 222.

Brief Job Description: Oversee all warehouse and cold storage operation as well as receiving procedures for imported shipments

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in technical requirements of European dair, charcuterie, and gourmet items as follows: cold storage operations, imported stock management and warehouse operations.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SINOMA CBMIPH CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION 37b Rufino Pacific Tower, Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati XUE, PENGZHI Mandarin Technical Works Officer 223.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin technical works officer will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin technical works officer, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SOLIDLEISURE SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 2602-d & 2603-a West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig GAO, WENYI Mandarin Technical Support 224.

Brief Job Description: Monitoring & maintaining computer systems & networks

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TECHNIDATA INC. U1401-1402 Liberty Center, H.v Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati DZUNA FOTSO, OLIVIER KEVIN Bilingual Support Specialist 225.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Willing to travel and to be assigned anywhere in country where the company has ongoing project

Brief Job Description: Develops and implements financial management strategies: budgeting, forecasting, sales revenue, cash flow, and treasury analysis

DO THI QUYNH NGOC Mandarin Technical Support

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (native language).

Basic Qualification: Must be able to read, write and translate in mandarin; in both simplified and traditional.

LIU, SHUAI Mandarin Operations Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

PHILIPPINE FULL DEGREE COMMUNICATIONS CORP. 10/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7323 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHANG, QINGSHAN Mandarin Regional Sales Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

No.

Brief Job Description: Provide Level 1 support to their clients in France and Canada

Basic Qualification: Competent in Unix, Linux and Windows Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

TELUS INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES, INC. Units 23/f, 31st/f - 37th/f Discovery Centre, Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig AKENJI, KIMBERLY BEI French Operations Csr Ii 226.

Brief Job Description: Provides expedient and accurate customer service to French-speaking clients and customers

Basic Qualification: Skilled in French Language Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

TIAN XIA TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. Bldg. B Filinvest Cyberzone 6, Bay City, Barangay 76, Pasay City HU, JIA-WEN Chinese Customer Service Representative 227.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LIAO, ZHI-ZHEN a.k.a. CHEN, TZ-YIN Chinese Customer Service Representative

228.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

OMNIWEALTH ENTERPRISE INC. 17th Flr. Citibank Square Bldg., No. 188 Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Eastwood City Cyberpark 3, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

BEBI Customer Service Representative

A19

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NOBLEVISION SERVICES INC. Unit 308 Bldg M Oasis, Hub B One Oasis Condominium, Ortigas Ave. Ext., Santa Lucia, City Of Pasig

216.

LE THI NGOC ANH Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

TRAN THI QUYNH Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN VAN THAI Vietnamese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN VAN QUY Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (native language).

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN VAN NHO Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (native language).

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN THI CHIEU Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUYEN HUU TOAN Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Saturday, July 9, 2022

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

WU, JOU-HUI Chinese Customer Service Representative 229.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: -At least 19y/old.

Ability to speak write and communicate in Vietnamese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: -At least 19y/old.

Ability to speak write and communicate in Vietnamese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: -At least 19y/old.

Ability to speak write and communicate in Vietnamese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

VISSIONARIES INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

230.

LAN, MENGXI Recruitment Marketing Specialist (chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Assigned to the company for planning and implementing recruitment marketing strategy.

Basic Qualification: Can speak chinese language and with extensive experience in recruitment marketing.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Jul 8, 2022

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 National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

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