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President Marcos Jr.’s decision to assume the agriculture portfolio has thrust him into a perfect storm of challenges, but he isn’t backing down.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. gestures during a press conference at his headquarters in Mandaluyong, June 20, 2022. Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez and Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. Part of Marcos’s priorities as agriculture chief is bringing back the previous status quo to agencies that were created during his father’s time. AP/AARON FAVILA

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

N what industry leaders and former high-ranking government officials have described as unprecedented, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to head the Department of Agriculture (DA) could really be one for the books.

“RICE for Progress” stamp issued in 1969 shows the late President Ferdinand Marcos and wife Imelda harvesting “miracle rice,” a high-yielding rice variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute in the early 1960s . ZATLETIC | DREAMSTIME.COM

cos] Jr. as DA [secretary], who’s the congressman or senator that will oppose his programs?” former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said, partly in Filipino.

Given the immensity of his political capital as a President who came to power on a stunning 31-million vote, Marcos’s first task is to hike the agriculture department’s budget for next year in order to fuel the task of salvaging the sector from crumbling amid rising prices of planting inputs and food items.

For the past six years, the agriculture secretaries—Piñol and Dar—have been lobbying for a higher agricultural budget to the tune of P200 billion and above, to provide cheaper and accessible food to Filipinos. But as the curtains fell on the Duterte administration, the DA was not able to taste even a budget of at least P100 billion.

Diseases, diseases DAR: The President will face a “pandemiclike” challenge in managing the country’s food supply and prices amid an ongoing global food crisis. BERNARD TESTA

PIÑOL: “At long last, the sector will get the support it needs. With [Marcos] Jr. as DA [secretary], who’s the congressman or senator that will oppose his programs?”

MINDA.GOV.PH

But such a historic feat may not come so easy for Marcos the agriculture chief as he must face a myriad of problems—many of them systemic, and many newly emerging from recent local and global developments like war and the pandemic—that are hounding the sector.

Indeed, many of these problems have been perennial to farmers and fishermen; but were deepened by challenges that arose from the Covid-19 pandemic and disruptions in the global economy; and most recently, the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Marcos’s predecessor, two-

time Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, did not mince words in saying that the President will face a “pandemic-like” challenge in managing the country’s food supply and prices amid an ongoing global food crisis.

Presidential power

LEADERS across all agriculture industries from producers to agribusinesses, importers and processors unanimously concur that, with Marcos as its concurrent head, the DA would now have its much-needed political will.

“At long last, the sector will get the support it needs. With [Mar-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.3450

IN what pundits described as a perfect storm, the agriculture sector, particularly livestock and poultry raisers, saw themselves pushed to a tight corner as the country grappled for the first time with various transboundary animal diseases.

In 2017, it was bird flu. In 2019, it was African swine fever.

Today, it is both. Tempering pork and chicken prices—and even bringing them back to prepandemic levels—would mean Marcos successfully eradicating these two animal diseases and encouraging hog and chicken raisers to produce more again.

Livestock and poultry industry players have been holding back on their production due to lingering threats of diseases. Worse, they are now taking further steps back due to the high cost of animal feed products and fuel prices due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

Pundits earlier identified that

the government must pour investments in the hog sector to revitalize it and regain its former glory in five years’ time. But on top of this, local producers have been firm that the government’s “pro-importation” stance must change to provide them a policy environment that encourages domestic output.

Fertilizer, fuel

CROP producers, meanwhile, are battered by unabated increases in fertilizer and fuel prices, forcing them to reduce planting input application, therefore resulting in lower yield, which is threatening the overall food supply of the country.

Fertilizer prices have breached the P3,000-per-50-kilogram level while fuel prices inch closer day by day to P100-per-liter level.

Some agricultural producers, such as bananas, are left with no choice but to bite the bullet to keep the same level of quality and yield in order to satisfy customers’ demands both locally and abroad.

Experts, including the outgoing agriculture chief, have declared that it is now imperative for the government to promote the use of organic and biological planting inputs to reduce dependency on imported synthetic and inorganic fertilizer.

Recently, President Marcos said he was exploring governmentto-government negotiations with several countries in order to ensure a stable supply of more affordable fertilizers.

scrambled in justifying Marcos’s goal of reducing the price of rice to such a steep level, which was last seen by Filipino consumers in 2006.

But since announcing his takeover of the agriculture department, Marcos has gone beyond his promise of dirt-cheap rice.

“There are many priorities that we have to attend to simultaneously, first of all we will try to increase production as we come to the planting period, the harvest period after the rainy season, during, before and after the rainy season. Hopefully, we can counteract some of the increases in prices,” he said.

And part of Marcos’s priorities is bringing back the previous status quo to agencies that were created during his father’s time.

“As I have mentioned many times before, many of the agencies have changed their functions over

the years and maybe it’s time to return them. I talked about the organizations like the NFA [National Food Authority], the FTI [Food Terminal Inc.] and the Kadiwa, which we already have started to see especially at the local level but we have to structure the actual department so as to be more responsive to the global situation now when it comes to food supply,” he said.

As the government enters a new chapter, only time will tell if Marcos’s decision to be the first President serving as the concurrent agriculture secretary would be a bane or a boon to Filipino farmers and fishermen. And whether his courage in taking on the challenge will boost his credentials as a President who came to power with an “avalanche” of votes and used that mandate for an equally formidable crisis.

Promises and aspirations

THE President’s assumption of the DA was initially shadowed by his campaign promise of P20 per kilogram of rice. This immediately became the parable of town, before he retracted it as a mere “aspiration” for the Philippines.

Industry experts and officials

n JAPAN 0.4102 n UK 67.5971 n HK 7.1789 n CHINA 8.3252 n SINGAPORE 40.5477 n AUSTRALIA 39.0640 n EU 57.6409 n KOREA 0.0431 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9953

Source: BSP (July 22, 2022)

NewsSaturday A2 Saturday, July 23, 2022

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Here’s how China might respond to a Taiwan visit by Nancy Pelosi SPEAKER of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives to meet with reporters ahead of a planned vote in the House that would inscribe the right to use contraceptives into law, a response to the conservative Supreme Court, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 21, 2022. AP/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

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By Bloomberg News

ROM frothy rhetoric to fighter jet incursions, China rarely leaves even a low-level exchange between the US and Taiwan unanswered. The question now is how far Beijing will go to signal its displeasure with any Taipei visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Not only would the reported trip next month be the first by someone in her post in a quarter century, it comes at a sensitive time for Xi Jinping. The Chinese President is expected to spend the first half of August huddled with Communist Party elders ahead of a reshuffle, in which he’s seeking support to rule for at least another five years. He can’t afford to look weak in response to what Beijing views as a foreign effort to break off a piece of the country’s territory.

President Joe Biden further raised concerns of a strong response by China on Wednesday, when he told reporters the American military thought any visit by Pelosi was “not a good idea right now.” The reference conjured comparisons to the last major Taiwan crisis in 1995-96, when China lobbed missiles into the sea near Taiwanese ports and then-President Bill Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups to the area.

“The Chinese response to her visit is probably going to be different than they have been for previous congressional delegations,” said Drew Thompson, visiting senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and a former US defense official. “The question is what.”

Here are some possible responses from China:

1

Bigger warplane incursions.

People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes have breached Taiwan’s air-defense identification zone with increased frequency in recent years, putting political pressure on Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen while demonstrating its ability to project power in the strait. A Pelosi visit could be met by a particularly large or lengthy series of flights, such as when some 15 planes flew

around the east side of Taiwan after a US congressional delegation visit. The daily record for such incursions remains 56 planes on October 4, which may have been a response to nearby US-led military exercises. China could similarly send warships to conduct drills in nearby waters.

‘X

i needs to make a careful balance and pick a proper response ahead of the key party congress. On one hand, he needs to satisfy internal hawks by having some actions militarily, but on the other, the moves can’t lead to international push back when China is already struggling to deal with economic and diplomatic issues.’—Wang Ting-Yu, a Taiwanese lawmaker

2

Crossing the Median Line.

One likely response by Beijing would be to send warplanes across the Taiwan Strait’s median line, a buffer zone the US established in 1954 to prevent a conflict between China and Taiwan. PLA aircraft repeatedly breached the line in September 2020, when then-US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach traveled to the island. Similarly, Chinese planes crossed the line earlier this month when US Senator Rick Scott visited Tsai. A deep or extended sortie across the line, which Beijing doesn’t recognize, would put particular pressure on Taiwan’s smaller military, since it would require its planes to stay in the air.

“The most likely scenario is the PLA will send multiple warplanes crossing the strait mid-line, especially at the area between Taipei and Hsinchu, which is the narrowest point in the Taiwan Strait,”

said Chieh Chung, an associate research fellow at Taiwan’s National Policy Foundation.

3

Missile Test Near Taiwan.

Among China’s most provocative responses to an exchange between Washington and Taipei came in the summer of 1995, when China test-fired missiles into the sea near the island. The move was part of Beijing’s protests against Clinton’s decision to let Taiwan’s first democratically elected president, Lee Teng-hui, visit the US. China declared exclusion zones around target areas during the tests, disrupting shipping and air traffic.

More recently, the PLA launched “carrier-killer” ballistic missiles into the South China Sea in August 2020, in what was seen as a response to US naval exercises.

4

Flying over Taiwan. Nationalist voices in China have outlined a range of potential responses to Pelosi’s visit that carry an even greater risk of escalation. Among the options repeatedly floated by the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper has been conducting a military flight directly over Taiwan, something that would set up a tense showdown between the two militaries.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told parliament last year that his forces would take tough measures against intruding planes. “The closer they get to the island, the stronger we will hit back,” he said.

5

Shadowing Pelosi’s Trip. Hu Xijin, the Global Times’s outspoken former editor, has suggested Chinese warplanes should “accompany” Pelosi on any attempted flight to Taiwan. Such a move would put a lot of pressure on the Chinese and American pilots to avoid mistakes. Australia accused the Chinese military of flying in a “dangerous” manner beside one of its surveillance aircraft in May—a charge the PLA disputes.

“Xi needs to make a careful balance and pick a proper response ahead of the key party congress,” said Wang Ting-Yu, a Taiwanese lawmaker. “On one hand, he needs to satisfy internal hawks by having some actions militarily, but on the other, the moves can’t lead to international push back when China is already struggling to deal with economic and diplomatic issues.”

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

News BusinessMirror

Senators return to work as regular session resumes

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E N AT O R S a r e s e t t o c o n v e n e plenary session Monday morning under the 19th Congress, promptly tackling leadership reorganization issues and install new leaders, as well as the chairmanships of various working committees.

In the afternoon, the senators will proceed to the Batasan for the joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives to hear President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. deliver his first State of the Nation Address.

Based on the reported consensus forged among majority of senators, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri will be the new Senate President with Sen. Loren Legarda assuming the post of Senate President Pro Tempore and Senator Joel Villanueva as incoming Majority Leader,

the post previously held by Zubiri.

Among the minority bloc, Senator Koko Pimentel is touted to be the new Minority Leader but sources said they are still awaiting the outcome of talks over the weekend as Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano was said to have also signaled his interest to get the top minority post.

Also awaited are welcome rites on Monday for 12 recently elected senators who won in the last senatorial derby.

Meanwhile, the Senate session hall is being prepared for face-to-face plenary proceedings amid the lingering Covid-19 contagion.

As part of the precautions against Covid 19, each senator’s table will be enclosed in acrylic fiber glass, and the number of staff and visitors allowed to enter the session hall will be limited. Butch Fernandez

Saturday, July 23, 2022

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PBBM to unveil govt’s pandemic recovery roadmap in first SONA

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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RESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is expected to unveil his roadmap for pandemic recovery during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week.

Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez disclosed the President wants to focus on how the government can address the effects of the Covid-19 crisis to the economy and other sectors of society.

“When we speak of Covid response, it’s not only about health. It goes all the way to the entire cycle of the economy, not just health. You go into education,

and so on and so forth,” Rodriguez told reporters in an interview last Friday.

The said measures, Rodriguez said, will also include the digitalization of governance, which Marcos and the previous administration is pushing to ensure efficiency in government operations amid the pandemic.

Food crisis ALSO expected to be included in the SONA message of Marcos will be government measures to address the prevailing food crisis.

“He (Marcos) took head on the portfolio of the Department of Agriculture because he’s aware of the impending food price crisis and probably food

supply crisis,” Rodriguez said.

“It is his thrust; it is his vision for us not only to have food security but food sovereignty. Meaning, we don’t have to rely on much importation anymore,” he added.

Marcos will defer participating in additional activities this weekend to personally finish writing his SONA speech.

“This morning (July 22), we have just, the two ambassadors of Thailand and the United States presented their credentials to him. But he has devoted this afternoon until the morning of Monday to finalize his SONA message,” Rodriguez said.

Marcos will hold his SONA on Mon-

day, July 25, 2022, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

Priority legislation AFTER the SONA, Rodriguez said, the Cabinet is expected to tackle its priority legislation through the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and 2023 national budget proposal.

“All our efforts are now geared towards SONA understandably, and after that we will do all this things concerning the LEDAC,” Rodriguez said, “We also have to look into the budget and he’s given by law 30 days from the opening of Congress to submit his budget proposal,” he added.

POEA report: Another Pinoy DTI SEIZES UNCERTIFIED STEEL PRODUCTS IN CAVITE seafarer gone missing at sea T

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

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NOTHER Filipino seafarer is declared missing while on board his ship in the high seas, reports reaching the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said.

The missing Filipino seafarer was identified as Kristoferry Mantilla, a crew member of the M/V Navios Phoenix.

This is the second time a Filipino seafarer was declared missing while on board a ship in a week. The first Filipino seafarer that was confirmed missing by the POEA is Lucio Cabading Sablas, captain of M/V Algeciras Express, in the Mediterranean Sea. “Medyo nakakabahala na meron na namang nawawalang seafarer natin. Halos magkasunod sila ,” POEA

Administrator Bernard Olalia told BusinessMirror.

M/V Navios Phoenix, a Panamanianflagged bulk carrier, came from South Korea and on its way to Canada when the crew discovered that Mantilla was missing.

According to the manning agent InterOrient Maritime Enterprises Inc., the crew conducted a full search on board and could not find Mantilla.

The captain of the ship also broadcasted a “PAN-PAN message”— an international radiotelephony system signaling that they have an urgent situation on board their ship.

The ship is expected to dock in Canada on July 21 and Canadian and Panamanian authorities will conduct their own investigation, the Interorient Maritime agency wrote to POEA.

HE Department of Trade and Industry ( D T I ) , t h r o u g h i t s F a i r Tr a d e Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), clamped down on P245,249 uncertified steel products during its technical regulation enforcement in Cavite on July 14.

Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo and FTEB Officer-In-Charge Assistant Director Joseph Manuel P. Pamittan spearheaded the DTI enforcement teams in visiting five hardware stores in Silang and Dasmariñas, Cavite.

The enforcement of DTI technical regulations was mandated by Philippine Standard Certification Mark Schemes, particularly Department Administrative Order No. 02, Series of 2007, which has led to the sealing of 191 uncertified lowcarbon steel wires and GI steel pipes worth P217,548; and 49 uncertified equal-leg steel angle bars worth P27,881.

The DTI issued Notices of Violation

PRC intensifies vax drive, opens 27th Bakuna Center

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N support of the government’s efforts to encourage the public to get vaccinated and avail of booster shots against Covid-19, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, opened its Bakuna Center in Malabon City, The PRC Bakuna Center, in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), the local government of Malabon, and the Rotary Club of Malabon, vaccinated 66 individuals, including senior citizens, immunocompromised patients, and qualified adolescents 12 to 17 years old

on its opening day. The new Bakuna Center in Malabon is one of the many Covid-19 programs that the PRC continues to provide amid increasing cases in the country.

Since February 2022, the PRC Malabon Chapter has administered 4,116 doses, which is added to the PRC’s total of 1,211,810 doses with 375,094 fully vaccinated individuals.

“Patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng Red Cross sa local government units at pribadong ahensiya para tugunan ang

panawagan na mahikayat ang ating mga kababayan na magpabakuna. Ang Bakuna Center sa Malabon ay naglalayong mailapit ang ating mga bakuna sa mga komunidad na nangangailangan ,” Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon said.

Present during the opening were Hon. Jeannie Sandoval, Mayor of Malabon City and Chairperson of PRC Malabon City Chapter, officials from DOH and Malabon City Health Office, and volunteers and staff of the PRC.

Sen. Pia Cayetano cites ‘legal quandary’ in Vape Bill okay

By Butch Fernandez

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ENATOR Pia Cayetano is prodding President Marcos Jr. not to act on the enrolled bill on vaping, airing concern it could face legal challenge amid warnings on health risks.

“I am submitting this letter ad cautelam to raise substantial and procedural issues arising from the enrolled bill of the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation,” Cayetano said in a letter to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which she furnished the media.

The Vape Bill, she recalled, was approved by the 18th Congress, which had its final adjournment on May 31, 2022. The term of its members, both from the House of Representatives and twelve of the members from the Senate, had also ended on June 30, 2022, the same time President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term as President ended.

“Because President Duterte neither affixed his signature to the enrolled bill of the Vape Bill, nor exercised presidential veto over the same, before his term ended,” Cayetano, a law-

yer, cautioned. “We are placed in a legal quandary of having a bill passed by a Congress, composed of different members, that has been rendered functus officio by its final adjournment, and submitted to the President whose term has ended, being signed into law by a new President.”

She warned that, “This would create a serious constitutional issue on the validity of a ‘law’ enacted by a Congress without official authority.”

Cayetano added “as a health advocate, lawyer, and member of Congress, I am of the sentiment that we should avoid technicalities such as these as much as possible, when courts would be constrained to rule on the laws that we make.”

Even if the procedural and possible constitutional issues were set aside, Cayetano believes that President Marcos “should veto the Vape Bill based on the detrimental effects it would have on the health of our fellow Filipinos, as warned by medical associations and health advocates, former DOH (Department of Health) secretaries, and concerned government agencies—DOH, Food

and Drug Administration, Department of Finance, and Department of Education.”

These hazards are apparent, she stressed, “from the changes the Vape Bill will bring about in our legal and regulatory framework ” on the industry of vapes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).

The senator pointed out the proponents of the Vape Bill anchor their position on: (1) vapes and HTPs as being effective cessation tools from cigarette smoking; and (2) the need to regulate the industry.

She reminded, however, these arguments are “fatally flawed “because rather than to regulate, the Vape bill actually removes the protective measures already found under Republic Act No. 11467 or the ‘Sin Tax Reform Act of 2020,’ which was enacted into law last January 22, 2020.

At the same time, the senator pointed out further that the Vape Bill, as proposed, “overturns key safeguard provision in the Sin Tax Reform Act, which, she said, provided stricter regulations to protect public health.

(NOV) to the non-compliant stores.

Further, the enforcement teams purchased samples of uncertified products to determine if the items are compliant with the technical requirements of parameters set by the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) under its mandatory certification scheme or process.

Last July 11, FTEB also conducted the enforcement of technical regulations in Manila that led to the seizure and sealing of P108,000 worth of uncertified

products such as inner tubes and electrical appliances.

In the first half of the year, the bureau has already confiscated 84,119 pieces of uncertified products worth P21,139,676.89.

To protect consumers or potential buyers of electrical and electronic products; mechanical or building and construction materials; and chemical and other consumer products and systems, DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards implements two Mandatory

Product Certification Schemes namely the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/ or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme.

Currently, there are 87 products and systems under the BPS’ Mandatory Product Certification Schemes, including steel products such as BI/GI steel pipes, deformed steel bars, equal-leg steel angle bars, rerolled steel bars, low-carbon steel wires, and steel wire nails. Andrea San Juan

A4

News BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 23, 2022

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Macau’s Covid zero plan now targets city’s Filipino workers Tesda backs govt review of educational

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foreign workers from Nepal and Vietnam to do a Covid test every other day for a total of four times. At the beginning of the latest outbreak, those who hold a Myanmar passport were required to be tested.

As of July 2021, there were more than 28,000 Filipino workers in Macau, typically employed in tourism, gaming, hospitality, or as domestic helpers, according to the Philippine government’s official news agency.

Macau has identified seven other high-risk groups who need to take daily tests, including foreign domestic helpers who don’t live with their employers, cleaners, security guards, public transport drivers, property managers, delivery staff and those who work in the food and drinks businesses.

The gambling hub has been shut down since July 11, with most businesses, including casinos, closed and people banned from leaving home unless necessary. It’s planning to reopen casinos and some other venues from Saturday with limited capacity, though bars, cinemas and nightclubs will remain shut and dining-in services at restaurants suspended.

The resumption is part of Macau’s target to get local infections to stay near zero for weeks, a prerequisite to restart quarantinefree travel with mainland China, the largest source of the enclave’s tourism. The current outbreak, which started on June 18 is easing, with about a dozen cases reported on Thursday. Bloomberg News

ACAU ordered any resident who holds a Philippine passport to take a daily nucleic acid test, with officials singling them out as more at risk for infection even though they account for a small number of cases in a Covid-19 wave that’s abating.

The testing regimen will start Friday, health official Leong Iek Hou said at a briefing Thursday. Government data show Filipinos have accounted for 9.5 percent of the city’s total of 1,795 Covid cases this outbreak, Leong said.

“Our epidemiology research found they tend to have more gatherings, like meetings among friends,” Leong said. “It’s likely that they have more interactions within their own

ethnicity, so we need to find out whether there are hidden sources of infections among them via frequent testing.”

Macau’s push echoes Hong Kong’s insistence in May last year that all foreign domestic helpers—the majority of whom are women from the Philippines—had to be tested for Covid after a variant was detected in a worker. Officials in the financial hub said the cohort’s tendency to gather with friends on their day off risked cross-family infection, but it sparked criticism about the discriminatory policy that saw no other occupational group need to undergo testing.

It’s not the first time Macau has used ethnicity to define a high-risk group. In October last year, local authorities ordered

Bill prescribes criminal liability for OSH violations

MGB’s Moncano affirms support to legitimize small-scale mining

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HREE party-list lawmakers have filed a bill that will criminalize violations of occupational safety and health (OSH).

In House Bill 2126, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, Act Teachers Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said they filed the measure following a string of workplace deaths, which claimed the lives of 12 workers over the past six weeks.

Under House Bill 2126, employers may face imprisonment for up to 12 years for gross violations of Republic Act 11058, or the OSH law, which result in the death of workers, aside from the fines which range from P1 million to P3 million. Employers and their contractors and subcontractors also stand to lose their business permits for repeated violations of the OSH Law. “Even with the enactment of the OSH Law, employers continue to neglect workers’ health and safety which often lead to injuries and death. That is why we need to introduce stiffer penalties and imprisonment in the law.

Dapat may makulong sa pagkamatay ng mga manggagawa sa pagawaan,” said Brosas.

(Somebody must be held responsible for the death of a worker at the workplace] “Our bill enumerated the gross violations of OSH law which can be penalized by fines or imprisonment or both, including failure to heed the Labor department’s compliance order, failure to hold OSH trainings, failure to designate safety officers, and failure to secure a fire safety certificate,” she added.

The lawmakers explained that HB 2126 also prevents waivers or affidavits of desistance from derailing the pursuit of legal actions against erring employers, citing the usual tactic of guilty employers to force grieving families to sign waivers in case of workplace deaths.

Under the measure, the company president, vice president, chief executive officer, general manager, managing director or partner can be held liable for imprisonment over gross violations of the OSH law.

“We have successfully pushed for the enactment of the OSH law in 2018. Now, we are continuing the campaign for safer workplaces by pushing for the enactment of this important measure. This is not an easy feat, as we will face again the strong opposition of employers who lobbied for the removal of penal provisions in the final version of the OSH law,” Brosas said.

“But we will nevertheless advance our demand to criminalize OSH violations, especially as we look at the continuing impunity over work place deaths and tragedies,” she added.

The bill said that an employer, contractor or subcontractor who willfully fails or refuses to comply with the required OSH standards or with a duly issued compliance order, and engages in any of the following acts to aid, conceal or facilitate such noncompliance, shall be considered as having grossly violated this proposal shall be liable for a maximum of P300,000, administrative fine separate from the daily fine of P100,000 per day or imprisonment of not less than one year and three years, or both at the discretion of the court.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

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HE Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) expressed support behind calls to formalize artisanal and smallscale mining to improve the working and occupational safety and health condition of all miners.

“We really want to legalize and recognize artisanal and small-scale mining in the Philippines. In fact, we have already a position paper, and a proposed amendment in Congress,” MGB Director Wilfredo Moncano told the BusinessMirror.

Moncano was reacting to the call made by Gil Indino, chairperson of the National Coalition of Small-Scale Miners in the Philippines as the group gears up for its third general assembly on from July 28 to 30, 2022 at the Villa Silvina Hotel and Restaurant in Baguio City.

Hosted by the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, the theme of the assembly is “Pag-usad ng Responsableng Maliitang Pagmimina sa New Normal.”

Moncano also said the MGB is working

closely with various sectors, including advocacy groups like BAN Toxics to legalize the sector through the declaration of Minahang Bayan.

Moncano said there are currently 53 declared Minahang Bayans in various parts of the country and the MGB is in the process of reviewing over 100 applications, which seeks to establish Minahang Bayans.

Moncano admitted that the there’s no available data yet that would suggest wether the small-scale mining sector is thriving or in fact dying.

“We really have no estimate as far as the number of small-scale miners is concerned. We can only monitor them through the established number of Minahang Bayans,” he added.

According to Moncano, the MGB supports the move of small-scale miners who are promoting the use of environmentfriendly small-scale mining process and technology like the ones being practiced

now in Paracale, and in Benguet wherein miners are no longer using mercury, a toxic heavy metal.

In calling for the formalization of the small-scale mining sector Indino said it is imperative to improve the working and occupational safety and health conditions of all miners.

“It is high time for the Philippines to prioritize the protection of small-scale mining communities,” Indino said.

Backed by the group BAN Toxics, the group has been working to promote environmentfriendly small-scale mining practices and technology without using mercury.

Arleen Honrade, secretary of the National Coalition and Monitoring and Evaluation of BAN Toxics said the effect of artisanal and small-scale gold mining, the main anthropogenic source of mercury emissions and releases worldwide, remains unknown due to the sector’s informality and illegality.

Jonathan L. Mayuga

Intervenn launches cancer treatment site in Pasig City

By Andrea San Juan

I

NTERVENN Biosciences, a US-based clinical technology firm, has opened its site in Ortigas, Pasig City on Friday.

While the company is based in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, the team that maintains the artificial intelligence (AI) technology is made up mostly of Filipinos residing in the Philippines.

In fact, the startup firm’s CEO and cofounder Aldo Carrascoso is a Filipino native based in South San Francisco, California.

The clinical technology firm is pioneering a new AI-powered approach to predict, prevent, and observe disease progression.

“InterVenn has made significant progress in early cancer detection thanks to the brilliant and dedicated Filipino engineers we have on board,” Carrascoso said at the grand launch of the state-of-the-art office in Pasig on Friday.

The InterVenn, in a news statement issued on Friday said the new site, located

at the Podium West Tower, will expand the local team’s roster of developers and engineers that form the backbone running the proprietary AI technology used in the company’s research.

Currently, about 150 Filipinos work on the software engineering stream of InterVenn, with plans to recruit about more local talent as they further expand their business in the Southeast Asian region.

For his part, InterVenn Philippines General Manager Axel Kornerup highlighted that 100 percent of the firm’s software is proudly Philippine-made.

“We started this venture with the goal of not just having the means of finding a cure and early detection for cancer, but to also showcase to everyone that we Filipinos can achieve this on a global scale,” Kornerup said.

The general manager said that InterVenn has been collaborating with local oncologists in running the VOCAL (InterVenn Ovarian Cancer Liquid Biopsy), which is a testing program being conducted in partnership

with local oncologists. It validates blood tests to aid in the accuracy of doctors’ diagnoses of masses in the lower abdomen are cancerous or not.

The company, armed with its new facilities and team of researchers, have been aggressive in its recruitment and expansion to support of the development and commercialization of DAWN, a bloodbased test aimed at helping physicians appropriately match cancer patients to the best possible immuno-oncology therapy, which they unveiled last month in the health industry’s largest conference for oncology. According to InterVenn, its application on other tumor types is continuously being studied.

The CEO said the startup firm’s research is a major step towards a truly universal healthcare.

“We’re proud to be making these phenomenal developments in the Philippines, and we look forward to working with more local stakeholders in the future,” said Carrascoso.

SMPC BAGS 4 AWARDS IN SEA INVESTOR POLL

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NTEGRATED energy company Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) won four awards in the 12th Institutional Investor Corporate Awards 2022 of Hong Kong-based Alpha Southeast Asia magazine.

Based on a poll of over 500 investors and analysts across Southeast Asia (SEA), as well as United States and Europe, SMPC emerged as one of the eight best-managed companies in the Philippines for having the Most Organized Investor Relations (3rd place), Best Senior Management Investor Relations Support (2nd place), Most Consistent Dividend Policy (3rd place)

and Most Improved Investor Relations (sole winner).

“We thank all those who voted for our company. These awards reflect and reaffirm our strong commitment to the investment community and investing public,” said SMPC President and COO Maria Cristina C. Gotianun.

The poll included fund managers with investment interests in SEA, large institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, funds of hedge funds, private banks, equity and fixed income brokers as well as buy and sell-side analysts.

According to Alpha Southeast Asia, 43 publicly-listed companies from across the region were ranked this year, representing the crème-de-la crème of best practices whether it be on corporate governance, investor relations, disclosure, transparency, financial management, integrated reporting, CSR and/or dividend policy.

Alpha Southeast Asia is a monthly magazine primarily written for institutional investors, asset and fund management companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, other parts of Asia, US, Europe and the Middle East.

curriculum to address skills-job mismatch

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

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HE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) on Thursday said that it is open for a review on the country’s education curriculum to address skills-job mismatch.

Tesda said that they are willing revisit the country’s education curriculum, as planned by the Marcos administration in order to further enhance workforce job readiness, competitiveness and relevance.

The agency has been strengthening its industry boards and its coordination with industry associations so that these groups will be more involved in the development of competency standards and training regulations.

New Tesda chief

MEANWHILE, Tesda welcomed the appointment of former Department of Labor and Employment Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz as the 13th Director General of the Agency.

“We likewise thank President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for tapping Mr. Cruz to lead Tesda and implement his priority programs such as those for agriculture and languages,” Tesda said.

Tesda added: “As a former Undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, Mr. Cruz’s expertise in the labor sector will surely be beneficial in strengthening the technical-vocational education and training (TVET) of the country.”

“We are hopeful that Mr. Cruz will continue and build on the ongoing campaign of Tesda to make TVET (technical-vocational education training) more accessible and relevant to Filipinos, and we are eagerly looking forward to working with him,” Tesda said.

Engagement with industry partners

TESDA noted that it has actively engaged industry partners in developing the content of training regulations for our workers and tech-voc trainers.

This will help to ensure further that what is being taught in tech-voc institutions are the exact skills needed by the industry, Tesda said.

In the last five years, more college students and graduates have enrolled in Tesda tech-voc courses.

On average, 47 percent TVET graduates had a college degree or were studying in college before enrolling in TVET courses,

according to Tesda’s Study on the Employment of Technical Vocational Education and Training Graduates (SETG).

SETG attributed this rise in tech-voc enrolment to college graduates not having the skills required by the industry brought about by the lack of actual hands-on training and exposure to updated equipment.

According to Deputy Director General for Tesda Operations Aniceto D. Bertiz III, in order to address this skills-job mismatch, Tesda has been implementing enterprise-based training (EBT) programs through its “EBT to the Max” promotion campaign.

“These enable our trainees to receive instruction in two venues: the institution for their theoretical subjects and in-company to apply what they had learned and to be familiar with tools and equipment commonly used in industry,” he said.

The graduates of EBT to the Max programs, Bertiz pointed out, have consistently reported higher employment rates than most other tech-voc programs.

“We need more of the country’s industries to participate and implement training through EBT to the Max. This will give our tech-voc trainees the edge needed to remain competitive and graduate from their courses with job-ready skills,” he added.

At present, 1,876 institutions and their partner companies are implementing “EBT to the Max” programs in the country.

TVET policy reform

TESDA has also recently started implementing its area-based and demand-driven TVET policy reform which enables the agency and the country’s TVET sector to better zoom in and focus on the skills needed by the industries and employers in a specific area or locality.

The policy induces more industry participation in the provision of tech-voc training and keeps Tesda informed on workforce development needs.

Bertiz also pointed out that Tesda recognizes that rapid advances in technology introduced by the 4th Industrial Revolution will also trigger mismatches as more workers and graduates may not have updated knowledge and skills.

He said Tesda has been incorporating 21st century skills into its training regulations and curriculum.

These skills include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, information literacy, media literacy, and technology literacy, among others.

ES Rodriguez denies resigning over pressure from ‘inner circle’

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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XECUTIVE Secretar y Victor D. Rodriguez denied reports he resigned from his post due to alleged pressure from the “inner circle” of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. During his courtesy call with the officers of the Malacañang Press Corps on Friday, Rodriguez said he remains a member of the Cabinet.

“I am still here in my office...I hardly leave my office,” Rodriguez said.

The Palace official made the clarification after an article posted on Friday by an online site, BalitangKlik, claimed Rodriguez resigned after a “religious group” supposedly reported him to Marcos for reportedly extorting P100 million from people who lobby for positions in the government.

Rodriguez said he has personally not yet read the article, but he noted he received

several messages asking him if he had already left his post.

The claims in the article, particularly the cited P100-million amount, was too “fantastic” and were only based on rumors, according to Rodriguez.

He said he currently has no plan to resign and will only do so if it is due to health or family concerns or if he will be asked by Marcos to do so.

“I think it must be clear that the moment he or she accepts the nomination [for a Cabinet position] and the request coming from the President to help him serve and run the country, I think it is automatic: the moment you said yes, you accept that anytime you can be asked to leave [your post],” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is currently one of the most trusted Cabinet members of Marcos, having served as the president’s spokesperson during the election campaign.

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www.businessmirror.com.ph

Over 5,000 senior citizens get social pension in Bislig City

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, July 23, 2022

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593 centenarians to receive ₧100,000 cash gift this year

By Christine Cudis

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THE city government of Bislig, with the support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region, recently released a total of P8.3 million representing the social pension of 5,551 senior citizens from 24 barangays. The two-day distribution was facilitated on July 12 and 13, 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF BISLIG CITY PIO

By Alexander Lopez

cial Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD 13), the City Social Welfare and Development Office, and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.

Meanwhile, Bislig City reported only one active Covid-19 case as of Monday, the City Information Office (CIO) said. In a statement, the CIO said the lone case represents 0.04 percent of the total active cases recorded in the city since the pandemic hit the country.

The city has recorded a total of 2,643 infections and 2,490 recoveries from Covid-19 as of Monday. The number of recoveries is 94.21 percent of the total number of Covid-19 cases.

No new Covid-19-related deaths were also recorded in Bislig City, and the total number of deaths remained at 152, the CIO said.

“Despite the low infection, the local government continues to encourage residents to follow the minimum health protocols for protection against Covid-19,” it said. PNA

S

OME 5,551 senior citizens from 24 barangays in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, received their social pension during a two-day payout activity in the area.

In a statement Thursday, the city government said a total of P8,326,500 social pension payments were released to the beneficiaries during the July 12 and 13 distribution activity.

“Each of the senior citizens received P1,500 payout as payment for the third quarter of this year, or from July to September,” the local government said.

The social pension amounting to P500 monthly is intended to augment senior citizens’ daily subsistence and medical needs.

Last month, some 2,999 senior citizens of Bislig also received their April to June social pension for this year.

Bislig Mayor Florencio Garay led the distribution with representatives from the Department of So-

ANILA—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has completed the distribution of the P100,000 longevity pay for 1,111 out of 1,704 centenarian beneficiaries as of June.

The DSWD said Tuesday that they have so far disbursed P111.1 million and the agency is set to give out the P100,000 cash gift to each of the remaining 593 centenarians within the year.

One of the most recent centenarian beneficiaries was 103-year-old Estelita Alliones from Antipolo City.

She personally went to see Secretary Erwin Tulfo at the DSWD central office in Quezon City on July 13, accompanied by her daughter and grandchild, to seek help in facilitating the release of her cash incentive.

“Based on the record of Field Office 4A [Calabarzon], initial documents of Mrs. Alliones were submitted to the Department in 2020 and were completed in March 2022,” the DSWD said in a statement.

DSWD gifted her with a wheelchair and released her P100,000 cash incentive the following day.

Republic Act 10868, otherwise known as the Centenarians Act, which was signed into law on June 23, 2016, entitles all Filipinos who reach 100 years old, whether living in the Philippines or abroad, to a “centenarian gift” worth P100,000 and a letter of felicitation from the President.

The DSWD reiterated its call to the family members of centenarians to process the application as soon as the elderly is qualified.

To avail themselves of the benefits, centenarians or their relatives must submit primary documents such as birth certificate or Philip-

ESTELITA ALLIONES of Antipolo City, 103, visits the Department of Social Welfare and Development central office in Quezon City on July 13, 2022, accompanied by her daughter and grandchild. DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo (left) welcomed Alliones, gifted her with a wheelchair, and released her P100,000 incentive the following day. PHOTO COURTESY OF DSWD

pine passport to the City or Municipal Social Welfare Office and/or to the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in their places of residence.

“If the two documents are not available, any one of the primary Identification Cards issued by OSCA, Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System; driver’s license; Professional Regulations Commission license; and Commission on Elections voter’s identification will also be accepted.

In the absence further of the aforementioned, the centenarian and/or their family members can submit any secondary documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate

of a child of the centenarian, among others,” the DSWD said.

In another development, the DSWD chief reiterated that he won’t tolerate abuses after two erring employees were meted out disciplinary actions.

The DSWD said on Tuesday that one employee assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and another at the satellite office in Tagbilaran City, Bohol were relieved from their posts for inappropriate behavior.

They were also reprimanded and made to undergo retraining on proper treatment of clients, according to a DSWD news release on Tuesday.

“Instead of assisting them to make

them comfortable from their travel abroad, the action of the said Naia employee toward the mother and child was not in accordance with the health standards set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases for arriving minors,” Tulfo said, without specifying what the employee violated.

The Tagbilaran City employee, on the other hand, “rudely” talked to a client who inquired about inclusion in the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program,” the conditional cash transfer program.

On July 7, Tulfo posted an apology on Facebook and vowed to investigate the incident. PNA

Crypto plunge is cautionary tale for public pension funds

By Steve Karnowski

with the fund’s chief investment officer touting their potential, retired fire Capt. Russell Harris was concerned.

Harris, 62, has attended the funerals of 34 firefighters killed in the line of duty. He was already

The Associated Press

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INNEAPOLIS—When the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund bought $25 million in cryptocurrencies,

worried about his pension after an overhaul by state and city officials cut payments as they grappled with the ability to pay out benefits. He didn’t see crypto, unproven in his eyes, as an answer.

“I don’t like it,” Harris said.

Rethinking Juan de la Cruz as our brand character

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

J

UST a few days ago, my friend PT and I had a lively discussion about our branding stereotype “Juan de la Cruz.” After taking a mighty gulp of his coffee, and putting down his empty cup roughly back on the table, he declared that it’s about time we junked that character because it has outlived its usefulness and more importantly because it never reflected our true values and aspirations.

Juan de la Cruz, he continued, projects a lowly character that is easy to bully and scorn. After all, he went on, it is the creation of a white foreigner imposed on our collective national mind. Dismayingly, we never raised a vehement outcry over the years.

PT, the incorrigible iconoclast.

That’s my coffee drinking buddy for you.

Iconoclastic or not, PT’s discourse started me thinking. I thought he had a point. If we were able to recast “Fall of Bataan Day”(celebration of a defeat) into “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor), why can’t we now rethink other concoctions and conceptions

that form part of the composite that defines our national identity, or what contemporary marketing gurus call “country branding.”

“Country branding” as columnist, economist and social analyst Andrew Masigan so clearly explained in one of his articles, “involves defining and promoting our culture and what makes us distinct from the rest of Asia” (and the world if I may add).

Country branding is now given greater value because it can help smaller nations get a bigger slice of the billion-dollar tourism pie.

But more than just to attract visitors and tourists, the strength or weakness of a nation’s brand, says Masigan, influences the world’s decision to invest in it, as supported by studies of institutional think tanks.

Usually expressed in the succinct form of images, to me, the ideal country brand possesses characteristics and elements that have instant internal as well as external appeal. More significantly, it elicits a sense of pride and has the power to galvanize or inspire the locals around a distinctive national identity. As someone puts

“There’s too many pyramid schemes that everybody gets wrapped up in.

That’s the way I see this cryptocurrency at this time.... There might be a place for it, but it’s still new and nobody understands it.”

The plunge in prices for Bitcoin

it, “first, win within and then win without will follow.”

Does our “Juan de la Cruz” icon meet these criteria? Let’s take a close look.

How did we come up with Juan de la Cruz anyway?

It was coined by Robert McCulloch Dick, a Scottish journalist who was then a reporter for Manila Times, and later became the editor and publisher of Philippines Free Press, founded in 1908.

Juan is usually the first name of Filipino Christians, predominantly used during the Spanish colonial period. It is also the name of the most famous patron saint —San Juan Bautista.

On the other hand, “de la Cruz” was chosen randomly by McCulloch Dick because it was the most commonly seen on police blotters. Even now, census records show that no less than 625,640 Filipinos bear that surname. It is also the 834th most common surname in the world.

As one can see, there was no deep thinking behind the Juan de la Cruz character, casually created at random but it caught on because McCulloch Dick often wrote small verses about Juan de la Cruz in Free Press (probably a localized “John Doe”) and later on widened

and other cryptocurrencies in recent weeks provides a cautionary tale for the handful of public pension funds that have dipped their toes in the crypto pool over the past few years. Most have done it indirectly through stocks or his idea until he made Juan de la Cruz a character representative of a typical Filipino.

It was Jorge Pineda, resident cartoonist of Free Press then, who first drew the Juan de la Cruz image in 1946. Since then it became indelibly etched in the Pinoy mind.

For the longest time, Juan has been portrayed as a naïve-looking man wearing a traditional camisa or barong Tagalog, long trousers, native tsinelas or bakya (slippers or wooden clogs) and his trademark gear, the salakot (head cover).

This is the Juan de la Cruz who has come to represent the mind or way of thinking of the common Filipino.

It is a tired, worn out image and although there are attempts to update his look, it does not resonate with our youth. It no longer speaks for the Filipino in the digital age. Truth be told, even our baby boom generation found it laughable. It is not an image that has the power to inspire our people in the modern world.

Ironically, there was a native named Juan de la Cruz who showed extraordinary courage and bravery. Also known as “Palaris,” this heroic Juan led a revolt in Pangasinan during

investment funds that serve as proxies for the larger crypto market. A lack of transparency makes it difficult to tell whether they’ve made or lost money, let alone how much, and for the most part fund officials won’t say.

the Spanish colonization of the Philippines (1765). Dubbed the “giant’s son,” he was extraordinarily big, agile and strong. He raced with horses and played tug-of-war with carabaos. He was intelligent and read many books.

Brawn, brain and bravery—he had it all. Perhaps, this is the type of character that should have inspired the Filipino artist who first gave us the naïve image of Juan de la Cruz we are now embarrassed about.

Going back to Andrew Masigan, I agree with him when he said that we need to define a national identity that reminds us about the traits that make us extraordinary, and values that serve us well. Something designed to boost self-worth, national self-esteem and patriotism.

Bathala? Lam-ang? Apolaki?

Handiong? Bernardo Carpio? Eagle of the forest? Corky Trinidad’s Filippo? I don’t know. But I’m very sure we can come up with better brand icons than Juan de la Cruz if we would just fuse our thinking together and arrive at a “group genius” moment.

After all, isn’t creative agility one of the traits we take pride in?

“Likot ng utak”—let’s put it to work, then.

Education BusinessMirror

A6 Saturday, July 23, 2022

Marawi survivor, repeat medalist bag bronze in Intl Math Olympiad

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Editor: Mike Policarpio

Phinma Education seeks to sustain growth momentum thru expansions

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

WO Filipino teenagers—a Marawi siege survivor and a two-time medalist—capped their recent campaign in the 63rd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) with a podium finish.

According to the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, the bronze-medal winners are Mohammad Nur Casib from Philippine Science High School-Central Mindanao Campus and Raphael Dylan Dalida from PSHS-Main Campus.

Casib was a student in Marawi when the Maute terror group attacked the city. He and his family fled to Cagayan de Oro in 2017.

For Dalida, it was his third time to bring home a medal from the Norway-based Olympiad. He won silver in 2021, and bronze in 2020.

Four Filipino team members were also feted with honorable

mentions: Sarji Elijah Bona (De La Salle University-Senior High School), Enrico Rolando Martinez (also from PSHS-Main Campus), Rickson Caleb Tan (MGC New Life Christian Academy) and Filbert Ephraim Wu (Victory Christian International School).

Ambassador of the Philippines to Norway Enrico Fos warmly welcomed the Philippine team to the chancery and congratulated them.

“Their feat in this [IMO] is worthy of emulation by the other kids of their generation in the Philippines,” Fos said. “After all, [it was]

LEARNING Chief Francis L. Larios (from left), President and CEO Dr. Chito B. Salazar, Finance Chief Daisy C. Montinola, Strategy Chief Theresa Anne Menardo, Corporate Affairs Chief and Marketing-Indonesia Country Chief Buen L. Bontigao, Learning-Philippines Country Chief Glenn R. Laigo, and Marketing Chief Tharah Jane L. Chin

By Roderick L. Abad

P DALIDA (left) and Casib PE OSLO

a math competition of the best and brightest high-school math wizards worldwide.”

The national team was headed

by Dr. Christian Paul Chan Shio from Ateneo de Manila University, on behalf of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines; Deputy Leader Hazel Joy Shi, trainer from UP Diliman; and Russelle Guadalupe.

Considered the “world championship of high school mathematics competition,” IMO is one of the most prestigious, yet most difficult of its kind. More than 100 countries with up to six members in each team participated this year.

Chiba, Japan will host the 64th edition next year. The Philippines first joined the Olympiad in 1988.

PHL school in Argentina joins ‘Día Del Patrono’ festivities

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UENOS AIRES—The Embassy of the Philippines in Argentina joined the Escuela Numero 13 Distrito Escolar 20-República de Filipinas in celebrating the annual Dia Del Patrono (“Day of the Sponsor”) on July 6 in the district of Mataderos. This year’s theme was “Estudiar para ser libre (Studying to be free).”

School Directress María Cecilia Bazzalo opened the festivities by welcoming the parents and guests and with a short introduction about the Philippines.

The primary-school pupils prepared an assortment of presentations, workshops, computer games and videos for the guests in their respective classrooms. They included, among others, comparisons of Philippine and Argentine tourist attractions, festivals and gastronomy.

Families and guests were divided into groups and visited classrooms separately.

Dur ing the specia l program, sixth-grade pupils performed the tinikling, local group Kombatan Argentina demonstrated the Filipino martial art arnis, while first-graders upped the ante by doing a fun rendition of the Filipino nursery rhyme: “Paa, Tuhod, Balikat, Ulo” (My Toes, My Knees, My Shoulders, My Head).

In his closing remarks, the embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Jason Jovencio Anasarias reminded pupils that the reason the school was named after the Philippines in August 1956 was to celebrate the establishment of the bilateral relations between it and Argentina in August 1948.

Incidentally, he told them that in 2023, both countries would celebrate 75 years of the establishment of bilateral relations.

Finally, Anasarias shared that Argentina and the Philippines are linked by a common history through the family of the Argentine liberator General Jose de San Martin whose elder brother, Colonel Juan Fermin Rafael de San Martin, lived and started a family in the Philippines, where he commanded the Luzon Hussars.

The Escuela Numero 13 Distrito Escolar 20-República de Filipinas is one of two Argentine schools named after the Philippines. The other one, Escuela Primaria Nº30 República de Filipinas, is in Chivilcoy Province.

PHILIPPINE Science High School-Main Campus’ Franco Mari Cabral was recently awarded a bronze medal in the 2022 International Physics Olympiad—the most prestigious international physics competition for high-school students.

iACADEMY leads way in animation

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

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AK ATI City-based i ACA DEM Y, t he cou nt r y ’s pioneering school in animation, remains a “Toon Boom Center of Excellence (COE)”—the first educational institution in Southeast Asia and in the Philippines to receive the accreditation in 2019.

Toon Boom is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production and storyboarding software for film, television, web animation, games, mobile devices, training applications, and education. Founded in 1994, its software is used by the best global animation studios: Universal, Boulder Media, Ubisoft, Fox, NBC, Lucasfilm, Cartoon Network and South Park Studios, among others.

Vanessa Tanco, CEO and president of iACADEMY, said the COE accreditation proves that its animation program delivers a high standard of depth, breadth and quality that ensures students are provided a superior learning environment through a comprehensive exposure to Toon Boom software.

“This recognition truly places iACADEMY among the top schools of choice for design and the arts in Asia. Apart from being a Toon Boom

Center of Excellence, this has been evident in the achievement of our students and the recent award given by the International Business Magazine that declares iACADEMY the Most Innovative Design School for 2022 under the category for Asia,” Tanco said. “I am thankful for the concerted efforts of our educators and staff who continue to strive [and] provide…game-changing education for our students.”

She said the school has produced graduates who made exceptionally contributed to the industry. Among them is Mikee Sevilla—one of the first graduates of Bachelor of Science (BS) in Animation, who has worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios and participated in the creation of 2020’s animated films Encanto as well as Raya and the Last Dragon.

Further, second-year animation students were also among the iACADEMY “Game Changers” recognized in local and international competitions for their animated works.

Danica Sy was short-listed in QCinema Shorts for the animated film “Silbi” which tackled mental-health issues. Meanwhile, Jeriah Capil’s “Bahala Na Si Darna” is among the 20 shortlisted projects from more than 200 entries to the “Sine Kabataan 5 Short Film Lab and Festival” from

all over the country.

“Having complete technical skills and exposure to industry practices are both crucial to ensure students emerge as successful professionals in the animation industry,” said Weena Espardinez, chairperson of the animation program. “With iACADEMY’s strong focus on intensive industry training and partnership with global leaders like Toon Boom, we are certain they will meet the technical challenges of both local and international animation studios.”

The BS Animation program of iACADEMY boasts of top-caliber animators who have worked locally and internationally from known animation studios. Part of its roster of faculty members is AJ Siytangco who worked as FX artist for Lucasfilm Animation, and Hamill Buyco—a 3-D artist for the Big Hero 6 TV series.

Notably, among the small number of Toon Boom-certified members in the Philippines, four are from iACADEMY, namely, Toon Boom Harmony Professional and iACADEMY instructor Benjie Maure, Toon Boom Storyboard professional and iACADEMY instructor John Nano, as well as Toon Boom Harmony Professionals and iACADEMY alumni Arianne Arbolado and Aleks Isla.

HINMA Education Holdings Inc. (PEHI) reported on Monday that its consolidated revenues grew by 79 percent year-on-year (YoY), and is expected to hit P4.4 billion in 2023—up P610 million from P3.79 billion in 2022.

At the sidelines of their press briefing in Makati City, Phinma Education President and CEO Chito B. Salazar told the BusinessMirror that they are keen on achieving such improved performance, with the assumption that they will reach their target of 124,000 total enrollment with the resumption of in-person classes this coming School Year (SY) 2022-2023.

In SY 2021-2022 the educationservices subsidiary of Phinma Corp. welcomed 95,503 students—a 31-percent increase of 72,746 students from the previous period. Of late, a total of 108,000 students have already enrolled for the next academic year (AY).

“Our enrollment actually extends a bit beyond class openings; most likely, until the end of August,” Salazar said. “We’re on track to meet the 124,000-enrollment target.”

The growth in combined net income of the company, however, “will be a little bit flat this year,” according to him.

The Phinma official attributed this to expenditures on the upgrade or construction of new classrooms, utility payments, hiring of additional teachers, as well as salary increases of their educators and staff, as faceto-face classes are set to resume this November.

“So that will eat up our revenue growth,” he said of their projected 2023 consolidated net profit, which will be about the same level as their recorded normalized net income of P873.6 million for this year.

From its audited financial statements for fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, PEHI’s net income is at P976.8 million, including the spill over for April and May. “[SY 2020-2021 was] affected by the pandemic. Classes started late in 2020, so this resulted in a late end…in 2021,” said Phinma Education Finance Chief Daisy C. Montinola. “[Hence, we have] two months of revenue spill over and net income.”

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, amounted to P1.4 billion compared to P504 million last year—a margin of 37 percent. The company’s consolidated financial position also improved, with total assets growing from P12 billion to P12.4 billion YoY. Total liabilities went down from P5.9 billion in 2021 to P5.5 billion to 2022 due to the principal payment of its long-term debt of P3.4 billion.

Equity is at P6.895 billion, from P6.075 billion during the two periods in review. Montinola said: “This is higher by P820 million due to the movement of our retained earnings, because we generated a higher net income for the year, and then reduced by dividend that was declared during the year.”

The organization, made up of 10 schools in the Philippines and Indonesia, offers more than 110 programs covering the entire education chain.

It boasts of a 75-percent board exam passing rate for first-time takers, as 71 percent of them were able to land their first job within a year. Majority of Phinma Education students come from the base of the socioeconomic pyramid, and often the first in their families to enter college.

“It is only with an intimate understanding of the needs and aspirations of our underserved, first-generation students can we make their lives bet-

ter,” said Phinma Chairman and CEO Ramon R. del Rosario Jr.

In-person classes-ready

FAITHFUL on its thrust of providing quality education, Phinma Education is always on hand to serve the needs of its markets, especially at a time when the continuity of their education was most challenging for them at the height of the pandemic. More than ever, its network of schools is all set even prior to the resumption of face-to-face classes in the next four months. “[Actually we were ready since] last year…because we were hoping that the government would be open for face-to-face classes. But only selected programs were allowed,” Montinola shared.

For the coming AY, Phinma Education will implement its Flex Learning system, with two days of in-person classes, and four days of remote and independent learning. It will distribute students’ in-person classes throughout the week to comply with the minimum public health standards.

Students and their teachers will be assigned to only one shift to limit the number of people inside the campus.

Self-sufficient modules, alternative assessments, streamlined instructions and most important, remote coaching, will be maintained for Flex Learning, as well as Remote and Distance Learning, or RaD. Launched in 2020, both systems rely on printed materials, as well as strong teacher-and-peer support through mobile data. The former will allow students to return to school once regulations allow, while the latter is completely home-based. Because the majority of its students could not afford to be online, Phinma Education partnered with Globe and PLDTSmart to give students mobile data every month.

“Our students want to learn, no matter what,” explained Strategy Chief Theresa Anne M. Menardo.

“Their perseverance in the face of so many challenges inspires us to serve them better.”

Campus network expansion

WHILE some local private schools have closed down due to the ensuing health crisis, Phinma Education’s operation continues with expansions in the pipeline.

It recently opened the San Jose campus of Phinma-Araullo University, then acquired Phinma-Union College of Laguna and a new lot in PhinmaUniversity of Pangasinan which will house a seven-story building with a roof deck.

Constructions are also in full swing to cater to an even bigger number of students. It is building a campus in Phinma-Rizal College of Laguna, and a new branch of Phinma-Cagayan de Oro College in Iligan City. The Southwestern University will open its new Dentistry Building in the next month or two.

“Our students are more employable, and our systems are more sustainable now because of our strategies and experiences over the past 18 years of rapid growth and expansion,” Dr. Raymundo P. Reyes, country chief for the Philippines, said while citing their institutionalization of its Environmental and Social Management System Policy, integration of material-recovery facilities and green technologies—including solar panels, rainwater-catchment systems, graywater facilities, and sewer-treatment plants across all its campuses.

“We’re hoping to double our enrollment over the next five [or] six years with our five-year expansion plan,” Salazar concluded.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, July 23, 2022 A7

Driving to, dining at and discovering Cavite

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Story & photos by Benjamin Layug Locsin

or the second time this year, AAP Lakbay, the travel and tourism arm of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), the country’s biggest and oldest national auto club, hosted another curated, modified, and enhanced “Drive, Dine and Discover” caravan.

This time the caravan went to the historical, cultural, culinary, and countryside spots of Maragondon and Silang in Cavite to help reboot domestic tourism and local enterprises.

A f ter a ssembly, brea k fa st and briefing at Petron Macapagal Avenue, our 8-car caravan, carrying 32 passengers (including AAP Lakbay’s president and former Department of Tourism [DOT] Secretar y Mina Gabor, acting DOT Region 4-A Regional Director Ms. Marites T. Castro, 19 participants, media, sponsors, escorts and guides) made the one-and-a-half hour-long, 48-km drive to Maragondon’s Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, the caravan’s first stop.

The best-preserved church complex in the province, it was listed by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure on June 30, 2001. Much of the church’s unique, narrow but tall and not squatty façade (chastely ornamented with the pilasters tapering upwards), the lower portion of the large convent, and the old watchtower were built with irregular river stones from the Maragondon River (Pinagsanhan area), an indication of the early level of technology at that time, and layered with stucco.

About 500 m from the church is the Museo ng Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio (Bonifacio Trial House Museum). This 2-story bahayna-bato (stone house) was the site where Katipunan Supremo Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were court-martialed by a military court presided by Gen. Mariano Noriel on May 5 and 6, 1897. The court found the two accused guilty of treason and

recommended execution.

Built by Roderico Reyes in 1889, the house now belongs to Jose Angeles who bought it from Reyes’s descendants in 1994. On June 4, 1997, the house was designated as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute and, in 1999, was fully restored and declared as a National Heritage Site. Today, this stone, brick, and wood ancestral house has been converted into a museum formally inaugurated on November 28, 2014.

From the museum, it was a short 5-min., 1.2-km drive to Caingin Port where we boarded two gaily decorated balsa (bamboo rafts) for a two-hour cruise of the scenic Inuquit River, once adjudged as among the country’s cleanest and greenest body of water. Each balsa had a bamboo table and benches.

One had a bamboo deck, accessible by a bamboo stair, as a roof.

During the cruise, we feasted on a packed lunch catered by Honorio’s Restaurant, a Maragondon culinary icon. The lunch fare consisted of sinigang sa miso, pork adobo sa patis (wherein the soy sauce was replaced by fish sauce), pakbet, and a dessert of sliced watermelon. These we all washed down with fresh buko juice straight from the shell.

Before proceeding to Silang, we made another 1-km drive, for souvenir shopping, at Likhang Maragondon Native Products & Pasalubong Center, an awardwinning native products enter-

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is the sole heritage structure in Maragondon, Cavite.

At the Bonifacio Trial Museum, the life-size diorama recreates the trial scene of revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio.

Souvenir and novelty items can be found at Likhang Maragondon Native Products & Pasalubong Center.

prise that is helping revive the town’s age-old weaving tradition and bamboo craft by making them available to a bigger market. Operating since 2019, it taps into the traditional craftsmanship of local-based and eco-friendly weaving and bamboo products made by skilled Maragondon-based weavers and sewists, most of whom are housewives. On hand to welcome us was social entrepreneur Catherine “Therine” U. Diquit, the founder of the enterprise.

From Likhang Maragondon, we made the long 36.2-km (one-hour) drive to Silang’s charming Cornerstone Pottery. A producer of world-class handmade stoneware using locally and internationally

Cornerstone Pottery Farm’s EJ Espiritu demonstrates his craft.

Have fun and dine on board a balsa at the Inuquit River.

Asiong's offers home-cooked Spanish-Filipino culinary dishes.

sourced clay, they make dinnerware, tea sets, mugs, chimes, vases, sculptural pieces, centerpieces, pots, tabletop fountains, and a lot more ceramic wares. At the shop, owner EJ Espiritu demonstrated, using an electrically driven potter’s wheel, how a bowl was formed from clay.

We capped the caravan with a late merienda of heirloom delicacies at the family-run, must-visit Asiong’s of Cavite. Established in Cavite City in 1960, it actually started as a sari-sari store and eventually developed into a holein-the-wall karinderia. Perennial flooding made them move out, from its original site in Cavite City to Silang.

Cavite caravan participants make a pit stop at Petron Macapagal Avenue.

We dined at the open al fresco dining area within an extensive and refreshing garden landscape at the back. Here, we tried Asiong’s famous, savory and filling best seller—pancit pusit. A different take on a paella negra, it uses vermicelli noodles cooked in squid ink and is garnished with thin slices of fresh green kamias, adding a refreshing tart taste and a different twist to the usual use of calamansi as a sour agent. It is topped with sautéed vegetables, kamias and chicharon.

This was supplemented by turon (fried banana rolls) and puto. Before leaving for Manila, some of us bought some pasalubong at their cute and well-stocked Country Store, a mini deli by the entrance.

With alert levels down and people now going on “revenge travel,” Gabor said that the group is lining up more unique destinations off the beaten path, through well-curated itineraries, in coordination with the DOT and local government authorities, to spread tourism’s benefits to provincial communities while ensuring the group’s physical safety and health.

The day-long Cavite caravan, with the DOT-Calabarzon as the major supporter, is also supported by Petron Corp. (official fuel partner), Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), and Mapfre Insurance.

CaSoBe, a Dreamy BeachTown for Entrepreneurs

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he freedom to take one’s business wherever one goes is a perk of entrepreneurial life. The pandemic has even fast-tracked the new norm to take the office wherever one opts to park his laptop. If working from anywhere has become the lifestyle of choice of entrepreneurs, where else can they work other than the seaside paradise of CaSoBe (Calatagan South Beach), one of Landco’s latest BeachTowns in Batangas.

Luckily for entrepreneurs, the 15-hectare CaSoBe progresses towards completion. The master-planned development offers mixed-use residential and commercial lots situated in the rising business hub and beach tourist destination. The development features wide open spaces and beautiful promenades, with parks and retail landscapes.

Setting it apart from other beach properties, CaSoBe elevates the resort lifestyle with inviting details such as blue roads, street art, and creative lamp posts. Hospitality amenities are already fully operational and managed

by Millennial Resorts. The 300-capacity event space called Canopy was recently opened to serve the growing tourism market of Calatagan.

The sprawling BeachTown is only three hours away from Metro Manila and is complete with a strong Wi-fi connection, modern infrastructure, and resort amenities.

The development is close to numerous golf courses, polo fields, and tourist attractions which earned Calatagan the moniker of being the playground of the affluent. Local facilities such as a hospital, public market, pharmacy, school, and chapel are likewise easily accessible.

Work-life balance for entrepreneurs

All the lots at CaSoBe are literally within steps to the long stretch of powdery white sand beach.

The property’s blue pavements are pleasing to the eye and in harmony with the environment of expansive clear skies and azure waters. There are tree-lined bike lanes and pathways parallel and leading to the shores.

Harbour Estates are mixed-use lots offered within CaSoBe. Entrepreneurs can live a healthy lifestyle and build their dream homes amid Calatagan’s rich history and famed sunset by the beach backdrop.

Transforming the landscape of

Calatagan, entrepreneurs can invest in a property along the retail row and wear the hat of aspiring hoteliers or restaurateurs when they establish their bed and breakfast or cozy little café or restaurant to cater to the tourism market. They can also put up a shop for art workshops and yoga retreats, or a business for water sports enthusiasts.

CaSoBe is also poised to be a thriving creative, business, and tech community. Start-up companies can engage in a collaborative and forwardthinking environment.

One can network and hustle by day, and live the vacation life with family and friends in between breaks, by night, and on weekends in the postcard-perfect setting of CaSoBe, with its stunning sunsets.

Resort lifestyle

Enhancing the resort lifestyle experience in CaSoBe, Millennial Resorts offers premium hospitality amenities.

It manages the unconventional accommodations of the surreal capsule- like rooms of the Cocoons with exteriors painted with murals depicting marine life and Crusoe Cabins which are repurposed container vans that are

rustic-looking huts on the outside but are contemporary rooms with modern amenities, with options for beachfront and garden view.

Millennial Resorts also feature Aquaria, a water park with a 3-story pool slide, Captain Barbozza restaurant and bar, and Canopy, the newlyopened event space.

To ensure the continuous productivity of entrepreneurs, the Colony will soon rise as a modern and hip beachside coworking space.

MILLI, the Millennial Resorts’ digital service app provides seamless reservations and transactions on property.

Enjoy a dramatic sunset at Calatagan South Beach (CaSoBe).

Future-proof investment

Entrepreneurs who will invest in the residential or mixed-use lots of CaSoBe have the benefit of enjoying the anticipated increase of their investment’s market value as proven by Landco’s track record of property value appreciation in Punta Fuego, Batangas.

Eco-friendly beachtown

CaSoBe is a sustainable development envisioned to contribute to the quality of leisure tourism and property development targeting environment,

CaSoBe is also a workation resort. economic, and social sustainability.

CaSoBe is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)registered and Millennial Resorts, the operator of its hospitality amenities, is the first EDGE (Excellence in Design

for Greater Efficiencies)-certified resort in the country. Various CSR and sustainability activities are undertaken for the conservation of marine sanctuary and community assistance in CaSoBe and its vicinity.

A8

Saturday, July 23, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The Hammingtons finally meet fans in the Philippines face-to-face Digitalization to boost growth in PHL, Southeast Asia

THE Hammingtons charmed Filipino fans in their first fan meeting in the country. PHOTO BY DENISSE MACASIAB

I

F you watch the Korean variety show The Return of Superman, you certainly know Sam Hammington and his sons William and Bentley.

The three have already said goodbye to the show.

Sam, William and Bentley joined the cast of The Return of Superman, a reality show featuring celebrity dads and their children, in 2016.

The Hammingtons quickly became fan favorites and they brought home the prestigious “Grand Prize” or “Daesang” at the 2018 KBS Entertainment Awards, along with the other members of the cast.

Sam and the two kids were in Manila recently for their fan meeting, dubbed The Hammingtons in Juanderland, at the New Frontier Theater. It was the family’s first visit to the country.

Sam was brought to tears by the enthusiasm shown by their Filipino fans.

“I just want to say thank you to each and everyone of you. It means so much to be up here after the last two years. Everything with Covid, it’s been tough for everyone. But also for my wife and I to have William and Bentley, it wasn’t easy. We went through a difficult time trying to have children,” he said.

“They mean the world to us but to know that there are people all over the world that love them so much... thank you, thank you so much. I just want to say that we appreciate all your support.”

Sam, William and Bentley Hammington interacted with fans (some of whom came from as far as Singapore), played games, wore traditional clothes, and ate Filipino food, including adobo.

The Hammingtons in Juanderland: Fanmeeting in Manila was presented by CDM Entertainment.

The group is also bringing in singer-songwriter Youngjae of GOT7 on July 23 (today) for a fansign event where fans can interact with the idol.

Yesterday, singer-actress Jung Yerin was also at the New Frontier Theater for her first fansign event in the Philippines. Yerin was the lead dancer and vocalist of GFriend, the six-member group behind the famous songs “Rough” and “Me Gustas Tu.” Thai superstar BamBam is the next idol to hold a solo fansign event in the country and he will join the roster of July fansign events made possible by Y

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES

Global Music and CDM Entertainment.

BamBam Fansign in the Philippines makes the 25-yearold Bambam the first K-pop idol to hold a solo fansign in Manila and Cebu. The Cebu show is scheduled to take place on July 26, 6 pm, at The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu. Manila follows on July 28, 6 pm, at the Activity Center, Ayala Malls Manila Bay. BamBam will interact with fans through a variety of activities like selfies, solo photo opportunity, fansign and group photo. A Top Spender event will also take place where fans with the most albums will get guaranteed perks. The most exciting part of both events is the “Goodbye Session,” which allows all fans to go up the stage and wave goodbye to BamBam. As a bonus (and this usually never happens in K-pop fansign events), fans can take a video of their interaction with the idol.

Only 1,000 seats are available for Cebu and even fewer for Manila with 750 seats. Entry to the event only requires purchasing one set of “B” albums worth P3,900 via www.cdmentertainment.ph.

BamBam Fansign in the Philippines is presented

by Y Global Music in partnership with CDM Entertainment.

It’s worth pointing out that Bambam and Youngjae

are both GOT7 members, a group that disbanded in 2021 but got back together this year. The members are doing well in their respective solo careers and the group’s recent comeback was a success. I’m very happy for the group because people who have worked with GOT7 all say they are very nice and professional in their dealings with people. I also love many of their songs. I wish they’d have at least one comeback a year.

And after his solo fansign, Bambam and Jackson Wang, another GOT7 member, will be at the 2022 K-pop Masterz in Manila with the YG group Treasure.

Talk about being busy, right?

Yes, concerts and fanmeetings are back with a vengeance and I’m very happy, not just as a fan of K-pop and K-drama but as someone who knows that when the pandemic happened and live events and gatherings were banned, so many people in the entertainment industry lost their sources of livelihood.

I remember talking to a good friend in 2020 and we were both worried about the carpenters and other workers employed by event organizers and concert promoters. So many of these workers suffered unimaginable losses that, I hope, they will recover in time. ■

GLOBE AT HOME BEEFS UP ECOSYSTEM, PARTNERS WITH DISCOVERY+ FOR ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT BUNDLE Globe At Home is leveling up its entertainment content bundle by throwing in a free three-month subscription to discovery+ so GFiber UNLI plan subscribers can indulge in their favorite shows. This is on top of access to Viu, Amazon Prime Video and HBO GO for three months offered with the plan. The special package is available to those who will subscribe to any GFiber plan. discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real-life entertainment subscription streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery. The service offers nearly 30,000 episodes of popular franchises, such as Ghost Adventures and Naked and Afraid; exclusives and originals, like Johnny vs Amber and Love in the Jungle; and current and classic hits, like MasterChef and Shark Tank, plus many more.

It gives subscribers unlimited access to premium content from iconic brands including TLC, Asian Food Network, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and more.

In addition, Globe At Home subscribers can access top true crime content from Investigation Discovery, including Evil Lives Here and Signs of a Psychopath.

“We continue to beef up our video on demand partners to serve our customers better. We have also just released our new GFiber plans so our customers can choose the product that best fits their lifestyle,” said Janis Racpan, head of Globe At Home Product Marketing.

GFiber is Globe At Home’s answer to the growing consumer demand for a fast, stable, and reliable Internet experience. Fiber is better for data transmission over long

distances, can carry higher bandwidth, and is immune to interference.

Globe At Home recently launched new GFiber Plan 1699 which fortifies the fiber experience of customers with speeds of up to 150Mbps. It also offers GFiber Plan 2499 with speeds of up to 500Mbps.

Both plans include an entertainment bundle and free

doctor consultations for three months via KonsultaMD. It covers 24/7 and unlimited teleconsultations, no appointment needed. Talk to a licensed doctor from the comfort of your home. Customers may claim their free access via the Globe At Home app.

GFiber Plan 2499 also offers a free landline with unlimited calls to Globe and access to VIP hotline.

THE rapid growth of digitalization in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia will lead to higher economic growth as disruptions lead to drastic changes in their respective economies In a recent online briefing, Wade Cruse, managing partner for Southeast Asia of Bain and Company, told reporters that companies are leading in introducing changes on how they transact business with their customers. For instance, he said financial technology companies (fintech) are launching several products based on digital technology. In the Philippines, GCash and Maya are providing services and products that bring convenience to Filipino customers.

“That’s certainly true for new companies that are there to make the disruption happen and take advantage of it. That’s very good for consumers,” Cruse said.

He said the boom of digital technology in the Philippines will attract new investments to the Philippines.

Moreover, Cruse said Covid-19 accelerated digitalization as people in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia engaged in e-commerce activities. “There’s a lot of innovation, there’s a lot of opportunity, because the market is still developing. So our expectation is that Southeast Asia will lead APAC in growth in the next five to 10 years,” he said.

On the local front, Radenta Technologies along with Microsoft Azure recently rolled out its most comprehensive, efficient and cost-effective cloud computing service for all enterprise-level organizations.

According to Michelle Lasam, Radenta’s Microsoft line of business manager, urged business organizations that want to migrate to the cloud to start with pilot projects that align with the common benefits of cloud migration.

To start, Lasam recommended five different ways to utilize Microsoft Azure. She said companies start looking at end-of-support technologies. “This can be an excellent place to start your cloud migration updates, if you have a workload that runs on a product nearing its endof-support,” she said.

Lasam reminded organizations to also identify the applications when the contract of the datacenter will expire. It would be a good starting point for cloud migration.

She said non-mission applications that have few dependencies are also places that can be a starting point. Microsoft Azure’s tools and services that support the assessment and migration will issue the steps toward cloud migration journey, including a cloud migration checklist.

She said the Azure Virtual Desktop can help cloud migration as it combines the scale, security and cost benefits of Azure and Microsoft 365 for a secure remote desktop from virtually anywhere.

Meanwhile, the Azure Virtual Machines or Azure Virtual DevTest Labs provide on-demand and scalable computing resources with usagebased pricing. It helps you achieve efficiency and save cost when you run your dev/test environment.

Digital transformation is possible, that’s what we learned in the last two years. We experienced digital growth worth 10 years packed in those years that we had to be isolated from each other.

We should continue embracing cloud technology, maybe not as fast but at a steady pace not just for productivity and efficiency but also for a smarter and greener community.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, July 23, 2022

Netflix faces tough road ahead even after subscriber beat

BY NORAH MULINDA Bloomberg News

NETFLIX Inc. may have calmed investors’ worst fears with a second-quarter subscriber loss that was better than expected, but a closer look at the streaming giant’s results indicate it still faces significant hurdles.

Wall Street cheered on Tuesday’s subscriber numbers, which were only half as bad as the company forecast. Netflix also projected a return

to subscriber growth in the current quarter. The shares rose 7.4 percent on Wednesday and the positive sentiment lifted other media stocks, including Walt Disney Co. and Paramount Global.

But Netflix still lost 970,000 subscribers globally in the quarter and is seeing increased competition from rivals. To generate more revenue, it’s cracking down on password sharing and launching a new lower-priced tier featuring advertising, moves that are departures from how it operated in the past.

“Netflix may be better than feared, but it’s still

not good,” market commentator Adam Crisafulli wrote in a post on his site Vital Knowledge.

Netflix has shed subscribers in the US and Canada, and is also shrinking in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, its two largest regions. It’s seen subscriber growth in Asia, but that’s not without price decreases in India.

The company’s forecast for 1 million new subscribers in the current quarter is below analysts’ projections. And that forecast may be “overly optimistic, given an uncertain economic backdrop,”

Huawei P50: Save the best for last

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WENTY-SIXTEEN will forever be remembered as the year when Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar and Stranger Things introduced many of us to binge-watching (and gave us Winona Ryder back).

That same year, we also found Dory, had an allfemale Ghostbusters, and realized both Batman and Superman’s moms were named Martha. Lastly, it was the year that got everyone out and walking about hunting for Pokemons. Oh, and we also got two Ds that were elected President—Donald and Duterte.

In the tech industry, Google released the Pixel, Samsung had the S7, and Apple the iPhone 7, but the news that got everyone talking was the partnership between Huawei and Leica—the meeting of a then-upstart smartphone company and a legacy camera brand, a collaboration that will eventually revolutionize the smartphone camera.

I was fortunate enough to win a Huawei P9 Plus during its launch and it remains one of my all-time favorites because several of the photos I took with it became part of an exhibit. It was also the phone that convinced a lot of my friends to switch to Huawei because of Leica.

Fast-forward six years later and, just like Duterte’s term, the partnership between the two companies also came to an end leaving the Huawei P50 series the last device from that collaboration.

I never got the chance to review the Huawei P50 Pro, but thankfully, they released the standard version a few months after, and I have been using the P50 for the past month.

So how does it live up to the Huawei x Leica legacy?

Is it a fitting finale to one of the most memorable partnerships in tech, or has it become a bitter product like a jilted lover after a bad breakup?

FROM CULT TO LEGENDARY

HUAWEI’S pursuit of artistry and beautiful imagery is the driving force behind the legendary P Series. The Huawei P50 introduces a Dual-Matrix Camera design, elegantly combining the worlds of form and function in a double ring, double camera setup that pays tribute to a classic. The large two-ring camera module is iconic with the layout housing its rear cameras, accented with a gold trim that adds some subtle flair.

Available in Cocoa Gold and Golden Black, both colorways of the Huawei P50 showcase the beauty of order with this stunning design feature, making the Huawei P50 stand out from the crowd.

After a somewhat bulky P40, the P50 returns to a silky sleek style measuring just 7.92mm thick and weighing 181g making it compact enough to hold comfortably. The glass back of the black variant has a highly reflective coating, though, making it a dust and fingerprint magnet. The Huawei P50 does have an IP68 rating, so you don’t need to worry about any spills and accidental splashes.

The P50 sports an aluminum frame with the volume and power buttons on one side, mics and a speaker on top, and the USB-C port, SIM tray and loudspeaker at the bottom. The sound from the stereo

speakers is loud and clear with just enough bass to keep you happy.

It has a gorgeous 6.5-inch flexible flat OLED screen with a 3D unbounded micro-curve, which has been individually tuned to show true-to-life colors. The HDR display supports the full P3 color gamut, 1.07 billion colors, and Huawei’s True-Chroma display technology, meaning it can accurately display color when recording or watching.

For fast and fluid viewing, the display has a 90Hz refresh rate, which gives you an overall smoother browsing experience, while the 300Hz touch sampling rate provides a faster display response time. Its screen can automatically adjust brightness according to ambient light. Notably, the 1440 Hz PWM dimming technology protects the display and reduces strobe effects in dark light, preventing eye fatigue.

LAST DANCE WITH LEICA

THE P9 Series signaled the beginning of the dual camera phone era, while the P20, P30 and P40 Series pushed the boundaries, rewriting the rules of smartphone photography with an increasing number of intricate lenses, ultra-sensitive sensors and periscope optical zoom capabilities.

The P50 has a 50MP True-Chroma Main Camera (Color, f/1.8 aperture) + 13 MP Ultra-Wide Angle Camera (f/2.2 aperture) + 12 MP Telephoto Camera (f/3.4 aperture, OIS), and supports AF and up to 8192 x 6144 pixels.

This time the company introduces Huawei XD Optics, a solution that adds image processing capabilities to the optical imaging system, correcting optical differences and restoring the details in images.

XD Optics unites the optical system, mechanical components, and electrical sensors to form a next-gen, hardware-software integrated imaging system that can generate an approximation of the raw input optical signal that is free from chromatic irregularities. The P50’s XD Fusion Pro incorporates the new True-Chroma Image Engine and Super HDR, which delivers spectacular detail, color, and dynamic range.

Notable additions include AIS Pro which vastly improves zoom stabilization, allowing easy capture of handheld photos and smoother transitions when zooming; focus tracking that tracks your subject in real time for more stable photos; telephoto portraits that allow you to take realistic and natural candid photos; and true-focus fast capture for action shots with minimal blur. Dual-View video now supports HD video recording on both the front camera and rear ultra-wide, and it’s also capable of 4K time-lapse for those dramatic videos.

As we’ve come to expect from Huawei over the years, the camera often sets a new standard, and the P50 has to be their best one yet. Details and exposure in good lighting are near flawless and you can easily take great photos in a snap. You will also notice just how snappy its focus is even on moving subjects. The P50 Pro quickly nabbed the top spot on the DXO mark soon after release, and you can expect the standard P50 to be just as good. If you like shots with colors that pop out, then you’ll love photos taken by P50. It also remains the king of low-light photography, and you don’t even have to switch to night mode to get better shots.

As for the front camera, the P50 makes taking “groufies” a lot easier with its 100-degree wide TrueChroma Front Camera. The color engine accurately captures high-impact makeup, while AI antidistortion algorithms prevent distortion at the edges of your image.

All these combined, the hardware and software

work to deliver images that faithfully reproduce what the eye can see, making the P50 still the top recommendation for the best smartphone camera.

The partnership might have ended but with Huawei’s continuous innovations, I don’t think Leica’s departure will have an adverse effect when it comes to its cameras.

THE APP FACTOR

THE Huawei P50 runs on Harmony OS 2 with the latest EMUI 12.0.1 update, but don’t worry because it still works like any Android phone, sometimes even better with its UI design, animations, and Control Panel. It also leverages Huawei’s distributed technology to facilitate smart collaboration across various devices, including file management, crossdevice MeeTime calls and smartwatch remote camera control, making it a central part of Huawei’s super device ecosystem.

What about the absence of Google Play Store? It actually has become even less of a problem this year, as Huawei’s AppGallery continues to improve and now supports many of the popular apps from the Play Store. Then there’s also Petal Search to further help you find more apps easily. And for those who need those Google apps, there’s GSpace that lets you use Gmail, Google Maps, etc., with just a few extra taps.

The only thing I didn’t like are the multiple folders, which contain all sorts of suggested apps and games. They are not preinstalled but you do have to delete them one by one.

If you own other Huawei devices like a MateBook or MatePad, you can access other exclusive features of the Huawei ecosystem, such as Huawei Share and multi-device collaboration.

Providing a seamless and intuitive user experience, EMUI 12 is complete with a full suite of smart features that make your digital life easy to navigate. With distributed file management, you can transform the Huawei P50 into a connected external storage unit for PC, with its own drive letter appearing in the resource manager tab, and you can easily access files saved on your smartphone on the PC. For the battery, it has a 4,100mAh capacity, which can last you a day of regular use with data turned on. You also get 66W fast charging that can fully top up your battery in just a little over an hour.

FINAL WORD: Huawei remains an industry leader when it comes to smartphone cameras and the P50 series is proof of that. If your main consideration is camera, the standard P50 is a great alternative to the P50 Pro. You still get the same exquisite design, superb screen, powerful and reliable performance, and one of the best camera systems on a smartphone. It more than lives up to the Leica legacy and as that song goes, “Just when I thought our chance had passed, you go and save the best for last.” ■

according to the research firm Third Bridge.

The competition is certainly not letting up. HBO Max has an August release date for House of the Dragon, a prequel to one of its top-performing shows Game of Thrones. Amazon Prime’s new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, debuts in September.

The fourth season of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things offered renewed interest in the service, but analysts are still unsure whether the company can continue to splurge on new shows the way it has in the past.

Grab marks 10th anniversary in PHL

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor SUPER app Grab has marked its first decade of operations in the Philippines with a series of activities and promos for its driver- and delivery-partners, merchants and consumers in the country.

Kicking off this important milestone, it recently unveiled the Grab Biga10 Wheel, which highlighted 10 stories of growth and success from its partner and merchant communities.

This was simultaneously held with a Biga10 Food District in SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. Following the success of this three-day gastronomic fair, Grab brought the food district to more cities with On The Spot Biga10 Tour.

Recognizing the contribution of its vast community of driver- and delivery-partners to its journey over the years, Ka-Grab Anniversary Concert was staged, featuring performances from music icons Aegis, Morissette Amon and more.

The no. 1 ride-hailing app, food delivery service, and cashless payment solution provider in Southeast Asia treated its Filipino users with promos.

Using code BIGA10, clients got P100 off their order in GrabFood, enjoyed free delivery in GrabMart with a bonus 500 GrabRewards points, and 25 percent off using the GrabExpress.

As a show of its continued support to local businesses, the GrabNEXT 2022 Conference gathered together micro, small and medium enterprises to get valuable insights from industry experts such as celebrity chef Jeremy Favia, Let’s Eat Pare founder Mark Vincent del Rosario, and MagBadyetTayo coanchor Tintin Babao.

During this event, merchant-partners also learned how to better scale their businesses through Grab’s suite of tools, solutions and services.

In behalf of their company, Grab Philippines Country head Grace Vera Cruz expressed their appreciation for the constant belief of Filipinos in their mission, motivating them to do their best to serve them.

“Every Filipino has played a huge role in shaping Grab to what it is today, and we will continue outserving our kababayans the best way we know how—through our technology, platform, expertise, and our Filipino values. We have achieved great things in the past 10 years, and I believe that greater things can be accomplished if we all work together for the common good,” she said.

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Sports

‘Diay’ in stable but slightly critical condition

BusinessMirror

A10

By Eddie Alinea

Special to BusinessMirrror

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| Saturday, July 23, 2022

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

TOUR CHAMP IN TWO DAYS

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AUTACAM, France— Barring a crash, Jonas Vingegaard is likely to be wearing the yellow jersey when the Tour de France ends in Paris on Sunday.

Vingegaard responded to a series of attacks from defending champion Tadej Pogacar on Thursday and ultimately dropped his main rival in the last big mountain stage of this year’s race to increase his overall lead to three minutes and 26 seconds.

With only one big test left—a 41-kilometer (25.5-mile) time trial scheduled for Saturday—the Jumbo-Visma leader from Denmark seems all but guaranteed to win his maiden Tour title after reaching the Hautacam resort on his own.

“It’s incredible. I told my girlfriend and daughter this morning that I wanted to win the stage for them. I’m happy and proud that I won for them,” Vingegaard said. “I need to stay focused and keep taking it day by day. I don’t want to talk about winning the Tour yet. Let’s talk about it in two days.”

Pogacar, the two-time defending champion, took all the risks and crashed on a downhill as he relentlessly tried to isolate Vingegaard. Back on his bike, Pogacar cracked about four kilometers from the finish in the final ascent, with his hopes of winning a third consecutive title all but dashed.

“I went all in for the yellow,” Pogacar said. “I did not give up, I pushed my limits and I’m proud of today. Today the best man won.”

Vingegaard then went solo to claim a second stage win following his success at the Col du Granon last week in the Alps on the day he took control of the race. Pogacar crossed the finish line more than one minute behind Vingegaard.

The final big mountain stage of this year’s race got off a lively start with a myriad of attacks outside the city of Lourdes.

Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team managed to put the powerful and versatile Belgian Wout Van Aert in the day’s breakaway. By sending the strong all-rounder up front, the mighty Dutch team made sure he would be available later in the stage to pace Vingegaard.

And it was indeed Van Aert who made Pogacar crack with his frenetic tempo in the last climb. Van Aert completed the stage podium.

Earlier, Pogacar had asked Brandon McNulty to set a fast pace on the narrow and winding roads leading up to the Col de Spandelles, the only

unprecedented climb of the 2022 Tour.

Pogacar launched his first attack in that climb. But Vingegaard looked unfazed and immediately took the wheel of his rival. The duo was later joined by Vingegaard domestique Sepp Kuss, who positioned himself at the front to guide his leader.

Standing up on his pedals, Pogacar tried in vain to drop Vingegaard with another sharp attack closer to the summit before Geraint Thomas accelerated. Pogacar waited patiently in Vingegaard’s wake then went off again with Vingegaard responding as they overtook and dropped Thomas in the grueling ascent.

Pogacar went full speed in the technical downhill and Vingegaard was forced to ride hard to follow the pace. The Danish rider had a scare when his back wheel swerved but it was Pogacar who made a mistake. He misjudged a curve and went down in the gravel on the side of the road.

“It took me a little bit by surprise, and there was gravel on the side and I hit the ground, but I’m OK,” Pogacar said.

The crash took place at a moderate speed and the UAE-Emirates rider was quickly back on his bike with road rash on his left thigh. Vingegaard then waited for Pogacar and both men shook hands before their final showdown on the road to Hautacam.

Thomas, the 2018 Tour champion, finished the stage in fourth place, 2:54 off the pace. The IneosGrenadiers leader was third overall, eight minutes behind Vingegaard.

FROOME OUT WITH Covid-19 FOUR-TIME Tour de France champion Chris Froome pulled out of cycling’s biggest race on Thursday after testing positive for Covid-19.

Froome withdrew from the Tour ahead of Stage 18 from Lourdes to Hautacam in the Pyrenees. He said in a video message he will take a few days off and refocus on competing at the Spanish Vuelta next month.

Froome, who rides for the Israel– Premier Tech team, said he was sad not to reach Paris after achieving his best result since a career-changing crash in 2019 with a third-place finish in the Alpe d’Huez stage last week.

“I’m really disappointed not to be able to roll into Paris and finish off this Tour de France,” Froome said. “It’s been an extremely special race for us as a team and for me personally as well. I’ve really been finding my legs again.”

Froome was 26th overall, lagging one hour, 27 minutes and 14 seconds behind race leader Jonas Vingegaard. AP

ONLY a 41-kilometer individual time trial and a ceremonial ride are up on the road between Jonas Vingegaard and the Tour de France crown. AP

PBA HONORS FILIPINAS

Commissioner Willie Marcial (seventh from left) honors the national women’s football team Filipinas on behalf of the Philippine Basketball Association for their title-conquest in the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship during a halftime break on Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In the photo are (from left) Philippine Football Federation broadcast head Cedelf Tupas, national team media officer Ceres Lina, Alisha del Campo, Hali Long, Phoenix governor Atty. Raymond Zorrilla, Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua, PFF Womens Department head Belay Fernando, Sara Eggesvik, Alyssa Ube, Inna Palacios and Katrina Guillou.

YDIA DE VEGA battled many of the best in the world of track and field during her prime in the 1980s up until the mid1990s—that’s when she was crowned as “Asia’s Fastest Woman” and/or “Asian Sprint Queen.”

Now back in the country after a 17-year stint as coach in a school in Singapore, Diay, as she is fondly called by family, friends and fans, now 57, is racing for her life, although, most, likely, as she did in her sprinting career, she’ll survive and win.

“She’s now in stable, condition, although still critical, according to her doctors,” her former daughter Stephanie “Paneng” Mercado-de Koenigswarter, a former top volleyball player, told a phone interview on Friday.

“Anything is possible according to the doctors who said my Mom will also undergo a battery of tests,” added Mercadode Koenigswarter, a former star at De La Salle who’s married to David Koenigswarter, a pilot.

“We still can’t talk to her because she remains sedated and she can’t still accept visitors,” she said. “That’s why we’re asking all those who want to visit my Mom that we hope they understand the present situation.”

De Vega was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 but kept it to herself and her family. She was up and about when she helped carry the Southeast Asian Games

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UBOY FERNANDEZ believes that the Philippines still needs ring icon Manny Pacquiao now more than ever because the country is without a current world boxing champion.

Fernandez, the former fighting senator’s bosom buddy and long-time coach and trainer, hopes Pacquiao comes out of retirement and go for a fitting farewell fight.

“Why not?” Fernandez said when asked if a Pacquiao comeback remains feasible. “Especially now that we don’t have a world champion and I believe

there’s a lot left in Manny to be a world champion.”

Pacquiao retired after he lost via unanimous decision in his bid to capture Cuban Yordenis Ugas’s World Boxing Association welterweight title in August 21 last year in Las Vegas.

He returns atop the ring but in an exhibition boxing match with Youtube sensation and mixed martial arts fighter DK Yoo of Korea sometime in December in Seoul.

Pacquiao said he aims to raise funds for charity from his six-round match with Yoo. Filipino boxers lose their titles one after the other in recent months—

‘INSTANT MEDALS’ AT WORLDS

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UGENE, Oregon—It takes speed to win some of these medals at world championships.

Speed to hand all of them out, too.

A little bit of jumping ability doesn’t hurt, either.

In a new twist at track and field’s biggest event this side of the Olympics, athletes no longer have to wait to receive their prizes. The medals are waiting trackside and, once gold, silver and

bronze are decided, presenters position themselves to hang them around their rightful winners’ necks, sometimes while they’re still on the run.

One caveat: They need them back.

These “instant medals” are purely placeholders for athletes to enjoy on their celebration lap. The take-home ones, engraved with their names, get presented in a ceremony later on.

“To have that medal so fast, it’s so nice,” said British runner Laura

De Vega first rose to international prominence in 1979 when she won almost every race she saw action in.

She participated in 95 races since she was discovered a year or so earlier and 53 of them were in the international field, including two International Amateur Athletic Federation (now World Athletics) championships.

The Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines enshrined De Vega to its Hall of Fame after she collected 14 gold medals in her favorite 100 meters, eight in 200 meters, three in 400 meters and two in long jump.

De Vega was named Athlete of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association thrice—1982, 1986 and 1987.

She also competed in triple jump, an event introduced for women in 1990, which she won in her first try in the 1993 National Open.

De Vega was the first and only woman sprinter to rule the 100 meters back-top-back in the Asian Games—in 1982 in New Delhi in and 1986 in Seoul.

She, too, won a golden sprint double at the Asian Amateur Athletic Association (4 As) Championships in 1983 in Singapore and 1987 in Jakarta, the city where she scored a hat trick by ruling the 100 and 200 meters and long jump in the 14th Southeast Asian Games.

LYDIA DE VEGA waves to her fans during the opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the New Clark City on November 30, 2019.

POC gives Tsukii P.5M bonus, comes to Lydia de Vega’s aid

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HE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Friday announced the granting of a P.5 million cash bonus for World Games karate gold medalist Junna Tsukii but, on the same breath, expressed shock and sadness on former Asian Sprint Queen Lydia de Vega’s enormous fight—against the Big C. De Vega is currently confined at the Makati Medical Center because of Stage 4 breast cancer, an ailment diagnosed in 2018 but was kept under wraps that she didn’t show any sign of the dreaded disease when she joined her fellow former Filipino sports

greats carry the country’s colors during the opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

“The news saddens me and the POC, our very own Lydia de Vega, our sports great, a Philippine treasure,” Abraham Tolentino said. “We in the POC family, my family, are hoping and praying that she wins this fight in the same manner as she won those great races in her prime.”

The POC Board approved a P100,000 medical assistance for De Vega with Tolentino adding another personal contribution of P100,000 for the sports heroine’s hospital needs.

Tsukii’s gold, the only medal won by a 10-athlete Team Philippines to the World Games that ended over the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, was worth P.5 million under POC policy on cash bonuses for athletes winning medals overseas.

“The POC recognizes Junna’s feast with honor, it wasn’t the Olympics but the World Games are that tough a competition,” Tolentino said.

The Philippines now has two gold medals from the World Games with Carlo Biado winning the first one in men’s 9-ball of billiards at the 2017 Wroclaw, Poland, edition.

Basketball body calls on stakeholders to unite for Gilas for FIBA World Cup

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‘PHL boxing still needs Pacquiao’

By Josef Ramos

flag during the opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games the country hosted in 2019.

She confided to this writer about a “life threating condition” she was experiencing then but refused to say it was the Big C. “You’re a journalist and you might announce it to the whole world,” she said at that time.

Now, her cancer has reached stage 4.

Help has come the De Vega’s way with the Philippine Sports Commission, through Officer-InCharge and Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, implementing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’s instruction last week to extend the government’s all-out support to the sports heroine.

The PSC executive director assured that the agency will be following President Marcos’s directive to help De Vega.

“The PSC already extended a financial assistance to Diay’s family and I’ll be convening the PSC board sometime next week to ask for more assistance,” Iroy said.

On Friday, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Executive Board announced its own financial assistance to De Vega, with POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino also personally extending support to the former athletics superstar.

Mark Magsayo yielded his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight belt, Nonito Donaire Jr. his WBC bantamweight crown, Jerwin Ancajas his International Boxing Federation super flyweight championship and Rene Cuarto his International Boxing Federation minimumweight title.

In 2019, six Filipino boxers held world titles.

Fernandez believes Pacquiao could still fight and win a title despite his age of 43.

“It’s different when it’s Manny Pacquiao who’s fighting,” Fernandez said. “We cannot say but it’s possible.

We can’t really say for good because in

the end, it’s up to him if he wants to ‘unretire’ for one more fight.”

Fernandez, however, warned the eight-division world champion about his fight with Yoo, who’s known for his Korean Warfare Combat System.

“This exhibition bout is no joke because they will fight without headgear, unlike other exhibition duels,” he said. “I need to support him and make sure that he is in good condition not only as his best friend but as his trainer.”

Pacquiao retired with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws with 39 knockouts.

Muir, who earned a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters. “It’s surreal because one minute you’re not even across the line and the next minute you have the medal around your neck.”

All part of the plan from Niels de Vos, the executive director of Oregon22. He remembered watching an athlete win at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and receive his medal the next day in a nearly empty stadium.

“From an athlete’s perspective, it’s like, ‘But my friends and family are here today. They haven’t got a ticket tomorrow. I don’t want to come back

tomorrow for my medal and not have my family,’” de Vos explained. “Everybody likes this.”

The process involves plenty of advanced scout work. That’s why de Vos, the longtime chief executive of UK Athletics and CEO of the 2017 world championships in London, brought over a knowledgeable track team from Britain. Just to help with the task of tracking down euphoric athletes. It’s not as easy as it might seem. Through prep work, they know approximately where someone will end up once a race or field event concludes. AP

AMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio on Friday called on the country’s basketball stakeholders to come together in supporting the national men’s team with the goal of forming a competitive squad for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup next year.

Panlilio said Gilas Pilipinas’s performance in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta was “a disappointment as the ninth place finish was the Philippines’s worst in 13 years.”

He said lack of training time and player availability were issues that must be addressed with three FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying windows lined up for August, November and February, the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia from May 5 to 16 and the FIBA World Cup from August 25 to September 10 next year.

Gilas head coach Chot Reyes had no excuses for the dismal showing but said the outcome could’ve been different if top scorer Dwight

Ramos and naturalized player Ange Kouame suited up.

Reyes said the team began practice last July 6, a week before the Philippines’s first game against Lebanon, and Poy Erram, the only active Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player on the roster, attended only thrice.

“Any coach would’ve backed off from the challenge but Reyes chose to play the cards he was dealt with in keeping his commitment to the country and SBP,” Panlilio said.

“As FIBA secretary-general Andreas Zagklis mentioned, it’s been nearly 25 years since Greece hosted a world basketball event,” Panlilio said. “We really have to give it full support from all basketball stakeholders.”

“The World Cup will never happen again in Manila in our lifetime … it took 45 years to bring the World Cup back to Manila…it must be a fight, all out,” PBA chairman Ricky Vargas said. “We need the best to play and be allowed to play…we call on all stakeholders to unite for flag and country.”

WILBER GREAVES gives Australia’s Eleanor Patterson her gold medal in the women’s high jump on Tuesday. AP

Editor: Angel R. Calso

TheWorld BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 23, 2022

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Russia rises alongside China in latest Japan threat review

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USSIA and China’s deepening military cooperation that has included joint air and navy drills is raising security concerns in the region, Japan said in its first annual defense report issued since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

In the report released Friday, the Defense Ministry detailed renewed concerns about the security of Taiwan, which China sees as territory that must be reclaimed. The section doubled in length from last year to 10 pages and includes a description of the island’s attempts to bolster its defenses against any attack by China, despite falling ever further behind the mainland

in terms of military prowess.

“Changes to the status quo by force are a problem for the whole world, so we will watch related developments with increased vigilance, while cooperating with our ally the US, friendly countries and the international community,” the ministry said.

T he K rem l in’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically changed

Japan’s security perspectives, fueling support for increased military spending and stoking worries that Moscow’s long-time partners China and North Korea may be emboldened to take a more aggressive stance.

The Defense Ministry detailed joint drills conducted by Russia and China in the waters and airspace surrounding Japan in an expanded two-page section on military cooperation between two of its nearest neighbors. The two nations undertook joint air exercises near Japan and South Korea as President Joe Biden wound down a visit to the US allies in May. “We can see a deepening of military cooperation and this will have a direct effect on the security situation surrounding our country,” the ministry said in a summary of the report. “We must continue to pay close attention to these develop-

Crude climbs as traders weigh demand signals, pipeline flows

O

IL rose, all but erasing a weekly loss, as investors we ig hed t he dem a nd outlook and tracked disruption to a key North American pipeline.

West Texas Intermediate advanced above $97 a barrel in the final session of a volatile week in which prices have swung in a range of about $10. While US data this week showed rising gasoline stockpiles and stalling consumption, market signals, including timespreads point to still-robust physical demand.

Traders are monitoring the impact of disruption along the Keystone pipeline. TC Energy has reduced operating rates on a segment running from Canada’s oil sands to the hub at Cushing, Oklahoma, by about 15 percent following a power-supply glitch.

Cushing is the delivery point for

WTI futures.

While crude remains more than a quarter higher this year, the bulk of the gains triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have been reversed. Central banks including the Federal Reserve have been raising interest rates to quell soaring inflation, triggering concerns of a slowdown that’ll sap demand for commodities including energy.

That’s hurt investor interest in crude oil, even though the market’s pricing structure continues to point to signs of scarcity.

“Both Brent crude and WTI futures curves remain in backwardation,” said Jeffrey Halley, a senior market analyst at Oanda Asia Pacific Pte, referring to nearterm prices trading above longerdated ones. That pattern “says that prompt physical supplies of oil in the real world look as tight

as ever. For that reason, I do not see oil prices materially falling from here yet.”

To ramp up the pressure against Russia, the US is aiming to get an agreement on a price cap for the country’s crude. The market hasn’t yet priced in the impact of European Union sanctions aimed at Russian supplies, which adds impetus to the price-cap plan, a US Treasury Department official said.

In a phone call on Thursday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed continued cooperation within OPEC+, the broad group that comprises the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies.

“It was emphasized that a further coordination within OPEC+ is important,” according to a statement from the Kremlin. Bloomberg News

Ukraine and Russia set to sign grain export deal, Turkey says

A

DEA L to restart g ra in e x por ts f rom Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that have been blocked since Russia’s invasion will be signed on Friday by representatives of both countries, according to Turkey, which has been hosting negotiations.

Turk ish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will attend the signing, according the statement from Erdogan’s spokesman. Wheat futures in Chicago declined on the news before paring some of the losses to fall 1.6 percent, while corn dropped 2.8 percent.

The agreement could help revive the crops trade from one of the world ’s big gest wheat, corn and vegetable-oil exporters, improving global supplies and helping ease worries of a food crisis. However, it is unclear how the deal will be implemented and whether Ukrainian sales can return to normal levels with Russia’s invasion still raging.

Millions of tons of grain are stalled in Ukraine after the war stifled seaborne trade, which normally accounts for the bulk of the country’s sales

to buyers spanning A f r ica to Asia. Russia’s forces have also targeted infrastructure at ports and crop fields have caught fire in shelling, adding to the challenges to a resumption of sales.

The US National Security Council said in a statement that “we are hopeful though realistic about the prospects for re-opening Ukraine’s agricultural exports given how Russia has been blocking exports throughout the war, exacerbating global food insecurity. Success in ending Russia’s blockade will of course depend not only on Russia agreeing to a deal, but on Russia actually implementing it.”

Discussions about unblocking the ports have been going on for months already, highlighting the difficulties in agreeing exports terms in the middle of the war. Last week, talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN resulted in agreement on technical principles including setting up a monitoring unit in Istanbul.

T he grain ex port agreement, critically important for global food security, will be signed in Istanbul tomorrow

under the auspices of President Erdoğan and UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres together with Ukranian and Russian delegations.

—İbrahim Kalın (@ ikalin1) July 21, 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his daily address to the nation that on Friday “we are expecting news for our country from Turkey—regarding unblocking our ports,” without elaborating.

While Turkey didn’t prov ide any details about the deal on T hursday, Ukraine h ad dem a nded g u a ra ntees that Russian troops won’t attack its ports once it de-mines passages to the facilities. And Russia’s foreign ministry previously talked about demanding that sanctions on Russian trade be relaxed in return for opening ports.

Ukraine is still shipping some grain, using rail, road and river routes via its European Union neighbors. However, volumes remain wel l below their normal pace, and the next harvests are under way, risking a storage crunch without a sales pickup soon.

Bloomberg News

ments with concern.”

In a foreword to the 500-page report, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said he was full of anger and sorrow over the invasion on Ukraine, and reiterated a warning that it wasn’t a matter for Europe alone, but a sign of strategic competition between nations that had particular implications for the existing order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan has thrown its support behind Ukraine, imposing a series of sanctions on Russia, while providing non-lethal military equipment to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also sought to bolster his country’s security by strengthening ties with a range of countries, including by this year becoming the first Japanese premier to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. Bloomberg News

Wily Covid-19 variant sweeps US, dodging immune defenses

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NITED STATES President Joe Biden joins a rising national Covid-19 wave dominated by a fast-spreading new variant known as BA.5, a wily evader of immune defenses.

Infections have been on the rise in the US, with 177,000 new cases reported on July 19, up from roughly 27,000 new cases on April 1. Los Angeles is seeing so many positive cases that it’s likely to bring back indoor mask mandates next week, and San Francisco virus levels in wastewater have climbed higher than this winter. The hospitalization rate has been inching up since April as well, though still well below previous peaks.

Biden tested positive for Covid on Thursday and is experiencing mild symptoms, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. A sample of the president’s Covid test was sent for sequencing and they’ll know the results within a week, according to the White House. The president has begun taking Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid treatment and will isolate at the White House while continuing his duties.

“We’re definitely in a surge or a spike,” said Wesley Long, medical director of microbiology at Houston Methodist Hospital. “Community transmission is very high, likely similar to what we experienced in the omicron wave in December.”

The surge highlights the challenges of dealing with a pandemic that has persisted for more than two and a half years and killed millions of people worldwide.

BA.5 is particularly good at dodging immune defenses, so even some people who were infected just weeks earlier with another version may catch Covid again.

That immune evasion means that previous infections provide little to no protection and a recent vaccine or booster gains in importance, said Camille Nelson Kotton, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

When people say, “Oh, I had Covid six months ago,’ I say, ‘That means nothing,’” Kotton said.

The current surge is driven by a new omicron subvariant, BA.5, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of cases now, and is marked by the greater decoupling of hospitalizations from cases.

Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

A14 A6 Saturday, July 23, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ALTERA KARNA BUSINESS CORP. 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th Flrs. Eighty-one Newport Blvd., Newport City St., Barangay 183, Pasay City

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Brief Job Description: End 2 End responsibility and accountability back-end testing and automated testing

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Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree and has experience large and integrative project delivery and management Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Brief Job Description: Provide customer service to clients.

MANGAL, PRAVEEN Solution Manager

24.

LUO, RENYANG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking)

WONG HUAN FONG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking)

SINGHAL, NANDITA Software Test Engineer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

AMDOCS PHILIPPINES INC. 23rd, 25th, And 26th Floors Eco Tower, 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

22.

Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

29.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

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

Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience.

Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

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

Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience.

Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

28.

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

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

Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience.

Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently.

Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience.

Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

No.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Brief Job Description: Provide customer service to clients

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. *Preferably 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. *Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

NGO THI HUONG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking)

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

42.

43.

44.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

45.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LAU VINH CHANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE HOANG ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG THI SANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN HOANG ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN MINH MAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

NGUYEN THI DIEU ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI HA TRANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI TUOI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI VI PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN VAN CHUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NONG THI THANH THU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries PHAM THI MY CHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires PHAN TRONG THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TANG THUY HANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires THAI THI KHANH LY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TRUONG THE MINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires VONG AI DIEU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires VONG HONG VA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

VU THI HANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

46.

NGUYEN QUOC TUAN Customer Support Specialist-Vietnamese Speaking 47.

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

APRICUS TECHNOLOGY INC. 8/f Aguirre Building, 107 Aguirre St. Legaspi Village, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: Evaluation Of The Systems’ Problems To Recommend Enhancements

LAAK TZYY HERNG Senior Customer Support Specialist-malay Speaking 48.

Brief Job Description: Evaluation Of The Systems’ Problems To Recommend Enhancements

Basic Qualification: Experience Using Help Desk Software And Remote Support Tools Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Experience Using Help Desk Software And Remote Support Tools Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

49.

50.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ANGEL NATALIA GABRIELA TANGKULUNG Technical Support Specialist-Indonesian Speaking Brief Job Description: Identifying Hardware And Software Solutions PHAM MINH THUAN Technical Support Specialist-Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Identifying Hardware And Software Solutions

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Attention To Details And Good Problem Solving Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Attention To Details And Good Problem Solving Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

AVANTICE CORPORATION 19/f Pbcom Tower, Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

51.

LIDYA KOSASIH Risk And Compliance Executive Brief Job Description: Initiates and process customer verification

Basic Qualification: Must Be Native Korean/ Thai/ Vietnamese/ Japanese/ Cambodian/ Indonesian; Fluent in English and Native Language; at Least a Year of Experience in the Same Field

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

BOMMANDAPALLI RAMALINGA REDDY, ASHOK KUMAR Indian Marketing Consultant 65.

Brief Job Description: Works as an independent consultant or as part of a consultancy firm to provide marketing expertise to clients with Indian standards

66.

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service.

Brief Job Description: Identify, develop and implement new strategies for selling products or services.

Basic Qualification: Degree holder, fluently speak and write Malaysian language computer proficient.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

LI, XUENING Customer Support Specialist 67.

BRIGHT LUME IT SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 202 Erisha Condominium, 1142 P Ocampo Street, Sta Ana, 082, Barangay 757, Santa Ana, City Of Manila PAN, MEIXIN Mandarin Speaking Sales Support Specialist

53.

Brief Job Description: Provide support to Sales Manager for system process order entry and as well as other administrative tasks in the sales life cycle take care of the business analyst sales performance and prepare various reports precisely and efficiently support the company and the wholesale team’s marketing activities including online marketing campaign workshop and exhibitions

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree With Experience in Business Management, Computer/ Software Marketing/ Sales or Related Field; Fluent in Both the Written and Verbal Mandarin/ English Language Communication Skill is a Plus Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

54.

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

68.

55.

Brief Job Description: Identify innovative ways to grow business, impact, platforms, and partnerships.

56.

Brief Job Description: Undertaking effective research and data collection.

69.

57.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing 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.

LE THI THANH NHA Gaming Support Specialist

58.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing 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.

NGUYEN THI TUYET NGAN Gaming Support Specialist

59.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing 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.

NGUYEN TRONG TRANG Gaming Support Specialist

60.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing 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.

VO THI DUONG Gaming Support Specialist

61.

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing 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.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in hangul, both oral and written.

62.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing the sales & marketing of Xiaomi evaluating and developing our marketing strategy and marketing plan monitor progress

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

63.

Brief Job Description: Employee shall perform the duties such as reports on a daily operations of call center activities

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

64.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

71.

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.

Brief Job Description: Work with corporate management to improve, plan implement effective strategies

Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (Korean and English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati CHEN, AI-HUA Chinese Customer Service Representative 72.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

KUO, YI-HUANG Chinese Customer Service Representative 73.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

CHANG, PEI-WEI Chinese Technical Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

HSU, CHE-MING Chinese Technical Support Representative 75.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; 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 Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

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.

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.

KUO, TSUNG-LIN Chinese Technical Support Representative

79.

76.

Basic Qualification: 21 Years Old and Above With Customer Service Experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

SHIU, SHUEN-WEI Chinese Technical Support Representative 77.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

KAMBI PHILIPPINES INC. 18f Zuellig Building, Makati Ave., Cor. Paseo De Roxas, City Of Makati

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.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in speaking and writing in Chinese Mandarin language

Brief Job Description: Work to ensure people and resources are applied in an efficient and effective manner

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

LI, SHUISHENG Fabrication Team Leader 80.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in speaking and writing in Chinese Mandarin language

Brief Job Description: Work to ensure people and resources are applied in an efficient and effective manner

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

LI, YONGTIAN Fabrication Team Leader 81.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in speaking and writing in Chinese Mandarin language

Brief Job Description: Work to ensure people and resources are applied in an efficient and effective manner

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

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

82.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language

XIAO, ZUYONG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

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

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 1331 Pearl Plaza Bldg., Quirino Ave., Tambo, City Of Parañaque

83.

84.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

DONG, HUANLE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

GUO, JIANHUA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

HU, JIAWEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

ZENG, FUGANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

SHINTA Indonesian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

DUONG CONG HA Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

NGUYEN THI THU HIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

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

SYNCGLO COMMUNICATION SERVICES INC. R-9 Goldland Millenia Tower, J.m. Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig LI, YANSHAN Data Analyst 90.

Brief Job Description: Restore Client Data from Various External Sources in the File System

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

VOLENDAY INC. U1406 14/f Pacific Star Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Cor. Makati Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati ZHENG, HUAN Regional Project Manager 91.

Brief Job Description: Work out integrated plan based; monitor project delivery progress and assess the gap between plan and actual; communicate and align with customers in terms of progress and escalation; join the communication with client and align the work plan; manage project acceptance for regional.

Basic Qualification: To provide consulting technical and advisory services.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

WANFANG TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 6-9/f Double Dragon Plaza, Edsa Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City 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.

TSAI, CHENG-YU Chinese Customer Service Representative 92.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

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

WNS GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 9/f 1880 Bldg., Eastwood City Cyberpark, Bagumbayan, Quezon City SHETTY, UMESH SHANKAR General Manager - Workforce Management 93.

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.

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

CHEN, ZHIYONG Fabrication Team Leader

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.

Basic Qualification: Knowledge of diverse business matters.

Brief Job Description: Observe and oversee quality and efficiency of office operations.

Brief Job Description: Efficient usage of available resources (with profitability of the program in mind) to achieve the client and internal metrics with regards to productivity

SAHNI, GAGANJIT SINGH Senior General Manager - Operations

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

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

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service.

CHANG, INJONG Korean Marketing Consultant

74.

Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old; ability to speak, Write and communicate in Chinese Mandarin.

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.

J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg., #48 President Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business marketing communications or related field /experience in marketing and running a marketing team / high competence in project and stakeholder management

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.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

MACRO SHUN STEEL CORPORATION 74, R Jacinto St., Canumay West, City Of Valenzuela

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

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written

GAO SHOU TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 52/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati WANG, CHAO-CHI Chinese Customer Service Representative

70.

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written

GAMMA INTERACTIVE INC. 21/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati NGUYEN THI THUY TRAN Customer Service Vietnamese Speaking

WU, QING Customer Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: 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.

78.

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

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

ESQUIRETECH CORP. Unit 1004 10th Floor Alabang Business Tower,, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa CHEONG CHIN PONG Marketing Director

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service.

Basic Qualification: 10 years of related experience including strategy and business management.

DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St., Roxas Blvd. St., Barangay 3, Pasay City CHAU VI HUU Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service.

WANG, MINGLE Customer Support Specialist

COME ON PHILS. GOLF & TRAVEL AGENCY INC. Unit No. U-a-36, Hk Sun Plaza Bldg., Macapagal Blvd. St., Barangay 76, Pasay City CHOI, JINSUK Executive Consultant

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION MUNTHE, PER JOHAN Operations Consultant

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

CIMB BANK PHILIPPINES INC 28th Floor, Ore Central 9th Ave. Cor. 31st St., Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig RAMCHANDANI, SURAJ Chief Growth Officer

Brief Job Description: To work with a variety of customers and use your expert relationship-building skills to provide world-class service.

LU, HONGXUE Customer Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent and proficient in writing and speaking at least 2 of the ff languages: English, mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

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

CHROMELAB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 25/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

LIM OOI LING Bi-lingual Speaking Data Analyst Executive

Basic Qualification: College graduate or college level, knowledge of regulating requirements or standard of Indian Accounts/Client

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

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

52.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 7/f Aseana I Bldg., Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

LI, GUORONG Customer Support Specialist

A15

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

GREAT GROUP OF ALLIANCE CONSULTANCY INC. Unit 6e 6/f Marvin Plaza Bldg., 2153 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

WONG CHU YI Malaysian Language - Supervisor Marketing

Saturday, July 23, 2022

94.

Brief Job Description: Client Management, Service Delivery and People Management

Basic Qualification: 8 educational + professional qualifications: Postgraduate.

Prior call center experience Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Healthcare / Collections experience mandatory; Minimum requirement of at least 3 years with relevant experience as a Group Manager or as a Sr. Group Manager Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

*Date Generated: Jul 22, 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.