BusinessMirror July 24, 2023

BusinessMirror

PHL DEBT SERVICE

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Philippines’s debt service nearly doubled in the January to May period this year on the back of higher amortization of debts, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

Data showed the country’s debt service reached P819.526 billion in the first five months of the year, a 97.92-percent growth from the P414.069 billion posted in 2022.

T he country’s debt service payments this year was at its highest in February at P375.714 billion, followed by P204.763 billion in April 2023.

A mortization of debt payments

SPECIAL FEATURES, C1-C8

Budget, Ledac bills priority as Congress reopens today

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

AS the Second Regular Session resumes today (Monday), the House of Representatives will concentrate on passing the proposed 2024 General Appropriations Act and measures to carry out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilo, as well as the remaining priority bills.

AYEAR into the Marcos Jr. administration, local economists are looking for concrete projects and programs that would address the country’s food security issues, especially with inflation remaining elevated and the impending El Niño.

U niversity of the Philippines

School of Economics (UPSE) Associate Professor Karl Robert L. Jandoc said he is eager to hear about the President’s plans for agriculture since prices remain elevated. Jandoc also worries over a pos -

sible reversal of the Retail Trade Liberalization (RTL) law, particularly in allowing the National Food Authority (NFA) to intervene. The law is the only reason why rice prices have not been a significant cause for higher inflation.

If the President assures that he will [retain] the RTL, that he won’t touch it, that might temper an increase in prices [especially in the context of] a shortfall in the December harvest,” Jandoc told the BusinessMirror in an interview.

EXPLAINER »B4

WHY ALLOWING UKRAINE TO SHIP GRAIN DURING RUSSIA’S WAR MATTERS TO THE WORLD

also inducted into the Hall of Fame for bagging the Agricultural Journalist of the Year award for three consecutive years (2018, 2019 and 2020). This is Arcalas’s second Hall of Fame award. In 2021, he received the Oriental Leaf Award and joined the Bright Leaf Hall of Fame.

PAJ said awardees are elevated to the Hall of Fame after winning the top prize in the same category of the Binhi awards thrice.

T he approval of the P5.768-trillion 2024 national budget, which is expected to be presented to the House of Representatives a week after the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), will be one of the top priorities, according to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

T he House targets to approve the proposed national budget before the first recess of the 2nd Regular Session in October, Romualdez said.

T he proposed national budget for next year is P500 billion higher than this year’s P5.268-trillion spending program.

Rice Story of the Year Award for his story titled “PHL to WTO: Rice trade liberalization regime stays as is” (https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/12/22/phl-to-wto-ricetrade-liberalization-regimestays-as-is/). The story discussed the current administration’s policy regarding the Philippines’s current liberalized rice trade regime, which started in 2019 following the enactment of the landmark Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Trade Liberalization Act.

BusinessMirror Senior Editor Dennis D. Estopace represented the newspaper during the awarding ceremony held at the National Food Authority auditorium in Quezon City on July 20.

The Binhi Awards was sponsored by conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

U nder the Constitution, the President has 30 days after the Sona to submit his budget proposal to Congress.

“ We will prioritize, of course, the P5.7-trillion budget that will be submitted within a week. [I heard] that the DBM will submit our 2024 budget NEP [National Expenditure Program] a week after the Sona,” he said.

“ We average at least five weeks of solid work [until October congressional break] on the budget deliberations, considerations, review, and approval through the third reading. So we are confident with the processes, protocols, and procedures that we have to pass the national budget, which is the most important piece of legislation,” added the speaker.

‘Concrete ways to address food security woes needed’

NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT Migratory

PHL must work ‘double time’ as rice exporters cut back

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

Budget...

Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is confident the 19th Senate can, at its second regular session, do its duty to pass priority legislation to be affirmed by the President’s Sona.

However, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said the Filipino people deserve the “unfiltered truth” from Marcos’s second Sona, adding, “it is my hope that he

will discuss the real situation of the Filipino People at the household level.”

A mong the issues that Pimentel thinks should take the spotlight at Sona are the high cost of living, inadequate income, problems on education, unemployment and underemployment, and  ballooning national debt.

For his part, Senate President  Zubiri said, in reply to a query on priorities of the President, “Well in terms of prices, food is number 1.”  He noted that Marcos is the concurrent Secretary of Agriculture. “So he must focus on the availability and lowering of food prices. He must strengthen

De La Salle University economist

Maria Ella Oplas noted that Vietnam accounts for around 70 percent of the country’s rice imports while India accounts for 3 percent.

Given the amount of rice imports from these two countries, local economists said Filipinos should soon brace for higher rice prices.

Unless we find new cheaper rice supplies it will definitely raise imported rice prices,” Oplas said. “It is not only the Philippines who will look for supply so it’s expected that prices will go up. Our government should work double time.”

University of Asia and the Pacific economist Senen Reyes told the BusinessMirror the government should explore bilateral trade talks with potential sources of rice.

The actual impact of the El Nino

the farm sector, help our farmers. And if needed, import cheap food products if these cannot be produced in the country.”

It is, Zubiri added, one big “balancing act” for a president who must look out for the prices and availability of the people’s food while also protecting the farmers. “It is a very difficult job.”

Still, he added: “But I think he is doing good. He got the best and the brightest” people in key agencies.

A ccording to Zubiri, they are committed to fulfill the priorities spelled out in the last meeting of the Legislative Executive Development

will be a factor in the price increase though some say that Vietnam’s output will be stable thus price will be good,” Reyes said.

A teneo de Manila University Leonardo Lanzona said this is a significant challenge for the country simply because the government “simply allowed imports” without helping farmers.  “ The government should turn problems into opportunities for greater efficiency and inclusivity, and not turn its back on issues by means of easy and palliative solutions. We need to go back to the root of the problems,” Lanzona said.

“ It will be less costly and risky for the farmers if the government were to recommend and develop new technologies that result in greater production,” he added.

Advisory Council (Ledac) and listed the key ones: amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law/PublicPrivate Partnership Bill, the National Disease Prevention Management Authority, the Internet Transactions Act/E-Commerce Law, the Medical Reserve Corps, the Virology Institute of the Philippines, Mandatory ROTC and NSTP, Revitalizing the Salt Industry, Valuation Reform, EGovernment/E-Governance bill, and the Ease of Paying Taxes, National Government Rightsizing Program, the Unified System of Separation/ Retirement and Pension of MUPs, the LGU Income Classification, the Waste-to-Energy Bill, the New Philippine Passport Act, the Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, the National Employment Action Plan, and Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, Amendments to the Bank Secrecy Law.

Zubiri noted that “with respect to the last one, the Philippines is the only country that has not repealed its bank secrecy law,” signaling an intent to pass legislation that central bank and Finance department officials have been pushing.

‘Life up close, not macro’

WHILE macroeconomic figures are important, Pimentel said the Sona should concentrate on microeconomic matters which concern and affect the lives of the ordinary Filipino.

“The cost of living is very high. The income of the typical Filipino family is not enough for their basic needs and for their decent existence as a family of human beings.” Those who are employed are not paid ‘living wages,’ the senator said, stressing that: “Many are unemployed and many more underemployed.”

He highlighted the importance of education as the great equalizer and suggested “bigger budgetary allocation as well as inclusion of computercoding in the school curriculum.”

P imentel also affirmed the significance of focusing on agriculture to generate jobs, food, and fight inflation. He advocates for better support for micro and small entrepreneurs, mental health initiatives, and attracting long-term foreign investments.

T he senator also underscored the importance of enacting laws to improve trust in and the reliability of online transactions, citing the Internet Transactions Act (ITA) as an example, saying that the measure has the added value of protecting delivery riders from hoax orders and other scams.

Remaining priorities

CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte expressed confidence that both houses of Congress will give their final approval to 50 bills meant to prop up President Marcos’ “Agenda for Peace and Prosperity.”

V illafuerte exhorted his peers in both chambers to pass the remaining nine bills from the expanded list of 44 priority measures that President Marcos had drawn up with the Ledac.

V illafuerte likewise urged senators alone to act on at least 47 other bills, comprising the 30 other priority measures along with 17 more bills that the House had already passed on third and final reading during the first regular session of the 19th Congress.

Jandoc said a shortfall in the December harvest of rice is possible especially in the context of the El Niño. The government’s weather bureau earlier estimated that the full impact of the drought could be felt sometime in the last quarter of the year.

S hould this reduce the country’s production of rice, the water-loving food staple of the Philippines, and the production shortfall is compounded by the spike in consumer spending typical of the Christmas season, Jandoc said the inflation targets of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may not be met.

T he BSP earlier said the country’s inflation rate could fall within target toward the end of the year. Inflation in June already reached 5.4 percent, only 1.4 percentage points away from the high end of the 2 to 4 percent target of the government.

T he concern, Jandoc said, also includes the reduction in the rice farmer’s incomes due to El Niño. Given the government’s “cloud of fiscal consolidation,” he said it may be difficult for the government to “pick up the slack” in their incomes, similar to previous bouts of reduced farm output.

U P Professor emeritus Epictetus Patalinghug told this newspaper that the government should address the structural problems in agriculture particularly low productivity, low farmer incomes, lack of rural infrastructure, and the existence of cartels in onions, garlic, vegetables and essential food crops.

Patalinghug said the government should also address “regulatory rent seeking by BFAR, BPI, BAI, and SRA” by reducing barriers before giving private firms the authority to import fish, vegetables, meat, and sugar.

“ I like to hear the President outline his projects and programs for the next five years and his accomplishments in his first year. Particularly, the plans to contain inflation, food prices, energy prices, health access, education access, housing access, and job generation programs,” Patalinghug said.

B efore addressing these reforms, Freedom from Debt Coalition President Rene E. Ofreneo thinks the President must recognize that the agriculture sector “is in shambles” due to “bad economic policies” such as the “World Bank’s ‘agricultural deregulation’ program.”

O freneo said this agriculture deregulation program gave rise to “untrammelled profit taking by big importers, big distributors, big hoarders, big traders and big smugglers” who took advantage of the socalled free-market rules.”

He added that agrarian reform is still vital, such as what remains to be done in terms of the Land-Acquisition-Distribution (LAD) in private lands and land tenurial issues in government lands, especially in forest lands and military reservations.

O freneo said many Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) have also abandoned farmers, selling their lands after the 10-year restrictive rule in the 1990s to 2000s.

What PBBM is now gradually doing in the agri sector shows that his government cannot afford to take a hands-off role in the market. Otherwise, food inflation and social unrest will be difficult to tame,” Ofreneo said.

Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) economist Leonardo A. Lanzona is concerned about how the coming El Niño and the government’s fiscal constraints could worsen the employment situation.

L anzona said the government should exert more effort to eliminate corruption, which reduces competitiveness and productivity.

O freneo said employment is crucial given that a study by the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) found that 80 to 82 percent of workers in the Philippines are considered informal workers who

Continued from A1

B ased on the data, interest payments in May accounted for the bulk of the country’s debt service payments.

I nterest payments reached P41.344 billion in May, a 22.21-percent growth from the P33.831 billion posted in May 2023.

O f this amount, domestic interest payments reached P29.529 billion and P11.815 billion was ac -

had “limited protection, social and legal” if at all.

Given this, Lanzona said greater attention must also be paid to jobs lost or affected by automation and digitalization through a “massive skill program.” “ I would like to hear an admission that the government failed to take decisive action on inflation and unemployment. Unfortunately, we will probably hear that inflation and unemployment have finally declined,” Lanzona said.

The truth is that low inflation does not mean that prices have gone down. Also, easing unemployment does not mean greater access to quality jobs,” he added.

C rucial to addressing the jobs challenge, Ofreneo said, is the need to strengthen the manufacturing sector. Unfortunately, the manufacturing sector could not grow because of the country’s power constraints.

T his underscores why efforts to reduce energy costs and meet the targets set in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) on energy need to be met, according to Ateneo de Manila University’s Majah Leah Ravago. R avago stressed that it is not enough that the government focuses on generation. There is a need to accelerate the development of transmission capacity to bring down energy costs.

Accelerate development of transmission capacity. Fast-track the implementation of permitting reforms and right-of-way: EVOSS and Ease-of-doing business should be operationalized to realize its true intent. Digitization of systems and processes and not just making it online,” Ravago said.

Meanwhile, UPSE Head of Research Renato E. Reside Jr. said the President should also focus on the next set of tax reforms. These include passive income taxation, excise on plastics, and land taxes, among others.

T hese will be crucial in addressing the country’s financial needs in the next few years, as well as efforts to undertake reforms in the country’s pension and retirement system.

P atalinghug added that along with this, fiscal reforms must include efforts to allow the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as well as the Commission on Audit (COA) to “discipline” national government line agencies who are not spending their budgets efficiently.

“ The President should pursue pension reform in the military and uniformed personnel. He should lay down his anti poverty programs and social safety nets for the weak and the poor for  the remaining 5 years of his term,”

Patalinghug added that beyond fiscal, monetary, and banking policy reforms, the national government needs to use the Maharlika Investment Fund to finance essential infrastructure projects.

He added that some foreign lenders and the private sector players may not be willing to undertake projects.

Patalinghug said some of these projects are the Tutuban to Sorsogon Railway, Matnog, Sorsogon to Samar Bridge, and Leyte to Surigao Bridge.

Patalinghug also cited the Panay Railway Project, Manila to Tuguegarao Railway, and the Mindanao Railway Project among the infrastructure projects that could boost economic growth, including certain sectors such as tourism.

For De La Salle University economist Maria Ella Oplas and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Economics and Management Department of Economics Assistant Professor Luisito C. Abueg, the tourism sector needs more than a change in tagline and logo.

O plas and Abueg said the national government should continue to support or invest in the tourism sector. They stressed that the government must also resolve the issue of fund mismanagement in the Department of Tourism (DOT). Cai U. Ordinario

counted for payments for foreign loans in May 2023.

For amortization, the amount reached P7.703 billion in May 2023, a 67.38-percent contraction from the P23.613 billion posted in May 2022.

T his year, domestic amortization payments reached P2.656 billion while external payments amounted to P5.047 billion in May.

THE national government needs to work “double time” in terms of looking for cheap and accessible sources of rice imports in light of the decision of Vietnam and India to limit rice exports, according to local economists.

Govt ready for Marcos’s address as ‘storms’ near

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

the southwest monsoon.

This will coincide with the start of the 3-day transport strike to be held by the Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela, or steering wheel in English) group who opposes the public utility vehicle modernization program of the government. Manibela claims the strike would be undertaken by its 40,000 members in the NCR.

Rallies, protests

MEMBERS of other organizations, on the other hand, are expected to gather and hold different activities and programs in various areas in Metro Manila before marching and converging together along Commonwealth Avenue for a unified rally. Similar activities are being expected to take place in other parts of the country.

The security, which was crafted as early last week, will be implemented amid threats of rallies and protests and a strike that will be staged by a transport group.

The Philippine Coast Guard also announced it will go on heightened alert as additional support. The unit under the Department of Transportation announced it will also deploy K9 units and medical teams “in critical areas” in the National Capital Region.

Military Public Affairs Office

Chief Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto said the AFP will work with the PNP, which is the overall lead security for today’s event, in conducting “stability and security operations.”

Forces required from the AFP, which are already deployed, primarily come from the Joint Task Force National Capital Region (NCR), the AFP’s unit supporting the PNP, according to Ileto.

Govt offices, schools

EXECUTIVE Secretary Lucas

P. Bersamin issued last Friday his Memorandum Circular (MC)

25 suspending government work and public school classes in Metro Manila on the day of the Sona, July 24.

MC 25 said the suspension will apply to all government offices except those involved in the delivery of basic health services, preparedness/ response to disasters and calamities, and/or performance of other vital services.

Bersamin said the deferment of classes for public schools will cover all levels. The Palace official said the decision to suspend office work and classes in private companies and schools rests on the respective executives and officials of these institutions.

Last Saturday, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the NCR is not expected to be directly affected by Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri).

However, Pagasa noted that the region will still experience cloudy skies and isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to

PNP Chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said security plans are in place for the SONA. Acorda also called on protesters to guard their ranks and ensure that they will conduct their activities within the limits of law. He assures that policemen will observe maximum tolerance in dealing with these organizations’ members and activities.

Acorda said the PNP has carried out simulation exercises, communication exercises, walk-throughs, clearing operations and contingency planning for protest rallies.

The PNP chief said more than 22,000 policemen would be deployed for the address and they will be supported by personnel from the AFP, PCG and other agencies of the government.

Acorda said the PNP will also use drones in monitoring and ensuring security for the SONA.

Last Saturday, PNP Public Information Office Chief Brig. Redrico Maranan said they haven’t monitored any security threat for the Sona.

Marcos maintains policy on use of Covid-19 jabs

DESPITE lifting last Friday the State of Public Health

Emergency due to the pandemic, existing emergency use authorization (EUA) for novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines will remain valid, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered.

“All EUA issued by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 121 (s. 2020) shall remain valid for a period of one year from the date of lifting of the State of Public of Public Health Emergency for the sole purposes of exhausting the remaining vaccines,” Marcos said in his Proclamation 297.

The President made the new issuance on July 21, 2023.

“All prior orders, memoranda, and issuances that are effective only

during the State of Public Health Emergency shall be deemed withdrawn, revoked or canceled and shall no longer be in effect,” Marcos said in the proclamation.

The said EUAs should have only lasted within the duration of the declared public health emergency under Executive Order 121 (s. 2020).

Marcos approved the EUA extension to help the government to utilize its existing Covid-19 jabs.

Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte placed the country under public health emergency in 2020 through Proclamation 922 to allow government agencies and local government units (LGU) to “utilize appropriate resources” for their pandemic response.

The lifting of the State of Public

Health Emergency was based on Resolution 8 (s. 2023) of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases (IATF).

Earlier this month, Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, one of the members of the IATF, earlier said they made the recommendation since Covid-19 jabs will soon be sold locally and they were able to secure a fresh batch of bivalent vaccines to be distributed to priority sectors.

Marcos also assured the government will still maintain a continued public health response and sufficient healthcare system capacity even after the lifting of the public health emergency since it still considers the existing Covid-19 cases a serious concern for certain subpopulations.

Samuel P. Medenilla

‘PHL digitization successful if Marcos’s order followed’

By Rizal Raoul Reyes @brownindio

THE government’s digitalization efforts could only succeed if Executive Order (EO) 32 is strictly implemented, an advocacy group said.

“Upgrading our digital infrastructure to global standards will empower our government, industries and, most of all, our people to compete and excel in a highly digitized global economy,” CitizenWatch Philippines Co-convenor Tim Abejo was quoted in a statement the organization issued last Sunday.

“EO 32 is a responsive policy move that will hopefully cut out unnecessary bureaucratic red tape

that has delayed the building of telecommunications infrastructure needed to deliver faster and reliable broadband services for all,” Abejo, a lawyer, added.

The EO, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 4 intends to address the administrative bottleneck of securing permits for telecommunications infrastructure. Abejo pointed out that excessive, redundant and circuitous permitting and license requirements are the stumbling blocks for the slow rollout of telecommunications towers and fiber networks and consequently causing lousy telecom coverage in many places around the country. “Telcos [telecommunications companies] used to deal with a

bureaucratic gauntlet every time they applied for permits to establish towers and other infrastructure in local governments,” the lawyer said.

“Their hands were tied by all these requirements. And yet it was them [the telcos] that got the ire of the public when the services were poor.”

EO 32 institutionalizes a previously issued Joint Memorandum Circular issued by ten government agencies prescribing the same streamlined process, but which lacked the force and effect of law. It also expired this month.

Earlier, Marcos said he hopes that EO 32 will push all the ongoing digital infrastructure projects into fruition.

HAVING mapped out an elaborate security, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other government agencies declared they are fully ready for the second State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Business, trade groups cite issues Sona would address

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

MORE business and trade groups unveiled key priority reforms and programs that they wish to hear from the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., including amendment of the intellectual property code, more investment roadshows and prioritization of long-term education reforms, among others.

British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP) Executive Director Chris Nelson said that the Philippine government should continue to do investment roadshows. Nelson cited as example the recently-held European investment roadshow spearheaded by Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.

“It’s very good to see more communication among government officials,” Nelson told the BusinessMirror last Thursday. He added that Pascual’s participation in the Philippine investment

roadshow in Europe recently “is very important and very useful.”

“What we’re looking for is those signals that we’re [going to] continue this trade promotion,” Nelson added.

Intellectual property

ANOTHER key area that the British chamber wishes to hear from the President’s SONA is his thrust for the ease of doing business.

“I’d like to hear more [of that] because what we’re looking for is [what] can be improved in terms of process and doing things electronically,”

Nelson told the BusinessMirror . “There are multiple agencies involved sometimes across different sectors, local government and national government; so this is how that process can be sped up and then linking it to getting companies here as we’re going to try to make the Philippines [an] investment…a very large, important market but also as a gateway to Southeast Asia.”

Meanwhile, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Rowel S. Barba said the office hopes to hear more about the progress with the amendments in the Intellectual Property Code (Republic Act 8293).

Barba told reporters last Thursday the IPOPHL wants the penalties against infringement doubled, especially on products that “will affect the life and health of the Filipinos.” He cited food and drugs as examples of these products.

Moreover, the IPOPHL chief is hoping the modernization of the intellectual property system could be prioritized as the whole world is keeping up with technological advancements.

RCEP commitment

BARBA added it’s important for the country to stick to its commitment in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP),

Deployment of ORAN seen benefiting PHL

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

courses and the number of schools (32 percent) don’t have the necessary manpower.

which he said contains a chapter on intellectual property.

He cited as an example the recognition of marks that are “not necessarily visual.”

Barba said that the country’s IP code only recognizes visual marks while other markets allow the registration of sound, color and motion.

“So yun [sticking to visual marks] ang gusto natin tanggalin din as our commitment under the RCEP,” he added. [We want that limiting provision in the code amended as our commitment under the RCEP.]

Meanwhile, Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), an advocacy group led by business leaders pushing for education reforms, urged the president to prioritize long-term education reforms in SONA.

“We must make education and nutrition our national concern and national priority. If we focus on developing our people first, many of our problems—from corruption to poverty, to low productivity to joblessness—will be easier to solve,” PBEd President Meliton B. Salazar said.

“To make education reforms happen, we must set aside political calculations in choosing what is right and what is correct for our children,” Salazar added.

CICC warns vs growing phishing in social media

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

AFTER somehow arresting the phishing scams on mobile, the government has found its enemies in a new form— social media, with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) issuing a warning to consumers against the “growing use of phishing in social media.”

CICC said fraudsters have intensified their social media operations, luring social media users into divulging sensitive information such as account login credentials, personal information, and

even credit card data.

The stolen information can then be used to launch other scams and attacks, the bureau said, adding that it can also be used to “siphon off users’ money.”

“Phishing is a form of online fraud that involves stealing an account user’s personal data and gaining control of the user’s social media account. It is a cybercrime that is executed through popular platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter,” the CICC said. The most common modus operandi used by threat actors involves sending users fake messages that claim to provide users

with social media followers for a measly sum.

“Worse is that providing personal information and credit card number opens the door for hackers to withdraw funds from the account and/or to log on to the social media account and continue the scam across the list of followers,” CICC said.

Data from Kaspersky showed that the Philippines ranked fifth among countries in Southeast Asia with the most phishing attacks in 2022 with 4.56 million blocked attacks.

Cybercriminals, the agency said, are taking advantage of the

popularity of social media in the Philippines, known to have one of the most social media-savvy citizens in the world.

The CICC urged users to report suspected scams through the Inter-Agency Response Center (IARC) Hotline 1326, a 24/7 hotline that intends to “prevent scams by answering inquiries about potential online threats.”

The I-ARC also serves as a resource to help scam victims recover their accounts and, in some cases, their money.

The CICC is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Project seen boosting Pangasinan veggie production

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Pangasinan State University (PSU) announced the construction of two tissue culture laboratories is under way as the institutions pin hope these labs would boost local vegetable production through agricultural biotechnology.

A total of P23.8 million will be used to fund the laboratories, according to the DAR.

“The tissue culture project is a technological breakthrough in the propagation of plants. This would bring

rapid production of high-quality and uniform planting materials that could be multiplied on a year-round basis under disease-free conditions anywhere, regardless of the season and weather,” DAR Ilocos Regional Director Maria Ana Francisco said.

The construction of the laboratories was set in motion after officials of the DAR, the university, the Infanta Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and Farmers Association Inc. and the Northern Bayambang MultiPurpose Cooperative signed a Memorandum of Agreement.

Under the agreement, the two cooperatives will each receive P11.9 million from the

DAR for the establishment of tissue-culture labs. The PSU, for its part, will supervise the establishment of the labs for the cooperatives.

According to Francisco, P1.9 million of DAR’s money will be used by each cooperative to buy farm machines and equipment for the labs.

She added that the P28.3 million grant was taken from the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF) for the implementation of the “Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities,” or “SuRe ARCs,” program. Franciso said farmers were taught how to undertake tissue culture propagation and create and manage an enterprise-based crop nursery.

THE full deployment of the Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) is expected to benefit the country’s economy as the technology would standardize and virtualize mobile networks and leading eventually to lower costs in communication.

However, Maria Beebe, president of non-profit group Kaisipan Inc., said last Friday the benefits from the full deployment of ORAN would only be felt if there are skilled manpower in the technical and non-technical fields.

Cisco Systems Inc. defines the ORAN as “a nonproprietary version of the RAN system that allows interoperation between cellular network equipment provided by different vendors.”

According to Beebe, because of its interoperability and neutrality, the ORAN would bring agility and the benefits of “Cloudification” to the RAN.

Business organizations have recognized the value and importance of going to the Cloud as they deliver more flexibility and reliability, increased performance and efficiency and lower IT costs, she added. Furthermore, Cloud computing enhances innovation, allowing organizations to become more agile in marketing and incorporating artificial intelligence and machine-learning use cases into their strategies, Beebe said.

She added they see “a huge demand” for engineers as the country pushes for digitalization under the Marcos administration.

According to The Philippines Telecoms Industry Report (20222027), there are gaps that need to be addressed in geographic locations and potential growth areas that will require a skilled work force.

“The current engineers that require upskilling and reskilling can be estimated from the 90,000 IECEP [Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines Inc.] members who are electronic engineers, about 8,000 engineers who work as overseas Filipino workers [OFWs] annually,” the report said.

The report added that 195 schools offer electronics and communications engineering

During the forum organized by the Asia ORAN Academy (AORA) last week, Beebe said higher education plays a crucial role in workforce development by providing individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in the work force. However, she said it would be easier said than done as AORA will hurdle challenges such as access, inclusion and equity and quality.

She added that the AORA, as a partnership of higher educational institutions, industry and government stakeholders, it has a “great promise of contributing to work force development because it can promote co-creation of curriculum with industry.”

Likewise, the AORA can also develop hybrid course delivery combining synchronous and asynchronous online activities and foster enrichment activities such as professional networking soft skills development, specialized skills training, research and development, study tours and learning journeys.

According to TurfSite Web Services Inc. Chief Technology Officer Robert Reyes, the adoption of ORAN technology in the Philippines “holds tremendous potential to revolutionize the country’s mobile network infrastructure.”

Reyes told the BusinessMirror that adopting ORAN will enable Philippine network operators to boost vendor diversity, fostering competition, innovation and potentially leading to cost savings. He added that ORAN’s open and modular approach will enable the country to become more flexible in adapting to evolving technologies and market demands, ensuring faster deployment of advanced services such as 5G and beyond.

“The technology’s support for multi-vendor environments can empower smaller operators, promoting widespread network development and bridging the digital divide, ultimately resulting in a more flexible, efficient and accessible telecommunications ecosystem for all Filipinos,” Reyes told the BusinessMirror

“The main advantage of tissue culture is that it helps overcome the limitations of traditional propagation methods, such as slow growth rate, seasonality, and low success rates. Also, tissue culture enables the production of many plants in a relatively short period of time,” she explained.

Francisco said this would mean higher annual yield for the ARB organizations and increased farm productivity and income for the members.

She added that the project is aligned with the government’s goal to introduce modern farm technologies and provide modern farm equipment to ARBs.

Concepcion: ‘Big Brother’ approach to help MSMEs

THE Vice-Chairman of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Development Council underscored that the “big brother” approach is the only way to create scale and address issues on working capital among MSMEs and farmers.

In order for the country’s small merchants to be competitive in the global market, Jose Maria A. Concepcion III stressed that “In the end, access to money or credit is the most important.”

He also noted that even in agriculture, there are problems related to access to money since “many of the banks are not lending to the agriculture sector because of risk.”

Concepcion said in Filipino during a televised interview last Thursday that farmers don’t have collateral. He added that farmers could not also borrow on the land bestowed to them under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Likewise, they cannot also pawn these lands.

They “cannot sell it so it’s not an asset that [the farmer] can use to borrow money,” he said adding that because of this, working capital is a “problem.”

“And the only way that working capital can be [acquired] is kung may kasama silang [if they have a] ‘Big Brother,’” Concepcion said citing as an example Winston P. Uy of Universal Leaf Philippines Inc. and who, according to Concepcion, is “one of the biggest tobacco operations.”

The businessman also underscored that unless the Philippines fixes its agriculture sector, the country will not be competitive. Hence, he noted, “what we need to do is to create scale,” which he said the big corporations can do.

Concepcion said the Council has sent a list to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. containing big agricultural firms “willing to absorb the whole value chain.”

Another recommendation we have for the president “is, once this titling and ownership is cleared, the lands should be allowed to be leased by lease farmers to the bigger corporations.”

“Or [they can] group together and form a cooperative and be under a ‘Big Brother’ who will help them, provide them mentorship, [while] they can provide also the market,” Concepcion added.

With this, he said banks will be able to lend money to MSMEs and farmers because they have the “right business model.”

“They [‘Big Brothers’] have the capacity to absorb shocks and they have access to technology that mitigate the risks,” Concepcion said. “And as they offer a guaranteed floor price for the produce, farmers need not worry about looking for a buyer for their goods and can instead concentrate on achieving productivity.”

•

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

‘Cefa makes it easier to secure PHL borders’

By Raadee S. Sausa @raadeeboy & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

THE first border inspection facility for agricultural imports will make it easier for the Philippines to secure its borders and prevent the entry of transboundary animal diseases, according to government officials.

Department of Agriculture (DA) officials also said the Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (Cefa) “signals to the world the Philippines’s commitment to implementing meaningful reforms in the agriculture sector.”

The DA has allotted P2.3 billion in its 2023 budget for the construction of the facility, which would include hubs in Cebu and Davao. The Cefa, which will house “state-of-the-art testing laboratories,” aims to strengthen the country’s capability to conduct first border inspections and improve its examination of containerized agricultural commodities and prevent smuggling.

“All imported agri-fishery products are to undergo a 100 percent examination by the various food regulators like the Bureaus of Animal Industry [BAI], Plant Industry [BPI], Fisheries and Aquatic Resources [BFAR], as well as the National Meat Inspection Service [NMIS],” DA Assistant Secretary James Layug said during the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Cefa last July 20.

“From the port of entry, the commodities are brought to the various cold storage facilities, which are beyond our supervision...the CEFA makes it easier to secure the borders.”

The DA partnered with Pacific Roadlink Logistics Inc. (PRLI) for the construction of the country’s first border inspection facility on its property at General Alejo Santos Highway, Angat, Bulacan.

Under the MOU, the PRLI allows the government to use for a maximum of 25 years, its 10-hectare land for the Cefa, which will include a laboratory, incinerator, container yard, and truck parking, among others.

Climate-tech firm rolls out biochar solution in Cavite poultry farm

WASTEX , a climate-tech company operating in the Philippines and Indonesia, said it rolled out a biochar solution in a poultry farm in Cavite.

The company said it pilot tested biochar, a charcoal-like and carbon-rich substance derived from biomass, which can boost the performance of the poultry industry and help achieve sustainable farming techniques.

“The outcomes of our solution implementation at the poultry farm have exceeded our initial expectations. While we anticipated operational improvements and benefits from the generation and sale of carbon credits, the additional income and savings resulting from decreased mortality rates and reduced bedding use will far surpass the carbon credit proceeds,” said Pawel Kuznicki, Founder and CEO of WasteX.

“We are currently working with several other poultry farms in the Philippines and Indonesia to expand the implementation of our solution.”

While still nascent in the Philippines, the company said biochar technology has already received positive reception and full support from the government. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), for instance, has expressed eagerness to promote biochar as a green alternative to chemical fertilizer.

It also said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is still looking at ways to widely promote the use of biochar among farmers.

Citing data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, WasteX said there are 1,593 registered poultry farms in the Philippines.

Biochar is produced from rice husk and poultry litter using WasteX’s proprietary equipment at one of Pitik’s farms. The biochar was then incorporated into the

farm’s operations in two ways: as a bedding additive of up to 10 percent of the total bedding, and as a feed supplement of up to 2 percent of the feed.

The supplementation of bedding with up to 10 percent biochar led to substantial improvements in the farm’s broiler chicken production.

“The results were impressive, with a 25-percent reduction in chicken mortality rate, a 30-percent decrease in overall bedding use, and the farm achieving the highest-ever recorded value in its Performance Index. Furthermore, there was a slight decrease in the feed conversion ratio or FCR.”

Additionally, by supplementing the feed with up to 2 percent biochar, the poultry farm experienced a near-complete eradication of the E. coli population, contributing to enhanced biosecurity measures and healthier poultry, according to the company.

WasteX’s pilot findings revealed that total benefits for a 20,000-chicken farm would amount to more than $5,000 or P275,000 annually in additional savings and income.

“Given the slim margins of a typical poultry farm, adopting this new practice could significantly improve farmers’ profits and livelihood.”

Furthermore, WasteX “guarantees” carbon credits to its clients for the entire biochar production and application, amounting to $50 or about P2,750 per metric ton of biochar. This could translate to up to $2,000 or about P110,000 per farm per year, incentivizing farms to adopt this innovative solution.

Biochar is entitled to carbon credits because it captures and stores carbon for extended periods to help mitigate climate change. If applied at full scale, biochar could transform the agricultural industry into a carbon-negative and climate-positive sector.

The facility will be operated by the DA’s Food Safety and Regulatory Agencies, BAI, BPI, BFAR and NAMIS. Its construction is expected to be finished within 6 to 8 months.

The facility will initially function as a 24-hour Off-Dock Custom Facility to handle agricultural importations from the country’s two main ports: Port of Manila and Manila International Container Port.

Once operational, the DA said the facility is expected to employ about 1,500-2,000 unskilled workers in Bulacan.

‘A good step forward’ DISEASES that threaten the country’s agricultural sector can now be more effectively averted by Cefa, according to the chief of the Senate agriculture panel. Senator Cynthia Villar made

this point in her inaugural speech at the recent groundbreaking rites launching Cefa. Villar, whose committee has held numerous hearings and investigations on rampant smuggling of farm goods, and the ability of unscrupulous importers to bring in diseased animal meat, joined Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban in the groundbreaking that farm groups have hailed as “a good step forward.”

“This is the first, and we hope that we will be at the groundbreaking ceremonies of the other two more inspection facilities to be put up in Cebu and Davao,” she said. “The groundbreaking and MOU signing for the establishment our very first border control facility is a milestone for our country.”

Villar said Cefa complies with the Food Safety Act of 2013 or Republic Act 10611. “The lack of adherence to the Food Safety Act of 2013 has led to the inadequate management of the African swine fever challenge, and created a risk of other diseases

in livestock entering the Philippines.”

With the construction of Cefa, the senator said the risk of diseases and other potential threats to the Philippine agriculture sector will be minimized.

Through the comprehensive examination and inspection protocols, she said Cefa will be “a crucial tool” in detecting and preventing the spread of diseases in livestock, reducing the likelihood of outbreaks.

This, she said, is “a proactive approach” that will protect the agricultural sector and local communities from potential epidemics, ensuring the stability of food production. All developed countries, Villar noted, have these facilities as part of their strengthened food safety and quarantine, inspection regulations.

Apart from the laboratories, the senator said the facility will also feature a crematorium to ensure the safe disposal of confirmed agricultural commodities with quarantine violations, if these cannot be returned to origin.

DA: Risk maps to help planters cope with El Niño impact

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said its attached agency had designed maps that would identify areas that may suffer drought and dry spells due to El Niño.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian said the risk maps aim to guide farmers in their planting decisions.

Sebastian said the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) would map out all areas of the country that could be hit by droughts and dry spells. This could guide local government units (LGUs) and regional offices on the kind of interventions that it would

implement in affected areas.

“PhilRice has been sending out to farm communities around the country its ‘Be Water Smart’ magazine containing information of varieties and ways to optimize water use to mitigate the impact of El Niño.”

The DA official said the magazine contains previous experiences of farmers, particularly on how they coped with calamities and adverse weather conditions.

It also has information on seed varieties that are heat or drought tolerant and under what soil conditions they can be planted, including the experience of Vietnam in using

climate-smart maps to address its drought problem.

PhilRice Deputy Director for Development Karen Barroga said the agency has been disseminating satellite-based data of rice area, production and yield to local governments and DA regional field offices so that they can be adequately guided on how to adjust their cropping calendars and on what interventions to give.

“These data, were weather patterns obtained and analyzed by the PRISM [Philippine Rice Information System] team—to LGUs and their extension workers and DA regional field officers down to the municipalities so they

can adequately guide farmers on seed varieties to plant based on available water supply.”

PRISM, a Bureau of Agricultural Research-funded project with the International Rice Research Institute and is now managed by PhilRice, is the first rice monitoring system in Southeast Asia that uses satellite imagery and information and communication technology, crop modeling and smartphones. Through PRISM, the extent of standing crops and the different crop stages all over the country can also be known, Barroga said.

Raadee S. Sausa

DOJ: Authority of Bangsamoro govt over irrigation systems limited to CIS

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has declared that the authority of the Bangsamoro government over irrigation systems in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is limited only to communal irrigation systems (CIS).

Thus, the DOJ ruled, only properties and assets confined to CIS should be turned over to the Bangsamoro government by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

The DOJ’s legal opinion was issued in response to the request of Deputy Executive Secretary Naealla Bainto Aguinaldo’s as a result of the letter of NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen seeking clarification on the transfer of its properties and assets to the BARMM, pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 11054, otherwise known as the BARMM Law.

Prior to this, NIA received a letter

on October 30, 2022 from Engr. Ariel Cayanan, Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of Agriculture (DA), referring the letter of then Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez “requesting for the transfer of properties and assets” of the NIA Office Building in Cotabato identified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR- BARMM).

In response, NIA Administrator Ricardo Visaya, now retired, issued Memorandum Circular No. 003, Series of 2022 creating a Technical Working Group (NIA-TWG) to work with its counterpart in the BARMM on the possible transfer of properties and assets to the BARMM.

However, the NIA and the Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) have conflicting views on the interpretation of Section 37, Article XIII (Regional Economy and Patrimony) (“Section 37”) and Section 11, Article XVI (Bangsamoro

Heat, war and export bans: Global food threats are on the rise

AS scorching temperatures ravage farms from the United States to China, crop harvests, fruit production and dairy output are all coming under pressure. That extreme weather is just one of threats to food supplies that are once again mounting around the world.

Last week, top rice exporter India banned some shipments of the commodity—a staple for about half of the world’s population—to keep domestic prices in check. Russia quit a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to flow safely across the Black Sea.

On top of that is the recent arrival of the El Niño weather pattern that may cause further damage to agriculture.

All of this is renewing concerns about food security and prices, creating a risk that rampant inflation on supermarket shelves will stick around for longer. That would be a fresh blow to consumers, who were just starting to see some better news after a long-running squeeze on household budgets.

“We’re all still struggling under an

inflationary regime,” said Tim Benton, a food security expert at Chatham House in London. “And although inflation is tailing off, that doesn’t of course mean the prices are going down. It means they’re just going up more slowly.”

Extreme heat that’s engulfing huge swaths of Asia, Europe and North America is just the latest challenge in what’s been a rough year for farmers. They’ve had to grapple with bouts of extreme weather, including prolonged droughts, heavy rain and floods.

Right now, it’s so hot in southern Europe that cows are producing less milk and tomatoes are being ruined. Grain harvests will be much smaller too after struggling with drought.

In Asia, the yields from China’s rice fields are at risk, and US conditions for growing crops were at their worst in more than three decades in June, before the Midwest got some rain relief. Prices for rice in Asia recently reached a two-year high as importers built up inventories.

While the full extent of the damage will depend on how long the unfavorable conditions persist, there are already clear signs of destruction in fruit and vegetables in southern Europe, which supplies much of the continent.

In Sicily, some tomatoes have ominouslooking black rings, the result of a so-called blossom end rot, when extreme weather renders plants calcium-deficient.

“They’re like burnt on the bottom,” said Paddy Plunkett, head of global sourcing at importer Natoora who was sent a photo by a grower. “I’ve never seen it before.”

Across Italy, weather-related damage to agriculture will exceed last year’s losses of 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion), according to farmers group Coldiretti.

The temperatures have sped up ripening or caused heat burns on everything from grapes to melons, apricots and aubergines. Bee activity and pollination is affected and wheat production is down, it said.

“This is not a just a regular hot summer,”

said Lorenzo Bazzana, an agronomist at Coldiretti. “They say plants should adapt to the climate changes, but we are talking about cultures that evolved slowly over thousands of years, they cannot adjust to a climate that keeps changing so quickly and so dramatically.”

Beyond Europe’s vegetable stalls, the good news is the grains market—key to food security of the poorest and import-dependent nations—is still well supplied, thanks to record harvests of soy and corn in Brazil. Top wheat exporter Russia is set for another bumper crop.

But uncertainties are piling up. In an apt illustration, wheat fluctuated throughout the week in response to a flurry of news from the Black Sea.

It rose on the collapse of export deal, before slipping back, then rose again as Russia threatened ships sailing to Ukraine ports. On Friday, it declined as Ukraine sought to restore the export deal.

More concerns stem from India’s steps to

Transition Authority) of the BARMM Law.

The NIA expressed belief that the authority granted to the Bangsamoro Government in Section 37 is limited to CIS.

IGRB claims that the authority of the Bangsamoro government is not limited to CIS, and that the properties and assets to be transferred to the latter should include, among others, the NIA Office Building in Cotabato City.

Despite several meetings, the NIA and IGRB failed to resolve their opposing views, thus, the request for the DOJ’s legal position.

In declaring that the authority of the Bangsamoro government is limited only to CIS, the DOJ noted that under Section 2 of RA 360, the law creating NIA, the authority to operate, maintain and administer all national irrigation systems is vested in the NIA.

Likewise, the said provision gives NIA the authority to temporarily administer all government-funded communal and pump irrigation systems.

Section 2, Article V of the BARMM Law, has authorized the Bangsamoro government to exercise its power over the irrigation systems in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR).

“Reconciling the two (2) provisions, while Section 2, Article V of the BARMM Law provides that the BG has authority over the irrigation systems in the BAR, by the express provision of Section 37, it is the National Government (NG) which retains its authority over NIS,” the DOJ said in a legal opinion signed by Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty.

“Nothing in the powers and functions of the MAFAR can be considered as similar to the NIA’s primary mandate to construct, improve, rehabilitate and administer irrigation systems,” it added.

Thus, the DOJ said, absent the existence of any agency or office in the BAR that is primarily responsible in irrigation development and management, NIA’s personnel, properties and assets cannot be disposed of to the MAFAR.

A FARMHAND sows rice saplings in a flooded paddy field in Bhivpuri, India, July 20. BLOOMBERG NEWS

ban exports of non-basmati white rice to put a lid on inflation.

Retail rice prices in Delhi are up about 15 percent this year while the average nationwide price has gained 9 percent, according to data from the food ministry. The government may extend the restrictions to other rice varieties, Nomura Holdings Inc. warned.

Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand is asking farmers to limit rice planting to only one crop this year amid drought risks. In China, high temperatures will likely force the early ripening of the crop, impacting yields.

President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for greater efforts to secure grain security, state television reported.

Parts of the US are experiencing similar strains.

While rainfall levels have improved after hot and dry conditions earlier this year, the weather is expected to flip again across the Midwest next week and into early August, just as corn and soybean crops go through critical development stages, said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at brokerage StoneX. Bloomberg News

THIS Bloomberg file photo shows imported meat products.

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

Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this

Office application/s for Alien

16 ANOC99 CORPORATION POGO 1 Building, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

- Php59,999

17 C-PAK PTE. LTD.PHILIPPINE BRANCH Lot B1-4, Road 6, Carmelray Industrial Park II, Milagrosa, City of Calamba, Laguna

ATO, JUN General Manager

Brief Job Description: Manage the Philippines plant operations and business development

Basic Qualification: Must have bachelor degree with minimum of ten-year experience relevant to industrial and management experience

Salary Range: Php90,000 - Php149,999

18 CAC PHILIPPINES, INC.

CTEPI Bldg. I, 16 Ring Road, Light Industry & Science Park II, La Mesa, City of Calamba. Laguna

GARCIA, FELIPE Process Specialist for Core Line

Brief Job Description: Ensure the secure ramp up of the existing and planned core lines.

Basic Qualification: With 2 to 4 years of experience in the same field and know hoe to develop and plan new product processes for new product planning

Salary Range: Php150,000 – Php499,999

19 CELERAISE ELECTRONIC CORPORATION Maguyam Road, Carillo Drive Beside Hong Chang Compound, Bancal, Carmona, Cavite

20 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

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

CHEN, MU-HSIN Plant Manager

Brief Job Description:

Oversee all the operational activities of the plant

HWAN CHEIN

Burmese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Must be able to speak and read chines and English language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Preferably with 6-months to 1-year customer or sales experience and fluent in Burmese language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

31 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

32 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

33 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

34 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

35 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

36 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

CHEN, GUORONG

Chinese Customer Service

Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

LIN, SIJIE

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

LIU, GUANG

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

BUI THU NHI

Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

LAM, HUE TRINH

Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

Basic Qualification:

Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE Regional Office IV-A located at 3rd and 4th Floors, Andenson Building II, Parian, Calamba City, Laguna, within 30 days after this publication. Please inform DOLE Regional Office IV-A if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

The World

Drone hits Crimean ammunition depot; strikes kill, wound civilians in Ukraine

By Felipe Dana The Associated Press

Editor: Angel R. Calso

TAIPEI, Taiwan—China sent dozens of warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, toward Taiwan, the island’s Defense Ministry said Saturday, marking a forceful display days before the democracy plans to hold military exercises aimed at defending itself against a possible invasion.

Taiwan is due to hold its annual Han Kuang exercise next week, during which its military will hold combat readiness drills for preventing an invasion. It will also conduct the annual Wan’an exercises aimed at preparing civilians for natural disasters and practicing evacuations in case of an air raid.

entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone near its southern part, the statement said.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party in control of the mainland. The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland.

In recent years, China has shown displeasure at political activities in Taiwan by stepping up the number of military planes sent toward the island.

The attack on the depot in central Crimea sent huge plumes of black smoke skyward and came five days after Ukraine struck a key bridge that links Russia to the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014 and after Moscow suspended a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to safely export its grain through the Black Sea.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlinappointed head of Crimea, said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of casualties from the strike, but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) radius of the blast site.

The Ukrainian military took credit for the strike, saying it destroyed an oil depot and Russian military warehouses in Oktyabrske, in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, though without specifying which weapons it used.

A Crimean news channel posted videos Saturday showing plumes of smoke billowing above rooftops and fields near Oktyabrske, a small settlement next to an oil depot and a small military airport, as loud explosions rumbled in the background. In one video, a man can be heard saying the smoke and blast noises seemed to be coming from the direction of the airport.

The strike came during a week in which Ukraine attacked the Kerch Bridge and Russia, in what it described as “retribution” for the bridge attack, bombarded southern Ukrainian port cities, damaging critical infrastructure including grain and oil terminals.

By Ashok Sharma & Shonal Ganguly

The Associated Press

NEW DELHI — Thousands of people, mostly women, held a massive sit-in in India’s violence-wracked northeastern state of Manipur on Saturday to demand the immediate arrest of anyone who took part in the harrowing May assault of two women who were paraded around naked and molested by a mob in an attack that was caught on video.

The leaders of religious and women’s groups addressed the nearly 15,000 protesters, who also called for the firing of Biren Singh, the top elected official in the state where more than 130 people have been killed since violence between two dominant ethnic groups erupted in early May. The protest was held in Churachandpur, a town 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Imphal, the state capital.

Manipur has been the scene of a near-civil war that was sparked by Christian Kukis protesting against a demand by the mostly Hindu Meiteis for a special status that would let them buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups, as well as a guaranteed share of government jobs.

A video showing the women being assaulted triggered widespread outrage and has been widely shared on social media despite the government largely blocking the Internet and keeping journalists out of the remote state. The footage shows the two naked women surrounded by scores of

Ukraine also attacked the bridge in October, when a truck bomb blew up two of its sections, which took months to repair. Moscow decried that assault as an act of terrorism and retaliated by bombarding Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, targeting the country’s power grid over the winter.

The Kerch Bridge is a conspicuous symbol of Moscow’s claims on Crimea and an essential land link to the peninsula. The $3.6 billion, 19-kilometer (nearly 12-mile) bridge is the longest in Europe and is crucial for Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine.

Speaking at the Aspen security forum via video link, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the bridge a legitimate target for Ukraine, noting that Russia has used it to ferry military supplies and it must be “neutralized.”

In a video address to the nation later Saturday, Zelenskyy said he had a phone call with NATO SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg to discuss “our steps to unblock and ensure the stable operation of the grain corridor” following Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal.

Zelenskyy said they agreed to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council in the nearest days for consultations on the issue. “We can overcome the security crisis in the Black Sea,” he said.

As fierce fighting continues in Ukraine’s bid to retake territory from Russia, Russian shelling killed at least two civilians and wounded four others on Saturday, Ukrainian officials

reported. A 52-year-old woman died in Kupiansk, a town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, while another person was killed in a cross-border Russian attack on a village in the neighboring Sumy province.

Earlier Saturday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian attacks on 11 regions across the country on Friday and overnight had killed at least eight civilians and wounded others.

A DW cameraman was injured Saturday by shrapnel from Russian cluster munitions that also killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded several others near the town of Druzhkivka, in the eastern Donetsk region, the German broadcaster said in a statement. Cameraman Ievgen Shylko was part of a team sent to report from the Ukrainian army training ground about 23 kilometers (14 miles) away from the frontline, it said.

“We were filming the Ukrainian army during target practice when suddenly we heard several explosions,” DW correspondent Mathias Bölinger said. “We lay down, more explosions followed, we saw people were wounded. Later, the Ukrainian army confirmed that we had been fired at with cluster munitions.”

Cluster munitions, which open in the air and release multiple small bomblets, are banned by more than 100 countries because of their threat to civilians, but they have been used extensively by both sides in the war.

The Pentagon has said the clus -

ter munitions the US recently gave to Ukraine will give Kyiv critically needed ammunition to help bolster its counteroffensive.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that a group of Russian journalists came under artillery fire in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. In an online statement, it said four correspondents for pro-Kremlin media had been struck by cluster munitions and that one of them, Rostislav Zhuravlev of the state RIA Novosti news agency, later died from his injuries.

The Kremlin-installed head of the Russia-occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balitsky, claimed in a Telegram post that the journalists were traveling in a civilian vehicle that was hit by shelling. The claims couldn’t be independently verified.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the attack on journalists as a “heinous crime” in which the US and its allies were complicit.

The Ukrainian air force on Saturday morning said that overnight, it had brought down 14 Russian drones, including five Iranian-made ones, over the country’s southeast, where battles are raging. In a regular social media update, the air force said that all Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones launched by Russian troops during the night were brought down, pointing to Ukraine’s increasing suc

cess rate in neutralizing them.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army sent 37 aircraft and seven navy vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. Among them were J-10 and J-16 fighters and H-6 bombers, and 22 of the detected warplanes crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait—an unofficial boundary that had been considered a buffer between the island and mainland—or

By Ali Jabar & Jari Tanner

The Associated Press

BAGHDAD—Tensions flared again in Iraq on Saturday over a series of recent protests in Europe involving the desecration of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, which sparked a debate over the balance between freedom of speech and religious sensitivities.

Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone that houses foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq’s government early on Saturday, following reports that an ultranationalist group burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, the previous day.

T he protest came two days after people angered by the planned burning of the Islamic holy book in Sweden stormed the Swedish Embassy i n Baghdad.

China held huge military drills in response to former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August. It fired missiles over the island in a significant escalation that disrupted trade lanes in the Taiwan Strait and forced airplanes to reroute flights.

In April, the PLA also held largescale combat readiness drills in the air and sea around the island in response to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ingwen meeting with current US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. AP

The right to hold public demonstrations is protected by the constitution in Sweden, and blasphemy laws w ere abandoned in the 1970s. Police generally give permission based on whether they believe a public gathering can be held without major disruptions or safety risks.

O n Friday afternoon, thousands protested peacefully in Iraq and other Muslim-majority countries.

In Iran, the powerful Revolutionary Guard’s chief, Gen. Hossein Salami, said that “we do not allow those w ho insult the Quran to be safe”, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.

Muslims “will decree a severe punishment for the perpetrators of these crimes,” he continued.

in the attack. Rajiv Singh, the state’s director-general of police, said officers were carrying out raids to arrest other suspects.

The deadly clashes have persisted despite the army’s presence in Manipur, a state of 3.2 million people tucked in the mountains on India’s border with Myanmar that is now divided into two ethnic zones. More than 60,000 people have fled to packed relief camps.

Security forces on Saturday pushed back the protesters, who blocked the Jumhuriya Bridge leading to the Green Zone, preventing t hem from reaching the Danish Embassy.

Elsewhere in Iraq, protesters burned three caravans belonging to a demining project run by the Danish Refugee Council in the city of Basra in the south, local police said in a statement. The fire was extinguished by civil defense responders, and there were “no human c asualties, only material losses,” the statement said.

In the incident in Copenhagen, according to Danish media reports, members of the ultranationalist group Danske Patrioter burned a copy of the Quran and an Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy, livestreaming the action on Facebook.

C openhagen police spokeswoman Trine Fisker told the AP that “a very small demonstration” with fewer than 10 people took place Friday afternoon across the street from the Iraqi Embassy and that a book was burned.

“We do not know what book it was,” she said. “Apparently they tried to burn the Iraqi flag and after that, somebody stepped on it.”

Ku K i tribal protestors shout slogans during a demonstration against deadly ethnic clashes in the country’s northeastern state of Manipur, in New Delhi, india on Saturday, July, 22, 2023. Protests are being held across the country after a video showed a mob assaulting two women who were paraded naked. Thousands of people, mostly women, held a massive sit-in protest in india’s violence-wracked northeastern state of Manipur state demanding immediate arrest of those involved in the harrowing assault. AP Photo/AltA f QA dri

young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field.

The women are from the Kuki-Zo community, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, a tribal organization in Manipur. One of them told The Associated Press that the men who assaulted them were part of a Meitei mob that had earlier torched their village.

“They forced us to remove our clothes and said we will be killed if we don’t do as told. Then they made us walk naked. They abused us. They touched us everywhere…on our breasts, our genitals,” she said by phone from Manipur. The woman said the duo was then led into a field where they were both

sexually assaulted. The two women are now safe in a refugee camp.

Police said the assault occurred May 4, a day after the violence between the Kukis and Meiteis started. According to a police complaint filed on May 18, the mob attacked the family of the two women and killed its two male members. The complaint alleges rape and murder by “unknown miscreants.”

The emergence and widespread sharing of the video led India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, to break his more than two months of public silence over the ethnic clashes in Manipur, saying Thursday that the attack on the women was unforgivable.

The Manipur state government on Saturday announced a fifth arrest

Nearly 400 men and women also held a protest in the Indian capital with similar demands. They carried placards reading “We demand action against the perpetrators” and “Resign, Biren Singh.”

In Manipur state, the protesters assembled at a “Wall of Remembrance” site in an open ground in Churachandpur, a stronghold of the Kuki tribe, where they kept dummy coffins of people from their minority community who have been killed in the violence.

Ngaineikim, the chairperson of the Kuki Women’s Organization for Human Rights, accused Singh, who belongs to the majority Meiti community, of orchestrating atrocities and then expressing sympathy for the victims.

Singh did not immediately comment on the calls to resign, but on Thursday, he said an investigation was underway to ensure “strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society.”

The council confirmed in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that its premises in Basra “came under armed attack” early Saturday.

“We deplore this attack—aid workers should never be a target of violence,” Lilu Thapa, the Danish Refugee Council’s executive director for the Middle East, said.

Iraq’s prime minister has cut diplomatic ties with Sweden in protest o ver the desecration of the Quran in that country.

An Iraqi asylum-seeker who burned a copy of the Quran during a demonstration last month in S tockholm had threatened to do the same thing again onThursday but ultimately stopped short of setting fire to the book.

The man—an Iraqi of Christian origin living in Stockholm, now a self-described atheist—did, however, kick and step on it, and did the s ame with an Iraqi flag and a photo of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr and of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Fisker said the “political angle is not for the police to comment” on, but the “event was peaceful ... from a police perspective.”

The Danish government on Saturday condemned the demonstration. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke R asmussen called the action a “stupidity that a small handful of individuals did.”

It is a shameful act to violate the religion of others,” he told Danish public broadcaster DR. “This applies both to the burning of Qurans and other religious symbols. It has no other purpose than to provoke and create division.”

The incident prompted the protests in Baghdad overnight. Chanting in support of the anti-Western S hiite cleric al-Sadr and carrying images of him and the flag associated w ith his movement, along with the Iraqi flag, hundreds of protesters attempted to enter the Green Zone and clashed with security forces before dispersing. Tanner reported from H elsinki, Finland. Associated Press writers Abdulrahman Zeyad in Baghdad, Abby S ewell in Beirut and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine—A Ukrainian drone strike Saturday caused a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia-annexed Crimea, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes in the latest attack since Moscow canceled a landmark grain deal amid Kyiv’s grinding efforts to retake its occupied territories.

Thousands protest mob assault of women who were paraded naked in indian state

As Taiwan prepares for anti-invasion exercises, China sends dozens of warplanes toward island

Protesters try to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone over burning of Quran in Denmark

Scientists say extreme heat reports paint the story of a warming world

By Seth Borenstein AP Science Writer

n e arly every major climatetracking organization proclaimed June the hottest June ever. t h en July 4 became the globe’s hottest day, albeit unofficially, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. i t w as quickly overtaken by July 5 and July 6. n ext came the hottest week, a tad more official, stamped into the books by the World Meteorological Organization and the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

With a summer of extreme weather records dominating the news, meteorologists and scientists say records like these give a glimpse of the big picture: a warming planet caused by climate change. i t ’s a picture that comes in the vibrant reds and purples representing heat on daily weather maps online, in newspapers and on television.

Beyond the maps and the numbers are real harms that kill. More than 100 people have died in heat waves in the United States and i nd ia so far this summer.

Records are crucial for people designing infrastructure and working in agriculture because they need to plan for the worst scenarios, said Russell Vose, climate analysis group director for the n a tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He also chairs a committee on national records.

i n the past 30 days, nearly 5,000 heat and rainfall records have been broken or tied in the US and more than 10,000 records set globally, according to n OAA. te xas cities and towns alone have set 369 daily high temperature records since June 1.

Since 2000, the US has set about twice as many records for heat as those for cold.

“Records go back to the late 19th century and we can see that there has been a decade-on-decade increase in temperatures,” said

Gavin Schmidt, director of n A SA’s Goddard i n stitute for Space Studies, keeper of the agency’s climate records. “What’s happening now is certainly increasing the chances that 2023 will be the warmest year on record. My calculations suggest that there’s, right now, a 50-50 chance.”

t h e larger the geographic area and the longer stretch of time during which records are set, the more likely the conditions represent climate change rather than daily weather. So the hottest global June is “extremely unlikely” to happen without climate change, as opposed to one city’s daily record, te xas state climatologist John n i elsenGammon said.

Still, some local specifics are striking: Death Valley has flirted this summer with the hottest temperature in modern history, though that 134 degree Fahrenheit (56.7 Celsius) record is in dispute.

Phoenix grabbed headlines among major US cities on tu esday when it marked a 19th consecutive day of unrelenting mega heat: 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or more. it k ept going, reaching a 22nd straight day on Friday. t h e daytime heat was accompanied by a record stretch of nights that never fell below 90 Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius).

“ e v erybody’s drawn to extremes,” Vose said. “ i t ’s like the Guinness Book of World Records. Human nature is just drawn to the extreme things out of curiosity.”

But the numbers can be flawed in what they portray.

t h e scientific community

“doesn’t really have the vocabulary to communicate what it feels like,” said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field, who cochaired a groundbreaking United n a tions report in 2012 warning of the dangers of extreme weather

from climate change.

i don’t think it captures the human sense, but it really does underscore that we live in a different world,” Field said of the records.

t h ink of the individual statistics as brush strokes in a painting of the world’s climate, Cornell University climate scientist n a talie Mahowald said. Don’t fixate on any specific number.

“

t h e details of course matter, but the thing that really matters, especially for the impressionist painting, is when you step back and take a look at everything that’s happening,” Mahowald said. She and other climate scientists say long-term warming from burning coal, oil and natural gas is the chief cause of rising temperatures, along with occasional boosts from natural e l n i no warmings across parts of the Pacific, like the planet is experiencing this year.

e l n i no is a natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather patterns worldwide and adds an extra warm boost. An e l n i no formed in June and scientists say this one looks strong. For the previous three years e l n i no’s cool flip side, La n i na, dampened a bit of the heat humans are causing.

A super e l n i no spiked global temperatures in 1998, and then was followed by less warming and even some flat temperatures for a few years until the next big e l n i no, Mahowald said.

Fed readies another rate increase in pivotal week for central banks

By Enda Curran

The world’s major central banks meet in the coming week to set monetary policy amid continued signs that the worst inflation crisis in decades is easing.

While the Federal Reserve and eu ropean Central Bank are each expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, the greater focus will be on signaling from policy makers on whether more hikes are likely — or if they plan an extended pause.

Both Fed Chair Jerome Powell and e CB President Christine Lagarde have warned that inflation remains too high, forcing them to raise borrowing costs further. But with neither central bank meeting again until September, economists say the outlook for policy into the back end of the year remains open-ended.

The Bank of Japan remains the outlier, with more than 80% of analysts polled expecting Governor Kazuo Ueda to continue pumping support into the world’s No. 3 economy even as inflation remains above their 2% target.

h e re’s a look at the major central bank decisions due this week:

Federal Reserve

Fed policymakers are poised to hike rates Wednesday to the highest rate in 22 years, while retaining a tightening bias that signals the possibility of an additional move later in the year.

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to raise rates quarter point to the 5.25%-5.5% range, an 11th increase over the past 16 months. The rate decision will be released at 2 p.m. in Washington. Powell holds a press conference 30 minutes later.

The July hike follows a pause in June that was intended to slow the pace of increases as rates approach a level believed to be restrictive enough to return inflation to the 2% target over time. Still, Powell and other policymakers will want to sound resolute and keep options open to hike again if necessary to avoid recurrences of surging prices.

“Inflation is slowing, but not quickly enough for the Fed,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING Financial Markets LLC. “With the jobs market remaining firm, officials are taking no chances.”

“Mixed economic data since the midJune meeting likely failed to settle the internal debate about whether July’s should be the last hike. We believe many FOMC members still expect one more rate hike this year, but June’s soft inflation data may have weakened their conviction,” said Anna Wong, Bloomberg’s chief US economist. Market view: Investors are betting on a quarter-point increase from the Fed on Wednesday, which market pricing implies will be the US central bank’s final hike of its tightening cycle.

European Central Bank

W IT h a q uarter-point rate hike this week all but guaranteed, all eyes will be on how Lagarde characterizes the e CB ’s policy plans beyond July. Officials have stressed for some time that decisions will be based on incoming data, and September may be the first month where they actually stick to that idea.

Saying nothing would break with a well-established habit of de-facto precommitting to the very next move. Such

a change in tactic may become necessary, though, as the e CB approaches the end of the most aggressive tightening cycle in its 25-year history.

Policymakers have lifted the deposit rate by 400 basis points since last July, and economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect two more steps, in July and September, which would take the benchmark to 4%.

Most of that tightening still has to reach the economy, and much of the recent public debate has focused on whether what’s already in the pipeline will be sufficient to bring inflation back to 2%, or if more is needed.

While a fresh survey of banks’ lending behavior on Tuesday will likely show that loan demand and credit standards deteriorated further in the second quarter, underlying price pressures remain unexpectedly strong.

By the time the Governing Council comes back from its summer break in September, it will be able to draw on two more inflation reports, an overview of the economy’s performance in the second quarter, and updated projections—along with several other sets of data—to make up its mind.

“The e CB is likely to focus on three key actions at its next meeting on July 27. Lagarde will probably announce another 25 basis-point rate increase, communicate that the decision in September will depend on the data, and emphasize that rates won’t be cut anytime soon,” said d avid Powell, Bloomberg senior economist. With assistance from Steve Matthews, Jana Randow, Paul Jackson, Robert Jameson, Sylvia Westall, Greg Ritchie, James Hirai and Kate Davidson / Bloomberg

Weather won’t worsen each year and that should not become a common expectation, but it will intensify over the long run, she said.

t h e University of Michigan’s Richard Rood used to blog about climate records for Weather Underground, but in 2014 he got sick of continuously new extremes and stopped.

i think we need to get away from that sort of record-setting sensationalism at some level and really be getting down to the hard work,” he said, addressing the need for people to adapt to a warmer world and get serious about slashing emissions causing hotter, more extreme weather.

n OAA tracks weather observations from tens of thousands of stations throughout the US and its global calculations incorporate data from more than 100,000 stations, Vose said. When those records come in, the agency checks their quality and calculates where the numbers fit historically. n OAA’s n a tional Center for e n vironmental i n formation in n o rth Carolina is the arbiter of national records, while the local n a tional Weather Service offices handle those for individual cities, Vose said.

A special international committee deals with world records and, at times, scientists disagree on the reliability of 100-year-old data. t h ose disagreements come into play over questions such as determining the hottest temperature recorded on e a rth.

Validating records takes time. Because of a backlog of extreme weather events to analyze, officials haven’t finished approving 130 degree Fahrenheit records from 2020 and 2021 at Death Valley, Vose said.

“Our primary job is keeping score, meaning what happened? How unusual was it?” he asked. i t ’s not like we take great joy in saying it was the warmest year on record. Again.”

GAMBIA SACKS dRUGS CONTROL heAdS OveR ChILd deAThS FROM COUGh SyRUP

By Modou Joof

GAMB i A h as sacked two executives at its Medicines Control Agency following the death of more than 60 children from kidney failure caused by tainted syrup imported from i n dia. Markieu Janneh Kaira, the executive director of the MCA, has been dismissed with immediate effect. t h e contract of the deputy executive director was also terminated with immediate effect, Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said at a briefing on Friday in the capital, Banjul.

t h e decision was based on recommendations of a presidential inquiry panel “for the purpose of strengthening the MCA and restoration of public confidence in the institution,” Samateh said.

Kaira did not respond to phone calls or text message seeking comment.

Gambia’s health authorities suspect the deaths between July last year and January was caused by toxic substances in the cough syrup they consumed. te sts arranged by the World Health Organization confirmed that four varieties of cheap, common, over-the-counter syrups meant to treat coughs, colds and nausea manufactured in i n dia by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. were loaded with toxic industrial solvents.

t h e 17-member presidential panel reported that the deaths can be linked to the i nd ian-made syrups imported by Atlantic Pharmaceuticals, Samateh said.

t h e panel, which recommended the prosecution of the MCA executives for abdicating their

By Galit Altstein

Sixteen members of a roving paid workforce. A volunteer steering committee of former military chiefs of staff, public-relations gurus and toptier lawyers who speak daily. A budget in the tens of millions of dollars.

i s rael’s anti-government protest movement, the largest in the nation’s history, has taken over the streets for seven months since plans emerged to weaken the power of the courts. On Saturday night, they again brought hundreds of thousands out. But they are not radicals neglected by the establishment—they are the establishment. And they are using traditional symbols like the flag to fight the populist policies of Prime Minister Benjamin n e tanyahu.

t h is is the backbone of i s raeli society—people who’ve founded companies and headed large organizations,” says Shikma Bressler, a physicist and protest leader.

“Some have carried out special military operations.”

“People arrested on the streets include C e O s of unicorns,” she adds, referring to the term for a startup valued at more than $1 billion.

Five other activists with inside knowledge gave behind-thescenes details on condition of anonymity.

t h ey estimate that 270 groups are active, involving some 800,000 individuals. t h ey’ve deployed scores of photography drones, mobilized late-night operations to wrap monuments with slogan-filled banners, and sent out thousands of women dressed in the red capes and white bonnets of the Margaret Atwood novel t h e Handmaid’s ta le.”

t h ey succeeded in stopping n etanyahu’s right-wing religious government from rushing the entire judicial overhaul through the Knesset, as the parliament is known. With the government preparing to pass at least one key change, the movement is calculating its next steps.

n e tanyahu’s plans have unnerved global investors, with i s rael’s stocks, bonds and currency performing badly this year relative to similar assets in other countries. t h e US has also criticized the overhaul.

“We will have to direct our efforts against actions that will become possible under the new law,” says Bressler.

Her grassroots group, known as the “Kaplan Force,” after a street in central te l Aviv that has hosted the weekly Saturday night demonstrations, is the largest. And she’s become the face of the movement. She’s not new to the demonstration business. She led anticorruption protests against n etanyahu starting in 2019. t h at meant that when the judicial overhaul arose seven months ago, the group had a solid infrastructure for getting people onto the streets.

t h ere are 140 sectoral or professional groups of military reservists, high-tech executives, women’s-rights activists, doctors and lawyers. At the Saturday night protests, they occupy the same spot, like at a farmers’ market. Some 130 additional groups organize local demonstrations across the country.

t h e groups are independent, with their own WhatsApp groups and agendas, but they quickly realized they needed funding and collaboration. t h is is how protest headquarters came about.

“Free in our country”

tH e o versight group goes by the name “Hofshi b’artzenu,” a Hebrew quote from i s rael’s na -

tional anthem meaning “Free in our country.” i t s 16 employees are full and part time and rotate among donated workspaces in different high-tech offices. t h e chief executive officer is e r an Schwartz, a former air force pilot and deputy general manager at the Ministry for Social e q uality. Another employee is Daria Shaked Henig, a former venture investor dedicated to promoting women in Silicon Valley. t h e team is overseen by a steering committee. Some are household names in i s rael: Dan Halutz and Moshe Ya’alon, both former military chiefs of staff; Dina Zilber, aformer deputy to the attorney general; Gilead Sher, a top lawyer; and Yossi Kucik, a business consultant. Sher and Kucik both worked for former Prime Minister e hud Barak, who’s attended some of the protests.

Others include top business leaders such as Orni Petrushka, one of i s raeli high tech’s founding fathers; Zohar Levkovitz, a tech entrepreneur and venture investor; i l an Shiloah, former C e O a nd chairman of i s rael’s largest advertising firm; and i t ay Ben Horin, owner and C e O o f a major public relations firm.

t h ey hold weekly meetings to discuss trends and provide the organizations’ back-office services that mainly involve funding allocations, strategic planning and legal assistance—so far, they say, 800 protesters have been arrested.

t h e high-powered nature of the protesters can cause friction. t he re are frequent disagreements on tone or direction. One of the steering committee’s main roles is to make peace and keep the movement united.

t h e operation’s funding, estimated in the low tens of millions of dollars, is provided by private donors and crowd sourcing. Committee members say 90% of donors are i s raeli, and they don’t accept money from governments or politically affiliated organizations. t h e money is channeled through a nonprofit called “Future Blue and White,” established by Sher and Petrushka in 2009 to promote i s raeli democracy and the two-state solution with Palestinians.

Elite reservists

tH e s treet protests rely heavily on elite military reservists.

Last spring, what stopped the overhaul in its tracks was an increasing number of combat-pilot reservists threatening to stop volunteering. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said security was at risk and called for the legislation to stop.

n o w that a law barring judges from declaring government action “unreasonable” is headed for final passage in the Knesset, reservists—who play a key part in military operations—are once again vowing to get involved. On Friday, 1,142 Air Force reservists, including 422 pilots, signed a letter saying they’d abstain from volunteering if the bill becomes law.  te n thousand other reservists issued a similar threat on Saturday. Gallant hasn’t backed them but there have been last-minute talks on a possible compromise. i t ’s a game of intense brinkmanship.

i f t he current bill does pass, attention will turn to whether the government advances a second part of the judicial overhaul, to ensure judge selections are driven more by political parties.

Bressler, the physicist, says, if so, the protests will adjust—but not stop.

n o o ne knows in what way this will manifest itself in i s rael,” she said. “ i t ’s unfathomable, but the whole reality now is unfathomable.”

The summer of 2023 is behaving like a broken record about broken records.

Israeli CEOs ditch the C-suite to lead anti-government protests

duties, will present its report to the Gambia Police Force for

A wO m An poses by a thermometer on July 16, 2023 in Death Valley national Park, California. In the past 30 days, nearly 5,000 heat and rainfall records have been broken or tied in the United States and more than 10,000 records set globally, according to the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since 2000, the US has set about twice as many heat records as cold. AP Ph OTO/J O h N LO C h e R

editorial

Hungry children cannot perform well in school

THe Constitution mandates that the “State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.” The framers of the 1987 Philippine Constitution know that our people are the country’s most precious productive assets. The quality of our labor force determines the amount of capital flows that can lead to economic prosperity Poor labor quality discourages capital from flowing into the country, which means that poverty will persist.

The Program for International Student Assessment is a worldwide study launched by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old students’ scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. In the 2018 PISA, the Philippines ranked last among 79 participating countries in reading, and second to last in science and mathematics. At least 78 percent of our students failed to reach minimum levels of proficiency in each of the three subjects.

Reducing the student-classroom ratio and instituting remedial programs for lagging students are crucial steps in improving the quality of the country’s education, according to a government think tank. But this will require more investments, even in Metro Manila, said a Policy Note by Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Michael R.M. Abrigo and President Aniceto C. Orbeta Jr. (Read, “Lower student-classroom ratio, remedials for laggards are crucial education reforms,” in the BusinessMirror, July 10, 2023).

Abrigo and Orbeta said in Metro Manila, there are 48 students per classroom, while in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, there are 54 students in a classroom. The government’s target is to bring down these numbers to 40 students per classroom. “Despite prioritizing education in the government budget, the country’s public education spending remains below its Southeast Asian peers. In a recent analysis, countries that performed poorly in the recent PISA, such as the Philippines, have invested relatively less in schooling per person,” the authors said.

“A promising intervention used in other countries is ‘teaching at the right level,’ which recognizes differences in student abilities and learning stages and provides appropriate interventions specific to the student’s current learning levels. Such interventions have been proven to be both effective and scalable,” they said.

They also recommended greater private school participation in the DepEd’s Education Service Contracting for junior high school, the Senior High School Voucher Program, and the Joint Delivery Voucher Program for Technical-Vocational-Livelihood Specialization. By expanding these programs, Abrigo and Orbeta said the government would be able to tap on a “cost-effective way of addressing several extant issues on education access and quality.”

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte early this year presented the DepEd’s Basic Education Report 2023. “Filipino learners are not academically proficient. Oftentimes, our learners experience emotional abuse and exhaustion. Some learners suffer from psychological fatigue,” she told an audience that included President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She said the PISA 2018 results “are distressing as it is alarming for me as a mother and as DepEd secretary.” While she is confident that “we can do better than this,” Duterte underscored the PISA’s importance. “Studies like these are opportunities for us to thoroughly examine our system and the defects that hurt our children’s abilities,” she said.

Duterte unveiled her “MATATAG” agenda, which is the DepEd’s roadmap in addressing challenges in the basic education sector. “This will accelerate the delivery of basic education services and provision of facilities, and give support for teachers to teach better.” The Food and Agriculture Organization is the UN agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It said children’s learning outcomes suffer when they regularly experience hunger. Food insecurity affects concentration, memory, mood, and motor skills, all of which a child needs to be successful in school.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that in September 2020, 31 percent of Filipino families experienced hunger in the past 30 days, and 9 percent were suffering from severe hunger. In 2021, 13.1 percent or 2.9 million Filipino children were estimated to be hungry. Education will shape tomorrow’s world. It would do well for the government not only to address the challenges in the basic education sector but also to solve the problem of hunger and malnutrition among Filipino schoolchildren. Hungry children cannot perform well in school, and poor education outcomes lead to a decline in productivity that will hamper the long-term growth potential of the country.

Our SONA sentiments

RISING SUN

Today at 4:00 p.m. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his second State of the Nation address (SoNa) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. To ensure the public’s safety amid forecasts that Typhoon egay will intensify into a super typhoon, as well as to save the public from difficulties arising from the scheduled transport strike, Malacañang has decided to cancel work in government offices and classes in public schools at all levels in the National Capital Region for today, July 24. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte also issued executive order No. 23, suspending classes in all levels, for both private and public schools in Quezon City.

The country awaits Mr. Marcos’ message, expecting him to highlight his accomplishments in the last year and to reveal his priorities for the future. As mentioned, there are several sectors of society that are saddled with various challenges, like the transport group MANIBELA that announced that it would conduct a three-day nationwide transport strike from Monday (24th) until the

While there are surely plenty of important issues that the national government needs to address in the near and far future, one of the most pressing problems is climate change. From the start, President Marcos has shown a willingness to face the climate problems and the country’s environmental issues, but there are still many things to be done and plenty of gaps to be filled. But it’s a race against time, as far as this fight goes.

26th of July.

The fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA also said that they would raise the issues of reclamation and dredging in Manila Bay, and the continuous incursion of the Chinese in the West Philippine Sea, during this year’s SONA.

Ronnel Arambulo, PAMALAKAYA vice chairperson, said: “One year of the Marcos administration

and this is the current state of the fisherfolk—enduring the threat of displacement and destruction of livelihood courtesy of corporate and foreign plunder. We continuously demand to President Marcos to stop all reclamation projects across the country, and uphold our rights in the West Philippine Sea.”

Social media users, in general, based on an informal survey done by rappler.com, are concerned about the high cost of basic goods and fuel. They continue to hope for sal-

ary increases and more benefits for government employees. The recent P40 increase in the minimum daily wage of NCR workers, according to labor groups, is not enough to cover the increase in the prices of basic commodities.

While there are surely plenty of important issues that the national government needs to address in the near and far future, one of the most pressing problems is climate change. From the start, President Marcos has shown a willingness to face the climate problems and the country’s environmental issues, but there are still many things to be done and plenty of gaps to be filled. But it’s a race against time, as far as this fight goes.

The issue of climate change covers many aspects, including environmental disasters like oil spills, global/ocean warming, water shortage, environment protection and preservation, management of natural resources including mining and deforestation, renewable/clean energy, pollution including plastic pollution and waste management, land use and reclamation projects, among others.

‘Ang Huling El Bimbo’ as the musical of university life

Kuwentong Peyups

THe Filipino merienda turon or deep-fried banana rolls was my comfort food during the breaks of the Citizen’s Military Training (CMT) sessions at the University of the Philippines.

I spent Saturdays of the first four semesters of my university life as a CMT cadet with lectures, drill trainings and parades under the acacia trees as part of the Field Artillery unit. The other three units are Rayadillo, Infantry and Rescue.

CMT is also known as Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program that started in UP as early as 1912 in the form of “military drill.” The ROTC program aims to promote civil service, discipline, and order through military training. The first official ROTC unit in the Philippines was established in UP on July 3, 1922.

President Manuel Quezon issued in 1939 Executive Order 207 that aimed to implement the National Defense Act of 1935 (Commonwealth Act No. 1) as the embodiment of the national defense plan formulated by General Douglas MacArthur for the Philippine Commonwealth.

The EO made ROTC obligatory at all colleges and universities to provide military education and training

“Ang Huling El Bimbo,” which premiered on July 20, 2018, tells the story of three college best friends Emman, Anthony, and Hector who drifted apart in adulthood until fate reunites them due to the death of their friend, Joy.

for students to mobilize them for national defense preparedness. The program underwent several changes under the different administrations.

However, the growing anti-ROTC sentiment due to alleged pointlessness and corruption of the program led to the enactment on January 23, 2002 of Republic Act 9163, or the National Service Training Program. It removed ROTC as a prerequisite for graduation for all male college students. NSTP is now a requirement for both genders, with three program components, ROTC, Civic Welfare Training Service, and Literacy Training Service.

Turon was mentioned in the CMT scenes in the musical “Ang Huling El Bimbo” at the Newport theatre where the Eraserheads’ song “Pare Ko” was performed with a new martial cadence and rigid rhythm.

The lyrics of  “Pare Ko” aptly reflect how friendships were galvanized inside the campus: “O pare ko meron ka bang maipapayo. Kung

wala ay okey lang. Kailangan lang ay ang iyong pakikiramay. Andito ka ay ayos na.” “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” which premiered on July 20, 2018, tells the story of three college best friends Emman, Anthony, and Hector who drifted apart in adulthood until fate reunites them due to the death of their friend, Joy.

Despite their seemingly successful lives, they were never truly happy as they were haunted by Joy’s rape incident that had a profound effect on their adult lives.

Aside from nostalgia of adolescence, the musical touched upon the issues of rape, prostitution, abuse, drugs, marital strife and violence.

The musical revolves around Eraserheads’ songs like “Minsan,” “Pare Ko,” “Tindahan ni Aling Nena,” “Alapaap,” “Shirley,” “With a Smile,” “Poor Man’s Grave,” and, of course, the musical’s namesake “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”

It was a showcase of iconic UP Diliman campus scenes and traditions from enrollment chaos, Oblation Run, Lantern Parade, UAAP,

rallies, classroom rowdiness, endless rendezvous, romance, and most significantly our dorm life.

UP is also short for “University of Pila.” Surviving both the academic rigor and life challenges involves the infamous UP queues during enrollment, which is a test of will, stamina, patience and tenacity. It serves as a rite of passage as it pushes everyone to the limit, to outwit, outplay and outlast their fellow slot seekers.

The dorm was another classroom where we learned the value of giveand-take, cooperation and mutual respect in dealing with a variety of personalities and characters.

Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan were my roommates for two years at the Molave dorm during my last college years from 1989 to 1991.

I usually go out every time our room was used as their “practice area” since I could not study due to the “noise” they were creating. It was beyond my comprehension that the “noise” that I tried to avoid made them known as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in OPM history, earning them the accolade “The Beatles of the Philippines.”

I had my share of Emman’s student life who became an activist. He held the placard “Edukasyon para sa lahat” in the end of the CMT segment.

UP is a microcosm of the larger society. Students have always been

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Is NGCP being treated unfairly?

Alfredo J. Non

DEBIT CREDIT

Many complainants say that the Electric Power Industry Reform act of 2001 (EPIR a) was a failure because it failed to lower the cost of electricity.

Are these people familiar with the EPIRA and the power industry to foster this opinion? Well, read the law again. Nowhere in the EPIRA did it promise to lower the cost of electricity. Unlike other laws, EPIRA is a journey, and like any journey, it has a beginning and an end.

Before EPIRA, there was a monopolistic market. The journey started with a restructuring of the power industry, which involved the privatization of the generation and transmission sectors, the creation of a supply sector, and the migration of the captive customers to contestable customers. The end objective is the transformation of the industry into a competitive market where contestable customers can contract for the supply of their power requirements from eligible suppliers in a competitive environment through a wholesale electricity market with transmission and distribution retained as monopoly entities operating under a franchise.

With a competitive market, power generators are expected to compete to sell their power generation while Retail Electricity Suppliers are expected to compete for the requirements of contestable customers. With competition, power generators and suppliers eventually will aim to lower cost via productivity improvements. Customers, on the other hand, are expected to practice effective demand management with the guidance of the Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the industry players. Eventually, competition should translate to reasonable electricity prices, maybe even reduce it.

The journey was derailed. It has not even been completed up to now. So, how can anybody claim EPIRA is a failure? The law is good—it is the implementation that failed.

Consider the following:

a. Privatization took so long and ended in an oligopoly with only 70 percent of capacity privatized, which ended in ownership by a few.

b. Transmission was transferred via a concession agreement with Transco, DOE and National Grid

Gorecho

continued from A10

one of the largest, most vibrant forces of the social movements. Lean Alejandro once said “the students are in a position to serve as catalysts in social transformation.”

It was on my third year that I became part of the UP student movement as the photographer for the Philippine Collegian and later as

Corp. of the Philippines always agreeing to disagree on many issues especially on the matter of ancillary. Thus, NGCP was left almost on its own to handle the delicate issue of right of way. Then there was the pandemic, which affected all of us including transmission projects.

c. Section 30 of EPIRA states that within one year from the effectivity of the Act, the DOE shall establish a wholesale electricity spot market. It took sometime to establish the Luzon market with the Visayan and Mindanao markets created even years later.

d. Retail Competition and Open Access was mandated for implementation not later than three years upon the effectivity of EPIRA, and subject to certain conditions that were all delayed for various reasons. As a result, RCOA was declared open and effective in December 2012, but with six months observation period, and effective only in areas with grid connection. So, at this time, RCOA can be implementable only in Luzon and Visayas. However, with implementation issues that even reached the Supreme Court, full implementation of RCOA was just not possible. Also, during the implementation period, there were cases when DOE and ERC were at loggerheads in certain issues regarding RCOA, creating confusion among the players in the industry. e. There are many other isolated issues that need to be properly identified and considered with the above significant issues if a properly implementable law is the objective.

Therefore, if an amendment to the EPIRA law is the objective, answers to the following should be carefully evaluated, especially if the lawmakers believe that we still have to implement a competitive market.

Alfredo Non is a CPA by profession and a former Partner at SGV & Co. He served as Commissioner of the Energy Regulatory Commission till he completed his term in 2018. He also served as Director and Executive Officer of several private companies, and a former professor in Financial Management at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

a member of the Sandigan Para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan.

One needs to see the world from a different perspective, not to be complacent to submit to the status quo, and not to be afraid to be critical.

Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@ sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 09088665786.

CHINESE regulators met with

g lobal investors on Friday, according to people familiar with the matter, stepping up the government’s bid to boost market confidence as the country’s economic recovery loses steam.

China Securities Regulatory Commission Vice Chairman Fang Xinghai met with some global venture capital and private equity firms to hear their concerns about investment in the country, the people familiar said, requesting not to be named because the matter is private. Among those present were Neil Shen, founding

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

In the book “Five Hundred Days Without Love,” author a lexander Lacson wrote that there are three kinds of death—a tragic death, a bad death, and a good death. For the author, a “tragic death” is a result of a crime where relatives of the deceased scramble to seek justice against the perpetrators, similar to the assassination of former negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. Due to the recantation of the testimonies of the witnesses, the political killing known as the Pamplona massacre remains unsolved, leaving the families without peace. On the other hand, a “good death” allows a dying person enough time to bid farewell and share dying wishes to loved ones as opposed to a “bad death” where a person dies instantaneously not knowing that such minute or second, would be his last one here on earth. I can only surmise that if we were given a choice, most would opt to have a “good death,” among the three kinds of death.

Yet, almost always, a “good death” would be accompanied by some debilitating illness or medical condition wherein science can only delay the inevitable. According to the Department of Health, cancer is the second leading cause of death in 2020 worldwide. In the Philippines, DOH reported that “every hour there are four Filipinos who die from it.” Doctors can alleviate cancer with surgery and chemotherapy treatment. But death due to cancer, or for any other reason, remains certain “for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”(Ecclesiastes 7:2).

I have seen dead people before, when I was in the Army in particular, but I have yet to see a dying person die in my presence until July 19,

2023. Upon learning that he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, SMM opted for palliative care instead of surgery or chemotherapy inasmuch as the cancer has metastasized to his liver, spleen, and right lung. In his own words, SMM said, “I leave my fate in the hands of God”! Yet, his death was neither tragic, good, nor bad, using the terms used by author Alexander Lacson. From my perspective, ’twas beautiful since love was revealed during those last 40 days of the life of SMM. Both the dying and his loved ones, in various ways, showed how a sad event, like death, can be beautiful.

SMM openly expressed to his loved ones that he does not want to become a vegetable and unduly obligate them in terms of taking care

’Twas a beautiful death Russia’s side on grain deal

LITO GAGNI

IT would seem that Russia is again at fault for the stoppage of the grain deal with Ukraine as per the Western media’s narrative. But what are the real reasons for the withdrawal of Russia?

Russia said Monday it was suspending its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week accused Russia of using the grain deal “as a weapon.” And Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS on Monday that “Russia has been slowly killing the grain initiative, from one extension to another.”

That is what the Western media is saying, but then there is another side that is not being ventilated. And the real reasons for the withdrawal of Russia that has kept the grain exports from Ukraine flowing to the rest of the world has been withdrawn from the limelight.

Almost a year ago, on July 22, 2022, two mutually linked agreements were signed in Istanbul—the Black Sea Initiative on the export of Ukrainian food and Russian ammonia and the Russia-UN Memorandum on the normalization of Russian ex-

of him for a long time. After all, in one case study, the supposed number one concern of the dying is to not be a burden to their loved ones. In the last week of his life, bedridden due to pain brought about by the ravaging cancer, SMM mustered enough energy to sit down with his children for one “last supper” together at the family home. As far as his physical condition would allow it, SMM even posed with a smile every time loved ones would take a photo with him, the “last smile” fittingly was with his youngest and favorite grandchild, Ian.

Every time SMM received the sacraments of communion and healing of the sick, he would return the salute of Father Henry, the parish priest in West Triangle, Quezon City. Appropriately as it may seem, his “last salute” was to a man of God, as if he was paying homage to his ultimate Commander-in-Chief. And when the same priest asked if he had any “last words” to his children, it went something like—“I am ok, I think everything will be fine.” SMM did all these because of love.

As for the family about to be left behind, they expressed love in ways too complicated to describe, except that all actions were grounded on love. One act worth mentioning was that the “last few words” uttered by some family members and likely heard by the dying went something like—“we love you, Jesus loves you,” as they prayed for peace and courage. Soon after their prayer ended with Psalms 23:4, which says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me,”

the European Union.

Meanwhile the poorest states, notably Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, accounted for less than 3 percent, totaling 922,092 tons. In other words, the poorest nations that were supposed to benefit from the UN-backed export of Ukrainian grain got just the crumbs with the rich countries getting much of the foodstuff.

literally within seconds, SMM simply took his “last breath,” hands clasped with some of his children. Such poignant scene could only be made possible because of the love of our Almighty God. But the most important event that made the death of SMM beautiful was the fact that he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He lived in faith that our Jesus Christ died for us and was resurrected to justify our sins. God’s gospel is a gospel of love and SMM was blessed with the opportunity to allow his loved ones to experience the kind of love only God can provide—“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16). Such beautiful death (and eternal life) was gifted to SMM who, during his lifetime, hardly said “I love you” to his loved ones, but he surely expressed it the best way he knew how, saving his family in accordance with what the Bible promised in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” SMM (my father, Salvador Massey Mison) did all these because of love. ’Twas beautiful.

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission. For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

ages and push Russian agricultural products out of global markets by imposing illegitimate unilateral sanctions.

ports of agricultural products and fertilizers.

These agreements were concluded at the suggestion and with the participation of UN Secretary General A. Guterres, with the declared humanitarian goals of ensuring global food security, reducing threats of famine and helping countries in need in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Ostensibly, the agreements were meant to supply grain to the poorest of the poor in these three continents.

But for the Russian Foreign Ministry, the true objectives of this deal contradict the stated humanitarian goals of the export of Ukrainian foodstuffs, which is a purely commercial project. And this is confirmed by facts that are shockingly true.

During the work of the Black Sea Initiative, a total of 32.8 million tons of goods were exported, of which more than 70 percent or 26.3 million tons were sent to high- and uppermiddle-income countries, including

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, these destinations and the commercialization of an originally humanitarian initiative becomes clearer once a sticky point is factored in, and that is the fact that much of the arable land in Ukraine is owned by Western corporations. We understand that a significant portion of Ukrainian arable land (over 17 million hectares) is owned by Western corporations such as Cargill, DuPont and Monsanto.

These Western firms bought up Ukrainian land after Kyiv lifted a 20-year moratorium on land sales at the request of the International Monetary Fund, and thus they became the main beneficiaries of the Ukrainian grain exports.

Also there are the Europeans who buy Ukrainian food at below market prices and then process it at their own factories for resale as finished products with high added value. In fact, the Westerners make money twice selling and processing grain. In addition, the United States and the EU engaged in price gouging, as they create artificial short-

China addresses investor concerns in meeting with global funds

partner of HongShan—formerly known as Sequoia Capital China —and representatives from GIC Pte. and Warburg Pincus. Temasek Holdings Ltd.’s China head Wu Yibing also joined. Fang was accompanied by regulators from the securities watchdog and the Asset Management Association of China, the people said. Neither agency responded to questions about the meeting outside of business hours, nor did HongShan or GIC. Temasek couldn’t immediately provide a comment while Warburg Pincus representative declined to comment when

contacted by text message.

The rare meeting with global funds comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration voiced its strongest support in recent years for the country’s private tech enterprises just days earlier. The government’s efforts, however, have been met with skepticism, as investors call for more concrete measures and stronger stimulus to revive growth.

Topics discussed at Friday’s meeting included steps that can be taken to ensure global funds can continue to invest in China, the people said.

Regulators were urged to expedite procedures for overseas initial public offering registrations, accelerate listings in mainland China and relax merger-and-acquisition rules, one of the people said.

Escalating tensions

E S CALATING tensions between China and the US, Beijing’s multiyear crackdown on its private sector and the country’s weakening economy are dampening investor interest. Private equity and venture capital firms have been struggling to attract institutional money from US

endowments and pensions because of these long-term concerns.

This week, a US congressional committee said it was investigating four venture capital firms for their investment in Chinese technology companies, the latest sign of Washington’s increasing scrutiny of American funds suspected of helping develop sensitive industries in China. The entities under investigation are GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Walden International and Qualcomm Ventures.

The US Department of State also recommended in June that Ameri-

As for the UN-Russia Memorandum, it never really worked. Western countries continued to apply antiRussian sanctions. The EU alone has issued five new sanctions packages since July 2022. As a result, Russian bank payments, insurance and transportation logistics, spare parts supplies, and foreign assets were completely blocked.

Shipping, under the auspices of the UN, free Russian mineral fertilizers to the countries that are most in need is an indicative example. Since the time this initiative was announced in September 2022, only two shipments—20,000 tons to Malawi and 34,000 tons to Kenya— have been made out of the total of 262,000 tons blocked in Latvia, Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands despite the fact that this is a purely humanitarian effort that should not be subject to any sanctions.

Now Russia’s position becomes clear that under these conditions the continuation of the implementation of the Istanbul agreements of the Black Sea Initiative, which has not justified its humanitarian purpose, loses its meaning, as it is used in the interests of the richest countries of Europe. Against this background, the accusations against Moscow of provoking the food crisis seem senseless, as the facts indicate other culprits.

cans reconsider traveling to mainland China because of arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of wrongful detentions, which spooked the business community. Concerns about regulatory crackdowns in China have also weighed on the investment community. This month the Communist Party and the government issued a rare joint statement with 31 measures to improve conditions for businesses, including pledges to treat private firms the same as state-owned enterprises.

With assistance from Amanda Wang and David Ramli / Bloomberg

NG tax take from POGO up 127% to P8.88B–Pagcor

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE national government raised P8.88 billion worth of tax payments from the existing Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) in the country in 2022, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

T he DOF said tax payments to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) from POGOs surged 127 percent from P3.91 billion in the previous year.

Data from the Department of Finance showed that bulk of POGO tax payments amounted to P4.35 billion, followed by gaming taxes amounting to P3.65 billion.

T he increase in POGO taxes, according to Philippine Amuse -

ment and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chair and CEO Alejandro Tengco, supports its estimates that gaming revenues from these establishments will more than double this year.

The gross gaming revenue generated from POGOs is expected to reach P24 billion by the end of 2023, more than doubling the P11 billion achieved in the previous year,” DOF said in a statement.

P OGO companies also contributed P805.99 million in income taxes, P43.2 million in business tax, P19.42 million in documentary tax stamps, and P9 million in other taxes.

Pagcor remained optimistic despite the decline in the number of registered POGOs, which has decreased to 32 as of July 18 from its prepandemic peak of 281 in 2019.

Tengco said Pagcor’s strong will in eradicating illegal gambling operators, achieved through strong collaboration with law enforcement agencies, will facilitate the accomplishment of this year’s objective.

Pagcor, he added, will utilize more stringent monitoring measures and implement new fees to strengthen their capabilities in combating illegal gambling operators.

A s of July, Pagcor has implemented strict measures to impose hefty fines and penalties on POGO licensees and service providers found to be engaged in criminal activities.

“ We shall undertake this painstaking process to weed out the unscrupulous companies

and individuals using the Pagcor license for illegal activities, tainting the name of the whole industry and most especially the Philippines,” Tengco said in a recent conference in Macau.

A s of July 17, 2023, Pagcor has licensed a total of 20 gaming system service providers and has also authorized eight other online or remote gaming platforms.

A s of July 18, 2023, Pagcor has 32 active offshore gaming licenses and accredited 106 service providers, while it has canceled 46 POGO licenses and 228 service providers, including those in the special class of business process outsourcing.

I n the first semester of the year, the gross gaming revenues across the industry, as reported by Pagcor, grew to P136.37 billion, a 48.7-percent increase compared to the P91.72 billion recorded in the previous year.

Tengco expressed confidence that the Philippines will emerge as a more enticing gaming and entertainment hub for investors and guests in the region, thanks to the fine-tuning of regulatory policies.

1.2-M

‘LOWER RICE TARIFFS NO QUICK FIX TO INFLATION’

PSAC:

EO 32 TO SPEED UP VITAL TELCO, INTERNET INFRA WORKS

THE government must concede its failure in using lower rice tariffs as the prime solution to combat inflation, an agriculture industry group said on Sunday.

Seven years is still a long time, but we must change the narrative now. Rice is a vulnerable global commodity since less than 10 percent of all production are traded globally,” Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) said.

He noted Vietnam’s and India’s decision to slash rice exports and increasing global rice prices to underscore this.

We have a very thin international rice market; with only five major rice-exporting countries – India, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and Myanmar,” Cainglet said.

Global rice trade is thin as compared to other agricultural commodities (20 percent and up), he said.

This relatively thin market means that rice supply [and rice prices] has tended to be more unstable in the era of extreme weather situation. This year, it is El Niño, and the cycle continues,” the Sinag official said.

I n 2021, of the total 512 million tons of global rice production, less than 50 million tons (less than 9 percent) were traded globally. “ The decision of India [with 30 percent of global rice production] and Vietnam [15 percent of total rice exports; but 80 percent to 85 percent of our rice imports] will heavily impact on all net rice-importing countries, especially the Philippines, if we continue policies that

Pinoys to live in New Clark City townships–DHSUD

OVER a million Filipinos could live in New Clark City when it is completed, and half a million of their homes will be built in township developments by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

T he DHSUD and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing the two agencies’ partnership under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH Program).

DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said New Clark City has a huge potential in terms of township developments under 4PH that could unlock a wide range of economic opportunities. This could be the answer to decongestion of surrounding highly-urbanized areas, and also tapping the full economic potential of New Clark City by putting up residential structures, hence, the populace,” Acuzar stressed, citing the vast lands within New Clark City.

“ There are already government facilities here, we only need to bring in population to spur economic activities. And by putting up decent yet affordable and sustainable housing units, surely, we will attract home buyers,” he added.

T he DHSUD chief proposed the construction of 500,000 housing units inside New Clark City. BCDA Chairman Delfin Lorenzana and Chief Executive Officer Engr. Joshua Bingcang welcomed the idea. Follow-up meetings are set in the coming days between top DHSUD and BCDA officials to explore the plan.

B ingcang said New Clark City will be home to roughly

incentivize a few privileged importers and favored traders,” Cainglet added.

Now is the time for Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] and our economic team to accept these realities,” he said. The Sinag said that unlimited imports and reduced tariffs have never tamed rice prices and they never will.

Imported rice prices are more expensive, in fact, from DA’s (Department of Agriculture) own Bantay Presyo monitoring.

Rice prices at the global market hovers between $500 and $540 per metric tons [/MT] from our major source of rice imports,” Cainglet said.

Meanwhile, he said that the last two cropping seasons “have been very positive to our rice farmers because of the extended help of the private sector [buying palay from P21/kilo and up] and the increased fuel and fertilizer subsidies from the government.”

Farmgate prices have increased and cost of producing palay has been reduced because of these interventions.

T hese developments are encouraging farmers to plant, and more institutional support from the DA would further encourage the local rice industry, he said.

“

It is high time that we finally support our local rice producers; incentivize local millers, promote food sovereignty and do away with the mentality that imports are manna from our benevolent importers,” Cainglet said. The BusinessMirror tried to get the reactions of the Agriculture department to Sinag’s statement, but it had no comment until press time. Raadee S. Sausa

Tolentino on Rody’s China trip: He did part for PHL

1.2 million Filipinos once it is completed. BCDA aims to provide future residents with integrated, people-centered, and sustainable mixed-use developments.

T he proposed housing sites will benefit residents and workers in Clark, regardless of age, background, and income. It will also provide housing facilities to families affected by government projects in New Clark City, as well as government employees and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

A city built from scratch, New Clark City is being developed with the needs of the people at the forefront of our masterplan. We believe that New Clark City is one of the ideal sites for the Marcos administration’s housing program, having the potential to play a key role in addressing the housing shortage in the country,” Lorenzana said.

A cuzar branded the MOU with BCDA as the two agencies’ “joint answer to the call of President Marcos Jr. to assist Filipino families who continue to dream of having a house of their own.”

With this MOU, the DHSUD and BCDA pool together our resources and expertise in promoting the flagship 4PH Program and help our kababayans,” he said.

New Clark City is envisioned to be the country’s first smart, green and resilient metropolis, masterfully laid out and highly connected with mixed-use developments and an integrated transport system.

T he 9,450-hectare greenfield development is being positioned as a world-class city that focuses on liveability and sustainability, and is expected to catalyze economic growth in Central Luzon.  Cai U. Ordinario

SEN. Francis Tolentino picked up the cudgels for ex-President Rodrigo Roa Duterte following Duterte’s recent trip earlier this week to the People’s Republic of China.

I nterviewed by CNN Philippines, Tolentino reminded that Duterte,  like other current and former world leaders, wishes “to have a peaceful Indo-Pacific region” amid the ongoing tensions between claimant states—including the disputed areas falling within the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

I am not privy to what was discussed but I think the president, former President Duterte, did his part for the Filipino nation,” the senator said Friday, saying: “I think even the president, President BBM, took note of that.”

A t  the same time, Tolentino affirmed that “any cooperation that would bring about peace and regional stability should be accessed, should be taken into account.”

T he senator reacted to speculation swirling over what was discussed in Duterte’s private meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where Xi reportedly asked the country’s former leader to continue promoting “friendly cooperation” between Manila and Beijing.

Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, maintained that “diplomacy would have to play a role” in achieving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

S enator Tolentino, who previously served as Duterte’s political adviser, believed that the former leader also only “wants peace and stability to succeed in the entire Indo-Pacific region, just like the rapprochement efforts being done by other countries in Asia-Pacific, particularly the United States.”

A t the same time, the lawmaker likewise lauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s dynamic stance in handling the geopolitical issue along the WPS especially after appointing outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Andres Centino as the new Presidential Adviser on West Philippine Sea.  Butch Fernandez

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Monday, July 24, 2023

SEC aims to help local power firms access capital markets

By VG Cabuag @villygc

for the dispersion of ownership,” Felizmenio said.

There are about 150 energy firms in the country, according to the SeC Felizmenio said Se C wants to replicate what it did for local hospitals. The Se C created a template for registration statement to enable them to raise cash through an IPO, even without listing these shares on the Philippine Stock e x change (PSe). The agency said about 16 hospitals raised as much as P1 billion in new capital. he said the draft rules for the energy firms may be out this year and may be implemented by next year after public consultation.

ments and procedures for agri-based companies registering securities for the purpose of raising capital for agriculture projects. Applications can be approved within 28 days from filing with the SeC , subject to the guidelines set by the agency.

The said effort is part of the SeC ’s goal to see a minimum of 888 companies accessing the capital markets in time for the agency’s 88th anniversary in 2024.

B1

ERC tells Meralco to pilot test smart metering scheme

SeC Director Vicente Graciano

P. Felizmenio Jr. said the agency is supporting the energy Regulatory Commission’s pronouncements that these energy firms should offer 15 percent of their ownership to the

public through an initial public offering (IPO).

“We are trying to provide a better friendly environment for power generators and power distributors to actually meet the requirements

The SeC recently launched what it called SeC Farms which seeks allow farms and agribusinesses to secure and increase their access to capital for farm modernization schemes.

It hopes to streamline the require-

The agency said 627 companies or 70 percent of the 888 target have already listed and accessed the capital market as of May. This consists of companies listed on the PSe non-listed PSe companies but are registered on the Philippine Dealing and e xchange Corp., companies registered through direct public offering, and companies with pending IPO and direct public offering applications.

PSE: Holcim trade halt is within rules

The Philippine Stock e xc hange Inc. (PSe) said its decision to suspend the trading of the shares of cement firm holcim Philippines Inc. is within the rules of the exchange and that the tax treatment of its tender offer shares is lawful.

In a statement it released over the weekend, the PSe accused the cement firm of “finger-pointing” on the different tax treatment of shares under its tender offer for all shares owned by the public. holcim informed shareholders on Friday that the facilitation of tendered shares under its offer running between July 10 and August 30, “will have to be effected outside the facilities of the PSe ”

This follows after the PSe denied its request for the lifting of the trade suspension since holcim’s public float is now below the minimum public ownership of 10 percent. holcim in its regulatory filing outlined the PSe s justification. These include the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) rule that provides that the tax treatment of sales or other disposition of shares of stocks of

a publicly-listed company that is non-compliant with the minimum public ownership requirement shall be subject to capital gains tax (CGT) and documentary stamp tax (DST). It can only be recorded in the books of the company after holcim has secured necessary certificates like the certificate authorizing registration and tax clearance certificate.

“Shareholders who wish to participate in the tender offer are strongly urged against tendering their shares at the last minute to allow sufficient time to correct any deficiency in their application,” holcim said.

The PSe said it suspended trading of holcim shares on June 29, after the company’s public float fell to 5.05 percent following the company’s announcement of the sale of Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co Ltd.’s 9.22-percent stake in the company to another majority stockholder holderfin B.V.

The said transaction resulted in its shares falling below the minimum public ownership (MPO) requirement of 10 percent.

“Since trading in holcim shares is presently suspended, the sale of the tendered shares will be subject

CGT and DST instead of the standard stock transaction tax [STT]. This tax treatment is expressly provided for in BIR Revenue Regulation [RR] No. 16-2012 that requires every sale, barter, exchange or other disposition of shares of stock of a publicly listed company which is non-compliant with the MPO to be subject to CGT and DST,” the PSe said. Aside from the applicable tax rate, the PSe noted that shareholders have to facilitate all the documentary requirements, including the relevant tax clearance from the BIR, needed to transfer shares sold outside of the exchange. “ holcim now wishes to assign the responsibility of addressing this tax predicament to the exchange by informing shareholders that the matter can only be resolved if the suspension on its shares will be lifted by PSe The PSe takes strong exception to this ‘finger-pointing’ attempt of the company. The lifting of the suspension is not a discretion or prerogative that can be exercised by PSe It is a regulation covered and imposed under BIR RR 16-2012. The PSe has always upheld and will continue to uphold, not violate, existing

laws and regulations.”

The PSe said the problems and concerns would not have arisen had the parties involved, holcim and holderfin, which is also a part of the holcim group, took into consideration the interest of its public shareholders before implementing the share transaction between holderfin and Sumitomo.

“They should have thoroughly considered the repercussions of the holderfin share purchase on its public float before implementing the same,” it said.

“There were several publicly listed companies that have similarly tendered for their shares in the last five years in preparation for their delisting from the exchange. These responsible companies made sure that before executing any transaction or corporate action, they would not breach the MPO and get the trading of their shares suspended. Accordingly, the sale of their tendered shares was done through the facilities of the exchange thereby subjecting the transaction to just the STT, to the best interest of its public shareholders.” VG

Fed, Netflix earnings cast clouds over tech-stock surge

TheR e ’S growing concern on Wall Street that the twin engines of this year’s tech-stock surge are at risk of sputtering.

That was evident Thursday, when the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index dropped by the most in five months as disappointing earnings reports from Netflix Inc. and Tesla Inc. dampened the outlook for the sector. At the same time, strong employment data underscored worries that the Federal Reserve may not be on the verge of ending its most aggressive monetary policy tightening in decades. And bigger tests are coming soon.

This week, around 170 companies in the S&P 500 Index, representing 40 percent of its market capitalization, are set to post results, including tech bellwethers Microsoft Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. And on Wednesday, after the Fed announces its latest decision on interest rates, Chair Jerome Powell will provide clues on whether investors were correct to wager that its expected quarter-point rate hike will be its last.

“The number one concern for investors in the second half of the year is all about the Fed,” said er ic Diton, president and managing director of Wealth Alliance. “If there are more hikes than Wall Street expects, it will be bad for

tech and growth stocks. Valuations need to come down.” Growth stocks are highly sensitive to interest rates, which are used to calculate what earnings in the years ahead are worth right now. Tech has rallied this year as its profits have proven to be resilient and the Fed started to slow down the pace of its rate hikes, even keeping them steady at the last meeting.

After this year’s advance, spurred in part by excitement over artificial-intelligence breakthroughs, valuations have gotten lofty. The Nasdaq 100 has soared 42 percent this year, and it is trading at 29 times forward earnings. And the gains keep coming - even after posting

Cabuag

its worst day in months on Thursday, the index is poised to end the week only slightly lower. Big tech is also crucial to the S&P 500 index, since the companies’ large market values give them the heaviest weighting in the benchmark. The five biggest firms in the index—Apple, Microsoft Amazon. com Inc., Nvidia Corp. and Alphabet—trade at a combined 30 times forward earnings, the highest since March 2022, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. That’s nearly twice the multiple for the rest of the index.

Continued on B2

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

The energy Regulatory Commission (eRC) has advised the Manila electric Co. (Meralco) to implement its planned Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program on a trial basis prior to full deployment.

“They made a courtesy call,” eRC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said, referring to Meralco officials. “We discussed with them if they can conduct a pilot test first so the costs can be managed and also see the reaction, usage of consumers.”

AMI is an integrated system of smart electric meters, communication networks and data management systems that enables two-way communication between power distribution utilities (DUs) and customers. The smart meters can handle prepaid and postpaid electricity services. Subscribers with smart meters can manage their electricity usage and budget through consumption information, alerts and notifications.

AMI is already being implemented in other countries. In the Philippines, Meralco awaits approval from the eRC to implement it.

Dimalanta said the agency is carefully reviewing the cost that could be passed on to consumers if the capital-intensive innovation is implemented.

Meralco had planned to roll out its AMI meters this year for customers within its franchise area in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. It proposed to initially deploy 2 million AMI meters, with a total investment

cost of about P19 billion. This move, it added, is aligned with the objective of deploying a reliable, efficient, and intelligent distribution grid.

The agency earlier pegged at P0.2309 per kilowatt hour (kWh) of additional cost to the customers’ electric bill if the smart meters will be shared by all Meralco customers, while it set an average rate adjustment of P0.3972 per kWh if charged only to Meralco bulk customers.

Meralco’s application has been pending with the eRC since March 2017 in accordance with the “Rules to Govern the Implementation of AMI by Distribution Utilities and other eRC-Authorized entities.” In connection with its AMI application, Meralco included the smart meters and devices and systems necessary to implement its AMI project in its application for capital expenditure in April 2017.

The subject rules, which was promulgated in May 2016, required e R C approval prior to the implementation of any AMI project. Furthermore, it provides that the cost of all meters, devices, hardware, software and processes necessary to implement the approved AMI project, whether offering basic and/or supplemental services, may be passed on to consumers subject to the applicable e R C rules on capital and operational expenditure approvals. Meralco’s smart meter project was supposedly integrated into its proposed tariff adjustment under its 5th Regulatory Period from 2022 to 2026. however, this awaits regulatory approval.

The Securities and exchange Commission (SeC) is crafting a template for registration statement for power generators and distributors to enable them to meet the government’s requirement of offering at least 15 percent of their ownership to the public.

‘Fiscal consolidation top priority after pandemic’

HOUSE Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said that he expects President Marcos to focus less on recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and to focus more on “moving forward with the task of national greatness,” including fiscal consolidation.

“The most important triumph of this administration is getting us out of the climate of fear and uncertainty that the Covid-19 pandemic brought. Output is growing rapidly, prices are getting under control, new jobs are being created [and] the peso has been saved from spiraling down. The economy is alive and kicking,” Salceda said.

The economist-lawmaker said fiscal consolidation is needed by taxing the rich.

“Of course national ambition requires resources; and growth has tended to accrue towards the rich. So, I am hoping he announces a move towards fiscal consolidation, with a focus on taxing the wealthy,” he said.

Among the taxes that Salceda believed will fall on the wealthy include a tax on more luxury goods, updated road-user tax rates, excise-taxes on pick-up trucks, rationalized land valuation, and value-added tax on foreign digital services.

“These types of taxes should come first before we impose taxes on food. Especially with a global cost of living crisis at hand, I am hesitant to advance taxes on food through my committee,” the lawmaker said.

“And I think it’s time to enact these taxes on the wealthy, now that the economy is back on track. You want to impose taxes on the rich during good times so that you have reserves for bad times. We never

know,” Salceda added.

Best time

THE tax panel chairman said now is the best time for fiscal consolidation, adding that the Marcos administration will need the revenues “to fund a more ambitious agenda over the next five years.”

“And he [Marcos] has laid the foundations for strong investment in our future,” he said citing infrastructure investments through the “Build, Better, More” initiative at 5.6 percent of gross domestic product, the Maharlika Investment Fund, and the soon-to-be-enacted Public Private Partnership Act.

“These are crucial. The strength [that the] President brought to the government is that, of all the Presidents in recent memory, only he dares talk about nation-building,” Salceda added.

According to the lawmaker, the task currently at hand is how to work on the basic ingredients of national greatness—“a country that is not merely trying to survive, but is ambitious.”

For him, Salceda said the key components would be a modern agricultural sector, energy independence, a thriving manufacturing and technology sector, and a vibrant and diverse creatives and services sector.

“That means making agriculture grow by at least 5 percent every year to catch up with our growing food needs and potentially grow exports, lower power cost to competitive levels at P7 per kilowatt hour, create more manufacturing and export jobs, invest in research and development, and lay out a national plan for skills development,” Salceda added.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

PHL to welcome Maharlika investors from KL, others

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the Philippines would welcome Malaysian investors to the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), the country’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund.

In an interview, Romualdez confirmed that he would be part of the delegation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the chief executive’s official visit from July 25 to 27 to Malaysia, the site of what the Department of Justice officials describe as “the largest single action ever brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.”

Asked if the newly-enacted MIF would be among the topics to be discussed during the three-day visit along with the prospects of having Malaysian businessmen invest in the fund, Romualdez said, “We’ll be very much open to that.”

The lawmaker said the MIF is “not only beneficial but necessary” in light of the fact that the country is now a “growing economy” that needs to entice foreign investors for purposes of ramping up the improving and recovering local economy.

“Just think about it: if you have capital, where would you take it? Well, of course you would take it to a country with high growth, right?”

Anti-smuggling ops raise ₧23B in H1

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE anti-smuggling operations by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) yielded P23 billion from January to June 2023.

The operations covered 603 seizures pushing forward the bureau’s commitment to combat illicit trade activities.

The BOC said these efforts were part of the improvements in its operations, allowing the bureau to exceed its revenue collection target by 3.04 percent. These collections reached P433.433 billion and surpassed its target of P420.664 billion.

In terms of trade facilitation, the Philippines climbed 17 places in the World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI), ranking 43rd among 139 countries—a testament to the BOC’s efforts in improving the ease of doing business.

The BOC said it also demonstrated its dedication to uplifting employee morale and development by hiring 71 new personnel and promoting 214 existing personnel.

In addition, the BOC’s commitment to exceptional service delivery is evident in obtaining 23 ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certificates, reflecting its dedication to providing topnotch services to stakeholders.

Automation projects

THE BOC also unveiled six automation projects, which it considers as “major steps” in its efforts to “enhance efficiency and transparency” in its operations.

The six automation projects set for implementation include the following: “BayaniBox;” the “Link.BizPortal;” the “Automated Export Declaration System” (AEDS); the “Digitalized Official Receipt System” (DORS); the “Customs Auction Monitoring System” (CAMS); and, the redesigned BOC website.

The “BayaniBox” is an initiative from the BOC’s partnership with eScience Corp. to streamline the processing of balikbayan boxes, providing overseas Filipinos and their families “a seamless

experience in customs clearance.”

In partnership with the Landbank of the Philippines, the BOC will soon utilize the “Link.BizPortal,” creating a “user-friendly” online platform for customs transactions and payment processing.

The AEDS, meanwhile, is expected to simplify export processes and documentation, reducing red tape and expediting trade facilitation.

The DORS, in partnership with the APO Production Unit Inc., is a paperless solution for the electronic issuance and tracking of official receipts, ensuring accuracy and accessibility of financial records.

The CAMS is expected to “enhance transparency in the auction process for seized goods, fostering integrity and accountability.”

The redesigned BOC website provides a more user-friendly and informative website, giving stakeholders easy access to customs-related information and services.

Lender cites gains after tapping AWS

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

THE Aboitiz family-controlled

Union Bank of the Philippines

(Union Bank) said by purchasing the services of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Inc., the lender made “the right choice.”

According to Unionbank Chief Human Resources Officer Michaela Sophia

E. Rubio, the lender made the right choice when it selected AWS because the Seattle, Washington, US-headquartered firm provided support “right from the onset,” proving they were customer centric.

“They were willing to listen and also adjust accordingly. We don’t treat this partnership as a ‘supplier vendor-customer,’ but more of, like what I said, a real partnership where, whenever there are issues. We collaborate and work together to address,” Rubio said in a recent online briefing. “So I think that’s the best part about working with AWS.”

The lender didn’t say how much it spent for AWS’s services.

Rubio said that AWS played a “major role” in migrating the bank’s systems

into the Cloud, enabling the lender to offer banking services into “hyper-scale mode.” She said there was a need to move from monolithic to microservices, which led Unionbank to implement its “DevSecOps.”

“We needed that technology to be able to provide better services to our customers,” Rubio said.

Upskilling, reskilling

EMMANUEL Pillai, head of AWS’s education and training division for the Asean region, said the Philippines needs to undertake an upskilling and reskilling of its workers to be a potent force in the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Pillai cited a recent study by Gallup on the financial services and industry (FSI) industry, which indicated that over 85 percent of individuals and learners and builders were interested in upgrading their digital skills.

“And we talked about 13 or 14 of those different skills that they’re interested in. The challenges are coupled. The first mention from the Gallup study is finding the right time and, and finding time to be able to devote to learning,” he added.

Romualdez said.

“While the Philippines can also offer investment opportunities, we see that the cost of debt has risen, making the need to explore other vehicles to attract equity financing, such as Maharlika Investment Corporation,” the lawmaker added.

According to Romualdez, the MIF is “a very important vehicle to attract more resources and investments to the country.” The Speaker is also extremely optimistic and upbeat at this early stage about the MIF’s potential as a financial vehicle, mentioning their trip to Tokyo, Japan over the Congress break, where numerous business executives and investment firms indicated interest in the MIF.

One institution he mentioned was the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

“We also heard from those in the Middle East; they are also interested. This is on top of those who followed it up with no less than the President (Marcos), during and shortly after we had the US visit. They were ask-

ing if this had been signed into law,” he said. Romualdez said US officials have “congratulated” Marcos for the new law.

“I think Maharlika is starting with a more substantial seed capital, and there are already various commitments; I think it will be much larger than that,” the Speaker said, comparing it with Indonesia’s initial $1-billion seed capital, which later grew exponentially.

“I think it (the Jakarta-based investment fund) rose to $230 billion in less than two years or so,” Romualdez said. “Before [the] President steps down, I think we will be so happy that we did this. We will just be remorseful why we did it only now.”

“We can now derive more direct foreign investments or investments into the country that will provide us with additional resources to implement our budget so that we can have more developmental projects in fields like in agriculture, infrastructure, and power,” he added.

“These investments mean more development projects in various parts of the country, more jobs and livelihoods for the Filipinos, and a better future for generations to come,” Romualdez said.

Last week, Marcos signed Republic Act 11954, creating the MIF.

“So the Philippines becomes a very, very attractive economy to invest in. That’s why we’re very, very optimistic and excited,” Romualdez said. The lawmaker noted that the “steadfast pace of recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 crisis across the region is a clear indicator that”

Perspectives

Driver-based planning

IN today’s fast-changing and uncertain world, companies should transition from traditional financial planning to more agile and integrated planning processes. Driver-based planning is one of the most powerful tools to kick-start this transformation journey, allowing leading companies to beat their competition through superior business insights.

What is driver-based planning?

Driver-based planning is a framework used to plan business performance based on a hierarchy of company-specific value drivers, derived from strategic objectives. It replaces the traditional “bottom-up” planning approach and enables companies to plan and analyze performance in a smarter way.

Pillai said some organizations in the country “have done a great job by embedding continuous learning processes into the business culture.” He added that the best part is that the majority of AWS training programs are free.

“Those with an Internet connection and an email address can access over 600 digital training videos on cloud computing. We also have programs designed for those who are both non-technical as well as technical,” Pillai said.

He added that AWS also offers classroom-based training and event-based training that is made accessible to the customers, partners, and learners. As far as certifications are concerned, he said it will cost students “a few hundred dollars,” based on whether they’re “foundational, associate or specialty.”

“In terms of Cloud education, the majority of our programs are either free or [at a] low cost. For example, AWS Restart is free for the candidates who go through the program including the cost of the certification, which is tied into the program.

And then, the majority of our training content that’s available online is free to access, on demand or self-serve,” he said.

A best-practice driver-based planning connects both financial and operational levers at cascading levels, using so-called “value driver trees.” These value driver trees combine internal drivers such as FTE numbers and average salaries with external drivers such as labor market conditions or inflation. These drivers can in turn influence the company’s performance in a quantitative or qualitative way.

Defining a well-designed and company-specific value driver tree is the cornerstone of a successful driverbased planning process. Ultimately, these drivers must be aligned with the company’s strategic objectives, be clearly defined and have a material influence on operational and/or financial performance.

Moreover, driver-based planning is also highly significant for businesses in the Philippines as it aligns planning with strategic objectives, enables intelligent analysis, integrates financial and operational insights, provides flexibility and agility, improves performance management, and facilitates effective resource allocation.

KPMG in the Philippines Management Consulting Head Imelda H.

the Marcos administration “has charted the right course, and we are steadily sailing towards a brighter future for all Filipinos.”

Marcos will leave for Malaysia a day after delivering his second State of the Nation Address. It was only last March when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had a two-day official visit to the Philippines.

“What Anwar really wants is an improvement and increase in trade relations [between Malaysia and the Philippines],” he said.

Last May, Bloomberg News quoted Anwar Ibrahim as saying that “Malaysia is negotiating with other countries” to expedite the return of Low Taek Jho, “one of those wanted in the multibillion ringgit 1MDB scandal.”

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said in 2016 that the 1MDB “fund was created by the Malaysian government to promote economic development in that country through global partnerships and foreign direct investment.”

(See https://www.fbi.gov/news/ stories/us-seeks-to-recover-1billion-in-largest-kleptocracycase-to-date)

“But members of the conspiracy— which included 1MDB officials, their relatives, and other associates—diverted billions of dollars using a web of shell companies with bank accounts in Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the US,” the FBI said on its official website. “These complex schemes were intended to conceal the origin and ownership of the funds.”

Corros explains: “By incorporating company-specific value drivers derived from strategic goals, businesses can plan and analyze performance comprehensively. This approach allows for informed decision-making, optimizes performance and helps navigate the complexities of the ever-evolving Philippine business landscape.”

In a post-pandemic world, driverbased planning becomes even more important due to the increased volatility and uncertainty that businesses face. By identifying key drivers and analyzing their impact, businesses can navigate uncertainties and shifts in the market, proactively address risks, allocate resources efficiently and monitor progress toward strategic goals. This approach empowers businesses to thrive in a rapidly changing environment, fostering sustainable growth and success.

What are the advantages of driverbased planning?

Driver-based planning offers a wide range of benefits:

n creates a stronger connection with strategic objectives;

n is a less subjective planning approach;

n moves beyond the use of historical numbers to predict the future;

n considers internal and external drivers and corresponding data sources;

n increases the speed of the planning process; and,

n reduces the manual workload compared to the traditional bottomup planning approach.

Furthermore, driver-based planning is the first building block toward a wider transformation of financial planning. It essentially unlocks other significant improvements such as integrated business planning, rolling forecasts, scenario planning, sensitivity analysis and intelligent/ predictive forecasting.

What is the role of technology in the transition to driver-based planning?

Technology is a key enabler for enhanced planning processes. Once a company has defined its driver-based planning framework “on paper,” the next step is to embed it into the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) technology landscape. This will ensure efficient planning processes, whereby drivers are configured and connected to the right data sources, and changes in assumptions and targets are seamlessly taken into account.

Driver-based planning is a musthave capability for any EPM solutions nowadays. Companies should therefore consider this when selecting a new EPM solution or upgrading their current system. Luckily, modern EPM solutions should natively provide such features.

What should you do next?

n Is your financial planning process in sync with your strategic objectives?

n Do you put too much time and effort into your financial planning processes?

n Are your forecasts reliable, timely and delivering value to the company?

If the answers to these questions are “no” then it is certainly time to initiate your financial planning transformation journey and start implementing driver-based planning.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://kpmg.com/ch/en/ blogs/home/posts/2023/03/driver-based-planning.html.

© 2023 KPMG Int’l Ltd. is a private English company limited by guarantee. R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership, is a member-firm of a global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG Int’l Ltd. All rights reserved. For more information, email ph-kpmgmla@ kpmg.com or visit www.home.kpmg/ph. This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines.

Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia’s war matters to the world

By Courtney Bonnell The Associated Press

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, has allowed 32.9 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since August, more than half to developing countries, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.

Some analysts don't foresee a lasting rise in the cost of commodities like wheat because there’s enough grain in the world to go around. But many countries are already struggling with high local food prices, which are helping fuel hunger.

Here's a look at the crucial accord and what it means for the world:

What is the grain deal?

Ukr A IN e and r u ssia signed separate agreements in July 2022, one that reopened three of Ukraine's Black Sea ports that were blocked for months following Moscow's invasion. The other facilitated the movement of r u ssian food and fertilizer amid Western sanctions.

Both countries are major suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other affordable food products that Africa, the Middle e a st and parts of Asia rely on. Ukraine is also a huge exporter of corn, and r u ssia of fertilizer—other critical parts of the food chain.

Interrupted shipments from Ukraine, dubbed the “breadbasket of the world,” exacerbated a global food crisis and sent prices for grain soaring worldwide.

The deal provided assurances that ships won't be attacked entering and leaving Ukrainian ports.

Vessels were checked by r u ssian, Ukrainian, UN and Turkish officials to ensure they carry only food.

Meant to be extended every four months, the deal was hailed as a beacon of hope and was renewed three times—the last two for only two months as r u ssia insisted its exports were being held up. That's despite Moscow shipping record amounts of wheat.

No new ships have joined the initiative since June 27, and Ukraine blames Moscow. The last vessel left Ukraine on Sunday.

What has it accomplished?

T H e d eal helped bring down global prices of food commodities like wheat that hit record highs after r us sia invaded Ukraine.

Once the grain deal was struck, the World Food Program got back a top supplier, allowing 725,000 metric tons of humanitarian food aid to leave Ukraine and reach countries on the precipice of famine, including e thiopia, Afghanistan and Yemen.

“It is a pretty unique phenom -

enon to have two warring parties and two intermediaries agree to establish this sort of corridor to get humanitarian products—which is ostensibly what this is—out to markets that need it most,” said John Stawpert, senior manager of environment and trade for the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80% of the world’s commercial fleet.

After r u ssia exited the deal, wheat prices in Chicago trading rose about 3% on Monday, to $6.81 a bushel, still about half what they were during last year's peaks. Prices fell later in the day.

Why did Russia end the deal?

rUSSIA has said it wants an end to sanctions on the r u ssian Agricultural Bank and to restrictions on shipping and insurance that Moscow insists have hampered its agricultural exports.

Some companies have been wary of doing business with r u ssia because of sanctions, but Western allies have made assurances that food and fertilizer are exempt.

“It’s not uncommon in situations like this for countries to use whatever levers they have to try and get sanctions regimes changed," said Simon evenett, professor of international trade and economic development at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

r u ssia also has complained that a commitment to pipe its ammonia, a key component of fertilizer, to a Ukrainian port to be exported has never started under the deal. That’s true, but the UN says the pipeline has been damaged in the fighting.

“ r e grettably, the part of the Black Sea agreements related to r u ssia hasn’t been fulfilled,”

k r emlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to r u ssian President Vladimir Putin last week

proposing to ease transactions through the agricultural bank, a spokesperson said.

The r u ssian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday that the last-minute offer was not feasible and couldn’t be implemented.

r u ssian “claims that its agriculture sector is suffering are countered by the reality" that production and exports are up since before the war, said Caitlin Welsh, director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

r u ssia exported a record 45.5 million metric tons of wheat in the 2022-2023 trade year, with another all-time high of 47.5 million metric tons expected in 20232024, according to US Department

of Agriculture estimates.

Who is affected?

T H e International r escue Committee calls the grain deal a “lifeline for the 79 countries and 349 million people on the frontlines of food insecurity.”

Losing millions of tons of food from Ukraine at a time when many countries are increasingly reliant on imported food because of conflict and drought, "will result in inaccessibility and unavailability of food but also will increase prices and impact affordability for households,” Shashwat Saraf, the group’s regional emergency director for e a st Africa, said in an interview Monday.

While global prices for grain may stabilize, countries that

depend on imported food, from Lebanon to e g ypt, may see their costs rise for a while if they need to find suppliers that are farther away, analysts say.

That will compound costs for countries that also have seen their currencies weaken and debt levels grow because they pay for food shipments in dollars.

For low-income countries and people, food “will be less affordable," World Food Program chief economist Arif Husain told reporters last week.

What about Ukraine?

Ukr A IN e ' S e conomy depends on agriculture, and before the war, 75% of its grain exports went through the Black Sea.

It can send its food by land or

river through e urope, but those routes can handle lower amounts compared to sea shipments and their use has stirred anger in neighboring countries.

Nonetheless, the Ukrainian Grain Association wants to send more grain through the Danube r i ver to neighboring r o mania's Black Sea ports, saying it's possible to double monthly exports along that route to 4 million metric tons.

Ukraine’s wheat shipments have fallen by more than 40% from its pre-war average, with the USDA expecting 10.5 million metric tons exported in the coming year.

Ukraine accused r u ssia of slowing down inspections of ships.

Combined with no new ships joining the effort, that has led to a drop in exports from a high under the deal of 4.2 million metric tons in October to 2 million in June.

What else affects food supply?

FALLOUT f rom the pandemic, conflict, economic crises, drought and other climate factors affect the ability of people to get enough to eat.

There are 45 countries that need food assistance, the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a July report. High domestic food prices are driving hunger in most of those countries, including Haiti, Ukraine, Venezuela and several in Africa and Asia.

While drought can also be a problem for major grain suppliers, analysts see other countries producing enough grain to counterbalance losses from Ukraine.

Besides r u ssia's huge exports, e urope and Argentina are increasing wheat shipments, while Brazil saw a banner year for corn.

“These markets adapt and producers adapt—and boy, the wheat and corn markets have adapted very, very quickly,” said Peter Meyer, head of grain analytics at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Russia has suspended a wartime deal designed to move grain from ukraine to parts of the world where millions are going hungry.

An excavator loads grain into a cargo ship at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023.

AP/Andrew Kr Avchen Ko

Women sell food items at a street market in owo, Southwestern nigeria, on June 7, 2022. Russia has suspended on monday July 17, 2023 a wartime deal brokered by the Un and Turkey that was designed to move food from Ukraine to parts of the world where millions are going hungry. AP/SundAy Al A m b A

Retail resurgence

IN-STORE shopping suffered immensely at the height of the pandemic. There’s nothing like touching and smelling your object of desire but that became quite the challenge due to the protocols enforced by health officials.

But now, getting upclose with the items you covet before purchasing them is back in full effect. As the latest offerings from several malls show, personal shopping is bouncing back big time.

Lush x The super mario Bros. movie

YOU know you’re near a Lush store when a strong fragrant scent assaults your senses in a wonderful way. For its latest exclusive product collection, the fresh handmade cosmetics company is teaming up with the Nintendo + Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The limited-edition range of products, which can be found at Lush stores nationwide on the Lush app, and online at Lush.com.ph, include the Mario and Luigi shower gels, and a unique “surprise’ mystery Question Block bath bomb with power-up soaps hidden inside.

With the Princess Peach body spray, Lush is devoting it to the heroine of the movie, the iconic Princess Peach, by creating an all-new scent: a juicy blend of peaches and pineapple.

Rustan’s

home Division’s eco-Living in makati

THE upscale shopping mecca is reinforcing its sustainability policy. Still displaying high-quality products that are more responsibly made, Rustan’s Eco-Living area aims for an eco-friendly lifestyle for its customers.

Brands on-board for living/dining include Calfurn, Caljje, UGU Bigyan, Vidrios Reciciados San Miguel, and Nature’s Legacy. For the bedroom, there are Malouf and Linen & Home bed linens and mood candles by Aromabotanicals. For the kitchen: Kitchen Craft, Lacor, Jean Dubost, Charles Viancin, Stasher, Pebbly, Bambu, My Drap, Breville, Nespresso, SMEG, Delonghi, and Dyson.

Fashion has always been at the forefront of the green movement, so eco-living is practiced by John Hardy, Mikimoto, KARDO, Faherty, Sorbet Island, Longchamp, and Freedom Moses. For a Filipiniana flair, there’s Our Very Own barong Tagalogs made from local pina cloth.

Rustan’s Frequent shoppers Program (FsP) “LOYALTY has its rewards,” every discerning shopper

loves to say. As the pioneer loyalty program in the Philippines, Rustan’s Frequent Shoppers Program (FSP) offers more privileges that are hard to refuse.

Through the program, you can earn points for every P1,000 you spend at Rustans, which can later be redeemed for rewards from your preferred Rustan’s brands, both in-store and online.

What’s more, online shoppers can enjoy a 10-percent discount by using a promo code online at Rustans.com from July 14 to 31.

Polo Ralph Lauren at greenbelt 5

ONE exceedingly rainy evening, Maricel Laxa and her husband, Anthony Pangilinan, graced the opening of the new Polo Ralph Lauren store at Greenbelt 5 in Makati. The fashionable couple and their children, Ella and Donny, were clad in the all-American apparel.

The acclaimed actress later posted on her Instagram: “Timeless, authentic and iconic. Lovely evening which feels like a blast from the past...so glad we can share with our children our love for @poloralphlauren. During our time, we could

first time they’ve collaborated on a regional scale or developed a menu item. I expect this collection to sell out fast because BLACKPINK members are ambassadors for some of biggest luxury brands in the world. They are current and relevant. The group is so mainstream that many of their fans are kids.

The collaboration with Starbucks is a good way for younger fans to relate with BLACKPINK and have something of them to bring home and collect.

So aside from the drink, what are the must-haves from the collection if you are a BLINK with a budget? This is my list, according to what I think would be most useful for me:

only get a hold of it by flying to HK! Congratulations @ssilifeph to your newest Polo Ralph Lauren store in Greenbelt 5!”

It’s the second store opening for the lifestyle brand in a decade, after the one at Shangri-La Plaza Mall. For the men’s collection, spring/summer 2023 offers Heritage Icons (inspired by The Hamptons’ preppy fashion), The Curator (refined sportswear with Manhattan’s Gallery taste-makers’ understated sophistication), The Summit (archival styles and technical performance), Key West (relaxed island lifestyle), and South America (colorful seasonal fashion).

Meanwhile, the Women’s Polo collection has three distinct themes: Mediterranean (nautical stripes, block print florals, and rustic woven fabrics), California Modern (chic tailored pieces, summer dresses, and crisp button-downs) and Laurel Canyon (imbibing the free-spirited style of the 1970s).

‘michelangelo’s sistine Chapel: The e xhibition’ at es tancia mall A VISIT to Vatican City is deemed complete when you

marvel at the amazing ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. On my memorable visit there ages ago, I was tempted to take pictures of the Il Divino (The Divine One) Michelangelo’s astonishing work of art.

But that’s prohibited. However, the 34 iconic frescoes, including The Last Judgment and The Creation of Adam, are in full, life-sized display at the swanky Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Pasig City.

Displayed in a never-before-seen format, through ingenious “cutting-edge technology, meticulous research, and precise reproductions,” the exhibit is a first in Southeast Asia, after having traveled to all the big cities in the world.

A multi-sensory exhibit, it runs until September 30, 2023, with part of the ticket revenue to benefit The Hapag Movement, a Globe Telecom-led effort that “brings together an ecosystem of partners and leverages technology to fight involuntary hunger; and through the Philippine Red Cross’ National Blood Service Program, which aims to deliver adequate, safe and quality blood supply to the most vulnerable.”

Tickets are available at the exhibit or online via www.sistinechapelphilippines.com n

a playful but chic representation of the StarbucksBLACKPINK collaboration. If you’re a K-pop fan, you will definitely love this as a souvenir and a collectible. This would also make a great gifts for your kids and nieces and nephews.

BLACKPINK CeRAmIC sIReN mug (P1,595)—This is Jennie’s pick so if she is your bias, you need to have this matte black mug with a pink interior. I’m surprised that Jennie didn’t pick a tumbler. Maybe she loves hot coffee more than she does cold? The mug is beautiful and if you don’t do hot drinks, you can always use this as a container for makeup brushes or

ON Tuesday, Starbucks Philippines will drop its BLACKPINK collection consisting of 11 drinkware (tumblers, cold cups, and mugs) and five lifestyle items (yoga mat, apron, tote, passport holder, and keychain).

The highlight of the collection is the BLACKPINK Strawberry Choco Cream Frappuccino Blended Beverage, which has strawberry syrup and dark chocolate sauce with feel-good oat milk and chocolate curls, topped with light pink whipped cream and a symbolic heart-shaped chocolate. The drink, inclusive of a reusable cup, costs P475. This is not by any means cheap but if you’re a diehard BLINK and you can afford to splurge that amount on a drink, then do so. The drink is delicious and the cup it comes in is a collectible.

“Guided by our shared passion to deliver unparalleled experiences, this collaboration will bring new energy and excitement to our customers who are encouraged to embrace their individuality and express themselves in bold new ways this summer. It is also testament of how we are continually exploring limitless opportunities to deepen our connection with our customers,” said Erin Silvoy, vice president for product and marketing, Starbucks Asia Pacific.

This isn’t the first time that Starbucks has partnered with BLACKPINK. There was a Starbucks Thailand collaboration two years ago but this is the

n BLACKPINK ToTe BAg (P1,895)—If you’re a Starbucks fan, you’ll know that their tote bags are rare and prized by collectors. One that has Starbucks x Blackpink is iconic. Starbucks Philippines gave me the nylon tote bag, which is black with pink straps and lining. The straps are long so the bag is easy to carry. The bag, which is my favorite item from the collection, is roomy but stylish. The size is not commute-friendly but it’s perfect for traveling. If you’re going on an overnight trip, this would be great for that. It would also make a good traveling companion for long haul flights. You could put in your skincare products, tablet, headphones, hand sanitizer, and other items so you’d have no difficulty in taking them out and putting them back.

n BLACKPINK RhINesToNe TumBLeR (P6,795)—What kind of person would pay for a tumbler that costs almost P7,000? A K-pop fan! Starbucks is known for its bling cold cups but this “outblings” everything they have ever put out. Why does it cost that much? This tumbler has rhinestones, which are what make it so shiny. This is Lisa’s pick so I expect this to be sold out immediately. I think this is a must-have because it’s unique. It’s expensive, yes, but it’s also a collector’s items because very limited quantities are available.

n BLACKPINK KeyChAIN (P1,395)—The keychain is

BLACKPINK TexA sIReN TumBLeR (P1,575)—

This pink tumbler is Rosé’s pick and it suits her personality. It’s pink and girly but it’s tough and very portable. It’s a tumbler that you would bring to school or the office.

BLACKPINK DooDLe PINK TumBLeR (P2,595)—Jisoo’s pick is a shiny pink cold cup. Like the picks of the three other members, I expect this to sell our fast. It’s also pink so that’s another reason why a lot of people would want it. I didn’t expect Jisoo to pick such a flashy tumbler but maybe it appeals to her playful BLACKPINK + sTARBuCKs CARD (P1,500)—You can get this card, which comes in a black and a pink, with a minimum activation of P1,500 and that’s consumable on food and beverages. I have the pink one and I love it so much.

The limited-edition collaboration will be available beginning July 25 at select Starbucks stores across Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, while supplies last.

ACCIONA to build its 3rd water purification plant in the PHL

MANILA Water has awarded ACCIONA, in consortium with Prime Metro BMD Corporation (PrimeBMD) and Santa Clara International, the contract for the design and construction of the East Bay 2 drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), as well as its subsequent operation and maintenance for one year. The project is located in Pakil, Laguna.

The DWTP will have a capacity of 200,000m³/day to serve a population of two million people. The contract includes a pre-treatment phase, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and an 18,000m³ storage tank for brine treatment.

The plant will draw water from Laguna Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines and the second largest inland freshwater lake

SM PRIME TAPS CITICORE FOR CLEAN ENERGY SUPPLY

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) and Citicore Renewable Energy Company (CREC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on July 11, 2023 as a joint commitment to champion renewable energy.

Through this partnership, SM Prime will source its energy requirements of up to 90-Megawatts (MWac) from CREC’s upcoming Lumbangan Solar Power Plant in Tuy, Batangas. The long-term agreement will commence in the first half of 2024. This is in line with the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) policies of the Department of Energy (DOE).

This development further strengthens both CREC and SM Prime’s commitment to the DOE’s program of moving up the renewable energy supply component of the Philippines to 35 percent by the year 2030.

“This partnership marks our strong commitment to providing sustainable operations in our developments nationwide. It is aligned with SM Prime’s

target of achieving net zero by the year 2040. SM Prime ensures that its risk-informed investments catalyze sustainable development and positive change in the communities where it operates,” said John Ong, SM Prime Chief Finance Officer.

The agreement with SM Prime adds to CREC’s long list of blue-chip company partners, attesting to the company’s solid performance and service excellence.

“We are happy to partner with SM Prime in providing clean and safe renewable energy for their power requirements,” said Oliver Tan, CREC President. “We believe that their support and trust in us through this partnership reflects our commitment as a renewable energy provider, and we are glad that SM Prime shares in our vision of a sustainable future,” Tan added.

Corsa Supremacy unleashed: The tires that dominate

at Corsa Supremacy Unleashed. These tire models have been in the country since 2019,” said Benjie Soi, Corsa Philippines. “This official grand launch, Corsa Supremacy Unleashed, symbolizes dominance and authority, where power, precision, and safety combine to dominate our streets.”

The event introduced the Corsa Platinum Series, where perfection meets performance. These meticulously designed tires combine the latest technology with a perfected compound material. With stable temperature control, they maximize tire performance and minimize friction against the road. Experience optimal grip, enhanced durability, and extended mileage. Corsa Platinum tires deliver a smooth and controlled ride, allowing you to dominate the streets with confidence. Unleash the perfection of Corsa Platinum and elevate your riding experience to new heights.

ABREATHTAKING display of power, speed, and elegance was witnessed by the motorcycle world at Corsa Supremacy Unleashed. The highly anticipated event in the motorcycle tire industry took place, bringing together motorcycle enthusiasts, industry leaders, and adrenaline junkies for an unforgettable experience.

Corsa Supremacy Unleashed, organized by Corsa Tires Philippines, celebrated the ultimate motorbike excellence, with a focus on pushing the boundaries of performance, design, and innovation. Held at Moto Towne, a premier destination for motorcyclists, the event featured an

exhilarating lineup of cutting-edge motorcycle tires that dominate in all riding disciplines, whether on the track, on the road, or off-road.

Awe-inspiring stunts and a Safety Riding Clinic were witnessed by attendees, showcasing the reliability and durability of Corsa Tires.

The demonstrations highlighted how these tires excel in both daily heavy use riding and daring motorsport activities. From high-speed circuit racing to jaw-dropping offroad riding, Corsa Supremacy Unleashed delivered non-stop excitement for both seasoned enthusiasts and casual spectators.

“Corsa Tires are proud to be presented

Corsa Supremacy Unleashed also proudly welcomed the newest brand ambassadors, who testified to the supremacy of Corsa Tires. These Corsa Elites, carefully selected from different walks of life, played a significant role in bringing the audience closer to the world of Corsa. AlBelle, Boss G, Boss Karl TV, Fake Moto, Goddess Moto, I Am Jamich, Jan Sy Photo+Blogs, Madamnventure, Moto G, MotoKem, Nars Lagalag, Primera Rekta, Roxanne Ventures, S1rTroy Motovlog, and Stay Breezy Always were chosen for their expertise, knowledge, and love for motorcycles. They serve as perfect advocates for the unrivaled performance and dominance offered by Corsa tires.

in Southeast Asia. This will ensure clean, good-tasting and healthy water.

One of the main features of ACCIONA’s plants in the Philippines is the advanced treatment of raw water (water that has not gone through any treatment to date) and the provision of drinking water to an increasing portion of the population, considering that, despite the abundance of water resources in the country, many Philippine households lack access to them.

This is the third contract that ACCIONA has won in the Philippines, after the Putatan DWTP, with a capacity of 150,000m³/ day in operation since 2020, and the Laguna Lake DWTP (also with 150,000m³/ day), currently under construction. ACCIONA also opened its new commercial office in Manila in 2019.

BOC-Port of Clark Maintains

ISO 9001:2015 Certification

THE Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark, led by District Collector Atty. Ricardo Uy Morales II, CESE, successfully passed its 2nd External Surveillance Audit conducted by TUVSUD on July 11 to 12, 2023.

The audited areas included the Customs Clearance Area, Export Unit, Passenger Services Division, Assessment Division, and Customer Care Center.

Auditor Adorable Aguila from TUVSUD confirmed that the Port of Clark had fulfilled the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard and recommended the maintenance of its ISO Certificate.

“I would like to thank the TUVSUD for assisting the Port of Clark in improving customs procedures. I also recognize the

unwavering support given by the Interim Internal Quality Management System Office (IIQMSO) through the comprehensive internal audits they conducted before this external audit. Finally, I would like to commend the hardworking personnel of the Port of Clark, through their consistent collective efforts, we were able to prove that our services are at par with international best practices,” said Morales during the closing conference.  The Port of Clark, consistent with the Bureau of Customs’ missions, will remain committed to simplifying procedures and facilitate a secured trade in line with the five-point priority program of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio.

Arcovia City hosts Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation Send-Off for Ninja World Cup USA

THE Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation (POSF), together with Arcovia City which has been their training ground, proudly sent off participants to the Ninja World Cup USA qualifiers last July 17, 2023.

Aspiring athletes and obstacle course enthusiasts from all over the country had the opportunity to showcase their skills at an open tournament held at Arcovia City, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ Pasig City township, from July 16 to 17, 2023.

The winners of the open tournament earned the distinction of representing the Philippines at the prestigious Ninja World Cup USA, which brings together the best obstacle course athletes from around the world, offering an opportunity to test their skills to become the next Ninja Warrior.

“This event not only highlights the exceptional talent within our country but also serves as an avenue for athletes to represent the Philippines on the international stage, and we are happy to have been a part of it as their training grounds for the competition,” Arcovia City General Manager Kux Quiogue shared.

“We are extremely thankful for the support that Megaworld Lifestyle Malls,

through Arcovia City, have extended towards us and our athletes as they prepared for arguably the biggest competition they will be a part of,” POSF president Atty. Al Agra said in the press conference held for them.

Megaworld Lifestyle Malls is the retail and commercial development arm of Megaworld Corporation, one of the Philippines’ largest real estate companies, and the leading lifestyle mall developer. The Retail Asia Awards 2023 Marketing Initiative of the Year awardee’s mission is to make happiness and meaningful connections a lifestyle for its communities as the country’s premier developer of lifestyle destinations with exceptional designs, offerings and experiences.

The winning athletes who were sent off to the Ninja World Cup USA were national athletes Mark Julius Rodelas, Kevin Pascua, Jay-R De Castro, Ahgie Radan, Mervin Guarte, Elias Tabac, Precious Cabuya, Kaizen Dela Serna, Milky Mae Tejares. Mecca Cortizano, Sandi Abahan and Marites Nocyao.

The youth national athletes were John Edris Dizon, Trisha Del Rosario, Gianna Quintela, Gavin Ti, Zara Chua and Daniella Aro.

Beware: The optics-only trap

PUBLIC relations, marketing, advertising—we are all in the business of “optics,” aren’t we?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines optics as “the aspects of an action, policy, or decision (as in politics or business) that relate to public perceptions.” The Cambridge dictionary, on the other hand, refers to it as “the public’s opinion and understanding of a situation after seeing it as the media shows it, and the possible political effects of this.”

Every day, as PR and marketing practitioners, we deal with the challenge of crafting messages that will resonate with our various audiences. We may be working to defuse a crisis, launch a new product, or alter existing behaviors—there is always something new and usually heavy on our plate. The “ask” is always the same though: we need to ensure that stakeholder perception— the optics—favors the organizations we represent.

There is nothing wrong with this, of course, except in extreme cases where that perception is the only “real” thing about your organization or your client.

fool ’s gold

During campaign season, we hear politicians spew promises to bring the moon and the stars if they win. No matter how illogical or mathematically improbable, a significant number of people still get fooled by promises of dirt-cheap rice, zero traffic jams, and first-world public amenities. Most of these claims have zero basis in research and facts, but, when packaged appropriately, can pass off as gospel truth. When these politicians win, they either forget what they promised or say, “I tried, I promise—but

can understand natural language and provide highly accurate insights based on past campaign data.

ReBid launches fRee ai assistant foR scaling campaigns acRoss multiple platfoRms

NEW YORK, USA—ReBid, an advertiser’s Customer data platform, has launched a new GPT-based AI assistant capable of analyzing past campaign data. Like having a personal AI media analyst, the assistant provides deep insights across multiple metrics and dimensions with just a few prompts.

This new AI assistant empowers advertisers to make data-driven decisions with ease, optimizing campaigns, and improving ROI across platforms such as Google & Meta. Built on the latest GPT technology, the AI assistant

what I said before is just humanly impossible.” The spin got them their win, but the country ended up losing. Ponzi schemes work pretty much the same way. Many people get scammed of their hard-earned cash when they believe flowery words and jazzedup Powerpoint presentations, coupled with social media photos of the scammer’s supposed shiny new sportscar and of stacks of checks, each with at least a sixfigure amount. These con artists have strong narratives and good visuals that resonate with many of us, allowing them to build and then exploit people’s trust.

Influencers, while not necessarily scammers (there are some who actually are though—Hello, Anna Delvey), also rely on optics to gain clout, fame, and wealth. Their posts are well planned and heavily curated, usually following a certain aesthetic that aligns with their personal brand. Nothing wrong with this—in fact, this is good practice in digital marketing. But things can get shady and out-of-hand really fast when some underhanded tactics are employed to create better optics.

An industry friend, lifestyle journalist and renowned blogger Ingrid Chua, has extensively written and spoken about Instagram influencers who “buy” followers to lead people—and brands—to believe that they have more influence than they actually do. Many even end up getting into debt just to keep up appearances, lavishly spending on designer clothes and accessories, pricey travels, and wining and dining like there’s no tomorrow. And many of these influencers do influence public opinion and shape how people think or even behave.

These are but some examples

of how optics are managed for a person’s or organization’s gain, often to the detriment of other stakeholders. As ethical PR and marketing practitioners, this is not what we do.

‘ t h at’s not my job’

FOR us in PR and marketing, our job is usually limited to coming up with a communication strategy, executing it, and ensuring positive outcomes for our clients or organizations. We have no control over the products that our companies produce or the services our organizations deliver. We are the optics people— the ones who make the company or the client look good; the ones who produce glossy photo releases and write nice-sounding articles.

Let me challenge this mindset, for those who still have it: I strongly believe that we are more than the optics squad. We may not have a direct hand on product design and manufacturing or on service delivery, but we are the ones who know our stakeholders the best. Instead of just doing our best to manage the op -

tics for a bad product, service, or personality, provide your inputs on how they can become truly better, from the point of view of your target audiences.

This would require a few things though, which you may want to either brush up on or learn:

n Consumer research and the ability to analyze and interpret insights gleaned from these studies;

n Strategic thinking so you can go beyond your functional area to see the bigger picture;

n Extensive knowledge of strategic communication principles so you can make the best possible plans and not rely solely on optics;

n High degree of influence for you to be able to get the buy-in of colleagues outside of the communication practice; and

n Enough malasakit—care is the closest word I think of to translate this—to want to really

help your organization get the best outcomes.

I am a firm believer of the communicator having a seat in the boardroom. If you are given this opportunity, do not waste it by living up to some people’s impression of our profession – that we’re all form, no substance. Be a well-rounded, strategic manager and leader. This is how we want the PR function to be known.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier organization for PR professionals around the world. Abigail L. HoTorres is AVP and Head of Customer Experience of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. She spent more than a decade as a business journalist before making the leap to the corporate world.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.

Rajiv Dingra, Founder and CEO of ReBid, said, “This new AI assistant will revolutionize the way advertisers analyze and optimize their ad campaigns. With just a few prompts, advertisers can access deep insights that would have previously taken days or even weeks to uncover.”

ReBid’s new AI assistant will provide advertisers with a competitive edge, allowing them to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving ad tech landscape. With its ability to analyze historical data across multiple platforms and provide real-time insights, ReBid’s AI assistant is a powerful tool that will drive success for our customers.

Rajiv added, “At ReBid, we are committed to providing our customers with the best advertising solutions and

helping them achieve their business objectives through effective advertising strategies. Our new AI assistant is a testament to this commitment and we are confident that it will deliver significant value to our customers.”

The new AI assistant is now available to ReBid customers, who can start using it immediately to analyze their campaign data and optimize their advertising strategies. With its powerful capabilities, the AI assistant is poised to transform the advertising industry and help ReBid customers achieve their business goals.

tRy teppanya’s all-new unlimited madness with pRemium Japanese dishes MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Filipino-owned Teppanya Restaurant (Teppanya) unveiled new Japanese dishes that elevate its current unlimited offering. Starting July 14, guests

can avail of the all-new Unlimited Madness and order highquality Japanese Miyazaki A5 wagyu steak, snow crab, giant scallop, and many more in unlimited quantities for only P4,988+.

Teppanya has been serving Filipinos best-tasting Japanese food coupled with masterful culinary performances since 2015. Coining its name from a Japanese style of cooking, Teppanya treats guests to a fiery and mouth-watering dining experience as they see teppanyaki dishes being prepared right at the edge of their seats.

“Filipinos love food, especially Japanese cuisine, so what better way to enjoy their favorite dishes than bringing a unique dining experience to them—This is what Teppanya is all about,” said Yñigo Rivera, Teppanya’s Marketing Manager. “Integrating these premium dishes into our Unlimited Madness is our way of

extending Japan’s best flavors and more, which we hope our patrons will enjoy even more.”

The all-new Unlimited Madness sees the inclusion of meat offerings such as JPN Miyazaki Wagyu A5 BMS 8-9 Chuck Strip Steak, JPN Miyazaki Wagyu A5 BMS 8-9 Chuck-Eye Steak, JPN A5 Wagyu Brioche Sando, AUS Jacks Creek 400day Grain-fed Wagyu F1 MB5 Picanha Steak, and Iberico Secreto Steak.

As for the seafood and sushi offerings, the new menu includes Alaskan Wild Caught Snow Crab, Hokkaido Large Scallop, Wagyu Aburi, Wagyu Aburi w/ Ikura, Hamachi Sashimi, and an Emperor Aburi Set which features Foie Gras, Wagyu with Black Truffle, and Unagi.

“These are only some of the dishes added to the Unlimited Madness. Guests can check out other new additions when they visit Teppanya. Aside from these, the

restaurant’s unlimited offering also features different dishes like sushi, sashimi, ramen, nigiri, and donburi to name a few. True to its name, these can also be ordered in unlimited quantities, making it a perfect Japanese food splurge,” Yñigo added.

“We look forward to having our patrons try the all-new Unlimited Madness so they, too, can be closer to Japan through the Japanese dining experience that we offer. As we always say, at Teppanya, it’s not just food, it’s entertainment.”

Visit Teppanya’s branches to try the newest iteration of its Unlimited Madness. It will be rolled out first at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and will be available soon after at SM North Towers in Quezon City, and Evia Lifestyle Mall in Las Pinas City. For reservations and inquiries, visit Teppanya’s respective Facebook pages and Instagram.

Sports

B8 Monday, July 24, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

Pogačar rules Stage 20, but Vingegaard virtually assured of Tour victory

EJ OUTSHINES MONDO, BUT PRESSURE MOUNTS

By Josef Ramos

ERNEST JOHN “EJ”

OBIENA claimed silver— going 9-of-9 in podium finishes this year— behind American Chris Nilsen on Saturday at the Monaco Diamond League where the boss of men’s pole vault, Armand Duplantis, surprisingly performed outside the podium at fourth place.

Now, the pressure mounts on the Obiena. “ I have a big target on my back,” said the 27-year-old Obiena, who’d most probably return to world No. 3 and Nilsen back as world No. 2 because of the American’s gold

Stajcic unshaken on Filipinas’ bid

AUSTRALIAN coach Alen

Stajcic’s  faith in the Filipinas remains  unshaken, believing in their capability to rise to the challenge as they brace for their all-important meeting with the hometown Ferns in three days at the Sky Stadium in Wellington in New Zealand.

Despite the result, we have a lot of belief,” reiterated Stajcic on Sunday of  his charges’ 0-2 loss to Switzerland in their unforgettable FIFA Women’s World Cup Group A opening match last week at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in the chilly southern city of Dunedin.

We all knew that it was an amazing performance [by the Filipinas] for a debut in the World Cup,” stressed the Australian tactician, recalling how his players  displayed their  poise against the fancied Swiss early on in the match.

There are so many people who may have questioned how nervous the team was going into the first game, and if they did belong and should be here,” he said, “but I think we showed that we belong at this level.”

“ For a first effort in the World Cup, I really thought our players were amazing. Everyone back home in the Philippines  and all their  fans should be really proud how they represented the country,” he added.

He pointed to the early going when his wards, who are also supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, showed great resolve and resiliency in hanging in there against a squad 20 rungs higher than them in the FIFA women’s world rankings at No. 26.

medal in Monaco.

O biena’s referring to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.

“ Everyone wants to beat me there,” Obiena told BusinessMirror on Sunday. “I felt it the last time in Bangkok, pressure is building up.”

H e won the gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok days ago but finds his stablemates under legendary coach Vitaly Petrov—silver medalist Hussain Alhizam of Saudi Arabia and bronze medalist Huang Bokai of China—wanting to breathe down his neck.

But he looks at the impending competition positively.

“ That’s a privilege,” he said.

It was a huge upset in Monaco as Duplantis, the world and Olympic champion, could only finish fourth.

S weden’s world record holder failed twice at 5.9 2 meters with Nilsen clearing that height on his first attempt.

D uplantis and  Obiena both had one attempt at 6.02 meters and failed with Nilsen booking a rare victory over Duplantis.

He was second on countback ahead of Kurtis Marschall also of the US with Duplantis tying for fourth place at 5.72m. Obiena retained the gold he first won at the Doha Asian championships in 2019 at 5.91

meters in Bangkok. Alhizam was second at 5.56 meters and Huang third at 5.51.

I really need to focus on every jump and I believe I can do more in the Asian Games,” he said. The Asian Games are set September 23 to October 8.

Obiena said everyone was surprised with Duplantis in Monaco.

Crazy night. I don’t have any idea what went wrong with him [Duplantis]. We didn’t talk about it,” he said. “I don’t know if he felt something that’s not good.”

He said that Nilsen could return to world No. 2 on Wednesday when the World Athletics releases its weekly world rankings.

A cake, some advice, a hug: James Yap, fans going strong

By Lourdes M. Fernandez

MATH teacher Jamaela

“Jame” Bigay was anxiously sorting her luggage in a lastminute effort to keep within airline limits—a tough task since she was packing for a two-year work contract in a country with four seasons—when a pleasant surprise showed up at her doorstep Saturday night.

A close friend and fellow officer at their 15-year-old James Yap fans club showed up with a cake, sent over by the basketball star, with a simple, sweet message: “Bon voyage, safe travel, Jame.”—James Yap.

Jame was speechless, close to tears as she turned over  the cake to her parents, who have been in bittersweet mood since learning their only daughter had a job offer in the US, after cutting her teeth as a math teacher— one of the best in a big public school in Paranaque City.

“Since birth, this is the first time we will be separated from her. And it’s such a far place,” her mother Myrna sadly noted, but added, of the new, challenging chapter in Jame’s life—“but this fulfills  her dream, and we trust God will take care of her.”

The cake, it turns out, was handcarried by one of James Yap’s trusted aides and given to an officer of YAPsters Club 18, a fan club counting several hundreds from around the country, founded in 2008 by an original four fans—Jame, Arvie Francisco from Davao, and two others.

A ccording to Arvie, a sales officer in a big property firm in the south, sending the cake over to a long-time fan is par for the course for James Yap,  whom she described as “one of the most talented, nicest and wellmannered” players ever.

Yap has been in semi-retirement mode for the past few years, and tried his hand in politics—he is one of two players, the other being University of the East teammate Paul Artadi, and not to mention San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, a former De La Salle Green Archer—who won seats in San

time for Carlos Alcaraz

LE MARKSTEIN, France—Tadej

Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard celebrated on the second-tolast day of the Tour de France.

Pogačar pipped the defending champion to take the penultimate stage on Saturday but it won’t be enough to stop his great rival from winning the race again.

V ingegaard maintained his huge lead over two-time champion Pogačar and will surely be crowned the Tour winner after Sunday’s largely ceremonial stage ends on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

We have to be careful not to do anything stupid but, yeah, it’s amazing to take my second victory in the Tour de France and I almost cannot believe it,” Vingegaard said.

Pogačar, who won in 2020 and 2021, claimed his second stage win in the 110th edition of cycling’s most famous race but was unable to make up for Vingegaard’s huge advantage built in the Alps.

The Danish rider leads by seven minutes and 29 seconds.

I really appreciate the battle I had with Tadej,” Vingegaard said.

Juan City’s council. But that has not stopped the YAPsters Club 18 from continuing to treat him as a hardcourt idol wearing the jersey “18.”

That relationship has been sustained, explained Arvie, because both celebrity and fans have the greatest respect and goodwill for each other.

3 TAKEAWAYS

REFERENCING the recent viral video of Lea Salonga politely keeping out fans from her dressing room in Broadway— and the weeklong discussions on social media it sparked—BusinessMirror asked the YAPsters for three takeaways, or pieces of advice, they can share with fans, whether in sports, theater or film.

First should be respect, respect for your celebrity idol and respect for your co-fans,” Arvie said.

Second, in her book, is “patience—especially with their busy schedule. It takes time—so let’s be patient if, when is the available time. Not in a way that you’re stepping out of boundaries like going to the dressing room or locker room because privacy also matters to them.”

She then added, to point out why they’ve sustained the ties with their idol: “We are going 15 years now as a fans club, we should know our limitation.”

Th ird, said Arvie, “be thankful and grateful. As one family, we made memories together. “It’s God’s purpose to let us meet. It’s James’s presence that made us believe, That STRANGERS, can be FRIENDS, and FRIENDS, can be a FAMILY.”

She subsequently added a fourth point: for fans not to be too possessive, so that other fans can have their time with the idol.

At the March 2023 PBA All Stars in Iloilo, the YAPsters shared a video of a moment when James was seen already approaching them at a hotel lobby after a game, and then suddenly stopping as his attention was called to fans who had patiently waited for him in an ante room.

James then waved to the YAPsters to say, “wait”  and asked for their indulgence as he entertained the others first.

WE are on the verge of a new rivalry and passing of the torch.

D uring the 2022 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) season, I remember making a mental note to myself that Carlos Alcaraz will be the next top tennis sensation.

He has that bulldog-ness of Rafael Nadal, the flexibility of Novak Djokovic, and the explosiveness of Boris Becker. But what makes him hard to beat is his speed.

The way he covers the court and chases down every ball does remind me of Becker. Except Alcaraz is faster and more skilled.

These two Grand Slams he has won so far? His being the youngest to win the Miami and Madrid Opens as well as the youngest to finish atop the ATP—if that doesn’t tell you he is poised from greatness, I don’t know what will.

So young, and yet that ironclad will to win? Amazing!

He also has the fourth highest win percentage for teenagers who have played at least 10 matches with 70.6 percent as he is behind Andre Agassi (91 percent), Rafa

Some fans were waiting in the hotel in Iloilo for some photo ops and he went back to them instantly before he went to our table to meet Yapsters from Iloilo and Bacolod (https://www.facebook. com/watch/?v=526030466392019).

T his genuine interest in other people, fans especially, this grassroots connection, seem to come naturally to the former Purefoods now Rain or Shine star whose goodwill has been thankfully reciprocated by the YAPsters.

A rvie notes that the cake was not the only “pabaon” James had for Jame before her journey. A few nights before, as friends hosted a despedida for Jame,  the playerturned-councilman showed up late at night at a resto in BGC, obviously exhausted from a long day where he attended a graduation in San Juan and then had a long business meeting.

But as promised, James showed up, even giving parting advice to Jame. “Mag-iingat, ha. Pag may kailangan ka, tawag lang. Baka may mga kakilala ako..” [Take care, okay? If you need anything, just call. I might know someone]” is how Arvie recalls the last JamesJame conversation.

Besides attending as many as he can of the key “milestone” events hosted by fans—for which, Arvie notes, he always pitches in for the bill—James has a genuine concern for them. Sometimes,

after practice games, he would ask if there’s any place where he can drop them off in case it’s late.

W hile he is a private person, James Yap occasionally shows up at fan events with family, and has introduced YAPsters to “Mik,” his partner and their first-born, Michael James.

Obviously, the YAPsters, for all their genuine love for their idol and interest in wherever his career may take him, would still want to see him again on the hardcourt. Once they asked him if he ever planned to play again and he supposedly said vaguely, “perhaps one more year.”  Till then, jersey or no jersey, the “18” remains in the hearts of his fans, and the feeling is palpably mutual. And it’s easy to see why.

Pogačar had been in outstanding form this year, winning nearly everywhere he raced. But the Slovenian crashed at Liège-BastogneLiège in April and needed surgery on a broken wrist. It’s hard to say how much that setback impacted his Tour de France hopes.

Today I finally felt like myself again,” Pogačar said. “It was great to feel good again after many days suffering and to pull off a stage win.”

Saturday’s 133.5-kilometer stage from Belfort to the mountain resort of Le Markstein was the last tough test for the riders and the 3,600 meters of climbing took its toll on many of them.

Young Spanish rider Carlos Rodriguez, who still harbored hopes of overtaking Adam Yates to third place, crashed going around a bend at 33 km. Rodriguez got back on his bike but with blood on his face, arm and leg.

A merican Sepp Kuss also needed medical attention after a bad crash. It was his second of the Tour.

David Gaudu crashed on the descent from the 1,163-meter-high Petit Ballon. The French rider also rode on in apparent pain.

B elgian rider Victor Campenaerts, wearing the bib for most combative rider for the second straight day, was the first to attack.

Giulio Ciccone celebrated being crowned the Tour’s “King of the Mountains” at Col de la Schlucht.

“ We had one plan and we did a terrific job to execute it,” the Italian cyclist said. “I need to thank all my teammates. They did something crazy right from the start.”

Th ree French riders led by local favorite Thibaut Pinot were among a group of five leaders pushing the pace up Petit Ballon. Pinot decided to go alone 6 kilometers before the summit, aware that a huge fan party was waiting for him. He crested the summit some 33 seconds ahead of his chasers and 90 seconds ahead of the peloton with Vingegaard and Pogačar.

A smiling Pinot was later crowned the day’s most combative rider. AP

Nadal (84.5 percent) and Jim Courier (72. 7 percent).

I n his career, Federer played 50 five-setters winning 30 of them. That places him eighth behind Jan Kodes, Ivan Lendl, Ilie Nastase, Lleyton Hewitt, and Guillermo Vilas respectively.

He is the third player born after 2000 to have claimed 100 tour wins with the others being Jannik Sinner and Felix Aiuger-Aliassime.  If his physical skills place him above other young players, that will to win places him on another level. Who else has that on the current tour aside from Rafa and Novak?

W hen that former GOAT Pete Sampras was ending his career, Roger Federer was there to challenge him.

Then in the middle of Federer’s career came Nadal, and the two were eventually joined by Djokovic.  With Federer retired, and Nadal winding down his illustrious career, can we be seeing that same Sampras-Federer passing of the torch rivalry between Djokovic and Alcaraz?

N ovak is far from done, and so is Nadal in my opinion even if he did say that he will retire by the second half of 2024.

I t hink the emergence of Alcaraz will further push Novak and Rafa.

O f course we aren’t discounting Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, or Casper Ruud to name a few, as I think the young guns are ready to take over and lead pro tennis to new heights.

I w as at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York when Pete Sampras bade tennis goodbye. That was a dream come true for a fan like me.

However, right off the bat, I along with many recognized the talent of Roger and what he would bring to the table.

A nd I am seeing the same in Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be fun watching him chasing that Mount Rushmore of Open Era ATP players.

JAMES YAP surprises one of his most avid Yapsters, Math teacher Jamaela “Jame” Bigay, with a cake prior to her flight to the US.

ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA says he feels the mounting pressure ahead of the Asian Games. Photo courtesy of Thailand Asian Athletics Championships

PHL Development Plan offers clear compass for national devt, at last

By Cai U. Ordinario

If there's one thing that stands out among all the economic measures implemented by the administration in its first year, it’s the early formulation of a medium term socioeconomic blueprint, former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Dante B. Canlas told the BusinessMirror.

The formulation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) in the same year the administration took over the reins of government is a first. This, Neda Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said, allows the government to direct its actions early on in accordance with the goals and aspirations set by the current administration.

Balisacan, in an earlier interview with BusinessMirror, said the new administration will fast-track the release of the blueprint in order to guide departments on where

they should prioritize their programs. The target is for the creation of a new blueprint by year end. He said the PDP timeline is signed by the President by the end of the year and distributed to Congress and the respective implementing agencies and stakeholders by the start of 2023. This, however, will drastically change the calendar for the PDP.

Promise met

BUT Neda kept its word and presented a complete PDP in December 2022. By January 2023, the PDP and its results matrices were made available to the public.

"As a former Neda Secretary, I welcome most of the following documents: Socioeconomic framework; Medium-term Fiscal Framework; and the Philippine Development Plan. These documents help provide a stable pre -

dictable environment for the private sector, both households and firms," Canlas said. This is especially crucial given the pandemic and the ill effects of the lockdowns, which was deemed the longest in the world. These negative effects have been felt in various sectors, most notably in human capital development, par-

ticularly in education.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the previous administration failed to achieve their PDP plan targets in the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program with 4.5 percent of its target being achieved.

The PSA also said Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP)

also achieved 6.6 percent of its targets; Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) with 18.5 percent; and Immersion Outreach Program at 17.5 percent.

Interest rate hike

APART from this, expensive food and non-food commodities have been difficult to ignore. This

is the reason other economists believe one of the key economic measures undertaken by the current administration was the rise in interest rates. Since last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has raised interest rates by 425 basis points. It's only in the last two policy meetings that the Monetary Board decided to pause its aggressive monetary policy.

I believe that the economic team of the government played an important role in managing the economic condition of the country despite the turmoil around the world: fluctuating fuel prices, war, and trade wars,” De La Salle University economist Maria Ella Oplas told BusinessMirror. We could have suffered worse but they managed the impact of external issues. I need them to be able to continuously manage prices so as not to aggravate the situation of our poorest of the poor," she added.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) economist Leonardo A. Lanzona agreed with Oplas that interest rates have been the most notable macroeconomic reform the current administration did in its first year.

Fighting inflation

HOWEVER, much work needs to be done in terms of fighting inflation. Lanzona said measures to

continued on C6

IMAGINE this: going on a road trip without maps or the aid of GPS. That has been the dilemma of previous administrations without an economic blueprint to use as a guide in navigating choppy economic waters.

The previous administration, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, failed to achieve their PDP plan targets in the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Program with 4.5 percent of its target being achieved. PHOTO BY BERNARD TESTA

Future looks bright in the renewable energy sector

By Lenie Lectura

A fter over a year in office, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. implemented immediate, short- and medium-term measures to create a robust energy system in the country, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

Renewable energy (RE) remains the focus of this administration as the country has begun a gradual transition from coal to clean power. The goal is to achieve the target of increasing 35 percent of RE in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

We have adopted a game-

changing reform by opening the RE sector to full 100 percent foreign ownership. As a result, we have been receiving a number of interests from foreign entities to invest in our RE sector, especially in the offshore wind (OSW) development,” said Lotilla. E xecutive Order (EO) No. 21 directs the DOE to publish the policy and administrative framework for the efficient and optimal development of OSW resources in the country within 60 days from its issuance on April 19, 2023. It seeks to harmonize and streamline permitting processes

and leasing fees under a whole-ofgovernment approach and fully implement the Energy Virtual OneStop Shop (EVOSS) System to cover all relevant government agencies and bureaus.

In the coming weeks, the DOE will issue the policy and administrative framework for the optimal development of OSW resources, including speeding up the approvals of necessary permits,” said Lotilla.

Center stage THROUGH the Board of Investments (BOI), the government also recently announced that RE projects had taken center stage, with approximately 80 percent of investment approved this year.

R ecently, BlueFloat Energy announced its market entry in the Philippines through the acquisition of Wind Energy Service Contracts (WESCs) in four sites to be located in Bataan, Batangas, Cagayan and Ilocos, and Southern Mindoro.

BlueFloat has a total portfolio of offshore wind projects worth 32.4 gigawatts (GW) of planned capacity in ten countries across the globe, including Spain, France, Italy, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Colombia, Portugal, and the Philippines. The proposed Philippine projects collectively represent the largest single county planned initiative of BlueFloat at 7.6 GW.

ACEN Corp., the power arm of conglomerate Ayala Corp., acknowledged the administration’s strong policies on renewables.

This is a welcome development,” said ACEN President Eric Francia.

He cited the 100 percent ownership for renewables and the significant 11GW capacity target for the green energy auction (GEA2) should spur investments in renewables.

However, the market responded to GEA2 targets with only around 30 percent subscription rate. The low investor turnout highlights the need to address critical issues of pricing and transmission.

“In order to encourage much needed renewables investments, price levels will hopefully be improved and reflect market realities. Generators should also be incentivized to build transmission connections and help augment the grid capacity and connectivity,” commented Francia.

Pricing adjustment mechanism

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which set the rates for the GEA, has committed to adjust the pricing mechanism.

All these concerns were taken into consideration. Those concerns need to be balanced because it involves a 20-year contract and consumers will be paying for these rates.

The number one lesson is we need to update the pricing dashboard. It’s been the same dashboard used for FIT (feed-in-tariff) but considering differences in technology and if we will have differentiated price per size then those should be reflected by the pricing dashboard.

We are working on this, definitely ready for next year. We will have a new pricing dashboard for that. Second, there would be closer coordination with the DOE on differentiation,” said ERC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta.

The ERC chair also cited its strong push to enforce existing rules as a contribution to the ongoing reform process in the power sector. “I think, it’s less of reforms but really enforcement of existing rules and procedures. One highlight after so many years is a reset of transmission rates,” Dimalanta cited.

Aboitiz Power Corp. also agreed that the GEA program is a considerable push to tap and maximize indigenous renewable energy sources within Philippine shores.

In the past year, there were notable developments in the energy sector,” said Aboitiz Power President Emmanuel Rubio.

New technologies

ASIDE from GEA, Rubio cited this administration’s strong interest to assess new technologies such as small modular reactors and liquefied natural gas (LNG); progress en route to full electrification by 2028 via the Sitio Electrification Program, in which business units of Aboitiz Power have proudly contributed; the launching of the ERC’s nationwide PSA (power supply agreement) caravan that assists electric cooperatives in addressing the high cost of electricity; and the resolution of power supply challenges at the onset of the Marcos administration, in which the 1,336MW coal-fired GNPD Dinginin facility greatly helped in shouldering the demands of the baseload.

“Aboitiz Power is pleased with these developments as they can accelerate the delivery of energy projects amidst fast-growing demand, plus bring the country closer to an energy system that is more stable, accessible, cost-effective and sustainable,” added Rubio.

However, the main challenge of renewables is intermittence, or the unreliable nature of renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will enable renewable capacity to be stored, ready to be deployed even when solar or wind farms or hydropower plants are down. A nd the BESS facilities of SMC Global Power Holdings, Corp. (SMCGP) will be the key to ensuring reliable power supply nationwide, even in far-off areas. SMCGP is targeting to complete the installation of 1000MW of BESS within the next few months.

Battery network

THE power arm of conglomerate SMC has already completed putting up 500MW of installed power storage capacity from its planned 32 BESS facilities. This is the very first and largest battery network in the Philippines by far.

W hile much still needs to be done, the DOE has committed to work on long-term solutions in accordance with the clear goals set by the President to develop indigenous sources of energy, particularly renewables. “We committed to pursue our mission and respond to emerging energy challenges and issues to ensure sustainable, stable, secure, accessible, and reasonably priced energy,” added Lotilla.

The country’s regulators and policymakers have also signaled their intentions of pushing for several welcome reforms in the power sector. These include improvement in the implementation of the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS); crafting of policies on nuclear energy and off-shore wind power generation; reassessment of the secondary price cap; and evaluation and support of delayed transmission projects. “

These can serve to encourage more energy investments, hence, more competition, and complement the inevitable growth of more generation technologies. We support and participate in the government’s goal of developing a diverse and balanced power generation mix that will help sustain our nation’s growth,” added Rubio.

IN the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that resulted in a huge spike in coal and fuel prices in the world market, the Marcos administration was able to carry out reforms in the energy sector aimed at ensuring the stability of the country’s power supply.

Renewable energy (RE) remains the focus of this administration as the country has begun a gradual transition from coal to clean power. The country is currently working on RE projects similar to the Bangui Windmills. The Bangui Windmills was established by the NorthWind Power Development Corporation in 2005 and is recognized as the first largest wind farm in Southeast Asia. PHOTO BY NONIE REYES

ICT sector faces numerous challenges

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

be the case so the rationale of assignments must be revisited,” she explained.

PRESIDENT

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made digital transformation a core policy of his administration and so far, the Philippines has made significant strides towards achieving this goal.

It is not to say that the information and communications industry (ICT) had it easy, especially due to inflationary pressures, red tape, outdated policies and the lack thereof.

Even though the first year of a new government historically involves adjustments, careful learning and evaluation, the administration was able to pinpoint certain pain points that were addressed through sound policies and regulations.

Gaining one’s footing

“The first year was about gaining one’s footing, especially for the President’s new appointees to the DICT and other key agencies,” Better Internet Philippines Convenor Grace Mirandilla-Santos said.

During the first year of the new administration, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) had to tackle challenges that were averted by public-private collaboration.

For instance, Santos said, smaller non-telco players continue to be hobbled by outdated legal and regulatory frameworks that prevent them from expanding to more communities.

For Internet service providers, the Congressional franchise requirement and absence of an open access policy for Internet connectivity remain as barriers. There is a lack of radio spectrum for new services, especially as mobile technologies continue to advance. Certain frequencies are in the hands of only one or two players which shouldn’t

Furthermore, issues on the bureaucratic red tape, according to Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO Dennis Anthony Uy, persisted.

PLDT Inc. agreed and added inflation as another challenge that telcos had to face during the first year of the new administration.

Outdated laws

GLOBE Telecom Inc. Spokesperson

Yolanda Crisanto noted that the Marcos administration inherited outdated laws pertaining to ICT, particularly the National Building Code where telco and connectivity are not considered basic needs as other utilities such as water and power.

“ This hampers the provision of important telco infrastructure to provide for connectivity in new property developments,” she explained.

These challenges forced players to become more creative to bring connectivity closer to Filipinos, especially since the President’s marching order is to bring the Philippines to the digital age.

Transformative effect

ICT Secretary Ivan Uy acknowl-

edged that overall, the industry had more than a handful of headwinds that it had to address, some of which were given solutions through policy extensions as well as the implementation of new regulations.

The industry itself was actually quite dynamic and it faced several challenges,” he said, citing other issues such as the rise of cybercrimes and the outdated modes of delivery of government services to Filipinos.

But the President himself, Uy said, was hands on in ensuring that these problems were provided with solutions.

For instance, Uy said, Mr. Marcos signed into law the SIM Registration Act, the first legislation that the President sanctioned.

This, according to the ICT chief, had already reduced the number of phishing and text scams in the country. A s of last week, about 103 million SIMs have already been registered, he noted.

Streamlined processing

THE government also made it easier for industry players to build their infrastructure. Mr. Marcos recently issued Executive Order No. 32, which streamlines the processing of permits and licenses.

This was generally hailed by all industry stakeholders as a “gamechanger” as this enables the faster construction of infrastructure in areas for improved connectivity.

A nother area that the government focused on is the delivery of public service through digital highways.

It has always been huge pain points for the public when they engage with the government because of the long lines, inefficiencies, filling out of application forms multiple times. A person will have to go on leave from work or school just to do a single transaction with a government agency. They waste the whole day and sometimes it’s not even enough so they waste another day — productivity goes down, and cost of doing business goes up. Not to mention the frustration,” Uy said.

Hence, the DICT together with other government agencies and local government units (LGUs) launched the eGov Super App, a one-stop single platform where frontline government agencies now provide the necessary services through a single platform.

“Instead of the people going to the government, the government

went to the people. That is the game changing level of government service that the President has been able to do in his first year,” Uy said.

E-commerce platform

UY ADDED that the DICT also launched a public e-commerce platform with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which enables micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to participate in the global trade to expand their reach.

Suddenly all our MSMEs are transformed from local producers to now exporters. So that will have a very big impact on our GDP, on the economic status of MSMEs, as well as the locality,” he said.

Furthermore, the DICT is equipping LGUs with digital tools to “make it easier for the public” to transact with their local governments.

Likewise, the ICT department also developed e-travel, which reduced friction for arriving air passengers.

Lastly, Uy added that the DICT recently launched an e-report system for the police, an automated reporting feature in the eGov Super App that enables users to quickly report incidents.

Piloted in Metro Manila, the system automatically sends the reports to nearby policemen for quicker incident response.

“ That’s the transformative effect of what we’re doing in DICT in enabling these government agencies to provide enhanced digital services that will make it easier for the public,” he said.

A long industry wishlist

However, the Philippines is still far from the digital era that it envisions.

“After just one year, there are no significant efforts and achievements to rate as of yet. Better Internet Philippines and our partners, however, are happy that the new administration and the 19th Congress have put Open Access as a priority bill. So hopefully that is a positive step forward to help smaller ISPs overcome barriers to entry,” Santos said.

She called on Mr. Marcos to pass the Open Access in Internet Service Act, as this will address the legal obstacles that continue to stifle the growth of the country’s ISPs and the expansion of broadband infrastructure in the countryside.

Santos also advised the gov-

ernment to rationalize spectrum allocation.

“ The National Telecommunications Commission [NTC] should look into whether it needs to consider harmonization and rationalization efforts to make sure various players have access to the spectrum for new technologies. As many industries, not just telecom and Internet, are affected by spectrum management, a comprehensive review of current spectrum allocation and assignment should be done,” she said.

The DICT and the NTC, she said, can consider issuing a spectrum policy framework and roadmap to help in the harmonization and rationalization of spectrum.

She added that the amendment of the Radio Control Law or Republic Act 3846 is relevant and urgent. Sans amendments to Act 3846, however, NTC may initially revisit Section 1 of Act 3846, which states that a legislative franchise is not required for radio stations used in areas without any means of communication. This will be very helpful for community networks in the far-flung areas that wish to set up broadband facilities, for non-commercial purposes, in their area to connect government offices, schools, and residents,” she added.

Furthermore, Santos said, there has to be a policy directive for the adoption of minimum information security standards for critical information infrastructure (CII), since Mr. Marcos identified digitalization, e-government, and e-commerce as his priorities.

Immediately, this can be done through an executive order that will direct public CII institutions to comply with minimum standards, report information security incidents, create a computer emergency response team, and designate personnel with information security training and credentials,” she said. For its part, PLDT wishes that the government provide telcos with the “same treatment as public utilities…which is not subject to any charges by malls or buildings in respect of facilities located in such malls or buildings that provide connectivity to or in such malls or buildings.”

This will allow telcos to use the savings for more infrastructure for connectivity,” the company said.

In addition, the government should also consider the inclusion of a prohibition on subdivisions or LGUs banning or charging fees for,

The SIM Registration Act was the first legislation that President Marcos sanctioned and this has already reduced the number of phishing and text scams in the country. PHOTO BY NONOY LACZA

on the road to digital transformation

access of telcos to subscribers in subdivisions or LGUs.

Crisanto, who said the government “fostered a collaborative environment with the business sector,” noted that the government could further encourage Public-Private Partnership (PPP) engagements for several key eGovernment/ eGovernance-related initiatives, as this provides a more pragmatic approach to achieving these key milestones for eGovernance.

“

The Globe Group has echoed calls for the government to implement policy changes that would increase investments in the country’s digital infrastructure, citing digital platforms and services as a critical driver of economic growth,” she said.

She said Globe encourages the implementation of a policy that will ease and accelerate the construction of cellular tower sites in gated subdivisions and villages.

Furthermore, Globe seeks stronger enforcement against the rampant incidence of theft on connectivity infrastructure such as broadband cables, tower steel bars and batteries, among others. These continue to be stolen and sold openly in the black market, junk shops, and online marketplaces.

For his part, Dito Telecommu-

nity Corp. Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano, who gave the government a “very high” mark in its first year, said the government could also fast track the implementation of EO No. 32. He also called on the rationalization of spectrum user free payments, as well as the “refarming” of spectrum to “even the playing filed.” For Converge ICT Solutions Inc., Dennis Uy said the group is looking forward to strengthening its support to the government’s national broadband program “and we hope to contribute to the efforts of the DICT in pushing forward this critical program.” “ We have made significant headway in public and private sector partnerships with regards to the digitalization of facilities and schools. We hope to continue this and aid in the creation of more smart cities and a smart nation,” Dennis Uy said.

But first, priorities

For the rest of 2023, ICT Secretary Uy said the government will prioritize the creation of e-visas, the digitalization of the national ID, and the development of a centralized e-government payment system. Some of them will be coming very soon,” he said.

Industry players have called on the government to tag telecommunication and internet services as basic needs so that provisions can be made in new property developments.

PHOTO BY BERNARD TESTA

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PHL Development Plan offers clear compass for national devt, at last

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address supply chain issues, which were among the primary causes of expensive food items, need to be undertaken.

It can be noted that food accounts for 34.78 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all households and 51.38 percent of the CPI for the Bottom 30 percent of the population. The only macroeconomic reform I can cite is the increase in interest rates in response to the heightened inflation felt for the whole year. Unfortunately, this was not the cause of the inflation which can be traced to supply side constraints. If you want to solve inflation you need to know its roots. In this case, the government failed," Lanzona told this newspaper.

University of the Philippines

Professor Emeritus Epictetus E. Patalinghug said apart from inflation, the economic reforms of the

current administration which were done through the BSP included banking stability.

BSP Governor Eli Remolona earlier said the capital adequacy ratio of local banks were at 16 percent, above the 10 percent regulatory floor established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The liquidity ratio of Philippine banks, meanwhile, was at 188 percent, above the 100 percent standard globally.

Fiscal reforms

PATALINGHUG also said the reforms of the current administration also included the fiscal reforms such as the deficit reduction; increased revenue generation due to the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue exceeding their targets; and slowing down debt accumulation.

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the country would be able to “outgrow” its debt as

long as it sustains its “strong” economic growth momentum. With such, the national government is on track in achieving the targets it set in its Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) (full story here: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/06/30/1-year-on-marcos-administration-bravely-faces-debt-challenges/).

These economic reforms have raised economists' expectations particularly because previous PDPs had failed to deliver on their promises. The PSA said at the end of the plan period, 39.4 percent of the 493 regular indicators monitored in StatDev 2022 demonstrated good performance in achieving the PDP end-of-plan targets.

One can only hope that next year's StatDev 2022 would lead to better results. For now, economists and all Filipinos are waiting on results. "The Philippine Development Plan promised an economic transformation, and I should expect nothing less," Lanzona said.

Central Luzon LGUs commit support for ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’

By Zorayda Tecson and Marilyn Galang, PNA

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A wide array of agricultural products and other food items were put on sale on recently as local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon joined the nationwide launch of the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” (KNP).

T he LGUs committed to continuously support the program of the Marcos administration aimed at addressing the rising food

prices and giving farmers, fisherfolk and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) rent-free venues to sell their produce.

As early as 8 am, residents trooped to the KNP stores in the region’s seven provinces to buy fresh vegetables and processed goods at lower prices.

In N ueva Ecija, residents enjoyed savings as they bought lower-priced basic commodities, particularly rice, at the KNP booths set up at the provincial capitol compound in Cabanatuan City.

D r. Richard Simangan, provincial direc-

tor of the Department of Trade and Industry in the province, said the Kadiwa store was opened to farmers and small entrepreneurs so they could sell their respective products.

We gathered our farmers and micro and small enterprises to exhibit and sell their cheaper products,” Simangan said.

If we say cheaper, the price is not the same as what we can buy outside because our farmers brought their products directly from the field,” he said.

Evangelina Bergano, a vendor from Ba -

rangay Tabacao, Talavera, Nueva Ecija, offered meat and poultry products at PHP10 per kilo lower than the market price.

A nnie Lacero of the National Food Authority-Nueva Ecija Quality Assurance Unit said their agency has allocated 20 bags of rice that were sold at P25 per kilo, made possible by government subsidy.

In P ampanga, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with Governor Dennis Pineda, made rounds of the KNP stalls that showcased the province’s top products

such as chicharon (crispy pork rinds), tinapa (smoked fish), balot (fertilized duck egg), salted egg, lowland vegetables, and fruits.

Pineda said the President was happy to find out that the price of sugar was only P70 per kilo while the NFA rice was only P25 per kilo.

The sellers and exhibitors were thankful to the program that gave them an opportunity for the public to know their products,” the governor said.

I n Bulacan, 39 exhibitors participated in the event.

“ This is in support of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.’s vow to establish more ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’ centers in the country to help local producers earn a higher income by eliminating intermediaries and, at the same time, allow consumers to buy agricultural products and other goods at a lower price,” Governor Daniel Fernando said. K NP stalls were also set up in the provinces of Tarlac, Zambales and Aurora as the LGUs’ show of commitment to the program.  (PNA)

One of the key economic measures undertaken by the Maros administration is to increase interest rates as they could no longer ignore expensive food and non-food commodities. PHOTO BY ROY DOMINGO

DOST anchors programs on 4 pillars under Marcos admin

Science for Change

TO ACCELERATE STI and provide support for higher education institutions, research development institutions and industries, the DOST continues to implement the Science for Change Program. At least 10 projects with a total grant of P46.39 million were awarded from July 2022 to June 2023.

Food security

ON FOOD security, the DOSTattached agencies and offices have various programs focusing on making food available, safe, and healthy.

By Ma. Cristina Arayata, PNA

SINCE the start of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s administration, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has anchored its programs on four pillars -- promotion of human well-being; wealth creation; wealth protection and sustainability -- its chief said last week

At the onset of the new administration, the DOST has refocused its major programs to align with the socio economic agenda of the President," Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The DOST priority programs include: (1) job creation/regional development through science, technology, and innovation (STI), (2) food security, (3) health security, (4) water security and Environmental protection, (5) energy security, (6) transportation system, (7) climate and disaster resilience, (8) human resource development, (9) facility upgrading, (10) digital Transformation, and (11) smart and sustainable cities and communities.

On job creation, Solidum said some 6,962 jobs were created through the agency's Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) from July 2022 to March 2023.

Technology intervention

ASSISTANCE to 13,829 micro, small and medium enterprises includes technology interventions, with total funding reaching PHP565 million.

From 2022 to June 2023, at least 57 startups were approved for funding under the Startup Grant Program.

Further, to accelerate the growth of technology-based startups, Solidum said 10 technology business incubators were established in 2022 under the DOST's Technology Business Incubation Program.

The DOST chief added that the agency also assisted 48 enterprises owned by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and provided technical advisory and consultancy services to 397 migrant workers.

Some examples Solidum cited are the development of an innovative plant growth promoter using seaweed, cost-effective fertilizers, farm mechanization for rice, the revival of the coconut industry by producing more seedlings out of one through coconut somatic embryogenesis technology, and enhanced food products.

We also assist the Department of Agriculture and the industry in developing value chain models for food and selected agricultural products with supply chain maps and intervention options," he said.

Food Innovation Centers were established in different regions to enhance the capability of MSMEs in the food industry and improve the quality of their existing products as well as develop new ones.

To address recurrent surplus production of high-value food products, specifically fruits and vegetables, the DOST has a program for development of mobile modular food processing facilities. Five mobile modules were established in 2023. Identified surplus products for processing include banana in syrup and arroz caldo (retort processing module), mussels (frying module), dried fish (drying mod-

BARMM satisfied with administration’s handling of Mindanao peace process

By Edwin Fernandez, PNA

COTABATO CITY – The leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has expressed satisfaction with the way President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is handling the Mindanao peace process.

Andrew Alonto, director of the BARMM Bureau of Public Information, recalled that one of Marcos’ earliest actions in the region was the appointment of the new set of Members of Parliament. Alonto was referring to the President’s adherence to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

“A clear indication the President is faithful

2K INFRA PROJECTS COMPLETED IN BICOL DURING 1ST YEAR OF MARCOS ADMINISTRATION

ule), and carrot and tomato (drying module)," Solidum said.

Health security

IN TERMS of health security, on the other hand, Solidum said the DOST continues to deploy RxBox across the country. An RxBox is a biomedical device capable of measuring a patient’s temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, uterine contractions, and electrocardiogram readings.

DOST's Omic Technologies for Health Program aims at the development of personalized/precision medicine, diagnostics, therapeutics, and other technologies, and as support to health and clinical practice guidelines and policies in the country.

We have harnessed omics technology to investigate Alzheimer's disease, TB-HIV coinfection, and human papillomavirus through molecular epidemiology, identification of biomarkers, analysis of microbial communities (microbiome), and pharmacogenetic studies," said Solidum.

Regarding energy security, the DOST has been exploring the potential use of waste-to-energy technology to achieve energy independence and environmental sustainability.

Just this month, the DOST, in cooperation with the Department of Energy, opened the Fuel Cell R&D and Testing Center in Western Visayas. This facility aims to address issues on energy security.

Scholarship grants for science, technology, engineering and mathematics students, meanwhile, reached 37,515 undergraduates for SY 2022-2023. A total of 2,893 scholarships were also provided to master's and doctoral students.

Solidum said the DOST will continue pushing for the 11 priority programs anchored on four pillars. (PNA)

By Connie Calipay, PNA

LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways in Bicol (DPWH-5) has completed more than 2,000 infrastructure projects during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s first year in service across the region.

I n an interview last July 19, Lucy Castañeda, DPWH5 spokesperson, said a total of 2,077 projects in their 17 implementing offices were constructed through the "Build Better More" program of the Marcos administration.

Manila. We are already planning on showcasing multiple cultural presentations in the coming months starring different community-based groups. We hope to rediscover the pride in us Sorsogonanons, through stage production and performances," Gando said.

to what is stated in the CAB and BOL – that the transition period shall be MILF led,” Alonto said in a recent interview. “No doubt the BARMM leadership is satisfied with the current administration of President Marcos.”

Continuous progress

ALONTO added that they see the continuous progress in the implementation of the provisions of the agreement, like the Intergovernmental Relations Body.

He also noted that Marcos supports the immediate return of a Department of Foreign Affairs office in Cotabato City and the establishment of the Professional Regulatory Commission in the region.

“Just recently, we also witnessed how President Marcos supports the signing of a

circular on Intergovernmental Energy Board, allowing us to jointly award Petroleum Service Contracts and Coal Operating Contracts in BARMM,” Alonto said.

In the political landscape, the official said Marcos "also excellently and competently" managed the situation in the division of Maguindanao province.

“It was very problematic at first but through the supportive intervention of the President, issues were ironed out peacefully,” he said.

IT’S also noteworthy to remember that the President personally visited BARMM in November days after Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, which damaged many communities in BARMM.

Alonto also noted that it was unprecedented that the President has repeatedly invited

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim in Malacañang to grace important events.

Touching the hearts of the Bangsamoro

Bai Maleiha Candao, a parliamentarian at the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), echoed Alonto’s statement, saying Marcos has truly touched the hearts of the people for continuing the cause of peace in the region.

I was amazed by the way he stood up for the Bangsamoro Muslims when he welcomed with sincerity the leaders of the BARMM headed by Chief Minister Ebrahim in Manila recently,” she said.

She said the President showed he is a true leader who looks beyond history and continued the task left by former president Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Alhamdullilah (Praise be to the God). I can feel the sincerity of President Marcos and I want to thank him from my heart for his support to our leaders of the BARMM and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” Candao said. (PNA)

Free medical services closer to Filipinos via LAB for ALL

By Ma. Teresa Montemayor, PNA

AYEAR after President Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. vowed to bring the health care system closer to the people, the Department of Health (DOH) under his administration ensured the establishment of accessible hospitals and health centers in rural communities and the provision of medical services.

Last May 16, First Lady Liza AranetaMarcos launched the "Libreng Laboratoryo, Konsulta, at Gamot Para sa Lahat" or LAB for ALL caravan at the Dreamzone Capitol in Batangas.

The initiative aims to provide free laboratory services, free x-ray, free consultation with specialists and free medicines for the Filipino community.

After its launch, the LAB for ALL caravans is being conducted every Tuesday not only in Batangas but also in Baguio City, Bulacan, Tarlac, Laguna, Pampanga, and Zambales.

The caravans are made possible by the DOH’s partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of

Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Food and Drug Administration, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc., and Sagip Party-list among others.

The PCSO donated two ambulances for the LAB for ALL initiative.

Apart from providing medical services, the caravans also promote as venues for the promotion of the DOH's programs and services in line with the President's goal to establish a productive community by first creating a healthy community.

Catheterization Laboratory

Residents of Central Luzon needing the services of interventional cardiac procedures and noncardiac procedures under interventional radiology (both vascular and non-vascular) no longer have to travel to Manila.

This is after a new CathLab at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital in San Fer-

nando, Pampanga opened on March 24.

Its construction was made possible through the Health Facilities Enhancement Program and in coordination with provincial and local government units.

The construction fund was taken out of the P1 billion budget given to the hospital in 2013 for the completion of its equipment and buildings.

It was completed in 120 days so it can immediately cater to all diseases faced by the patients in the region.

Clark Multi Specialty Medical Center (CMSMC)

The DOH also started the construction of the CMSMC on July 17.

Equipped with cutting-edge facilities, the CMSMC aims to provide topnotch medical care to its patients through a comprehensive range of specialized departments, including heart, kidney, cancer, and pediatric centers.

The soon-to-rise center is a result of collaboration between the DOH, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the

Clark Development Corporation, Pampanga local government units and in partnership with the private sector like the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc.

The DOH considers the CMSMC a pioneering catalyst for transformative change in establishing specialized medical centers nationwide as it provides improved accessibility to advanced medical services.

Other specialty hospitals

To ensure that Filipinos nationwide receive specialized medical care, the President signed Executive Order No. 19, series of 2023, directing the establishment of the Philippine Heart Center Annex in the Clark Freeport Zone last March 10. Moreover, the Cancer Institute and Oxygen Generating Plant of Cotabato Regional and Medical Center was inaugurated on June 22 this year. The oxygen-generating plant aims to provide local hospitals with sufficient supplies of medical oxygen which significantly increased in price when the Covid-19 pandemic started. (PNA)

The finished projects are now providing necessary facilities that ensure safe and convenience to Bicolanos. The completed projects were from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. There were flood mitigation structures, farm-to-market roads, access roads, tourism destinations, school buildings, local bridges, multi-purpose buildings and structures," Castañeda said.

S he said DPWH-Bicol will continue to do its best to deliver more significant projects for the region.

Concrete road

IN MASBATE, Baby Joy Mesa, a senior high school student in Aroroy town, said because of the construction of a concrete road in their area that was completed on Sept. 5, 2022, students from far barangays now have easier access to schools.

With this project, more vehicles can now travel in our area. Before it was all muddy when it rained but now it's already cemented so we feel safe," Mesa said in a statement.

A flood control project in Buenavista River, Barangay Magsaysay in Uson, Masbate gives Ester M. Oliva a feeling of relief since they will no longer experience floods.

" This project is of great help because before, this area is prone to flooding. When the project was completed, we no longer experienced flooding, even if it was raining," she said.

Multipurpose building IN SORSOGON, William Gando, Sorsogon City Schools Division Superintendent, thanked the Marcos administration for constructing the Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts as well as a multipurpose building.

This edifice will help us promote cultural awareness among our learners, from kindergarten to senior high school. It is the first of a kind outside of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Metro

A road that gives access to different tourism sites in Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon has increased the number of tourist arrivals.

R eno Lozano, the town's tourism coordinator, said more people are now visiting scenic spots and heading to different beaches and resorts.

The number of travelers and tourists has doubled. We are very grateful to the national government and the DPWH Sorsogon 2nd District for effecting this road project," Lozano said.

No more fear

IN ALBAY, Alan Secopito, chairperson of Barangay San Agustin in Libon town, said the construction of a flood control project has taken away the residents' fears during heavy rains.

The residents have peace of mind especially when there is a calamity since our barangay is constantly flooded. We now have protection, especially during periods when water levels are high. We wish that the construction of flood control in the remaining parts of our barangay will continue to avoid flooding," he said.

Meanwhile, in Basud, Camarines Norte, Erwin Ponayo, Poblacion barangay captain, thanked DPWH for the flood control project that has prevented landslides and floodings in their area.

A road widening project in Camarines Sur, on the other hand, provides help to commuters such as Dorothy Punongbayan. "The road widening in Pamplona was really a big help for us regular commuters going to and from our works in the city and even taking our children to school," she said.

I n a statement, DPWH-

5 (Bicol) Regional Director Virgilio C. Eduarte said the different projects align with the department's mandate to provide quality infrastructure facilities and services responsive to the needs of the people. (PNA)

AMID A HARVEST OF AWARDS, YOUR SUPPORT COUNTS MOST

THE pandemic tested the media industry, forcing newsrooms around the world to overhaul the way they do their job while following strict health protocols in order to survive a deadly infection.

The BusinessMirror, the country’s premier national business daily, was tested like everyone else, and survived, even continuing to live up to its promise to provide a broader look at today’s business.

In November 2021, the business broadsheet was recognized as the “Business News Source of the Year” for 2020 by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap), the country’s premier organization of business reporters, editors and wire agencies. It was a 4-peat for BM, having gotten the same honors for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.

And, as in the past Ejap awards, it also swept half of the individual categories, with its seasoned reporters adjudged as best in their respective coverages.

Earlier in 2021, the BusinessMirror was given the Pro Patria Award by the Rotary Club of Manila, for “its commitment of valuable resources for the protection of free expression and its resilience in disseminating fair and truthful information resulting in an informed and enlightened citizenry.”

It was just the latest recognition from the prestigious Rotary Club, which named it “Business Newspaper of the Year” for 2018-2019, and again in 2020. In all, it has received six top

Rotary journalism awards in its short 16-year existence.

The BusinessMirror has also consistently reaped top awards in the Brightleaf Journalism Awards for Agriculture and the Philippine Agricultural Journalists-San Miguel Corp. (PAJ-SMC) Binhi Awards, also for the best in agriculture journalism.

The BusinessMirror was also repeatedly adjudged the leading daily in biotechnology journalism, a recognition bestowed by the Jose G. Burgos Jr. Biotechnology Journalism Awards.

T he “broader look” mantra also drew recognition from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which named the BusinessMirror, at its first awards rites in 2018, as the inaugural “Data Champion.”

In the first “Bantog Science for the People” awards for media from the Department of Science and Technology, the BusinessMirror got the top award for the Institution category for Print; and the grand prize in the individual category for science journalist Stephanie Tumampos.

In 2018, Environment Reporter Jonathan Mayuga received the Luntiang Aligato award from the Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore.

T he Broader Look at biodiversity was also recognized. It was named among the Asean Champions of

Biodiversity, for the Media Category, by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity.

T he Broader Look also extended to the paper’s corporate social responsibility. It organized and staged the first-ever recognition rites for the best of the Philippines’s friends in the world, with the “MISSION PHILIPPINES: The BusinessMirror Envoys & Expats Awards.” The initiative won a Gold Anvil in 2019.

Distinguished institutions in government have also repeatedly recognized the BusinessMirror’s role in spreading the word about the work they do—information that shines a light on good governance and committed public service to uplift people’s hopes. Most notably, these are the Social Security System and Pag-IBIG Fund. Sixteen years, two of them in a pandemic, have tested the promise of a Broader Look. But they are also a measure of the unstinting support of friends—advertisers and news sources alike—and readers who continue to believe in that promise.

THANK

YOU, EVERYONE. YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT TROPHY.