BusinessMirror July 26, 2023

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE state raked in almost P2 trillion in revenues in the first half, growing by 7.7 percent on an annualized rate on the back of improving economic conditions and more efficient collections by government agencies.

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the national government’s revenues from January to June reached P1.9 trillion, 7.7 percent or about P133 billion higher than the P1.767 trillion recorded amount in the same period of last year.

Diokno reported that the national government’s tax collections grew by 7.5 percent year-onyear while non-tax collections rose by 9.1 percent.

“Our stellar performance was the result of higher economic activity and efficiency gains from the digital transformation of our revenue agencies,” he said at the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Philippine Economic Briefing on Tuesday.

Diokno explained that the digitalization efforts of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs (BOC) allowed the bureaus to “maximize” the national government’s revenue potential, simplify taxpayer compliance and improve ease of doing business.

“Now, sustaining revenue collection requires a simpler, fairer and more efficient tax system reinforced by a combination of tax policy and tax administration measures,” he said.

The state’s five-month revenue collection is now 50.95 percent of its target earnings of P3.729 trillion this year.

See “Digitalization,” A2

BSP tracks Fed’s next move, but inflation data watched

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pili -

pinas (BSP) expects the United States Federal Reserve to do two more increases in interest rates before pausing, which will be considered in its next policy rate meeting.

However, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. stressed that other data will be considered such as the rate of inflation and the growth of the Philippine economy.

Nonetheless, Dakila said, the BSP still believes inflation would continue to slow to 2.9 percent

next year, which is within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

“The environment today is very different from what we saw in the third quarter of last year when the Fed was just beginning to undertake a series of very aggressive policy actions. And right now, the market is seeing that perhaps, the Fed will do two more before pausing,” Dakila said.

“It’s a different situation with respect to the Fed, and very importantly, it’s a different situation with respect to the outlook on inflation for us, for the Philippines,” he added.

See “BSP,” A2

FINANCE Secretary Ben -

Tuesday said he is amenable to hiking the government’s budget deficit ceiling if it is “necessary” to sustain the government’s infrastructure programs and projects.

This, as he disclosed that the national government must continue to build infrastructure for the next 20 years.

Diokno expressed openness to increase the budget deficit ceiling of the national government if it is in line with the goal of sustaining the country’s infrastructure projects.

“I think once you start a project, you’ve got to make sure that you finish that project, okay. And therefore, when you make a plan, it’s not going to be a straight line because there will be some adjustments along the way, and so I’m willing to maybe increase the deficit, if necessary, as long as we can continue our infrastructure projects,” he said during the Post-State of the Nation Address Philippine Economic Briefing on Tuesday.

Diokno was asked on how

See “DOF,” A2

REPRESENTATIVES from government agencies (from left) moderator Margaux Marie Salcedo, Communications Undersecretary at the Department of Budget and Management; Budget Undersecretary Joselito Basilio; Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan; Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno; BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. and Antonio Lambino, BSP managing director for strategic communication, engage in post-SONA discussions at the Philippine Economic Briefing held on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at the PICC in Pasay City. It came a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address, outlined reforms of his administration to boost the economy following the pandemic. He cited last year’s 7.6-percent economic growth rate, which he said was the country’s highest in 46 years despite weak prospects worldwide. Storiesfromthepost-Sonabriefingbelow NONIE REYES

PHL still Asia’s BPO engine, but down in offshoring rank

By Dennis D. Estopace

DOF.

Continued from A1

open he is to the possibility of allowing a slightly higher than 3-percent national government budget deficit goal in light of the possibility of multiple external economic headwinds.

The current administration is eyeing to slash the national government’s budget deficit to just 3 percent of the country’s GDP from 7.3 percent last year.

The report by the global management consulting firm noted that the Philippines continues to be the business process outsourcing (BPO) engine of Asia: it is home to more than 1,000 BPO companies with nearly 1.2 million employees.

“However, it slipped three spots in this year’s GSLI [Global Services Location Index] [from nine to 12], primarily because of the rise of Mexico and Colombia as nearshore capability centers with proximity to the United States,” a statement from Kearney read.

Kearney’s 2023 GSLI “stud -

ies the critical factors that make countries attractive as potential locations for offshore services.” The firm said the index helps companies and government institutions understand and compare the factors that make countries attractive as potential locations for offshoring.

“In an era of rapidly evolving global business landscapes, business services like information technology, BPO and engineering are increasingly being delivered across borders as companies seek to reduce costs, scale talent and

increase efficiency by utilizing the global talent base,” Kearney’s statement read. “In the current climate, Asia Pacific [APAC] markets shine as potential offshore service destinations, with India, China and Malaysia continuing to lead the index as the top three destinations respectively.”

Kearney said its GSLI ranks 78 countries based on 52 metrics that cover four dimensions that include: financial attractiveness; people skill and availability; business environment; and, digital resonance.

Kearney said that with the growing demand for technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and automation, the demand for a skilled workforce in the Philippines is also growing.

“To seize this opportunity, the [Philippine] government offers the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and a wide range of courses in the BPO sector—from basic customer service to more specialized knowledge such as data analysis and cloud computing,” Kearney said.

The firm noted the establishment last year of a $100-million data center by Digital Edge Ltd. Kearney said this data center is expected to help “bridge the digital divide in Southeast Asia’s most dynamic countries.”

The Philippines, nonetheless, belongs to APAC countries in the top 15 that include Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. All these countries, to note, are in the top 10 with Singapore jumping 24 ranks from 38th to 14th in this year’s rank.

Kearney said Singapore marked  the highest leap by any country included in the GSLI.

Digitalization. . .

Continued from A1

Last month, Diokno expressed optimism that the national government would surpass its revenue target this year given the sustained growth in revenue collections by the national government.

Earlier this month, the BOC reported that its first-half revenue collections rose by 9.43 percent year-on-year to over P430 billion, buoyed by a weaker Philippine peso amid a drop in import volume. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/07/06/weaker-peso-trumps-import-dip-boc-h1-take-up-9-4/)

Continued from A1

Dakila said in the third quarter of last year, inflation was still increasing and food prices caused inflation to peak at 8.7 percent in January 2023. Inflation has since eased to 5.4 percent in June 2023.

“Our challenge now is inflation. Fortunately, the BSP’s inflation-targeting framework has served us well in the face of unusual supply shocks. We continue to focus on our mandate of price stability and have dedicated our resources and attention in pursuit of this goal,” BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said in a video message on Tuesday.

“Our models tell us that inflation will be within the target range of 2 to 4 percent by the 4th quarter of 2023. This is the range that we think is ideal for an economy like the Philippines when it is growing at full capacity,” he added.

BSP also has other tools to ensure that inflation is kept at bay, he said. This now includes the introduction of the 56-day BSP bills.

The 56-day BSP Bill, which is an additional tenor under the BSP Securities Facility, will be offered alongside the 28-day BSP Bill.

BSP earlier said the 56-day BSP Bill increases its flexibility to respond to changing liquidity conditions while providing additional guidance to short-term market interest rates.

However, last week, BSP said the 28-day and 56-day tenors were undersubscribed. The BSP maintained its total volume offering for the BSP Bill auction at P160 billion, with the allocation between the 28-day and 56-day tenors also retained at P120 billion and P40 billion, respectively.

“What’s good is that we have a number of improvements that we have introduced into our policy instruments that enhance the transmission of these instruments to the market interest rates including the introduction of 56-day BSP Bill,” Dakila said.

“Pretty soon, we will be moving to a variable rate auction for the reverse repurchase [RRP]and all of this will serve to manage any reactions by the market in the interim between those two policy decisions,” he added.

Diokno explained that infrastructure spending remains a top priority of the government, since slowing it down “will only have negative consequences.”

“Like there will be many unfinished projects and you prolong the completion of some projects which would then change the calculation on that net percent value, the internal rate of return and so forth and so on,” he said.

Diokno reiterated that incurring a budget deficit because of infrastructure spending is a “good way” to have a deficit because infrastructure projects allow the economy to grow.

The national government’s budget deficit in May declined by 16.73 percent to P122.2 billion from P146.8 billion in the same month of last year as state revenues outpaced spending, according to the Bureau of the Treasury. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/06/28/ng-may-budget-gap-dips-16-7/)

This year, the national government expects a budget deficit of nearly P1.5 trillion, or about 6.1 percent of the country’s GDP. Meanwhile, the national government plans to sustain its infrastructure spending between 5 percent and 6 percent until 2028. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

DICT ramps up govt digital transformation initiatives

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ramping up the digital transformation initiatives in the government, as it heeds the call of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring critical services closer to Filipinos.

A day after the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the ICT Secretary Ivan Uy said the agency is committed to “accelerate the implementation of its flagship connectivity projects.”

This includes the Broadband ng Masa Program, which integrated the National Broadband Project and the Free WiFi Project into one “comprehensive program.”

“With respect to the National Broadband aspect, we have actually been able to connect Baler from Aurora to Poroc Point in La Union—that will be live probably next month. Then for the Luzon connection from the north, from Ilocos down to Quezon City, we’re projecting that by the end of the year that should be live,” Uy said.

He noted that the DICT is now working towards the utilization of low-orbit satellite connectivity to provide geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) Internet connectivity.

“We now have more options. In the past connecting remote islands and mountain communities has been rather difficult, most modalities are expensive and require the construction of towers, which could be affected by adverse weather, or submarine cables to connect remote islands. With satellite technology, we could bring the cost down significantly while bringing the quality up,” Uy said.

The ICT chief vowed to “redouble” the agency’s efforts to bring reliable broadband connectivity across the Philippine islands.

“Because of the wider options of technology that’s available and because of policy and regulatory changes that we implemented, we do look forward to an increased ability to deploy connectivity at much lower costs and much better reliability across the islands,” Uy said.

The ICT agency will also work with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) to identify public areas that need connectivity.

“We’re working together to identify the ports and areas where there will be a need to improve digital connectivity, especially for our tourism areas; our airports, seaports, and transport terminals,” Uy said.

In the enterprise space, Uy said the government expects data center capacity in the Philippines to quintuple by 2025.

“In the next two years, we project at least a 500-percent increase in data center capacity. Hyperscalers are looking at the Philippines as an ideal location for them to host,” he said.

The ICT chief also committed to using AI to “oil the engine” of the economy as well as to leverage data to make smart, scientific decisions and policies.

Marcos said during his Sona that digital transformation remains a priority for his administration, calling on government agencies and local government units to “fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people.”

WHILE the Philippines remain among the top 12 countries attractive as potential locations for offshoring services, it may be losing to its Asian neighbors, a report by Kearney Inc. revealed.

PBBM accepts resignation of three police generals, 15 others in illegal drugs probe

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

A statement issued by the Presidential Communications Office on Tuesday said the police officials tendered their resignation pending the investigation being conducted by the Ad Hoc Advisory Group tasked to determine if the 953 Third Level Officers of PNP are engaged in drug trafficking.

Among those who resigned were Police Brig. Gen. Remus Balingasa Medina, Brig. Gen. Randy Quines Peralta, Brig. Gen. Pablo Gacayan Labra II, Police Col. ogarth Bulalacao Campo, Col. Rommel Javier Ochave, Col. Rommel Allaga Velasco, Col. Robin King Sarmiento, Col. Fernando Reyes Ortega,

and Col. Rex Ordoño Derilo.

The other affected police officials, who left PNP, were Col. Julian Tesorero Olonan, Col. Rolando Tapon Portera, Col. Lawrence Bonifacio Cajipe, Col. Dario Milagrosa Menor, Col. Joel Kagayed Tampis, Col. Michael Arcillas David, Col. Igmedio Belonio Bernaldez, Col. Rodolfo Calope Albotra Jr., and Col. Marvin Barba Sanchez.

In his letter addressed to the President, PNP Chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the order for the relief of the said resigned officers will be immediately executed and they will be assigned to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit to ensure they may not be able to use their position in PNP for illegal activities.

He also noted the said officials are still being monitored even after their resignation.

In an interview with reporters last Tuesday, Interior Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos Jr. clarified the resignation of the said officials will take effect once they receive the official communication that their resignation was accepted by the President.

He also pointed out the Department of the Interior and Local Government is studying the possibility of filing charges against the said police officials and if they could still be able to avail of their separation benefits.

During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, Marcos said he is determined to clean up the ranks of PNP as part of his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

He vowed he would be accepting the resignation of PNP officials, who were involved in the drug trade.

House vows to support PBBM’s fight vs smugglers, hoarders of agri products

THE House of Representatives said on Tuesday vowed to wield its legislative power to help the government’s “war” against smugglers of agricultural products.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the lower chamber strongly backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s war against the smuggling and hoarding of rice and other agricultural products.

“We share the President’s anger and frustration with smuggling, hoarding, and price manipulation. We will redouble our efforts to stop the smuggling and hoarding of rice, sugar, onions, garlic, and vegetables, which harms our farmers’ competitiveness and disrupts the agricultural value chain,” said Romualdez.

“We in Congress will help the President prevent the increase in the price of basic goods. We will do everything we can in this

mission,” Romualdez said.

The House leader reiterated the President’s warning that the days of smugglers, hoarders, and price manipulators are now numbered.

“We shall safeguard the interests of our farmers and our people in general, ensure equitable market conditions, and foster sustainable farming methods to guarantee our nation’s food security,” he said.

The Speaker noted that under President Marcos, the agriculture sector has started to flourish, even as vowed that the House would continue to monitor consumer prices.

“We will continually check on prices, especially of staples like rice, vegetables, meat, onions, and garlic, to protect our people from hoarding, price manipulation, unreasonable price increases, and other practices in restraint of trade that hamper competition,”

Speaker Romualdez said.

“That is part of our oversight function. We have the appropriate tools to carry this out, including conducting follow-up hearings and summoning suspected hoarders, smugglers, and cartel leaders if needed. We will not shirk from our duty to help our people,” he said.

The Speaker called on concerned departments and other state offices and banks to assist farmers in obtaining technology, funding, equipment, and inputs to improve their harvest and boost the supply of agricultural products.

“Needless to say, if there is sufficient supply, it would not be profitable for traders to resort to hoarding and similar anti-competitive activities,” he stressed.

The President vented his anger at smugglers and hoarders in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

SIM card registration target now on track–DICT chief

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE buzzer has beaten for existing telco subscribers to register their SIMs, and those that did not make it will have their telco services cut in five days, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said on Tuesday.

A t otal of 105.9 million SIMs were registered as of Monday, the latest data from the regulatory body showed, representing 70 percent of the total active SIM cards in the Philippines.

D epartment of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary

Ivan Uy noted that he is already satisfied with the outcome of the SIM registration initiatives, explaining that this number represents legitimate users.

O f the 105.9 million successful SIM registrations, Smart Communications Inc. had 50.0 million, Globe Telecom Inc. had 48.4 million and Dito Telecommunity Corp. had 7.5 million.

SIM registration was extended from April 26 to July 25 after a relatively low turnout before the deadline. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Registration law last year, triggering the requirement that started in late December.

The NTC reiterated to the public that there “will no longer be any further extension in the deadline to register active SIMs.”

The Chief Executive said the government will go after smugglers and hoarders of agricultural commodities that unreasonably jack up prices, stressing that their days are numbered.

For his part, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Elizaldy Co of the Ako Bicol Party List expressed his unwavering support for the priority bills, particularly the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

“Agriculture has always been the backbone of the Philippines, and measures must be taken to protect and promote the interests of our hardworking farmers and fisherfolk. The proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act are crucial in safeguarding our local agricultural industries from unfair competition and ensuring the prosperity of our rural communities,” said Co.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

PBBM spells out goals in Malaysia state visit

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on

Tuesday said he is aiming to establish a booming halal industry through new partnerships in Malaysia.

“ Malaysia is one of the global leaders in this sector and this visit aims to forge synergies with Malaysia for the Philippines to enjoy a share of this market,” the Chief Executive said in his departure speech at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

H e noted the industry would allow the country to boost its international trade.

“The Halal Industry is expected to grow into a trillion-dollar industry in the

international market as its global demand continues to expand,” Marcos said.

Last April , the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) disclosed it is still developing Philippine Halal Development Plan as mandated by Republic Act No. 10817 or the Halal Export Development and Promotion Act to take advantage of the said growing industry.

T he President is currently in Malaysia for a State Visit from July 25, Tuesday to 27, Thursday.

During the visit, Marcos said he will meet with Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah and

Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

H e said he would pursue areas of cooperation on Halal Industry, Islamic Banking, agriculture and food security, digital economy, tourism, and people-topeople exchanges.

“Building on past successes, this State Visit to Malaysia aims to identify new areas of synergies that can propel our partnership and serve as a roadmap for our respective agencies to work on for the mutual benefit of both our countries and the peoples of the new century,” Marcos said.

Also par t of his itinerary is his meeting with the Filipino community as well as with Malaysian businessmen through an investment forum organized by DTI.

“ We will build new bridges between our economies and create inroads to new ventures that will see our bilateral trade volumes and investments increase,” Marcos said.

T he additional investments, he said, will help generate more local jobs to provide current or aspiring overseas Filipino workers alternative employment opportunities.

Samuel P. Medenilla

Sen. Poe pushes passage of water resources bill

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

BUOYED by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s endorsement of the Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM), Senator Grace Poe prodded her peers Tuesday for Congress to frontload timely passage of its enabling legislation in the lawmakers’ priority agenda, as the Senate and the House buckled down to work following the President’s delivery of his traditional State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday.

The call for a Water Department comes amid frantic efforts by various agencies, and the two major private water concessionaires, to “address a water crisis that many fear might repeat a 2019 scenario of months of waterless days for many big communities.” “Let us seize the moment stirred by the President’s marching orders to finally pass the Department of Water Resources Management bill.”

In a statement, Poe pointed out “water deserves serious focus and consolidated effort,” stressing that “we must act before the crisis exacerbates.” Moreover, she stressed the urgency of

pushing timely passage of the remedial legislation, adding “we hope the push for a Water Department law can take a step forward with an urgent certification from the President.”

While President Marcos did not say in his SONA if he will certify the water bill, he laid down “the importance of a comprehensive approach to the recurring problem of sourcing new water supplies, allocating water, and anticipating issues that could jeopardize the system.”

Marcos added, ”Ang tubig ay kasinghalaga rin ng pagkain. Kailangan nating

tiyakin na may sapat at malinis na tubig parasalahatatsamgasusunodnasalinlahi. Kasamanaritoangtubignaginagamitnatin para sa sakahan.”

Considering its fundamental importance, water security deserves a special focus, Poe pointed out “our efforts must not be scattershot, but rather, cohesive, centralized, and systematic.”

Given that urgency, Poe pressed “the need to have created the Water Resources Management Office to specifically handle the delicate job involving this most precious resource.”

We are on target, although our original target was 160 million more or less—that was 160 million of active SIM cards that were sold. We all know that a large portion of that were used for telemarketing or scamming. Realistically, we’re looking at 70 percent. If we look at SIM card registrations from other countries, about 70 percent are legitimate. So we were expecting between 100 million to 110 million revenue generating SIM cards. So at 105 million, we are on target,” he said.

T he NTC noted that public telecommunication entities reported “that almost all of their SIMs with active users have already registered.”

Failure to register SIMs by 11:59 p.m. of July 25 will result in the deactivation of telecommunication and mobile data services including social media access, except for the purpose of having these unregistered SIMs reactivated, but only up to July 30. Access to online banking and other online financial transaction/facility shall also be deactivated. By July 31, all unregistered SIMs will be permanently deactivated and can no longer be reactivated/registered,” the NTC said.

For his part, Uy noted that reactivation of SIM cards is a “more tedious process,” calling on Filipinos to not sell their registered SIM cards to other people.

“Do not sell your credentials. We received reports and arrested some groups in possession of SIM cards that have been registered by people and they sell those SIM cards to criminal organizations that have been used for scamming,” he said.

House vows to pass SONA 2023 priority measures until December

HOUSE leaders on Tuesday expressed confidence the lower chamber would wrap up the final approval of SONA 2023 priority measures before the yearend—four before the congressional recess in October and the other six in December.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said he has already approved on third and final reading seven of the 17 priority measures that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. requested Congress to pass in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.

“I am extremely confident that the House of Representatives would again rise up to the occasion and accept the challenge from our President: to pass the 17 priority measures needed to sustain our economic recovery and improve the living condition of our people,” Speaker Romualdez said.

The list of 17 SONA priority measures, he noted, does not include the proposed 2024 national budget, which the Executive department will submit to Congress sometime next month.

Romualde z explained the House may need to work double time in order to meet their self-imposed deadline of approving the 2024 appropriations bill as well as the 17 SONA priority measures before the end of the year 2023.

The seven SONA priority measures that were already approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading are: House Bill No. 4102 or Single-Use Plastic Bags Tax Act; House Bill No. 4122 or An Act Imposing Value-Added Tax on Digital Transactions; House Bill No. 6716 or An Act Mandating the Establishment of Fisherfolk Resettlement Areas by the Department of Agriculture; Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Local Government Units; House Bill No. 7393 or Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act; House Bill No. 7006 or Automatic Income Classification Act for Local Government Units; House Bill No. 8203 or Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act and House Bill No. 4125 or Ease of Paying Taxes Act.

The four SONA priority measures for approval by October are: Anti-Agricultural Smuggling; Amendments to the Cooperative Code; Tatak Pinoy and Blue Economy.

The six remaining priority measures for approval by December are: Motor Vehicle User’s Charge; Military and Uniformed Personnel

(MUP) Pension; Revised Procurement Law; New Government Auditing Code; Rationalization of Mining Fiscal Regime and National Water Act. House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Elizaldy Co has firmly supported these priority bills as they align closely with his vision of fostering economic growth, strengthening the agricultural sector, and empowering the Filipino people.

Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act: Amendments of the BOT Law/ PPP bill: Public-Private Partnerships [PPP] play a vital role in driving infrastructure development and economic progress in the country. I recognize the importance of enhancing the BOT Law to streamline PPP processes and attract more private investments, ultimately benefiting the Filipino populace through improved infrastructure and services,” emphasized Co. “I firmly believe in the potential of these priority bills to drive our nation forward and uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos. As a public servant, I recognize the urgency and significance of these bills, and I pledge to actively participate in legislative discussions, build consensus, and advocate for the adoption of these crucial measures,” said Co. For his part, C amarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte sought full support from the Congress and the public for Marcos’ plan to sustain and even level up public investments in six priority areas to fulfill his 2022 campaign.

V illafuerte said “higher spending on the President’s six priority concerns— infrastructure, food security, job generation, health care, education and social protection for the poor and other vulnerable sectors— will let the Chief Executive deliver on his goal that—in Mr. Marcos’ own words in his second SONA—Sa ating pagtahak sa kaunlaran, walang mamamayang Pilipino angmaiiwanan.”

He called on his fellow lawmakers in both the House and the Senate to support the passage of the 17 measures that the President endorsed for urgent action in his second SONA, of which 10 are new ones that are not on the expanded list of 44 priority bills that the Chief Executive and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) had drawn up after he assumed office last year.

This has brought the number of priority bills at the start of the Congress’ second regular session to 54 Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has accepted the resignation of 18 Philippine National Police (PNP) officials allegedly involved in illegal drug activities.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

DBM chief: ₧5.768-trillion 2024 NEP submitted to PBBM a day after SONA

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE proposed record-high P5.768-trillion 2024 national expenditure program (NEP) is now on the table of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ahead of the submission of the budget proposal to the Congress next week.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it turned over the 2024 NEP to Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, a day after the Chief Executive’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The NEP was personally received by the President himself before he flew for his State Visit to Malaysia.

“We will present this to Congress, we will defend the President’s budget as much as we can,” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said.

“Our [national] budget is a budget that is responsive to the pressing issues that we have now.

Pangandaman added.

Pangandaman said the 2024 NEP would be submitted to the House of Representatives on August 2. Pangandaman reiterated her optimism that next year’s budget proposal would be approved faster than this year’s budget.

“I’m hopeful that it would be faster, because last year, when we

submitted the NEP it was one week before the deadline,” she said.

“The proposed national budget will continue to prioritize expenditure items that promote social and economic transformation through infrastructure development, food security, digital transformation, and human capital development,” she added.

Under the Constitution, the national budget must be submitted to Congress within 30 days following the President’s SONA.

In a separate statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the budget allocations from certain sectors were further increased compared to their funding as presented

DOJ affirms legality of insurance policy procurement for OFWs on G2G deals

each worker hired.

during the previous Cabinet meeting.

Citing the finalized NEP, the PCO said the education sector next year has a proposed budget of P924.7 billion, while the public works and health would get P822.2 billion and P306.1 billion, respectively. The transportation sector has a proposed budget of P214.3 billion.

“With the 2024 expenditure program, the government aims to continue strengthening the purchasing power of Filipinos; reducing vulnerability and mitigating scarring from the Covid-19 pandemic; and ensuring sound macroeconomic fundamentals,” the PCO said on Tuesday.

DTI issues revised price guide for school supplies

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

AS the new school year starts, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned consumers that global costs have increased the prices of some school supplies.

DTI data contained in the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies aim to assist consumers in their purchase of school items. The Price Act (RA7581) classifies school supplies as Prime Commodities.

“While prices of some products have remained unaffected by recent market trends, other school supplies saw price increases. This is primarily due to increased global cost of basic raw materials,”

DTI Consumer Protection Group (CPG)

Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo said.

The price guide includes specific brands of notebooks (composition, spiral, and writing), pad paper (Grades 1-4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.

B ased on the data from DTI, buying one notebook, intermediate pad, pencil, ballpen, box of crayons, eraser, sharpener, and ruler had a combined minimum cost of P152.25.

As of July 2023, notebook prices range from P23 and P52; Grades 1-4 pad paper prices, P21 and P28; intermediate pad paper costs between P31 and P48.75.

DTI said prices of writing materials such as pencils and ballpoint pens range between P11 and P17, and P9.75 and P19, respectively.

Depending on the brand, consumers may purchase a box of crayons with eight colors for as low as P12 to as high as P34. A 12-color pack costs P32.00, while the price of a 16-color pack varies from P24 to P69. Meanwhile, an eraser at small, medium, and large sizes, has a price range from P4.50 to P20. Sharpeners are priced between P18 and P69 while the price range of rulers is between P22 and P27.75.

Atty. M. Marcus N. Valdez II, Director of the DTI Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau, emphasized, “The DTI is closely coordinating with the manufacturers of school supplies to ensure that prices are reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market.”

The Gabay sa Pamimili ng School

Supplies was published on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The public may access the SRP Bulletin for school supplies via the DTI website.

The DTI remains committed to its mandate of promoting fair trade practices and safeguarding consumer welfare.

After two years of using various learning modalities, schools began conducting face-to-face classes last year while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently lifted the State of Public Health Emergency nationwide.

As the school year 2023-2024 starts on August 29, the Department reaffirms its support for the Department of Education’s Balik Eskwela program by issuing the price guide for school supplies.

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has found no legal issue on the proposal to acquire an insurance p olicy from private insurance providers for workers hired and deployed under a governmentto-government (G2G) arrangement.

In its legal opinion issued on July 19, 2023, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the plan will “promote the welfare and protect the rights and interests” of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

Remulla issued the legal opinion in response to the request of Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Undersecretary Bernard Olalia.

Olalia, in his letter to Remulla, sought for the justice department’s legal opinion on the propriety of procuring an insurance policy for workers hired under a G2G arrangement, noting that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Technical Working Group (TWG) is drafting the implementing guidelines for Section 23, paragraph 9 of Republic Act No. 1002, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

The said provision states: “For migrant workers recruited by the POEA on a governmentto-government arrangement, the POEA shall establish a foreign employers guarantee fund, which shall be answerable to the workers’ monetary claims arising from breach of contractual obligations.”

Lik ewise, Section 5, Rule X of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA No. 10022 requires POEA to establish and administer a Foreign Employers Guarantee Fund (FEGF), which shall be answerable for the workers’ monetary claims arising from breach of contractual obligations.

In compliance with the said provision, the POEA established the fund for workers hired under a G2G arrangement, wherein the employers are required to contribute to the FEGF prior to the worker’s departure.

Through a board resolution, the POEA administrator was authorized to collect from foreign employers a minimum of US$50.00 for

But, Olalia said the POEA has yet to come up with the guidelines on the administration of the fund.

The options being considered by the POEA, according to Olalia, include the procurement of an insurance policy for the G2G worker, which will cover the money claims and repatriation cost or the claims of the workers will be drawn against FEGF.

Olalia noted that the Insurance Commission (IC) has recommended having a mandatory insurance coverage for workers hired under a G2G arrangement.

Olalia also poin ted out that based on the department’s records, there are minimal incidents of disputes arising from violation of contracts under the G2G arrangements, and if there is any, they resort to dispute settlement. Thus, Olalia said no award for money has been taken from the FEGF.

O n the other hand, Olalia said, should the POEA procure an insurance policy, the cost for the premiums will be necessarily charged against FEGF for every worker hired and deployed.

Taking into consideration all the points raised by Olalia, Remulla said the plan procurement of insurance policy is “valid.”

R emulla said it is in line with the constitutional mandate of the government to provide full protection to local and overseas labor and promote full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all.

“B ased on these policies, the dignity and fundamental rights of OFWs in general, whether agency-hired or hired on government-togovernment arrangement, should at all times be protected by securing the best possible terms and conditions of employment,” Remulla said.

“It is therefore our view that there exists no legal or constitutional constraint for the procurement of an insurance policy from private insurance providers to cover for the money claims and repatriations costs of the workers hired under a G2G arrangement, provided, that, the premiums for such shall be drawn against the FEGF,” the DOJ said. Joel R. San Juan

Turnover of housing units under 4PH to start in 2024 or early 2025–Acuzar

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) expects to start turning over units to beneficiaries of the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) by next year or early 2025.

On Tuesday, DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said this is possible given that 27 groundbreaking ceremonies have been conducted in 25 locations nationwide, adding 20 of these identified housing projects have begun ground works and construction. The department also signed memoranda of agreements with 171 local government units (LGU) for the 4PH. Under these agreements, LGUs commit to allocate to

DHSUD parcel of land for the development of housing projects.

“Nagsisimulapalamangpotayo,tuladng sabi ng ating mahal na Pangulo. Patuloy po tayong magtatrabaho hanggang wala nang Pilipinong walang bahay sa sariling bayan,” Acuzar said.

Acuzar also noted that the President’s issuance of Executive Order 34, which allowed the use of idle government lands for the administration’s housing program, also provides a significant boost in efforts to address the country’s housing backlog. He said the presidential issuance is a propoor measure that could end homelessness nationwide. Acuzar added the availability of

land is crucial in undertaking the government’s housing program.

“The EO is a noteworthy boost to the program as the availability of more utilizable lands will significantly reduce the cost of housing units,” the DHSUD chief said.

Apart from these, Acuzar said the President mentioned other housing initiatives such as the efforts of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, which helped 100,000 members avail of housing loans amounting to P117 billion. The DHSUD said there are 15 million Pag-IBIG members nationwide.

Earlier, University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) economist Victor A. Abola said the Philippines could experience a construction

and housing boom that may last three to four decades.

Abola said the construction and housing boom could go full swing starting next year. The growth in construction and housing will be underpinned by the government’s goal of closing the 6 million backlog in housing projects. This will also be driven by the creation of the P500 billion worth fund that mimics the United States’ Fannie Mae type of secondary mortgage. This is part of the Pambansang Pabahay program of the administration, which aims to build 1 million houses per year in the medium term. Cai U. Ordinario

DOJ-led task force lists govt agencies, execs linked in agri product smuggling

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin

the entry of commodities, including the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Plant Industry and other offices in the Department of Agriculture as well as those who have influence in the supply side of agricultural commodities,” he added.

He said the task force has adopted a multi-pronged approach in addressing the issue of smuggling, which entails the involvement of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

“ This is a multi-pronged approach.

This does not involve the prosecutors only but all other agencies that can be used to go after those involved in this kind of anomaly and bring them to justice,” Remulla said.  He added the result of the factfinding on agricultural smuggling might be known in the “next two weeks,” while the conduct of the probe for the possible filing of charges might take at least two months.

Remulla made the assurance following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s 2nd State of the Nation Address (SONA) where he warned smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products that their days are numbered.

The DOJ secretary said they are now looking into several names of individuals connected in various government agencies involved in the importation, supply and distribution of agricultural products.

R emulla identified the agencies as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and other agencies

DOTr rushing infrastructure for transportation, to focus on public modes of mobility

Continued from A18

The momentum is gaining. We are fast-tracking the developments with the approval of flagship projects and the medium-term development plan. The plan has been laid out. The DPWH will continue to be on a fast mode,” he said.

Bonoan noted that the agency will be needing at least the same amount of budget for 2024 to continue ramping up infrastructure development.

“All the other roads that we are talking about, that’s a lot of projects. This year we have a total budget of about P890 billion and we are hoping that we will have the same investment next year. As the President says, we are going to infuse [investments] into the infrastructure program by five to six percent of the GDP,” he said.

D uring his second State of the Nation Address, President Marcos committed to alloting five to six percent of the GDP for infrastructure development, one that he said is hinged on the idea of interconnectivity across “all prospective sites of economic development.”

with similar mandate.

He pointed out that garlic-onion smuggling operations have been operating for 15 years, or since 2008, and may involve bribes running “in the billions of pesos.”

We are looking at some individuals who may be involved in this, including those that may be behind the increase in the prices of products in the market, we are talking here about onion and garlic,” the justice chief said.

There are names that we are closely looking at from several agencies involved in issuing permits for

The DOJ is likely to file a case of economic sabotage against those involved in the smuggling, hoarding and price fixing of onion and other agricultural products.

E arlier, Remulla said at least six to seven names would always come out in probes about smuggling.  “ There are around six or seven names that come out whenever we look at the whole picture. So we already have an idea. We just have to catch them in the act,” Remulla said.

A mong the members of the AASTF are the Office of the Prosecutor General

headed by Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento, Fadullon and the National Bureau of Investigation headed by Director Medardo de Lemos.

T he AASTF’s probe encompasses violations of Republic Act 10845, also known as the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, among others.

T he said law specifically targets the illegal importation of agricultural products and imposes severe penalties on offenders.

A side from smuggling, Remulla said the department would be pursuing cases related to crimes of profiteering and hoarding, which are recognized as acts of economic sabotage.

Cayetano expects ‘concrete’ action plan vs smugglers after SONA 2023

SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano said Monday he expects the administration to lay down its concrete plans for catching agriculture smugglers in the coming weeks following the President’s SONA.

“ When he said, ‘ Bilang na ang araw niyo [Your days are numbered],’ what does that mean? Let’s wait for that,” Cayetano said in a media interview immediately after the SONA on Monday.

H e was referring to President Marcos’s pronouncement that the administration will run after and file charges against individuals and entities that have been smuggling and hoarding agricultural products.

Strong typhoon blows closer to northern PHL, forcing evacuations, sea travel halt

A POWERFUL typhoon blew closer to the northern Philippines on Tuesday, forcing thousands to evacuate and halting sea travel amid warnings of torrential rains and tidal surges up to 3 meters, or nearly 10 feet.

The strongest winds at the storm’s center are expected to remain offshore as typhoon Egay (international code name: Doksuri) barrels northwest off Cagayan and Batanes provinces, but they may slam into or pass close to Cagayan’s outlying Babuyan Islands in the Luzon Strait, which has been placed under the highest of a fivestep cyclonic wind warning system, forecasters said.

Under Alert Level 5, “the situation is potentially very destructive to the community,” the weather bureau said, and warned the ferocious winds pose “extreme threat to life and property.”

The typhoon’s 680-kilometer, or (420-mile) wide rain band could cause flash floods and set off landslides in mountainous northern provinces, the weather bureau said.

D oksuri was last tracked 190 kilometers east of Aparri town in Cagayan province with sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour

(kph) and gusts of up to 230 kph, government forecasters said.

The typhoon would also enhance seasonal monsoon rains in central and northern provinces. It was forecast to continue moving northwest on a track south of Taiwan that would make landfall in China later this week.

C agayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said he suspended work in his province to allow people to prepare for the onslaught and ordered the evacuation of thousands of people in 11 coastal towns as a precaution.

“ This is a supertyphoon and we’re carrying out preemptive evacuations in all coastal villages because we’re afraid of storm surges,” Mamba told The Associated Press by telephone, adding weather forecasters warned that tidal surges could reach a height of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet).

A side from work, Mamba said classes in colleges were also suspended from Tuesday to Wednesday. Grade and high school students were on vacation, he said.

Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila

Ting-Que urged the public to be vigilant and imposed a liquor ban, warning violators of arrests. Fishers were barred from venturing in the

DFA won’t scrap FTF for Chinese visa applicants

Continued from A18

Manalo’s letter was in response to Frasco’s earlier correspondence appealing to DFA to speed up the processing of visa appplications from China. The Department of Tourism (DOT) is banking on this market to boost inbound arrivals to reach its target of 4.8-million international travelers this year. (See, “DOT press DFA on ways to lure Chinese tourists,” in the BusinessMirror, July 12, 2023)

Over the years, lawmakers have issued concerns on the large number of Chinese retirees in the Philippines, approved by the DOT’s attached agency, the Philippine Retirement Authority. They have also raised issues on the alleged illegal work of Chinese citizens in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations.

No daily quota

MANALO also tried to disabuse Frasco of her belief that DFA’s posts in China limit the number of visas issued to Chinese applicants at 100 daily. “In fact, the quota numbers have been removed immediately from official websites....

[They] adhere to daily capacity limits, not quotas, through an appointment system (online or manual) to manage individual applications and the capacity of Posts to proces and issue visas.”

He committed the posts in China to try to process 50-250 individual visa applications daily, but the Shanghai consular office “will continue to post the remaining number of slots daily for individual applications as an effective means to manage the great number of CH applications.” Applications from Chi-

nese tour groups via accredited travel agents are processed by the consular offices “without a cap.”

Meanwhile, the DFA has approved and endorsed 83 DOT-accredited/endorsed Philippines-China tour operators’ documents to PFSPs in China, and is currently processing one DOTaccredited/endorsed tour operator’s documents for DFA endorsement.

DFA-OCA returned 19 DOT-accredited tour operators’ documents to the Philippine counterpart tour operators “due to problems in the documents.”

Expeditious approval

MANALO underscored that DFA has “an excellent record of expeditiously approving the accreditation of CH tour groups endorsed by DOT to DFA

That should have a follow-up, right? Hopefully [apprehending the smugglers and hoarders] will help the supply and the prices,” the senator said.

C ayetano nonetheless acknowledged Marcos’s “sense of urgency” about the matter, which he said has been in the minds of many Filipinos.

A n alliance of farm groups has urged the Marcos administration to actually put smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products behind bars.

“ These smugglers and hoarders need to actually be brought to justice this year because they are the main reasons why the prices of agricultural products are high,” Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) said.

He lamented that to this day, none of the supposed smugglers and hoarders has been found guilty.

E vidence presented by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) during congressional hearings were often deemed insufficient,

thus halting further investigations, Cainglet said. None have proceeded beyond the preliminary investigations. All [of the cases] have been dismissed,” he said.

Nevertheless, the group has welcomed the proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act that lawmakers claimed would help the President’s drive against “unfair practices that hurt consumers and local farmers alike.”

For his part, Sinag President Rosendo So said that it will be beneficial for farmers if Marcos keeps his post as the Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary. K eeping his post as the DA chief will make Marcos closer to the farmers, So said.

It is more effective if the President becomes the secretary of agriculture; they can reach him and tell him what the problem is and he will understand.... We see less corruption if he will be the head of agriculture,” he said. With Raadee S. Sausa

increasingly rough seas.

More than 11,000 inter-island ferry passengers and cargo truck drivers, along with 100 passenger and cargo vessels and motor bancas, were stranded in several ports where a no-sail order was imposed due to the typhoon and enhanced monsoon rains, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

I n Taiwan, part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises were canceled Tuesday.

A n exercise meant to simulate the use of a civilian airport in case of bombed-out military runways was canceled as it was located on the southeastern coast of Taiwan, where waves were already rising. At Taiwan’s southernmost point, waves had already risen to as much as 2.5 meters, or 8 feet, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.

T he Han Kuang exercises are the largest annual exercises aimed at displaying the Taiwan military’s defense capabilities in case of an attack from China, which claims the self-ruled territory as its own. Landbased exercises for the Han Kuang drills are still ongoing in other parts of Taiwan. AP

as long as the documents are complete and found to be in order.”

T he Philippines attracted 3 million international tourists from January 1 to July 19, with China accounting for 129,077. China, which used to be the second top source market for tourists in the Philippines prior to the pandemic, reopened its borders to outbound travel only in January. (See, “South Koreans ‘living PHL help boost tourist arrivals to 3 million,” in the B usiness M irror , July 20, 2023.)

The Philippines and mainland China have had an uneasy relationship following the latter’s continued failure to recognize an international court’s decision in 2016 to recognize the Philippines’ rights in the West Philippine Sea. Ma.

Stella F. Arnaldo

Remulla said Tuesday the Department of Justice (DOJ)led Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Task Force (AASTF) will leave no stone unturned in identifying government officials who may be possibly involved in smuggling of agricultural products, particularly garlic and onion, into the country.

UN chief urges Russia to revive grain deal, warning ‘the most vulnerable’ will suffer

By Frances D’emilio The Associated Press

ROME—The UN chief on Monday urged Russia to resume the internationally brokered deal so that grain can be shipped from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, saying that otherwise, the world’s most vulnerable among the hungry will suffer the worst consequences.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the appeal during a speech in Rome at the opening of a three-day food summit.

With the recent collapse of the Ukraine-Russia grain deal, “the most vulnerable will pay the highest price,’’ Guterres said. He lamented that there are already negative effects on global wheat and corn prices.

Wheat prices have risen more than 14 percent since Monday, when Russia pulled out of the grain deal, and corn prices are up more than 10 percent.

Both Russia and Ukraine are “essential to global food security,’’ the UN leader said. He noted that they have historically accounted for 30 percent of global wheat and barley exports, a fifth of all maize and more than half of all sunflower oil.

“For my part, I remain committed to facilitating unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizer from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation and to deliver the food security every person deserves,’’ Guterres said.

“I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal,” Guterres said, urging the international community to stand united to find solutions for the issue.

Russia’s refusal to renew the accord triggered the deal’s collapse earlier this month. It said the Black Sea Initiative would be suspended until demands to get Russian exports of food and fertilizer to the world are met.

The accord had been brokered by the United Nations and Turkey as a way to keep grain flowing to developing countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, despite the war unleashed by Moscow against Ukraine in February 2022.

When the grain deal was struck, the UN World Food Program regained a top supplier, allowing 725,000 metric tons of humanitarian food aid to leave Ukraine and reach countries on the brink of famine, including Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Yemen.

The deal’s suspension as well as Russian attacks on the Black Sea ports of Ukraine have irked Russian ally China and as well as developing nations heavily dependent on the shipments to feed their people.

Besides the grain deal, the effects of climate change on food production and distribution will figure in discussions at the Rome summit.

“We need food systems that can help end this senseless war on our planet,’’ Guterres said. “Transformation means new, sustainable food systems that can reduce the carbon footprint of food processing, packaging and transportation.’’

Such transformation also demands that governments and businesses “take stronger and faster action to tackle the climate crisis and deliver environmental and climate justice,’’ he added.

Pacific island nations are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

“We need to be able to grow what we eat and eat what we grow,’’ Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa told the summit. “But that simple construct is so far reaching and presupposes that we can adequately support the actions that lead to the right outcome.”

“It is not too late to protect what we have,” she said. “All it requires is determination and tenacity. Climate action must be at the forefront of all our endeavors.”

The way food is grown and produced is contributing to climate change, weakening the agriculture-food system, according to Corinna Hawkes, director of the division of food systems and food safety at the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which is hosting the summit.

The gathering aims to take stock of progress and setbacks since the first food systems summit was held in 2021.

According to FAO, the summit has drawn participants from 161 countries, including 22 heads of state or government, and 150 non-governmental organizations.

Russian attack on port highlights risk to Ukraine’s last grain export route

By Áine Quinn, Kateryna Choursina & Daryna Krasnolutska

WHEAT and corn prices surged after Russia attacked one of Ukraine’s biggest Danube river ports, ramping up the risks facing Kyiv’s last major grain export route and global food trade.

A drone attack overnight hit the Danube port of Reni, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing sensitive information. Ukraine’s southern operational military command earlier said on Facebook that a grain hangar at a Danube port had been ruined, without specifying which one or giving details.

Wheat futures for September delivery settled up 8.6 percent in Chicago on Monday, by the daily exchange price limit, at $7.5750 per bushel. Corn contracts for December closed up 6 percent at $5.6825 per bushel, the highest level in nearly a month.

Reni, along with Izmail, is one of Ukraine’s biggest river ports for grain and is located on the Danube at the border with Romania. Local traders had been expanding capacity there in response to Russia’s sea blockade.

The attack was the latest in a series of moves by Russia to stifle Ukrainian exports, which have historically made an important contribution to global food supply. The collapse of the Black Sea grain deal last week—blocking Ukraine’s maritime corridor—and Russia’s subsequent attacks on Odesa ports spurred expectations that Kyiv will have to double down on alternative routes, the most obvious being the Danube.

While it’s unclear how far the attacks will impact exports from Reni, the strikes increase operational risks. Seven people were injured by a Russian overnight drone attack on port infrastructure in the Odesa region, Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Five of them were hospitalized. Reni is located in that region. With assistance from Olesia Safronova, Christian Wienberg, Irina Vilcu and Gerson Freitas Jr./Bloomberg

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Anger grows in Ukraine’s port city of Odesa after Russia bombards beloved historic sites

By Hanna Arhirova & Lori Hinnant The Associated Press

ODESA, Ukraine—Tetiana Khlapova’s hand trembled as she recorded the wreckage of Odesa’s devastated Transfiguration Cathedral on her cellphone and cursed Russia, her native land.

Khlapova was raised in Ukraine and had always dreamed of living in the seaside city. But not as the war refugee that she has become.

In only a week, Russia has fired dozens of missiles and drones at the Odesa region. None struck quite as deeply as the one that destroyed the cathedral, which stands at the heart of the city’s romantic, notorious past and its deep roots in both Ukrainian and Russian culture.

“I am a refugee from Kharkiv. I endured that hell and came to sunny Odesa, the pearl, the heart of our Ukraine,” said Khlapova, who has lived in the country for 40 of her 50 years.

Her neck still has a shrapnel scar from the third day of the war, when her apartment was hit. On Day 4, she fled to Odesa.

Now, she’s making a quick trip back to her place in Kharkiv to grab winter clothes so she can wait out the war in Ireland, “because here we are not protected for a single second, in any city.”

“At any moment, you can just be hit and your whole body will be torn apart,” she said. “After the war ends—and I believe that Ukraine will defeat this filth, these vampires—I will come back home. I will return, no matter what.”

Ever since Ukraine gained independence from Moscow in 1991, Odesa viewed itself differently than the country’s other major cities because of its long, conflicted history and an outlook that stretched far beyond its borders.

Odesa’s past is intertwined with some of Russia’s most revered figures, including Catherine the Great, author Leo Tolstoy and poet Anna Akhmatova.

Its ports were key to last year’s international agreement that let Ukraine and Russia ship their grain to the rest of the world. Its Orthodox cathedral belongs to Moscow’s patriarchate. Its residents largely speak Russian. And—at least until the Kremlin illegally annexed the nearby

Crimean Peninsula in 2014—its beaches were beloved by Russian tourists.

In the war’s early weeks, rumors seeded by Kremlin propaganda flew around the city: Moscow would never hit the historic center, the mayor had loaded a boat filled with roses to greet Russian soldiers, a silent majority of residents were waiting for a Russian “liberation.”

They were false.

“To this day, if you read and monitor Russian channels, all of them are absolutely convinced that we are waiting for them here,” said Hanna Shelest, a political and security researcher raised in Odesa whose father is a harbormaster.

Odesa’s regional infrastructure was hit repeatedly by Russia over the winter, unlike its port, which was key to the Black Sea Grain Initiative that allowed agricultural products to be shipped safely from both countries to feed people around the world.

The region’s silos were full when Russia pulled out of the agreement in mid-July. Missiles and drones struck the next day, taking aim at storage sites, transportation infrastructure and random buildings. Ukraine’s air defenses deflected most of the hits, but every day a handful made it through.

Last week’s attacks marked the first time Odesa’s historic city center was hit since the war started.

Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov was unequivocal in a furious video message directed to Russians after Sunday’s strike on the cathedral, showing rescue workers carefully removing a damaged icon from the ruins.

“If you only knew how much Odesa hates you. Not only hates you. Despises you. You’re fighting small children, the Orthodox Church. Your rockets even fall on cemeteries,” he said. “You must hardly know us Odessans. You will not break us, just make us angrier.”

Another missile crashed into the House of Scientists, a mansion that once belonged to the Tolstoy family and was transformed into an institution to unite scholars and researchers. A third hit administrative and apartment buildings.

The targets were within 200 meters (yards) of the port. Shelest believes the cathedral was hit by accident, but that’s little consolation amid the destruction.

Since Catherine the Great transformed Odesa into an international seaport in 1794, the city’s identity has as its foundations the sea, cosmopolitan tolerance and an innate sense of humor. It had one of Europe’s largest concentrations of Jews, who before a series of pogroms made up about a quarter of the population, and large communities of Greek and Italian sailors whose descendants remain to this day.

A week of attacks shook those foundations for Iryna Grets, who counts at least three generations of family in the city.

“Every morning, I go to the sea, to witness the sunrise. But today, I didn’t have the strength to go to the sea because we didn’t sleep all night. You see, we haven’t been sleeping all week,” said Grets, who decided instead to visit each site bombarded on Sunday.

She started at the cathedral, at the center of life in Odesa. The original structure was destroyed under Josef Stalin in 1936 as part of his campaign against religion. When Ukraine gained independence, residents took up a fund to restore it to its original condition. In 2010, the new building was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Kirill, whose church has aligned itself with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has since repeatedly justified the war in Ukraine.

“Each rocket that today arrives on the territory of Ukraine is perceived by its inhabitants as your ‘blessing’ on their children,” Archbishop Viktor Bykov, the vicar of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Odesa Diocese, wrote in an open letter to Kirill.

The bitter pilgrimage by Grets had less to do with religion than with mourning, and many others made the same trip on Sunday. Some attended a service outside the damaged cathedral. Even more came to clear debris, instead of enjoying the famed beaches despite the beckoning summer sun.

“This is my city, it’s a part of me, it’s my soul, it’s my heart,” Grets said.

Then, fury overcoming her, she abruptly switched to Ukrainian: “Odesa will never be part of Russia.”

Hinnant reported from Paris.

North Korea fires 2 short-range missiles after US submarine arrives in South Korea

By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, adding to a recent streak in weapons testing that is apparently in protest of the US sending major naval assets to South Korea in a show of force.

In its third round of launches since last week, North Korea fired the missiles just before midnight from an area near its capital, Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said both missiles traveled around 400 kilometers (248 miles) before landing in waters off the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast. Its statement called North Korea’s missile launches a “grave provocation” that threatens regional peace and stability. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government lodged a protest to North Korea over the launches, which is usually conveyed through its embassy in Beijing. He said Tokyo was doing its utmost for surveillance while stepping up trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Seoul. No damage has been reported related to the missiles, which, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The launches came hours after South Korea’s navy said a nuclear-propelled US submarine—the USS Annapolis—arrived at a port on Jeju Island. That underscored the allies’ efforts to boost the visibility of US strategic assets in the region to intimidate the North.

Last week, the USS Kentucky became the first US nuclear-armed submarine to come to South Korea since the 1980s. North Korea reacted to its arrival by test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles last week in apparent demonstrations that it could make nuclear strikes on South Korea and deployed US naval vessels. Also on Monday, the American-led UN Command said it has started “a

conversation” with North Korea about a US soldier who ran into the North last week across one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.

Andrew Harrison, a British lieutenant general who is deputy commander at the UN Command, which oversees implementation of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War, declined to comment about the state of the inquiry to North Korea or say what the command knows about Pvt. Travis King’s condition.

“I am in life an optimist, and I remain optimistic,” Harrison said during a news conference in Seoul.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said North Korea had only “acknowledged” receiving the UN message last week and had not provided any information or commented further since then.

“There have been no new contacts since last week,” Miller said, adding that North Korea also had not responded to messages sent by US civilian or military officials.

North Korea has remained publicly silent about King, who crossed the border during a tour of Panmunjom while he was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.

The US still has not been able to ascertain King’s condition, a senior administration official said Monday in Washington. Asked if US officials had a better understanding of whether King intended to defect, the official said they still had “no indication about what was going on in his mind that day.” The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Analysts say North Korea may wait weeks or even months to provide meaningful information about King to maximize leverage and add urgency to US efforts to secure his release. Some say North Korea may try to wrest concessions from Washington, such as tying his release to the United States cutting back its military activities with South Korea.

King’s crossing came at a time of high tensions in the Korean Peninsula, where the pace of both North Korea’s weapons demonstrations and the United States’ combined military exercises have intensified in a tit-for-tat cycle.

In between the ballistic and cruise missile launches last week, North Korea’s defense minister also issued a veiled threat, saying the Kentucky’s docking in South Korea could be grounds for the North to use a nuclear weapon against it. North Korea has used similar rhetoric before, but the statement underscored how strained relations are now. Farhan Haq, UN’s deputy spokesperson, said the UN is concerned about the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “The DPRK’s continued launches of missiles using ballistic missile technology are clear violations of relevant Security Council resolutions, and, of course, we reiterate the call for de-escalation and for full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions,” he said, invoking the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The United States and South Korea have expanded their combined military exercises and increased regional deployments of US aircraft and ships, including bombers, aircraft carriers and submarines to counter the nuclear threats posed by North Korea, which has test-fired around 100 missiles since the start of 2022.

The Annapolis, whose main mission is destroying enemy ships and submarines, is powered by a nuclear reactor but is armed with conventional weapons. The sub mainly docked at Jeju to load supplies, but Jang Do Young, a spokesperson for South Korea’s navy, said the US and South Korean militaries were discussing whether to arrange training involving the vessel.

The Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Matthew Lee and Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.

Job

Manage and supervise facility development and image enhancement projects. Coordinate logistics and communication between clients, vendors, and stakeholders. Follow all state and safety requirements to implement good safety conditions at work site.

59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledge of elementary physical, mechanical and earth science principles. Knowledge of methods and techniques used in the construction and building trades fields. Knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions applicable to the work. Knowledge of elementary physical, mechanical and earth science principles. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

209.

Job Description: Participate in the entire application lifecycle, focusing on coding and debugging. Write clean code to develop functional web applications. Troubleshoot and debug applications. Perform UI tests to optimize performance. Provide training and support to internal teams.

RIZKA DWI NUGRAHA Project Manager

Brief Job Description: Develop solutions to problems by collaborating with other team and convert business requirements into technical solutions. Work collaboratively with engineering, marketing, UX, and other teams to bring the most user-centric product. Understand market, competition and user requirements in depth.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in JavaScript/ TypeScript framework like Angular, RESTful web services, JSON, Agile development methods. Familiarity with front-end languages (e.g. HTML 5, JavaScript and CSS, Angular). Teamwork skills with a problem-solving attitude.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor degree / master degree in information systems, software engineering. Having experience in software functional & technical design and knowledge in design pattern and object oriented concept. Strong empathy about our users, superior problem solving skills and able to communicate with crossfunctional teams.

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210.

Qualification: Mastering off and on page optimization techniques, PBN techniques and remarketing or re-targeting techniques. Strong understanding of performance marketing, conversion, and online customer acquisition. In-depth experience with website analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush or Ahrefs).

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Urgent need to boost our agri-food sector

Two announcements made last week by officials of foreign governments are threatening to upend efforts to pull down food prices in the Philippines. The first happened in Russia on July 17, when Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced his nation’s decision to halt a wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. (See, “Russia halts wartime deal that allows Ukraine to ship grain in a hit to global food security,” in the BusinessMirror, July 17, 2023). A few days after, New Delhi ordered a ban on exports of non-basmati white rice to prevent prices from rising further, according to a report published by Reuters on July 20.

Russia’s decision to stop allowing the shipment of grains from Ukraine immediately caused wheat and corn prices to rise. BBC News reported last week that wheat prices on the European stock exchange soared by 8.2 percent on July 19 while corn prices went up 5.4 percent. Meanwhile, United States wheat futures jumped 8.5 percent, their highest daily rise since Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022.

As for India’s decision to ban the export of non-basmati white rice, New Delhi made the announcement after its retail prices climbed 3 percent in a month. What compounded the supply situation for India is the significant damage to crops caused by heavy monsoon rains. India is regarded as the world’s largest rice exporter and its decision to limit its exports of non-basmati white rice would put pressure on supplies and prices of rice offered by other major exporters of the staple.

These developments would only mean more expensive commodities for countries that purchase huge volumes of imported food like the Philippines. (See, “PHL at risk in Russia-Ukraine grain deal halt,” in the BusinessMirror, July 19, 2023). Limited wheat supplies could make other grains like rice and corn more expensive, particularly if wheat-consuming nations shift to other alternatives if the product becomes more expensive. Apart from higher grain prices, products that make use of wheat, such as animal feeds, could become more expensive.

The Philippines is more partial to rice, which it also imports to plug the perennial gap in domestic production. While the country sources most of its imported rice requirements from Vietnam, the government must prepare for the eventual reduction of rice supplies from our Southeast Asian neighbor. This is because Vietnam announced in May that it will limit its exports of low-quality grains by 2030.

Unfortunately for countries like the Philippines, there is little they can do to stop exporters from putting caps on their shipments or from halting trade deals. What’s compounding the problem of nations dependent on food imports is that farms in exporting countries, like Vietnam, are shrinking due to climate change, while other planters are leaving their farms altogether.

The global food security challenge is partially made worse by the growing number of food trade restrictions put in place by countries that want to ensure domestic supply to manage surging prices. It would do well for authorities to strengthen the country’s food security by helping boost the capability of the local agri-food sector. This is the best way to shield the Philippines from surging food prices caused by export bans and geopolitical conflicts.

US military power display jars with Australia’s diplomacy

By Ben Westcott

Australian and US forces on Saturday begin two weeks of drills as part of “Exercise Talisman Sabre.”

It will be the largest version of the regular military exercises yet, with 30,000 personnel from about a dozen countries participating, including in livefire drills and amphibious landings off Australia’s northeast coast.

At the same time, the US will officially commission a new vessel in Sydney, the USS Canberra, one of just a handful of warships to be commissioned outside of American waters.

The ship is named after Australia’s capital city.

The show of unity and strength highlights the new level of US-Australia ties as Washington aims to assemble a coalition of like-minded states to discourage potential Chinese aggression. Australia’s position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, its proximity to the region and its eight-decade alliance with Washington make it a perfect partner.

Yet Australia is also in a complicated spot. Not only is China its largest

Australian and US forces on Saturday begin two weeks of drills as part of “Exercise Talisman Sabre.”

trading partner and the key driver of its prosperity over the past 20 years, but the center-left government has sought to forge a more independent foreign policy stance since taking office in May 2022 to avoid being seen as a US proxy.

The high-profile military exercises might suggest otherwise to a skeptical regional audience.

Melissa Conley Tyler, executive director of the AP4D foreign policy think tank, said while the government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had softened its diplomatic rhetoric and language in the past year, the US alliance would always be a cornerstone of Australia’s foreign policy.

“I think for a lot of Southeast Asians they do find it hard to understand the closeness of Australia’s relationship with the US,” she said.

Next week, the Biden administration’s top defense and foreign affairs officials jet into Australia for an annual meeting with their local counterparts. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secre-

It will be the largest version of the regular military exercises yet, with 30,000 personnel from about a dozen countries participating, including in livefire drills and amphibious landings off Australia’s northeast coast.

tary of Defense Lloyd Austin are expected to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles in Brisbane.

“Australia’s defense cooperation with the United States is unprecedented in scale, scope and significance,” Marles said in a statement ahead of the visit. “Australia will continue to work with our partners, including the United States, to build a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.”

Under former center-right Prime Minister Scott Morrison, diplomatic and military ties between Australia and the US grew closer than ever, including the AUKUS partnership that was signed by Morrison. Under the deal, Australia will purchase a fleet of nuclearpowered submarines from the US, among other technological partnerships.

Global space spending projected to grow 41 percent over the next five years

By Loren Grush & Tyler Kendall

Th E global space economy grew 8 percent to $546 billion in 2022 and is projected to climb another 41 percent over the next five years, according to a leading space nonprofit.

The sector is expected to show resiliency in the coming years, despite uncertainty about the global economy and a recent slowdown in space investment.

Companies are seeing continued revenue growth from commercial space assets and governments around the world boosting expenditures, according to a report from the Space Foundation, a Colorado Springs, Colorado-based space flight advocacy group. The analysis considered spending from 51 governments, as well as commercial revenue from companies in 11 space industry sub-sectors.

“Commercial space is the vital growing sector of the overall space economy,” Lesley Conn, director of research and digital programming

at the Space Foundation, said in an interview. “Within five years, certainly you’re going to see a real acceleration and an expansion of space and space assets.”

Companies in the space industry grew revenue to $427.6 billion in 2022, up from a revised $396.2 billion the year before. One-third of that flowed from infrastructure and support for activities in space, such as ground stations used for satellite communication. The remaining came from space-based products— namely satellites. The single biggest business was the sale of position, navigation and timing, or PNT, satellite data, which made up 39 percent of all commercial revenue.

That resilience reflects in part the long development lead times of

Companies in the space industry grew revenue to $427.6 billion in 2022, up from a revised $396.2 billion the year before. One-third of that flowed from infrastructure and support for activities in space, such as ground stations used for satellite communication. The remaining came from spacebased products—namely satellites. The single biggest business was the sale of position, navigation and timing, or PNT, satellite data, which made up 39 percent of all commercial revenue.

space programs and the prevalence of public-private partnerships, the report said. Those attributes help sustain funding, even when the economy is uneven.

The growth in 2022 came despite venture capital volatility as markets reacted to rising interest rates and access to funding grew scarce for many startups. Private

But since the change of government 14 months ago, Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his team have sought to pivot Australia back to a more centrist foreign policy. In speeches earlier this year, senior Australian ministers emphasized the importance of regional powers and played down the need for a binary choice.

The Asia-Pacific region is not an “arena for the ambitions of others,” Albanese said in Singapore last month, adding that major powers had a responsibility to maintain stable relations with each other.

It was an unsubtle message to both China and the US. “I can assure you, that when Australia looks north, we don’t see a void for others to impose their will,” the Australian leader said.

Herve Lemahieu, director of research at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, said there was a risk that Australia could be seen as speaking one way in Southeast Asia and then later behaving differently when talking to the US.

He said the government was trying to “have your cake and eat it” but there was a tolerance for Australia’s closeness with the US in Southeast Asia. “There is a window of opportunity here to try and seize that moment to nuance in our diplomacy,” he said. bloomberg

investment flows into space ventures slowed to $20 billion last year, down from a record $47.4 billion in 2021, according to a separate report from Space Capital, a venture capital firm that invests exclusively in space-based technology.

SpaceX setting pace

COMMERCIAL revenue grew handin-hand with a surge in orbital launches. A total of 186 launches were attempted in 2022, up from 145 the previous year, the Space Foundation said. Commercial launches accounted for 81 of those, 50 of which were conducted by Elon Musk’s industry-leading SpaceX. The company’s launch cadence has increased substantially in recent years as it launches batches of its own Starlink satellites into space to provide global broadband internet coverage to Earth.

Spending by governments on space programs grew 8 percent to a combined $119 billion last year,

AUSTRAliA S alliance with the US will be on full display as high-level talks and military exercises get under way—a demonstration of power that may overshadow Canberra’s efforts at a nuanced foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific.

Twitter turning into X is set to kill billions in brand value

By Aisha Counts & Jesse Levine

It’s rare for corporate brands to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that they become verbs. It’s rarer still for the owner of such a brand to announce plans to intentionally destroy it.

On Sunday, in the middle of a quiet summer weekend, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter’s product name would be changed to “X,” and that he is getting rid of the bird logo and all the associated words, including “tweet.”

Musk’s move wiped out anywhere between $4 billion and $20 billion in value, according to analysts and brand agencies.

“It took 15-plus years to earn that much equity worldwide, so losing Twitter as a brand name is a significant financial hit,” said Steve Susi, director of brand communication at Siegel & Gale.

Musk, whose company has already declined significantly in value since he purchased it for $44 billion in October, announced the change on Saturday night. By Monday morning a new black “X” logo, designed by a fan over the weekend, began to appear across the site. New Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino outlined the company’s vision for X to become a site for audio, video, messaging, payments and banking.

Analysts and brand agencies call the product’s renaming a mistake. Twitter is one of the most recognizable social media brands, said Todd Irwin, founder of brand agency Fazer. Bird decals adorn small businesses and websites worldwide, alongside Instagram and Facebook logos.

Twitter’s popularity has also made verbs like “tweet” and “retweet” part of modern culture, used regularly to explain how celebrities, politicians and others communicated with the public, said Joshua White, assistant professor of finance at Vanderbilt University.

X will require the company to rebuild that cultural pull and linguistic consensus from scratch. But that may be part of the motivation, so users stop comparing Twitter post-takeover to what it was before. “It’s an exceptionally rare thing—in life or in business—that you get a second chance to make another big impression,” Yaccarino tweeted.

Other tech companies have renamed themselves in recent years. Google turned into Alphabet Inc. to allow different businesses within the company to grow without being tied to search. Facebook changed into Meta Platforms Inc. in order to emphasize the company’s commitment to the metaverse. But the product names remained; we still google things by going to Google.

That’s worth a lot. Twitter’s brand value is estimated at about $4 billion, according to brand valuation consulting firm Brand Finance. The firm val-

continued from A16

below the 22 percent gain in 2021.

The Space Foundation projects the pace of public sector outlays on space will pick up this year as nations work toward exploring the moon and prioritize large satellite constellations with military applications. NASA is moving ahead on its Artemis program, which has the goal of sending the first woman to the moon’s surface. China also has plans to land humans there.

The US dominated civil and defense spending in space, comprising nearly 60 percent of to-

On Sunday, in the middle of a quiet summer weekend, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter’s product name would be changed to “X,” and that he is getting rid of the bird logo and all the associated words, including “tweet.” Musk’s move wiped out anywhere between $4 billion and $20 billion in value, according to analysts and brand agencies.

ues the Facebook brand at $59 billion and Instagram at $47.4 billion. Vanderbilt University estimates Twitter’s brand value at $15 billion to $20 billion, which is comparable to Snapchat.

Brand valuation is difficult to determine, and there’s no single approach, which is why estimates vary, said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst with Forrester Research Inc. But several analysts and agencies agreed that the company’s brand has already taken a significant hit since Musk’s takeover. Brand Finance for example, estimates the Twitter brand lost 32 percent of its value since last year.

As the perception of Twitter’s brand has changed, advertisers have fled. Advertisers were concerned about Musk’s courting of controversy and embrace of tweeters who broke content rules. Advertising revenue at Twitter is down more than 50 percent since October, Musk has said.

“Twitter’s corporate brand is already heavily intertwined with Musk’s personal brand, with or without the name X, and much of Twitter’s established brand equity has already been lost among users and advertisers,” said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with Insider Intelligence.

It’s “completely irrational from a business and brand point of view,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder of the marketing and brand consulting group Metaforce. He called it an “ego decision” on the part of Musk. “To me, it’s going to go down in history as one of the fastest unwinding of a business and brand ever.”

There’s also the risk to Musk’s future goals. Building banking and payments into the app will require customer trust—something that’s difficult to get with a brand-new product name. “I just think that customers outside of Musk’s sort of core fan base would really struggle to use Twitter to exchange their money,” Vanderbilt’s White said. One thing working in Musk’s favor: “The Elon brand,” said Irwin. “His personal brand might be more powerful than the Twitter brand.” Bloomberg

tal spending. China followed in second place, accounting for 14 percent, according to the Space Foundation’s analysis, which relied on a GDP calculation that estimated the country’s spending on space. The European Space Agency ranked third with 5 percent of the total. While those three have been top players for a while, more countries are contributing to overall space spending than in the past.

“Not only are governments who have been in space increasing their spending, but more and more nations are joining and becoming a part of space,” said Conn, noting that some 92 nations now have satellites in orbit. Bloomberg

An open appeal to Usec Panganiban

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza MAKE SENSE

It’s been five months since the Office of the President (OP) sent a communication to Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban, instructing the department to address the serious problem of technical smuggling of palm olein.

I was furnished a copy of the Malacanang letter, as it was made in reaction to my letter-complaint to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the “illegal use of imported palm olein that is hurting our coconut and palm oil industry and depriving the government of VAT and duties.”

With this development, we made repeated attempts to set up a meeting with Usec Panganiban via letters and calls to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Up to now, however, we have yet to receive a favorable reply.

I don’t want to be blunt, but I’m starting to wonder why a DA official would ignore a letter from the President who concurrently heads the department. Is this not tantamount to ignoring the President’s instruction to take immediate and proper response on the matter, particularly since this brazen technical smuggling of palm olein has been wreaking havoc on the domestic coconut and palm oil industries? Acting on this would greatly help the government’s initiatives to plug revenue leakages due to corruption and other illicit acts.

Thus, I have decided to use this space to make an open appeal (with all due respect) to Usec Panganiban.

To put everything in context, last year, House Ways and Means committee chairman, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda reported that some P45 billion in revenues have been lost due to technical smuggling of palm oil

over a period of six years. This, according to the lawmaker, was being done through misdeclaration of palm olein that unscrupulous traders were bringing into the country purportedly for compounding of animal feeds. These technical smugglers know that if used as animal feeds additive, their palm olein importations would be exempted from VAT and duties.

However, the palm olein imports were apparently going straight to the market as cooking oil for human consumption, or to the blenders of bio-diesel as a substitute for the more expensive coconut oil.

As a crusader against smuggling and illicit trade for about five decades now in my capacity as chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and head of its Anti-Smuggling Committee, Salceda’s report naturally got my attention. This prodded me to launch my own probe on the matter.

In the process, we came across the following, which I’ve wanted to discuss in detail with Usec Panganiban:

Documents showing that a big portion of the imported palm olein is being diverted for sale to either producers of biodiesel as an additive to diesel fuel, and to the retail market (public markets, groceries, supermarkets, and sari-sari stores) as cooking oil for eventual sale to the consuming public;

Statistics indicating that despite the African Swine Fever (ASF)

On behalf of the officers and members of the Federation of Philippine Industries, we want to give a huge kudos to President Marcos for giving a stern warning against smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products in his second State of the Nation Address. The President hit the nail on the head when he said that one of the reasons of soaring prices is the presence of smugglers, hoarders and manipulators of agricultural products.

that greatly diminished our hog production, the volume of palm olein importation supposedly for compounding animal feeds still increased.

Former Senate President and current Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and I interviewed then Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) officer-in-charge Reildrin Morales in our weekly radio and TV program “Dito sa Bayan ni Juan.” In our discussion, Morales could not explain the anomalous increase in the duty- and VAT-free importation of palm olein despite the ASF. He also admitted that the BAI has no listing of the animal feed producers that is necessary in determining whether or not the total imported palm olein was really used in feeds production.

With all these vital pieces of information on hand, and given the instruction from the President to the DA “to resolve the matter immediately,” I feel really compelled to have a face-to-face meeting with Usec Panganiban.

But so far, all my attempts to set that meeting up have been in vain.

In the middle of this, I was informed that Panganiban has instructed the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to look into the matter.

But this is barking up the wrong tree.

Keep in mind that it is the BAI —not the PCA—that’s been issuing the exemptions and is seemingly unaware of what’s really happening on the ground.

I’m sure I can help in the investigation immensely if given the chance and the proper forum.

So, for the nth time, I’m appealing to Usec Panganiban, let’s meet so I can present to you conclusive evidence that the government is losing huge potential revenues from palm olein smuggling. I beg the indulgence of Usec Panganiban in this issue because I personally brought this up with the President, and I don’t want him to think that I have forgotten my commitment, or that I am not serious in our fight against all forms of smuggling. Together, we can put an end to the technical smuggling of palm olein that is killing the country’s coconut industry.

On behalf of the officers and members of the Federation of Philippine Industries, we want to give a huge kudos to President Marcos for giving a stern warning against smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products in his second State of the Nation Address. The President hit the nail on the head when he said that one of the reasons of soaring prices is the presence of smugglers, hoarders and manipulators of agricultural products. “Bilang na ang mga araw n’yo!” the President thundered, to the applause of the gallery. He explained that the fraudulent activities of smugglers and hoarders of agricultural products do not only affect the farmers, but the consumers as well. Now, the agriculture community and the millions of poor consumers owe a huge thank you to President Marcos. Mabuhay po kayo, mahal na Pangulo.

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade; a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.

Texas is using disaster declarations to install buoys and razor wire on the US-Mexico border

By Valerie Gonzalez & Acacia Coronado

The Associated Press

EAGLE PASS, Texas—Wrecking ball-sized buoys on the Rio Grande. Razor wire strung across private property without permission. Bulldozers changing the very terrain of America’s southern border.

For more than two years, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has escalated measures to keep migrants from entering the US, pushing legal boundaries with a go-it-alone bravado along the state’s 1,200mile (1,930-kilometer) border with Mexico. Now blowback over the tactics is widening, including from within Texas.

A state trooper’s account of officers denying migrants water in 100-degree Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) temperatures and razor wire leaving asylum-seekers bloodied has prompted renewed criticism. The Mexican government, some Texas residents along the border and the Biden administration are pushing back. On Monday, the US Justice Department sued Abbott over the buoy barrier that it says raises humanitarian and environmental concerns, asking a federal court to require Texas to dismantle it.

Abbott, who cruised to a third term in November while promising tougher border crackdowns, has used disaster declarations as the legal bedrock for some measures.

Critics call that a warped view.

“There are so many ways that what Texas is doing right now is just flagrantly illegal,” said David Donatti, an attorney for the Texas American Civil Liberties Union.

Abbott did not respond to requests for comment. He has repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden’s

border policies, tweeting Friday that they “encourage migrants to risk their lives crossing illegally through the Rio Grande, instead of safely and legally over a bridge.”

The Biden administration has said illegal border crossings have declined significantly since new immigration rules took effect in May.

Altered border

U N DER the international bridge connecting Eagle Pass, Texas, with Piedras Negras, Mexico, protesters gathered at Shelby Park this month, chanting “save the river” and blowing a conch shell in a ceremony. A few yards away, crews unloaded neonorange buoys from trailers parked by a boat ramp off the Rio Grande.

Jessie Fuentes stood with the environmental advocates, watching as state troopers restricted access to the water where he holds an annual kayak race. Shipping containers and layers of concertina wire lined the riverbank.

The experienced kayaker often took clients and race participants into the water through a shallow channel formed by a border island covered in verdant brush. That has been replaced by a bulldozed stretch of barren land connected to the mainland and fortified with razor wire.

“The river is a federally protected river by so many federal agencies, and I just don’t know how it happened,” Fuentes told the Eagle Pass City Council the night before.

Neither did the City Council.

“I feel like the state government has kind of bypassed local government in a lot of different ways. And so I felt powerless at times,” council member Elias Diaz told The Associated Press.

The International Boundary of Water Commission says it was not notified when Texas modified sev-

eral islands or deployed the massive buoys to create a barrier covering 1,000 feet (305 meters) of the middle of the Rio Grande, with anchors in the riverbed.

Abbott on Monday sent a letter to Biden that defended Texas’ right to install the barrier. He accused Biden of putting migrants at risk by not doing more to deter them from making the journey to the US.

The floating barrier also provoked tension with Mexico, which says it violates treaties. Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations asked the US government to remove the buoys and razor wire in a June letter.

Fuentes sued over the buoys, arguing that border crossings are not covered by the Texas Disaster Act.

As for the river islands, the Texas General Land Office gave the state Department of Public Safety access starting in April “to curb the ongoing border crisis.”

“Additionally, the General Land Office will also permit vegetation management, provided compliance with all applicable state and federal regulations is upheld,” said a letter from the office’s commissioner, Dawn Buckingham.

The Texas Military Department cleared out carrizo cane, which Buckingham’s office called an “invasive plant” in its response to questions from the AP, and changed the landscape, affecting the river’s flow.

Environmental experts are concerned.

“As far as I know, if there’s flooding in the river, it’s much more severe in Piedras Negras than it is in Eagle Pass because that’s the lower side of the river. And so next time the river really gets up, it’s going to push a lot of water over on the Mexican side, it looks like to me,” said Tom Vaughan, a retired professor and co-founder of the Rio Grande International Study Center.

Fuentes recently sought special permission from the city and DPS to navigate through his familiar kayaking route.

“Since they rerouted the water on the island, the water is flowing differently,” Fuentes said. “I can feel it.”

The state declined to release any records that might detail the environmental impacts of the buoys or changes to the landscape.

Victor Escalon, a DPS regional director overseeing Del Rio down to Brownsville, pointed to the governor’s emergency disaster declaration. “We do everything we can to prevent crime, period. And that’s the job,” he added.

Trespassing to stop trespassers

FOR one property owner, the DPS mission cut him out of his land.

In 2021, as Eagle Pass became the preferred route by migrants crossing into the US, Magali and Hugo Urbina bought a pecan orchard by the river that they called Heavenly Farms.

Hugo Urbina worked with DPS when the agency built a fence on his property and arrested migrants for trespassing. But the relationship turned acrimonious a year later after DPS asked to put up concertina wire on riverfront property that the Urbinas were leasing to the US Border Patrol to process immigrants.

Hugo Urbina wanted DPS to sign a lease that would release him from liability if the wire caused injuries. DPS declined but still installed concertina wire, moved vehicles onto the property and shut the Urbinas’ gates. That cut off the Border Patrol’s access to the river, though it still leases land from Urbina.

“They do whatever it is that they want,” Urbina said this month.

The farmer, a Republican, calls it “poison politics.” Critics call it déjà vu.

GCG SEEKS EO TO HELP BOOST ITS LIQUIDATION POWERS OVER GOCCS

GDP growth goals on track as inflation slows–Neda

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE national government remains on track to attain its GDP growth targets this year as inflation starts to slow, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

RETIRED Justice Alex L. Quiroz, GCG chairperson (top, center) speaks at the Philippines Graphic’s second webinar, "The GCG in Action: Unleashing GCG's Potential for Positive Transformation," on Tuesday (July 25). Other speakers were: (Top row, from left) PhilHealth Acting VP for Corporate Affairs Group Rey T. Baleña, SSS Vice President for NCR North Division Fernan Nicolas; (Bottom row, from left) Hosts from the BusinessMirror and Philippines Graphic, Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas and Trixzy Leigh C. Bonotan, GCG Commissioner Atty. Gideon D.V. Mortel, GSIS Acting EVP Atty. Jason Teng, and Atty. JB Jovy Bernabe, Acting Head and CEO of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. More stories on the GCG Forum in B3, Banking.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) on Tuesday asked President Marcos Jr. to issue an Executive Order (EO) that would strengthen its powers in disposing and liquidating assets of abolished government-owned and -controlled corporations.

T he GCG said it will submit a draft EO to Marcos Jr. that would institute a mechanism “to ensure effective and expeditious liquidation and winding down of abolished GOCCs.”

T he GCG disclosed that it is facing challenges in the disposal and

liquidation of assets held by 31 abolished GOCCs. One of the problems it faces is the lack of personnel and the absence of a quorum in the governing boards of abolished GOCCs.

W ith an EO in place, the GCG said it will be able to expedite the liquidation and dissolution of the abolished GOCCs, raising at least P22 billion in revenues for the government.

By finally disposing of the assets of these abolished corporations, we will also free up fiscal space that the government could use for more important projects,” GCG Chairperson Alex L. Quiroz said.

We expect to generate at least an initial P22 billion for the sale of the assets of these corporations, some of

which have been abolished for more or less 10 years now. This is also in line with President Marcos’ goal of streamlining the bureaucracy for greater efficiency,” he added. The GCG pointed out that the government is still spending money for asset preservation of the abolished GOCCs even if they have stopped operating for years already.

The Governance Commission remains steadfast in its mandate as the central advisory, oversight, and monitoring body for GOCCs, to institutionalize transparency, accountability, financial viability, and responsiveness in corporate governance by monitoring and evaluating the performance of GOCCs,” it said.

S ocioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the economy needs to post an average growth of 5.9 percent in the next three quarters to attain the low-end of the government’s growth target this year.

T he Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) has set a 6 to 7 percent GDP growth target this year and 6.5 to 8 percent between 2024 and 2028.

I’ll see when we get the numbers. I think one thing positive is inflation has been coming down, still a bit high, but the fact that it has been going down should have helped shape the expectation about the near future and that would inspire confidence in spending,” Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Economic Briefing on Tuesday. For the second quarter, Balisacan said, the economy could post a growth of 6 percent, barring any external shocks. This expectation is in line with the government’s full-year targets.

T he primary growth driver for the second quarter, Balisacan said, would be consumer spending. But the main drag on growth could be

exports because of the challenging global environment.

I think that hoping we don’t have any major shocks in the external markets, remember that Russia is again threatening to cut the exports of Ukraine. We are now seeing some uptrend in the Brent oil indices. But we hope these are just short-term things, in the meantime we can get our productive sectors responding to the opportunities,” Balisacan said. “We will probably see growth further moderate but not far enough, down enough to allow us to miss the target.”

O n Tuesday, Neda affirmed its commitment to sustain the country’s high growth momentum, improving labor market conditions, and ongoing downtrend of inflation, during the 2023 Post-SONA Philippine Economic Briefing.

Neda said through a whole-ofgovernment and whole-of-society approach, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Administration, in its first year in office, has made significant strides in leading the country to achieve a robust post-pandemic economic recovery with gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging 7.6 percent in 2022 and 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2023.

DOTr rushing infrastructure for transportation, to focus on public modes of mobility

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) will focus on the development of public transportation and encouraging private vehicle owners to use it, echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement on the promotion of interconnected physical connectivity across the country.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said he is speeding up the development of transportation infrastructure projects, which make up 83 percent of the administration’s Build Better More (BBM) Program.

He said the agency is accelerating rail, maritime, road, and aviation infrastructure projects that will bring socioeconomic benefits to Filipinos.

“ The department will speed up the momentum in completing more transport infrastructures and projects aimed at moving more people, products, and services and trigger economic growth,” Bautista said at the 2023 Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA ) Briefing Tuesday.

He listed some of the priority projects as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Lines 4 and 7, and the Metro Manila Subway.

A lso included in the list are public road transport projects such as the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) and Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP), along with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Project (PUVMP), Active Transport, and Edsa Busway.

“ We are giving focus on public

To improve our economy’s competitiveness and signal our country’s openness to business, the government worked to create an investment-friendly policy environment,” Balisacan said.

T he Neda Secretary said this environment was supported by the issuance of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the amended Public Service Act, the revised IRR of the BuildOperate-Transfer Law, and the amended Joint Venture Guidelines of Neda.

B alisacan said the government is working to create and promote an enabling policy and regulatory environment that shall be conducive to investment, innovation, and the creation of high-quality jobs.   I n line with this objective, Neda, in turn, shall continue strengthening the public-private partnership (PPP) framework and facilitating the efficient evaluation of PPP proposals.

B alisacan emphasized that the agency remains committed to monitoring critical socioeconomic indicators and undertaking rigorous analyses for evidence-based policymaking as the government tackles emerging issues.

He highlighted the importance of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 in aligning all government efforts to achieve the country’s overall goals: reinvigorating job creation and accelerating poverty reduction.

T he PDP 2023-2028 is the country’s medium-term development blueprint, outlining the government’s priorities and strategies towards achieving high and inclusive growth.

transport so that private car owners would prefer public transportation,” Bautista said.

I nterconnectivity, he noted, is “very important” and the agency is constantly studying how can commuters have access to interlinked modes of transportation to get them from point A to point B.

A side from mass transport infrastructure, the department is also putting a premium on airports such as the redevelopment of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the Clark International Airport, the New Manila International Airport, and the Sangley Point International Airport.

B autista added that 29 aviation infra projects were completed, including the Butuan Airport and CRK’s Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs), while 10 other regional airports will be developed.

DPWH’s commitment

MEANWHILE , the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) also committed to speeding up infrastructure development, with Secretary Manuel Bonoan highlighting increased budget utilization and disbursement rate.

“ Recognizing the role of infrastructure development in the country’s economy, we will continue to hasten the rollout of high-impact projects,” he said.

Bonoan cited several projects and programs with different levels of implementation: the Philippine High Standard Highway Network Program, the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program, the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Program, and the InterIsland Linkage Bridge Program.

DFA won’t scrap FTF for Chinese visa applicants

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stands pat on its policy requiring personal, face-to-face interviews with tourist visa applicants from China, in the interest of national security. It also tried to reassure the Department of Tourism (DOT) that it was rushing to roll out an electronic visa system “in 2023,” which will initially cover China and India. I n a letter to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco dated June 23, 2023, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said, “The DFA reiterates its long-standing policy that personal appearance/face-to-face interviews for individual visa applications, including individual visa applications coursed through accredited travel agents, is an essential and crucial component in the visa application process to weed out illegitimate travelers/ tourists, thus promoting national security. This works in combination with documents assessment and security clearances (used only for CH nationals applying for multiple-entry visas; single entry visas do not require security clearance).”

Illegal Chinese workers HE stressed, said requirement “may be waived for meritorious cases only and upon endorsement of the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) and Visa Officers at Post with approval of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs (UCSCA).”

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Malampaya output exceeds Prime Energy target for Q2

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Malampaya gas facility, which supplies natural gas to power four generation plants in Batangas, with a combined capacity of 2,011 megawatts (MW).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the renewal of Service Contract no. 38 (SC 38) in May, extending the project for another 15 years or until February 22, 2039.

Under SC 38, the Malampaya consortium will remit 60 percent of net proceeds from petroleum operations to the national government. The consortium has remitted more than $13.14 billion from October 2001 to December 2022.

B1

ICTSI terminal backs Nigeria’s LNG push

“We now have two reception and regasification facilities for imported liquefied natural gas [LNG]. These facilities will support the gas-powered plants needed to stabilize the increasing volumes of variable renewable energy [R e].”

Prime energy said energy production and supply to customers exceeded Malampaya’s target, with gas sales in the second quarter reaching 280 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) against a target of 274 MMSCFD. It cited “efficient maintenance activities and integrity of equipment” as driving forces that contributed to the high sales.

The Malampaya platform, pipelines, and production systems went through a two-week maintenance work early in February.

“We are very proud of the excellent performance of the asset, enabled by the tireless commitment, ingenuity

and proven capability of Prime energy employees.

We intend to maintain a reliable supply of indigenous gas to our customers while we continue the hard work of exploring for new sources to address the natural decline of the Malampaya gas field. We remain committed to being the partner of choice in providing energy sufficiency and security to the country,” Prime energy General Manager Donnabel Kuizon Cruz said in a statement.

Operating under an all-Filipino management and staff, Prime e n ergy said it continues to show its capability and competence in operating and maintaining the

This is not the first time that Malampaya has exceeded its projected revenues. From starting commercial operations in 2002 until the end of 2022, the gas production facility generated total sales of more than $13 billion against total projected sales of $10 billion for the entire duration of the project.

The Department of energy (DOe), in a statement issued Tuesday, said SC 38 has been renewed to ensure the field’s full production and to kick start the timely drilling of the nearby fields.

“This administration has also progressed in developing the country’s natural gas industry,” it said.

Abacore acquires property in Cavite

By VG Cabuag @villygc

The board of Abacore Capital holdings Inc. has approved the acquisition of a property in Silang, Cavite to replenish the company’s inventory of land and investments.

In its disclosure, the company said the property has an area of approximately 22.5 hectares.

“The final contract price is subject to the appraisal of an independent appraiser with a floor price of P5,000 pesos per square meter, and a ceiling of P7,000 per square meter for the purpose of developing the same into an income-generating residential development,” the company said.

The board also authorized its president Raul B. De Mesa and COO Arturo V. Magtibay to sign any relevant documents for the investment.

Abacore, a holding company with interests in sectors such as real estate, finance and tourism, said it recorded a net income of P307.6 million in the first quarter from a net loss of P13.2 million last year.

The company said its income for the quarter primarily came from a gain of P249.96 million from the disposal of investment properties.

The company also gained P75.6 million from the sale of investment in subsidiaries and P4.4 million in interest income.

Total operational expenses increased on an annual basis to P21.12 million from P13.01 million, primarily due to higher salaries and wages, employee benefits, and repairs and maintenance.

The company’s board also approved the sale of a 30,000-square meter property in Barangay Inosluban in Lipa City, Batangas. The land, owned by its subsidiary Asean Publishers Inc., will be sold for P7,000 per square meter, generating a total value of P210 million.

“We are happy for our strong start in 2023. This is the result of the company’s efforts to monetize its assets through property sales and joint ventures,” Antonio VF Gregorio III, the company’s vice chairman said.

Davao Light customers told to avail of subsidy

DAVAO C ity—More than 10 percent of households in the franchise area of the Davao Light and Power Co. (Davao Light) are eligible for subsidized electricity rates, according to the company.

The Aboitiz-owned Davao Light has also encouraged them to avail of the enhanced Lifeline Rate Subsidy, pegged at the discounted and minimum amount affordable to the poor.

“In an effort to further help fellow Filipinos who belong to the marginalized sector of society, Davao Light encourages its customers to apply and avail of the lifeline rate subsidy, with its new guidelines, as provided by Republic Act [RA] 11552.”

Davao Light disclosed that around 65,000 out of more than 475,000 customers of Davao Light were eligible to apply for the subsidy. It said it started accepting applications on May 2 and would implement the new lifeline rate subsidy guidelines on August 1. The lifeline rate scheme provides a discount on the electric-

ity bills of qualified marginalized or low-income customers whose monthly electricity consumption is 100 kilowatt hour or below, it said. The subsidy is based on the discount level set by the e n ergy Regulatory Commission ( e R C) and is applied to the generation, transmission, distribution, supply, metering, and systems loss charges only.

Under the new guidelines of RA 11552, those who are qualified for the subsidy are the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and those non-4Ps beneficiaries or those living below the poverty threshold established by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as certified by the local Social Welfare Development Office (SWDO). e l igible customers will need to submit requirements and accomplish the official application form at any of Davao Light’s accredited customer service centers at NCCC Mall VP, NCCC Panacan, MS Land Bldg. in McArthur h i ghway, Canete Bldg. in Calinan, Panabo Rivera, or at Inson Bldg.

DOe Secretary Raphael Lotilla also said that the strict compliance of the private power generators with their maintenance schedule made the country’s power supply manageable. eight new generation facilities also became operational from July 2022 to June 2023, increasing the country’s installed capacity by 930.8 MW and dependable capacity by 801.6 MW.

Additional capacities from the uprating of existing power plants also contributed to the increase in installed capacity totaling 1,174 MW.

Meanwhile, the dependable capacity increased by 1,764 MW due to the return of the service of the Ilijan Power Plant.

Continued on B2

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

INTeR NATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said on Tuesday its Nigerian terminal is “playing an important role” in supporting the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) development.

According to the Filipino company, Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT) is supporting Nigerian LNG’s (NLNG) Train 7 expansion project at the latter’s facility in Bonny.

OMT recently facilitated the unloading of essential project modules from three vessels on Berth 10 of the Federal Ocean Terminal. The modules were securely stored in OMT’s yard and were later loaded onto barges for transport to Bonny Island.

A joint venture between Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., To-

tal, Shell, and eNI, the NLNG commenced operations at its Bonny facility in 1999 and currently operates six processing units—also known as trains.

The $10-billion Train 7 expansion is aimed at increasing Nigeria’s LNG production from 22 million to 30 million tons per annum by 2027. “OMT is steadfast in its commitment to support Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and encourage economic growth by facilitating the safe and efficient movement of project cargo and other commodities at the Onne Port,” ICTSI said.

OMT is ICTSI’s cargo handling facilities in Africa. ICTSI is set to operate its fifth terminal in the continent after being selected by Transnet as the preferred partner to develop and operate Durban Container Terminal Pier 2.

in Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte. The documentary requirements include the customer’s recent electricity bill, valid government ID, and SWDO Certification for non-4Ps beneficiaries.

Customers who are currently enjoying the lifeline rate subsidy will have to reapply to continue to receive it provided that they qualify under the new guidelines. Otherwise, the subsidy will be lifted in August.

Applications will undergo a validation process, and once confirmed, Davao Light will issue a Certification of Lifeline Coverage to the customer. The subsidy will be valid for 4Ps beneficiaries if they are included in the Department of Social Welfare’s 4Ps list. For non-4Ps beneficiaries, validity will be for three years from the issuance of certification from SWDO. They may apply for renewal two months before the expiration of their certification.

Customers may contact Davao Light through its 24/7 Customer Contact Service, or through its official Facebook page. Manuel T. Cayon

Prime energy resources Development B.V., operator of the malampaya Deepwater Gas to Power Project—the largest upstream petroleum operations in the country—said Tuesday that it has exceeded its target output for the months of April, may, and June.

GSIS study on MUP pensions ends soon

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

STATE-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) vows to complete an updated actuarial study on the military and uniformed personnel’s (MUP) pension fund by August.

GSIS Acting Executive Vice President

Jason C. Teng said the updated actuarial study on the MUP pension is crucial to the reforms being pushed by the administration’s economic team. Teng said they initially proposed to separate the MUP pension from the regular social insurance fund for all GSIS members.

“Right now, what is for sure [is that] we will have a separate accounting for the MUP. We will have a social insurance fund for the GSIS members and, if the MUP would fall under the coverage of the GSIS, a separate fund would be created for it to avert the inter-marriage of the two funds,” he said during a webinar organized last Tuesday by the Philippines Graphic, a sister publication of the BusinessMirror.

Based on the previous actuarial study conducted by the GSIS in 2019, the national government would spend about P850 billion annually in the next 20 years to finance the current MUP pension system.

During another event the same day, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno reiterated that undertaking the military pension reform would be a “game-changer” as it will open up a lot of fiscal space in the national government’s budget.

“If my numbers are right, 2024, we have allocated something like P300 billion; that’s approximately $6 billion for the military pension,” Diokno said.

“The military pension reform is part of the top priority legislative agenda of the President, concurred in by Congress and we expect this to be passed before the end of the year; and so it will have an impact as soon as January of next year,” the Finance Secretary added.

The Department of Finance (DOF) earlier announced that the GSIS would manage the MUP pension fund. The DOF also disclosed that the monthly premium of the reformed MUP pension fund would be invested by the GSIS to allow the fund to grow in order to achieve “required return of 85 percent to 90 percent of pension upon retirement” of MUPs.

The DOF said the economic team would soon provide the “computations on the net take home pay, as well as the net payout of all retirement options” of MUPs under the proposed reforms.

4M to get crop insurance cover in ’23

By Raadee S. Sausa

“This year I’m pretty confident it will reach four million farmers; that’s a good penetration rate for a crop insurance company and at least cover around 40 percent of our farmers,” Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) President Jovy C. Bernabe said last Tuesday

during a webinar organized by the BusinessMirror’s sister publication the Philippines Graphic magazine.

Bernabe said the insurance coverage last year reached 3.8 million farmers.

“Just for one year; it’s the larg-

est coverage in the history of PCIC,” he added.

Bernabe believes because the insurance is being given for free, the number of farmers covered has been increasing.

“Our coverage is free; crop insurance is free as long as they—they are small-scale farmers—are registered in the registry system of the Department of Agriculture,” the PCIC chief explained.

Likewise, the increase in the number of covered farmers is relative to the budget given to the PCIC, Bernabe added.

“So, if the budget is bigger, the coverage is bigger too,” the official said. “So it’s really the function of budget that is given to us.

Bernabe reiterated the invitation

Filipinos struggled with finances in Q2

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE income of Filipino households struggled to keep up with their financial needs in the second quarter, a consumer pulse study by TransUnion Information Solutions Inc. revealed.

The study revealed that the percentage of respondents reporting worse than planned household financial situations increased to 27 percent in the second quarter compared to 25 percent in the first quarter.

The results also showed that respondents who were earning higher income in the past three months also decreased to 41 percent in the second quarter of the year from 45 percent in the first quarter of 2023.

According to TransUnion, the finances of Filipino households failed to keep pace despite the economic recovery observed last year and a continued expansion of the gross domestic product to 6.4 percent in the first quarter of this year.

However, “slightly-worse household finances” did not deter Filipino consumers from being optimistic about their finances next year.

Data showed those who are optimistic their finances will improve increased to 84 percent in the second quarter from 81 percent in the first quarter.

Further, more than half or 59 percent said they expect to be able to pay at least one of their current bills or loans in full, a four-percentage point improvement over the last quarter.

“The improvement in the economy as well as consumer confidence also showed in the number who expected to be better able to meet their debt obligations,” TransUnion said.

Improved consumer sentiment influenced spending as well. TransUnion said on the topic of how consumers expected their household spending to change over the next three months, 31 percent indicated they plan to increase it – up two percentage points compared to the first quarter results.

There was also a notable increase seen in the percentage of consumers who reported same or increased instore and online purchases, tallying 61 percent in the second quarter, a two percentage point increase from the first quarter.

“Survey results showed that Gen Z consumers were seen to have the highest increases in both purchases made and plans to increase discretionary spending,” TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia Arellano was quoted in a statement as saying.

“With the momentum of the economy and relaxed Covid-19 restrictions, there are now more avenues for younger Filipinos to allot their finances beyond paying for necessities. These changing spending habits could also give insight into their attitudes towards credit as well,” Arellano added.

Credit cards

HIGHER interest rates was one of the reasons given as impacting consumers’ decisions to apply for credit in the next year, with 84 percent of

the PCIC extended in June to farmers to avail of the free insurance that is made available by the government to six agricultural product lines.

PCIC 6 Regional Manager Eva

Ulie D. Laud said that Western Visayas has an allocation of P480.69 million targeting 209,056 farmers and fishermen for six product lines. The latter are: rice; corn; high-value crops; non-crop agricultural assets; livestock; and, fisheries.

Iloilo has the biggest allocation of P189.87 million followed by Negros Occidental with P84.12 million and Capiz with P84.12 million.

The province of Aklan has been allocated P45.67 million, Antique with P55.28 million and Guimaras with P21.63 million.

consumers saying rises were moderately or highly likely to impact their decision to apply for credit, up two percentage points from the previous quarter.

However, TransUnion said there is a growing percentage of Gen Z consumers who see credit as an important financial tool. Gen Z consumers were born between 1995 and 2004.

Among Gen Z consumers, 68 percent said that access to credit and lending products is extremely or very important to be able to achieve their financial goals, jumping three-percentage points from the first quarter findings.

Gen Z consumers also demonstrated a strong desire to apply for new credit as well. Compared to the first quarter, there was a 10-percentage point increase in Gen Z consumers planning to apply for a new credit card.

There was also a four-percentage point increase among these consumers who planned to get new personal loans and a three-percentage point increase among those who wanted to avail of a new “buy now pay later” product.

“These figures show a contrast to the reduced desire of some other generations to apply for new credit products,” TransUnion said.

The firm’s consumer pulse study surveyed 907 consumers in the Philippines from May 4 to May 19, 2023. This quarterly survey examines shifting consumer attitudes and behaviors based on the dynamics of income, debt and identity theft.

Laud said they are campaigning for rice and corn farmers to avail of the insurance, “which is very timely since it’s already the start of the planting season for first cropping.”

She added that within 15 days before or after farmers plant, they can already apply for crop insurance for rice and corn. Ulad emphasized the importance of the farmer’s inclusion in the PCIC master list or with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.

They are advised to visit their municipal agriculture office and fill up the required form, Ulad added. She said that as of June 15, they have already insured 77,087 farmers for all product lines with fund utilization reaching P135.418 million.

BTr meets ₧15-B goal in Treasuries’ auction

THE national government on Tuesday seized the moment to borrow its full P15 billion target amount through the tender of shortterm government securities as investors’ asking rates fell below benchmark levels and previous week’s rates.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) made a full award of its Treasury bills (T-bills) auction, raising P5 billion each from the sale of 91-day, 182-day and 364day tenors of the debt paper. The auction saw asking rates averaging lower than last week’s rates and below the prevailing secondary market benchmark levels for the government securities.

The 91-day T-bills registered an average rate of 5.611 percent, below the 5.808 percent secondary market benchmark level. The average rate was also lower than the 5.884 percent average yield recorded for the same debt paper in the previous auction of the Treasury.

The 91-day T-bills fetched rates from as low as 5.608 percent to as high as 5.618 percent.

The 182-day T-bills saw an average yield of 5.823 percent versus the 5.957 percent benchmark rate. The asking rates for the debt paper were between

5.818 percent and 5.838 percent.

Meanwhile, the average rate for the 364-day T-bills settled at 6.184 percent, slightly higher than the 6.145 percent secondary market benchmark rate for government security. Investors sought yield from as low as 6.1 percent to as high as 6.275 percent from the 364day T-bills.

Nonetheless, the average yield for the 364-day T-bills was lower than the 6.266 percent average rate it recorded in the Treasury’s auction last week.

“The auction was 4.4 times oversubscribed with total bids reaching P66.7 billion,” read the Treasury’s statement issued after the auction.

The 91-day T-bills generated P29.775 billion in total offer while the 182-day and 364day T-bills had a total tender of P22.815 billion and P14.105 billion, respectively.

With the recent auction, the Treasury has raised P137.222 billion so far for this month. The Treasury plans to borrow a total of P180 billion from the domestic market for July.

The Treasury is set to hold its final auction for the month on July 26 with a P30-billion tender of Treasury bonds. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Twitter ‘Met-a’ match in threads SC affirms COA vs PDIC aid to 2 banks

SOME people may not yet be familiar with Threads but the recent news about Threads having 100 million users in just five days and 10 million users in less than 24 hours had me wondering what has Meta got in Threads that millions signed up in just five days compared to Twitter’s first few days.

I have a Twitter account. I opened it years before since I want to follow then US President Barack Obama. But I am not so excited with it as I am with Threads right now.

I am like Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram and Threads, who has indicated he wants to stay away from breaking news and politics. Like him, I have enough stress for the day to add more news and politics to my feed. So Twitter is not just for me.

But what is in Threads that attracted more users and who is bent on winning in this battle of the giants in social media?

First: is easier to open an account in Threads. You just have to go to your Instagram account and you will be able to use the same profile since Meta owns both Instagram and Facebook. The second reason is Threads was introduced at the right time when Elon Musk is facing criticisms from Twitter users and followers. Recently, Elon Musk started limiting how many tweets users can view. Twitter also has a management tool called TweetDeck—used for scheduling tweets—only limited to paid accounts.

Why should one go to Twitter when you are required to pay while in Threads you are free to scroll and text up to 500 characters (compared to Twitter that has only a maximum of 280 characters).

There are downsides to Threads, too.

For instance, you cannot delete your Threads account without deleting your Instagram account. And you cannot interact with your friends in the European Union because Meta decided to not launch Threads in the EU due to regulatory concerns.

I am not really into Instagram because I do not want my profile to be public. I have posts that I only want my friends and not the public to see. I am not fond of Twitter, too. Threads gave me an opportunity to post contents for the public to see without them looking at my personal pictures and events. In Threads I plan that my posts will only be quotes, which are related to my Threads name account (also my Instagram account), which is @wilmaworkingwomanworld@threads.net.

I am scared to go public in Instagram because I can see friend requests from people who may even be fictitious. I also have posts that include pictures showing personal activities.

I find it funny—my curiosity can sometimes lead me to adventurous acts. I opened an account just yesterday to see how this Threads thing goes and how it can be so easy to open one. True to what people say –I opened an account with such ease in a just a few minutes.

There were just a few friends in Instagram that I saw in Threads; maybe because I have only a small circle of friends in my Instagram account compared to my Facebook account. And most people are not yet familiar with Threads.

The battle is still ongoing and only in the future will we be able to see which of the two applications will really win. Will it be Twitter of Elon Musk or Threads by Mark Zuckerberg?

Or will we be caught by surprise when a new application will suddenly appear and bag the prize over Twitter and Threads?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Wilma Miranda is the 2023 chairman of the ethics committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines. She is also a managing partner of Inventor, Miranda & Associates, CPAs and a member of the Board of Directors of KPS Outsourcing Inc. The views expressed herein do not necessar-

the opinion of these institutions and the

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) that denied the condonation and write-off portions of the financial assistance given by the state insurer to Westmont Bank and Keppel Monte Savings Bank (KMSB) amounting to P1.65 billion and P325 million, respectively.

In an 18-page decision penned by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, the Court en banc unanimously denied the petition filed by the state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) seeking to set aside the August 2, 2012, decision of the COA. That decision rejected the condonation granted by the PDIC to Westmont Bank on the ground that it includes the principal loan.

The COA also denied the request to write off the account of KMSB since the said account does not appear to be uncollectible.

In a resolution dated March 9, 2015, the COA denied PDIC’s motion for reconsideration for lack of new and substantial arguments to warrant the reversal of its decision and subsequently issued a notice of disallowance.

On July 10, 2015, pending the resolution of the PDIC’s petition, the

COA issued notices of disallowance for the said amounts.

The COA also held liable the members of the PDIC Board of Directors who approved the condonation and write-off. The COA also held liable with the officers of Westmont Bank and KMSB liable to settle the disallowed amounts.

In its petition, the PDIC argued that the COA committed grave abuse of discretion in issuing the notices of disallowance, noting the unreasonable delay on the latter’s part in resolving the issues on the grants of financial assistance.

The PDIC said such delay was tantamount to “an evasion of a positive duty” amounting to grave abuse of discretion on the part of COA.

It maintained that it is empowered under its Charter to condone or release any claim or liability regardless of the amount, and that its actions were approved by the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

However, in ruling in favor of COA, the SC pointed out that in authorizing the condonation and writeoff, the PDIC Board of Directors acted with gross negligence, amounting to bad faith, thus, justifying their liability for the disallowance.

The Court noted that the disallowed condonation and write-off were implemented without Congressional approval and recommenda-

tions from COA and the Office of the President as mandated under Section 20 of the Administrative Code.

“The patent illegality of the condonation and write-off indubitably countermands PDIC’s invocation of good faith. There is no justification to legitimize the palpable lapse of the PDIC Board of Directors in simply ignoring the mandatory provisions of the Administrative Code, which had long been in effect before the condonation and write-off were implemented,” the SC said.

“The COA, therefore, committed no grave abuse of discretion in holding the PDIC Board of Directors liable for the disallowed amounts,” the SC added.

Furthermore, the SC said the petitioner failed to show proof of inordinate delay on the part of COA to warrant the dismissal of the case.

While the COA admitted that it took a length of time in issuing the notices of disallowance, the Court noted the complexities it had to deal with in auditing the questioned loans, which required looking into numerous transactions dating back to the 1990s.

“Finally, there is no showing that PDIC was prejudiced by the alleged delay committed by the COA. In sum, we find no inordinate delay on the part of the COA to warrant the dismissal of the case,” the SC ruled.

A

MID threats by a drought to the country’s food security, the government’s insurer for crops expects four million farmers would be covered this year.

SEATING PROBLEM

WHO is the big star who organizers of a big event had difficulty seating? It wasn’t because she was picky. It was because her being seated at certain tables would cause awkwardness. She’s a big star, so she needed to be seated in the table with other stars of her caliber. Unfortunately, she has a long running a feud with another big star so that was not possible. She couldn’t be seated with more junior stars because it would be too awkward. The big star has been beset by controversies lately, including the alleged departure or dismissal of her regular glam team but those who have worked with her insist that she is the kindest and nicest person. It’s just that her presence could rub people the wrong way.

DOUBLE BOOKING

WHAT kind of hotel accepts a paid reservation and cancels at the last minute? And for such a big event? The actress made a reservation for the hotel’s most expensive suite where the big event was to be held, only to be told days before that it was canceled? The actress had booked the most expensive suite and paid for it already. Days before the event, the hotel told the actress that there had been a mixup and her reservation was canceled. Instead, they offered her a deluxe room. Of course, that didn’t sit well with the actress. Her manager made calls for her to still get the suite to no avail.

HER DECISION

SO there has been so much speculation about the actress’ dilemma on who should escort her during a very important event? Should it be her real-life boyfriend or should it be her leading man? The truth is the actress chose to walk alone as she entered the event. No one pressured her to do anything. Everything she does in her life and career is her own decision. After she entered the venue, she sat with her boyfriend. There is no love triangle. The actress is very clear that she loves her boyfriend and she’s working with her leading man.

THROWING A TANTRUM

WHICH celebrity threw a fit after an event because one of the guests, also a beauty queen, was wearing a gown that was very similar to hers? Celebrity has always had an attitude problem. None of her coworkers, past or present, have anything good to say about her. During the said event, another beauty queen was wearing a gown similar to the celebrity’s and she was very displeased. She blamed everyone, from her manager to her makeup artist, as to why it happened. She almost made a scene at the event venue until she was stopped by someone.

Tony Bennett le�t his heart to generations of music fans

BY DAVID BAUDE�

The Associated Press

NEW YORK—What do Paul McCartney, Queen Latifah, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder have in common?

Oh, and Aretha Franklin, k.d. lang, Bono and Billy Joel. Not to mention Carrie Underwood, Judy Garland, John Legend and Placido Domingo. And let’s not forget...

Stop. Listing all of the musicians who performed duets with Tony Bennett would take up our remaining space. His place in music history is already secure.

Bennett, who died at 96 on Friday, was indeed “the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century,” as Charles J. Gans wrote for The Associated Press. Yet that summation befits a man frozen in time, consigned to a specific era, and Tony Bennett was anything but that.

Instead, Bennett transcended generations in a way few musicians have.

He was rightly beloved by older listeners for the way he interpreted the works of songwriters Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin in a strong and stalwart voice that remained true into his 90s. He was influenced by and helped popularize jazz, and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King to fight for civil rights.

He was also admired by those who, if they left their hearts in San Francisco, it was at the corner of HaightAshbury, or a trendy dance club.

“I have to think it comes down to the man itself,” said singer Ben Folds, at age 56 four decades younger than Bennett was at the end.

“You hear his voice, it’s super kind, casual and in the moment,” Folds said. “His phrasing is that way, too. There’s nothing that sounds uptight. It’s very generous. A lot of people in his generation didn’t have that appeal because at the end of the day, you didn’t feel that they cared about you.”

Many of Bennett’s successful late-career duets were a tribute to the savvy marketing of his son and manager, Danny, who kept his dad’s career going long past most peers hit their expiration date. But famous duet partners could have said no. Few did.

Don’t think they didn’t notice the sweet and tender manner he brought to the studio working with people like Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, Folds said. Bennett’s duet with Winehouse on “Body and Soul” was the last studio recording she made before she died. Gaga, the New Yorker born Stefani Germanotta who could appreciate the New Yorker born Anthony Benedetto, became like family and ushered him

‘Paghilom’ the movie launches

THE movie Paghilom had its press launching recently attended by no less than Tony Boy dela Rea, one of the main characters in the movie and a first-time movie producer. He was joined by his sister Avelina dela Rea who is the executive producer of a new film outfit called Cine Silang.

Tony Boy plays the role of Alfon, a domineering father in Paghilom, which tackles the dynamics of the conflicts in the family, the series of tragedies that happen to his two beloved sons, and the personal and emotional struggle between the husband and his suffering wife, Ophel, played by Jane Umali.

Joining them in this movie during the event

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS

DAY: Bianca Santos, 33; Kate Beckinsale, 50; Sandra Bullock, 59; Helen Mirren, 78.

through musical triumphs with love even as he suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. Bennett drew and signed an image of Miles Davis’ trumpet that Gaga wears as a tattoo on her arm.

k.d. lang’s formidable voice bowed to no one when she brought it to a series of memorable performances with Bennett in the 1990s.

“He was a place of refuge for the American songbook,” lang told the Associated Press. “He made sure that he loved a song. He would not sing any song that he didn’t love.”

Make no mistake: Bennett brought the goods. Watch a video of him coming on to a Shea Stadium stage to sing “New York State of Mind” with Billy Joel. His guest steals the song, and Joel beams as he watches. His handiwork has just been blessed by Tony Bennett.

At a San Francisco fundraiser a few years ago, with Alzheimer’s insidious impact already apparent, Folds watched stunned as Bennett switched from remarks to a few bars of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” in perfect pitch.

Bennett exuded an older generation’s class, always performing in a tuxedo or tailored suit. In a Los Angeles hotel room in 1994 when an earthquake hit before dawn, Bennett took the time to change into a suit before joining bathrobe-wearing evacuees, the Los Angeles Times noted.

In all of the work he did with contemporary artists, he never sounded age inappropriate, said music critic Jim Farber. Bennett always bent them to his musical will, never the other way around, he said.

“There’s this multitude of singers, from Gaga to Diana Krall to John Mayer,” lang said. “Now they can carry a certain understanding that they received firsthand from him.”

Something more important was usually happening in the audience.

Two years ago, writer Christine Passarella recalled sitting in lawn chairs in a Brooklyn park in the 1980s with her mother and baby daughter, listening to Bennett sing. “Seeing him live felt like watching an uncle embracing me and my mom, as his music helped us remember my father, my mom’s one and only love,” she wrote.

Countless numbers of people remember similar moments with family over the years, hearing Bennett’s voice wash warmly over them while sitting with a mother or father, a son or daughter. I’m among them. That is, ultimately, a legacy to be treasured above all. ■

are (from left to right) singer and actor Lance Raymundo as Dr. Marco Guevarra; Genesis Guevarra, the son of Mark and Anna; Piolo Broso, as Mark, one of the sons of Alfon and Ophie; and the movie’s director Tejay Gonzales. Also in the movie are Azenith Briones as Jenny, Sharmaine Suarez as Anna, Bridge Romero as Dr. Bong Guinto, and Joshua de Guzman as Rene Boy, the other son of Alfon and Ophel.

Tony Boy embarked on this project because of his passion for movies, while Avelina on her part wanted to leave a legacy for their family. This is a feel-good movie that every family can easily relate with and find a silver lining to every struggle in life.

The

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Take your time, get things right the first time and avoid emotional turmoil and opposition. Plan your adventures intelligently, and look at every aspect of a situation before you act. How you approach everyday issues will determine how the year unfolds. A steady pace forward will lead to results that give peace of mind. Self-reliance will build confidence. Your numbers are 9, 11, 23, 27, 33, 36, 41.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you don’t contribute, you won’t have a say. Stand up for your beliefs and adjust your life and how you live it to benefit you. Reevaluate your associates and how you spend your time. Happiness is a choice, and it begins with you. ★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Declutter your life, and you’ll eliminate tension, stress and complaints. Restructure how you spend your time to ensure you take a path that leads to better health, financial stability and a happy outlook. ★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Outsmart anyone interfering with what you want. Use your intelligence, physical attributes and courage to sidestep your way to the top. Counter anyone who tries to rewrite history or make you look bad. ★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Put your best foot forward and you’ll gain ground. Educational pursuits will lead you in a direction that is eye-opening. Be persistent when faced with doubt or necessary change if you want to improve your life. Don’t settle for something that isn’t healthy. ★★★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t drag someone along who doesn’t want to be there. Forge ahead alone and you’ll accomplish what you set out to do. Trust your instincts and simplify your life. Distance yourself from drama and people who like to blame others for their mistakes. ★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Act in your best interest, not with emotional motives. A sound decision will make or break your spirit. Trust your instincts regarding travel, residential moves and educational pursuits. Be ready to act fast once you decide what’s best for you. ★★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Call for help if it will make your journey easier. Pressure at home or work will dictate the changes that follow. Look for the most opportunity-filled path, and secure your position to validate your authenticity. ★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll face multiple choices that can change your direction, lifestyle or relationship with others. Take care of your responsibilities to avoid criticism and being forced into something you don’t want. Control the situation instead of letting others dictate your next move. ★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Refuse to let what others do agitate you. Think and do what’s best for you and protect your money, possessions and reputation from anyone who tries to take advantage of you. Be resourceful, get your facts straight and create opportunities tailored to your needs. ★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take a different approach when faced with opposition or setbacks, and you’ll find a way to zigzag your way to higher ground. Focus on what you can do and not what’s holding you back. Make change and opportunity priorities and start the process. ★★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Choose your battles wisely. Humor anyone who is trying to coax you into an emotional struggle. Outsmart your way forward using charm, facts and empathy; you will come out on top. Keep life simple and affordable, regardless of what others choose to do. ★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take a unique approach to investments and how you use your skills to earn a living. Look at partnerships that will help you get to where you want to go, and don’t hesitate to change what isn’t working for you anymore.

BIRTHDAY BABY:

You are charismatic, intense and extravagant. You are dynamic and tireless.

Crossword • Edited by David Steinberg/Anna Gundlach

‘every which way’ BY HANH HUYNH

Developing good work relationships

HOW TO #GOBEYOND THE NEXT TIME YOU GO SHOPPING

PLANNING on shopping soon? Whether it’s for groceries, home improvement needs, or a new wardrobe, there’s one thing you need to have in your wallet to make the most of your purchases.

UnionBank and Go Rewards recently launched its all-in-one credit card and loyalty rewards card to make shopping more rewarding for customers. Here’s why the UnionBank Go Rewards Visa Credit Card (gorewards.unionbankph.com/gorewardscredit) is the only credit card you’ll need when shopping for all your personal and home needs, and so much more.

■ Gain more points. Your Go Rewards points can go a long way—redeem them easily when you shop at over 2,000 partner establishments nationwide, including Robinsons Department Store, Toys R’ Us, and Daiso Japan using your UnionBank Go Rewards Visa Credit Card.

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Avail your family’s health and wellness essentials at Rose Pharmacy and Southstar Drug. In need of repairs and upgrades for your home? Check out the wide array of supplies at Handyman and True Value. Lastly, spoil your fur babies with toys and treats from Pet Lovers Centre.

■ Enjoy exclusive perks. On top of rewards and promos, being a UnionBank Go Rewards Visa Credit Card holder also has amazing perks, including getting a complimentary Go Rewards Black membership. This entitles you to an exclusive Black Member lane in Shopwise and The Marketplace for a more convenient shopping experience, free parking at select branches of the aforementioned stores and even more exclusive perks and benefits as a cardholder.

WORK relationships tend to be transactional because the environment in the workplace forces you to go to people only when you need something. This is especially true for support work relationships like Human Resource or Information Technology where you go to them only when you need something. And then there are those that you work with only because your project is dependent on their output, or the other way around. But to create a great working environment, you need to develop trustworthy relationships where everyone looks out for each other.

When your team has good work relations with each other, they become more productive. People also speak up more and contribute meaningfully to discussions because people understand that the success of one person is the success of the team. This means that teams can collaborate and come up with solutions faster. In all of these, the leaders play an important role in cultivating an environment where everyone works well together.

Whether you are in a leadership position or a team member, you need to develop and maintain good work relations with your coworkers. If you are going to successfully navigate corporate life and avoid the negative effects of office politics, you need to know how to handle the different kinds of people you work with.

It all starts with good communication practices. One is knowing the formal communication channels that you should use for different types of work. When I was still in another organization, we could go directly to our leaders all the way to the Senior Vice President because that was an acceptable way to communicate within the organization. In another organization, I went directly to someone I know from another department. My manager reprimanded me because he said that it should have been the head of our department who should have written to the head of the other department. You need to know the communication protocols in your organization and follow them. This way, you do not disrupt communication channels and you reinforce the acceptable culture.

You can still utilize informal communication channels to get the pulse of the organization. Water cooler conversations and lunch discussions can be used as a way of getting to know how people feel and think about certain issues. Just a caution that a few people’s impressions and opinions do not necessarily reflect the entire workforce.

In communicating with people in the organization, have the integrity to follow through. If you say you are going to do something, be trustworthy enough

that you will push through to its completion. I once worked with a software development team who kept pushing back the launch of the application that it took more than a year for the application to be functional. Because of the missed deadlines, we lost productivity hours that could have been used in other projects. Needless to say, we did not work with that software development team again. Develop good work relationships by being dependable. Other departments need to know that they can rely on you to do your work especially if they rely heavily on your output. Make sure you deliver your part so that they can do their work properly and on schedule. When they know that you will always deliver, you strengthen the work relationship. But if you do make mistakes, admit what your error is but also provide a remedy. One of the things people forget when admitting their mistake is to make amends. If you are truly sorry for your mistake, the least you can do is to develop alternative solutions. Recommend a course of action so that the other party knows that you still have their best interest at heart. If you have free time, make use of it by attending training sessions. If possible, volunteer to help your peers who may be struggling with their work. Offer to help but do not take on the entire work as this may also make them think it is okay to offload their work to you. Help by teaching them your best practices, or doing a part of their work so it becomes easier for them to complete on their own. But if you are going to take on an entire project, make sure your manager knows so that the credit for the work goes to you.

There is nothing more irritating than someone who disturbs you for something that they could have researched by themselves instead of asking you. If

Decades of public messages about recycling have crowded out more sustainable

BY MICHAELA BARNETT University

of Virginia

YOU’VE just finished a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe. Now you’re facing a trash bin, a recycling bin and a compost bin. What’s the most planet-friendly thing to do with your cup?

Many of us would opt for the recycling bin – but that’s often the wrong choice. In order to hold liquids, most paper coffee cups are made with a thin plastic lining, which makes separating these materials and recycling them difficult.

In fact, the most sustainable option isn’t available at the trash bin. It happens earlier, before you’re handed a disposable cup in the first place.

In our research on waste behavior, sustainability, engineering design and decision making, we examine what US residents understand about the efficacy of different waste management strategies and which of those strategies they prefer.

In two nationwide surveys in the US that we conducted in October 2019 and March 2022, we found that people overlook waste reduction and reuse in favor of recycling. We call this tendency recycling bias and reduction neglect.

Our results show that a decadeslong effort to educate the US public about recycling has succeeded in some ways but failed in others. These efforts have made recycling an option that consumers see as important—but to the detriment of more sustainable

options. And it has not made people more effective recyclers.

A global waste crisis

EXPERTS and advocates widely agree that humans are generating waste worldwide at levels that are unmanageable and unsustainable. Microplastics are polluting the Earth’s most remote regions and amassing in the bodies of humans and animals.

Producing and disposing of goods is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and a public health threat, especially for vulnerable communities that receive large quantities of waste. New research suggests that even when plastic does get recycled, it produces staggering amounts of microplastic pollution. Given the scope and urgency of this problem, in June 2023 the United Nations convened talks with government representatives from around the globe to begin drafting a legally binding pact aimed at stemming harmful plastic waste. Meanwhile, many US cities and states are banning single-use plastic products or restricting their use.

Upstream and downstream solutions

EXPERTS have long recommended tackling the waste problem by prioritizing source reduction strategies that prevent the creation of waste in the first place, rather than seeking to manage and mitigate its impact later. The US Environmental Protection Agency and other prominent environmental organizations like

the UN Environment Programme use a framework called the waste management hierarchy that ranks strategies from most to least environmentally preferred.

The familiar waste management hierarchy urges people to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” in that order. Creating items that can be recycled is better from a sustainability perspective than burning them in an incinerator or burying them in a landfill, but it still consumes energy and resources. In contrast, reducing waste generation conserves natural resources and avoids other negative environmental impacts throughout a product’s life.

R’s out of place

IN our surveys, participants completed a series of questions and tasks that elicited their views of different waste strategies. In response to openended questions about the most effective way to reduce landfill waste or solve environmental issues associated with waste, participants overwhelmingly cited recycling and other downstream strategies. We also asked people to rank the four strategies of the Environmental Protection Agency’s waste management hierarchy from most to least environmentally preferred. In that order, they include source reduction and reuse; recycling and composting; energy recovery, such as burning trash to generate energy; and treatment and disposal, typically in a landfill. More than three out of four

someone is a new employee, it is understandable that they ask a lot of questions because they are still learning the ropes. But for someone who has been with the team for a long time, you are expected to know more. And even if it is a new issue, you are expected to recommend possible solutions especially if your work is directly affected. By taking the initiative to research before asking for help, you respect other people’s time.

To protect your personal space, set clear boundaries when your coworkers can reach you outside of work hours. If you reply to messages sent over the weekend or during your personal time, you are somehow saying that you are available to work even during your free time.

There are cases when you need to be reached during your free time, but you need to set those conditions by answering only those that are really urgent. In this way, you train your coworkers under what conditions you can be reached.

Respect others as you would respect the head of the organization. The way you treat the utility workers says a lot about the way you treat other people. Respect goes a long way in opening doors of opportunities because you never know when you will need other people’s help. I still believe that whatever you do for others will also be done to you. Respect begets respect.

Maintaining good work relations with your coworkers helps not only in your productivity but also in the way everyone in the office relates to one another. If you are a leader, you set the example of how to deal with everyone else. The workplace can be transactional, but it becomes easier to work when everyone enjoys each other’s company. ■

ways to manage waste

participants (78 percent) ordered the strategies incorrectly. When they were asked to rank the reduce/ reuse/recycle options in the same way, participants fared somewhat better, but nearly half (46 percent) still misordered the popular phrase. Finally, we asked participants to choose between just two options – waste prevention and recycling. This time, over 80 percent of participants understood that preventing waste was much better than recycling.

Recycling badly

WHILE our participants defaulted to recycling as a waste management strategy, they did not execute it very well. This isn’t surprising, since the current US recycling system puts the onus on consumers to separate recyclable materials and keep contaminants out of the bin. There is a lot of variation in what can be recycled from community to community, and this standard can change frequently as new products are introduced and markets for recycled materials shift. Our second study asked participants to sort common consumer goods into virtual recycling, compost and trash bins and then say how confident they were in their choices. Many people placed common recycling contaminants, including plastic bags (58 percent), disposable coffee cups (46 percent) and light bulbs (26 percent), erroneously—and often confidently—in the virtual recycling bins. THE CONVERSATION

SUN LIFE AND INSURANCE COMMISSION ALIGN GOALS

President Alex Narciso, Sun Life Philippines Chief Operations and Digital Enterprise Officer Gaurav Mishra, Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc. President Richard Lim, Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Joy Castillo, Sun Life Investment Management & Trust Corporation President Michael Enriquez, Sun Life Philippines Chief Financial Management Officer Sachi Pang, Sun Life Philippines Chief Client Experience & Marketing Officer Carla GonzalezChong, Sun Life Philippines General Counsel Atty. Ed Tordesillas, and Sun Life Philippines Deputy General Counsel Atty. Paolo Macapagal.

2023 National Food Fair at SM Megamall draws strong support for food entrepreneurs

THE recently concluded 2023 National Food Fair, with its theme “Go Discover, Taste, Enjoy!” closed on a high note after a five-day run from July 12 to 16, at the Megatrade Halls in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Based on preliminary reports, the fair was able to generate sales amounting to Php 23.586 million for the 268 onsite exhibitors. The event also drew in 29,000 fairgoers. At the opening ceremony, the House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez noted the P1.2-billion 2023 National Budget allocation to fund MSME programs. He also reiterated Congress’ continued commitment to advance policies that support Filipino MSMEs.

the Lazada e-commerce platform with over a hundred exhibitors. The show was also supported by Shopee and TikTok.

Showcasing the fusion of tradition and innovation, special settings, pavilions, and MSME clusters drew attention to developments that elevate traditional Filipino products to meet stringent food industry standards and be competitive in the global market. Also part of the daily program were entrepreneurship talks and learning sessions that provide food entrepreneurs with resources and ideas about how to strengthen and position their businesses for continued growth.

Focusing on how insurance can help Filipinos live brighter lives, the attendees talked about the including financial literacy in the school curriculum, how insurance products can be further appreciated by the public, and efforts to spread financial inclusivity in communities.

In terms of further cultivating the industry, discussions also touched on digital

transformation, financial inclusion, as well as the International Financial Reporting Standard-17, the new method of accounting for insurance contracts.

Apart from Strain and Sison, also present were Sun Life Global Chief Financial Officer Manjit Singh and Sun Life Asia President Ingrid Johnson, as well as local executives, including Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc.

“It was a fruitful meeting between Sun Life and the IC. I am happy to share that our purpose as an organization aligns very well with the government’s thrust to help Filipinos achieve a brighter future,” Sison said. “For 128 years now, Sun Life has always endeavored to help our countrymen achieve lifetime financial security. We have a long way to go, but with everyone’s cooperation, I am quite certain that this will become a reality.”

Italian Chamber to hold 4th edition of Transport and Logistics Forum at WTC

THE Transport and Logistics Forum

2023, spearheaded by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Inc. (ICCPI) in partnership with Olacon, is set to take center stage as a pivotal event within the prestigious Transport & Logistics Philippines Exhibition scheduled on August 17, 2023 from 1 pm to 5 pm at the World Trade Center. This highly anticipated forum is strategically positioned as the ultimate meeting place for manufacturers, suppliers, and buyers in the transportation and logistics industry.

The Transport & Logistics Forum 2023 promises to be an unparalleled opportunity for industry professionals and stakeholders to converge and engage in vital discussions with esteemed experts and policymakers in the sector. Focusing on crucial topics such as Import/Export, E-Commerce, and Railways, the forum aims to foster collaboration, drive

innovation, and chart the course for the future of transportation and logistics.

As the industry continues to evolve rapidly, the Transport & Logistics Forum 2023 recognizes the significance of keeping pace with emerging trends, technologies, and best practices. By facilitating insightful conversations among key players, the forum aims to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, shaping the trajectory of the industry towards greater efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

The forum will host a series of speeches,

interactive sessions led by experts, thought leaders, policymakers and a panel discussion. These sessions will delve into critical subjects such as optimizing import/ export processes, harnessing the power of e-commerce in logistics, and driving advancements in the railway infrastructure. Some confirmed speakers include Undersecretary Elmer Francisco U. Sarmiento of the Maritime Sector of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Chairman and Group CEO of Royal Cargo Michael Raeuber, President and COO of Philippine Airlines-Capt. and the Chairman Philippine National Railway Michael Ted Macapagal among others.

Attendees will have ample networking opportunities to connect with peers, industry veterans, and potential business partner, ensuring that valuable connections are made to foster collaboration and growth.

Grill expert Mang Inasal is PHL’s most endeared grilled chicken restaurant

CUSTOMERS have ranked Mang Inasal among the top three restaurants in the country and the only one in the grilled chicken category. This is according to recent surveys conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia and the RP-Mission and Development (RPMD) Foundation Inc.   Mang Inasal is the second most endeared fast food and restaurant chain in the Philippines, as revealed in PUBLiCUS Asia’s recent PAHAYAG survey. Mang Inasal garnered an endearment score of 31 percent, next to Jollibee.

Meanwhile, Mang Inasal placed third in a comprehensive nationwide survey conducted by RPMD. Mang Inasal got a 63 percent rating next to Jollibee and another restaurant brand.

“Being the only grilled chicken restaurant in these lists is a huge honor for Mang Inasal especially because they were from our customers themselves,” said Mang Inasal business unit head Mike V. Castro. “Recognitions like

this make the celebration of our 20th anniversary this year even more memorable as they validate Mang Inasal’s commitment to deliver Ihaw-Sarap meals and Unli-Saya experience to everyone who visit our stores or those who support us through delivery.”

The PUBLiCUS PAHAYAG is an independent and non-commissioned survey held from June 7 to 12, 2023. It sought to gauge

the emotional connection and affinity of 1,500 Filipino consumers towards various Filipino brands in the market. Meanwhile, the RPMD survey, conducted from June 25 to July 5, 2023, asked 10,000 respondents to identify their favorites based on attributes that included brand preference, visitation frequency, food and service quality, as well as value for money.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda also sent her well-wishes via a video message saying, “This activity is highly impactful in enhancing and solidifying connections with the MSME community that will facilitate their economic growth.”

In his Keynote Address, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual expressed his confidence in attaining the “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan” goals as part of the mid-term Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028. He further remarked, “One of the programs of the department is to spur an entrepreneurial revolution and encourage the growth of MSMEs through market access programs as well as ecommerce and digitalization initiatives.”

Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (BDTP) in coordination with the DTI Regional Operations Group, the 2023 National Food Fair carried a simultaneous online version on

For culinary enthusiasts, renowned Filipino chefs were featured in the daily program of activities, with live cooking and food preparation demonstrations, among others. The culminating highlight of the 2023 National Food Fair was a celebration of the diversity and rich heritage of Filipino food through an interactive cultural presentation of the BARMM Pagana Maguindanao, led by Mustafa Ala and Chef Yed Dimaporo.

For those who missed the daily program of activities, these were livestreamed and remain accessible on BDTP’s Facebook page (DTI.BDTP).

Up next in the DTI-BDTP calendar of events is the 2023 National Food Fair, scheduled from August 23 to 27, at the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall. To stay updated about the programs of the DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion, please follow their social media accounts on Facebook (DTI.BDTP), Instagram (dti.bdtp), and Twitter (@DTI_BDTP). You may also email BDTP Director Marievic M. Bononan at bdtp@dti.gov.ph.

IVO Water Purifier celebrates 5 years; unveils

Shaina Magdayao as first celebrity ambassador

IN celebration of its fifth anniversary, IVO Water Purifier has partnered with dancer, model, and one of the country’s premiere actresses dubbed as “Empress of Drama”

Shaina Magdayao as its very first celebrity ambassador.

Launched last April 2018, IVO is very enthusiastic and proud to be having its very first celebrity ambassador after five years. Shaina Magdayao is not just a celebrity but she also actively works with diverse NGOs and orphanages—such as her new Passion Project with Kythe Foundation, “Strands of Hope,” where she donated her hair in support of Pediatric Cancer Patients as well as raising awareness and extending much-needed help to tragedystricken areas. She’s also a health and fitness enthusiast, a self-proclaimed “OC,” and believes having “a place of everything and everything in its place” which is also what the IVO brand stands for.

“Shaina has an active lifestyle. She’s into yoga and wellness. She’s also very organized.

PLUS she supports a list of diverse organizations. We believe Shaina is the perfect fit for our brand”, said Donna Yan, General Manager of Moduvi, Inc, the distributor of IVO Water Purifier. “We recently celebrated IVO’s fifth year too and having Shaina as our first celebrity ambassador is perfect timing. Together with Shaina, IVO aims to inspire Filipinos to be more cautious in choosing and having safe and easily accessible drinking water at all times. IVO is able to provide millions of Filipino households with 99.99 percent bacteria-free drinking water straight from their kitchen faucets.”

IVO is a small and compact water purifier that uses an advanced hollow fiber membrane technology to filter drinking water. This is the same technology used in dialysis machines and artificial kidneys to purify blood. It has 0.1 micron filtration which guarantees that even the most microscopic contaminants like E.coli, salmonella, and amoeba wouldn’t pass through its filter.

IVO is from the makers of Torayvino™, the No.1 Faucet-mounted Water Purifier in Japan. It is manufactured by Toray Industries, a Japanese firm and a global industry leader in fibers and textiles, environment and engineering, and life sciences among others. The company provides carbon fiber composite materials for Boeing aircrafts and automobiles, essential components for textiles (Heattech and Airism) used by Uniqlo, “IVO believes in sustainability and we also aim to reduce single-use plastics. One small IVO cartridge can provide up to 1,500L water— that’s actually equivalent to 79pcs. of 5-gallon water containers or 5,000pcs. of 300ml plastic water bottles. You won’t need to stock-up on unsightly, big, and heavy water containers nor dispose of a lot of plastic bottles. Plus it’s very affordable—a starter set (1 head unit + 1 cartridge) retails for P1,980 while the refill cartridge is only P1,380.” said IVO Product Manager Ivan Manzo. “IVO’s cartridge is also DOH-FDA, NSF, and JIS certified so you are assured to be getting 99.99% bacteria-free and safe drinking water, anytime, any day.” IVO is owned and distributed by Moduvi, Inc. and is available nationwide at LazMall, ShopeeMall, IVO.PH, and select Mercrury Drug, Ace Hardware, True Value, AllHome, Anson’s, and Rustan’s branches. IVO will soon be available in GrabMart as well.

SUN Life executives led by Global CEO Kevin Strain and Philippine CEO & Country Head Benedict

Sison recently made a courtesy visit to the Insurance Commission (IC) to align with newly appointed Commissioner, Atty. Reynaldo Regalado, on his vision for the industry as his term begins.

The 2023 National Food Fair Opening Festivities held last July 12 were led by from left, The Speaker of the House of Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, DTI-Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona, When in Manila chief operating officer Sky Gavin, DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion Marievic Bonoan, food entrepreneur and content creator Nina Bacani, and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual

A POST meeting photo op with the meeting attendees. From left are Atty. Paolo Macapagal, Sachi Pang, Gaurav Mishra, Alex Narciso, Benedict Sison, Kevin Strain, Comm. Rey Regalado, Ingrid Johnson, Manjit Singh, Richard Lim, Atty. Ed Tordesillas, Carla Gonzalez-Chong, Michael Gerard Enriquez, and Joy Castillo.

PHirst Park Homes Posts strong Performance desPite Pandemic

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

One notable project, the family-centric PHirst Park Homes Batulao in Batangas, was unveiled in June 2020. “This development is easily accessible via three main gateways and is in close proximity to life essentials and tourist attractions in Tagaytay City, offering residents breathtaking views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano,” the company said in a statement.

Bottom of Form

T H e company is excited to offer the Brenna bungalow unit in PHirst Park Homes, Batulao, which is suitable for extended families with the elderly. It also features amenity nodes focused on traditional Filipino games.

Batulao remains PHirst Park Homes’ most successful project to date, and its residents include Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz. In recognition of her triumph at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, PHirst Park Homes presented Diaz with a house and lot, aptly named after her. “This gesture exemplifies PHirst Park Homes’ commitment to honoring and celebrating the achievements of its residents,” the company said.

“Its location, panoramic views, and proximity to life essentials and tour -

ist attractions make it a first choice for those seeking a convenient, connected, and complete home experience,” the company said.

Meanwhile, PPHI won the Mid-sized Developer of the Year-Philippines category win at the recently held Real e s tate Asia Awards for its developments in Lipa, San Pablo, Pandi, Calamba, Batulao, Magalang, Gen Trias, Baliwag, Tayabas, Naic, Balanga, and Gapan.

All PPHI projects incorporate the 4C’s principle, which embraces Complete homes, Conceptive amenities, Connectedness to life’s essentials, and a Convenient homebuying experience. This signifies the PPHI commitment to deliver quality and excellence to its projects. To give buyers several options, the company offers a range of product offerings tailored to different family types, including the Calista townhouse cluster, comprising the Calista e n d (corner lot) and the Calista Mid (inner unit), as well as the Unna single attached unit.

e a ch PPHI development project boasts of essential amenities such as a clubhouse, swimming pool, children’s playground, and basketball court. However, PHirst Park Homes walks the extra mile by providing

Construction expert launches ‘homeqube’ blockchain and AI-powered homebuilding platform

HAILING from a famed Filipino family of architects and contractors, Jose Paolo “JP” Calma, former C e O o f the Multi-Development and Construction Corporation (MDCC), has launched Homeqube, a blockchain and AI-powered homebuilding platform that enables users to design their dream homes through its built-in network of architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers.

With his extensive background in system architecture and interior construction, Calma’s first-hand perspective of the complex issues within the homebuilding industry prompted him to build a decentralized online platform that makes homebuilding accessible to all.

“Homeqube is designed to solve persistent problems within the industry, such as long lead times, staggering inefficiencies in the design process, the overreliance on human labor, unsustainable raw materials, and not to mention the huge gap between e-commerce and the sector,” Calma said.

The blockchain and AI-powered homebuilding platform features user-centric controls or “knobs” based on a deconstruction philosophy where various combinations of designs can be created from basic system parts. Users can explore cost, lifestyle, and mobility metrics by adjusting these knobs, helping them to make informed home design and building decisions.

Other key features include optical character recognition (OCR) for automatic lot area plotting, agile design, and auto-generation of essential documents before move-in.

Using the platform’s standard QUBe token and gamification approach, users can earn tokens every time their created part and design are recognized and accepted by the Homeqube system, participate in

JP CAlmA

design game challenges, and eventually sell their designs as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) once they become community members.

As such, the platform also features a Solana-based launchpad and NFT marketplace for homebuilding needs from home designs, home system algorithms, decors, furniture, fixtures, prototypes, and augmented reality (AR) overlays. It is the first NFT marketplace that accepts a wide array of 3D printing files, including parametric data and generative art.

“Drawing on the principles of strategic information architecture and the power of peer collaboration, Homeqube revolutionizes the industry. There’s no need for traditional e-commerce ‘add to cart’ processes. With our platform, we introduce an innovative approach where commercial satisfaction can be achieved through engaging and interactive experiences. We’re also paving the way for seamless fiat ramping,” the Homeqube C e O s aid.

According to Calma, the platform serves as a hub for industry professionals, from manufacturers and engineers to interior designers and plumbers, where they can enrich their practices or kickstart their businesses.

extraordinary amenities that enhance the living experience. These include an outdoor cinema, themed parks, a wifi node,

a pet park, and a village shuttle, ensuring convenience and connectivity for clients.

Opportunities outside Metro Manila

PPHI’s thrust in developing projects outside the National Capital Region is on the right track.

According to its research Residential Survey, Colliers Philippines recently said that 55% of respondents are planning to buy a house-and-lot or lot-only unit outside Metro Manila for their next residential investment. “In our view, horizontal developments in key provinces remain viable options among investors and endusers particularly those who are looking for larger living and open spaces in less dense locations,” it said.

The implementation of the government’s infrastructure program and the growing business opportunities in the countryside will be an impetus for national and homegrown developers to expand their residential footprint outside Metro Manila. “Developers should actively monitor which price segments are the most attractive amongst buyers in their target locations,” it said.

CAmellA CeleBrAteS 15 FormidABle YeArS iN BAColod Cit Y

There is a reason why charming is the adjective often used to describe this verdant land. A place where the brightness of colorful masks is eclipsed only by smiles of the people wearing it, where food is a party in every bite, and where clean and green is not a slogan but a way of life. It is no surprise that Bacolod has been ranked in the past as one of the Best Places to Live in the Philippines and is part of the list of Next Wave Cities.

Camella has been part of the city’s growth since 2008. Celebrating its quindecennial anniversary, Camella remains deeply ensconced in the heart of Bacolod City—providing the strategically located residential developments for the Negrense within its communities and vertical development.

Camella Bacolod North:

Close to the Heart of the City

The property’s main entrance gate opens up to the Cordova-Buri r o ad. All it takes is one step and the throbbing city is laid out before one’s eyes. Camella Bacolod North is near the City h a ll where major establishments are clustered. Also nearby are schools such as the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, and Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod, as well as hospitals, and churches. BPO hubs are within the vicinity. For leisurely pursuits, major malls are close by, including Vista Mall.

Its north entrance gate opens to the Bata circumferential road, enjoying additional access to the fastest routes in and out of Bacolod. The gate is situated close to the North Terminal where one can take a public transport going to Silay, Talisay and other key cities in Negros Occidental.

Camella Bacolod South: A Statement of Privilege

C A M e LL A B acolod South is especially designed to emulate the Mediterranean feel in a master-planned community. The development spans 44 hectares of prime development envisioned to be one of the important urban centers in Bacolod City. With modern conveniences that complement an upbeat lifestyle, Camella Bacolod South is a statement of privilege, a graciousness of home and family inspired by the benevolent nature of the Negrenses. Mixing functionality with charm, model

C A m ell A Bacolod North, Camella’s first venture in the “City of Smiles,” is located at Gm Cordova Ave., Buri road. SPANN iN G 4 4 hectares of prime development, Camella Bacolod South is envisioned to be one of the important urban centers in Bacolod City.

o lv er A by vista land is a multi-tower, mid-rise vertical village that takes full advantage of the dynamism and charm of Bacolod City. homes vary to suit the homeowners’ style preference and resources.

olvera by vista land: A Place of distinction and a Prime investment

Th IS f ive-tower village takes full advantage of the dynamism and charm of Bacolod City. Perched on 1-hectare property where the bustle of a booming city meets the genteel elegance the people of Bacolod is known for, Olvera has much to offer those looking for either ready-to-move-in homes or ready-to-run business places. This mid-rise community comes replete with modern conveniences necessary to live the upbeat lifestyle the Negrenses have always aspired for.

The developments of Camella perfectly complement the urban lifestyle of the modern Bacolod City.

It offers a safe haven for starting families, young professionals, and empty-nesters. Designed with contemporary architecture and master planned to maximize open spaces, the projects aim to create communities that encourage neighborly interactions while still ensuring privacy.

“It has been an amazing 15 years in Bacolod,” said h e nny e lman, Marketing h e ad for Visayas. “It’s been exciting to not merely stand as a witness but to contribute to the growth of the city into an urban hub by offering quality homes and vertical residences to a population that is evolving and taking its rightful place in the emerging modern economy. We look forward not only to the next 15 years but far beyond it.”

Learn about the Camella properties in Bacolod. Visit www.camella.com.ph and follow @CamellaOfficiial on social media.

The pandemic really caused a lot of havoc on the country’s property developers. Nevertheless, Phirst Park homes (PPhI) remained strong and has achieved remarkable growth, launching 8 out of the 12 PPhI projects.

From left: Benjamin tay (deputy Head, Corporate real estate), leur idioma (digital marketing o f ficer, PHirst Park Homes inc.), Arnel eusebio (Assistant v ce President for Business and Project development, PHirst Park Homes nc.)

tH e Calista model unit of PHirst Park Homes Batulao

FILIPINAS WEAVE HISTORIC VICTORY!

THE Filipinas stunned a packed crowd of 33,000—mostly fans of host New Zealand—at the Sky Stadium as the underdogs pulled the rug from under the fancied Ferns, 1-0, Tuesday to achieve a historic victory while staying very much alive in Group A of the FIFA  Women’s World Cup.

It was irrepressible striker Sarina Bolden who became the hosts’ tormentor at the Wellington pitch, taking a nifty cross from Sarah Eggesvik in scoring a scorching header in the 24th minute that goalkeeper Victoria Esson could not contain, the ball fumbling out of her hand and flipping into the net.

G oalkeeper Chandler McDaniel also shared the spotlight, earning Woman-of-the-Match honors for her timely saves in another nerve-wracking thriller that saw the Filipinas achieve a score of firsts as  the breaks finally went their way.

Nowhere was this seen when Jacqui Hand’s potential equalizing header in the 68th minute—with McDaniel caught out of position—was ruled offside by Mexican referee Katia Garcia after reviewing the play with the Virtual Assistant Referee, much to the Philippine camp’s relief.

Playing with grit and gumption from that point on, the Filipinas managed to hang on and preserve their first World Cup win on top of gaining three well-earned points that put them back in contention for the next round after a 0-2 loss to Switzerland in Dunedin last week.

A fter their rousing 1-0 win over Norway at Eden Park also last week, the wards of Czech coach Jitka Kimklova slid in to a tie with the upstart Filipinas on similar 1-1 win-loss records.

Switzerland held Norway to a scoreless draw at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton to wind up on top

Sports

B8 | Wednesday, July 26, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

of the group with four points while leaving the Ferns, who were earlier tipped to the top the bracket, mired in last place with one point.   “

This must be a special moment in [Philippine football history], the biggest win in any team sport,” stressed Australian coach Alen Stajcic of the enormity of the victory, although he later admitted that Lady Luck also smiled on them.

Of course we rode our luck because New Zealand had three or four unbelievable chances. There was that VAR call, an inside the post goal [that McDaniel was able to save],” he said. “But the unity, work rate and heart of team was special. We had some luck but we earned that luck. ”

“We really put our head down and we knew what was

done and what the country  has done. It was a team win.

It is amazing but hopefully this is not the last accolade we will win. It is a team win.”

A s what she would do with her trophy, the plucky goalkeeper, still euphoric from the victory,  quipped: “Hopefully we will keep it next to the World Cup trophy when we get it.”

But she admitted that like the rest of her teammates, she had some anxious moments when Hand’s pointblank goal was being reviewed by the referee on the VAR.   “ We collective held our breath a minute or two. Such an incredible goal by them but we are grateful that it was called back and we had to move forward. We had to settle down and knew that would keep coming and we to make sure that it would not happen again,” McDaniel said with relief.

A sked where this victory ranked, Stajcic, a two-time World Cup coach with the Matildas, replied without batting an eyelash: “Beating the host nation in a World Cup, nothing beats that. It’s No. 1.”

Make or break for Marcial in Asiad

EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL is giving himself one last shot at winning an Olympic gold medal as he committed to fight in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games in September.

It’s good or bust for the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist.

It’s now or never. If I can’t make it or it’s not really meant for me, I’ll just be focusing on my professional career,” the 27-year-old Marcial told BusinessMirror Tuesday via internet call from from the US where he’s back training for his fifth professional fight next month.

I will no longer explore any qualifying avenues after the Asian Games,” he said. “If I make it, I will give it my very best to realize my Olympic dream.”

M arcial, however, has to knockout two major blocks if he wants to return to the Olympics in Paris which start exactly one year from today.

First, he’ll be fighting not as a middleweight in Hangzhou—the 75kg class was scrapped in these Asian Games—so he has to go heavier at 81 kgs or light heavyweight.

“ You have to cut my legs off if I go down to 71 kgs,” said Marcial, who has an Asian Games bronze medal but not one gold. “I’m more comfortable at 81 kgs because that’s

So we are given hope by God and we just used that opportunity. Of course, I only didn’t pray to all the Saints but to God,” he added.

my walking weight, but I expect greater and stronger fighters in that weight class.”

S econd, Marcial has to make the finals in Hangzhou to get a ticket to Paris. In previous Asian Games, semifinalists get to advance to the Olympics, but not this time in Hangzhou.

M arcial won four straight gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games and is undefeated in four professional fights.

M arcial confirmed to his coaches at the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines that he’ll join training camp right after his pro fight in the US in August. He’ll miss the training camp in Patiala and Karnataka in India later this month and in Canberra and China next month.

The Asian Games are September 23 to October 8.

I nternational matchmaker Sean Gibbons has yet to announce Marcial’s opponent.

What important is that I have different sparring partners to boost my skills, prepare my mental toughness and strengthen my body,” Marcial said. “I need big guys to spar with and I can’t find them elsewhere but here in the US.”

Ramos

Josef

GOALKEEPER Chandler McDaniel earns the Woman-of-the-Match honors for her timely saves in a nervewracking thriller that saw the Filipinas achieving a score of firsts as the breaks finally went their way.

KENDRICK BONA and Jana

Diaz face uphill battles as they hunt for victories anew in the Mayor Eric Olivarez national juniors tennis championships of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) circuit which got under way Tuesday with another huge field in Sucat, Parañaque.

The 304-player draw in nine age groups surpassed the 272 entries who vied in last week’s Rep. Marlyn Alonte-Naguiat’s tournament in Biñan, Laguna, that saw Bona and

really coming at us. New Zealand would be coming hard from their momentum of their win against Switzerland but we put our head down and came in focused. We had a goal in mind and we achieved it,” McDaniel said of the rousing triumph. S he also chose to share her trophy with the rest of her team and the country, saying: “This is just what I have done, this is what the team has

‘NONONG,’

AGAIN,

SEES PHL SPORTS HISTORY UNFOLD MARIANO “NONONG” ARANETA was there as Team Philippines chef de mission when Hidilyn Diaz Naranjo won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on July 26, 2021.

On Tuesday, July 25—exactly two years after that fateful evening in Tokyo— Araneta was in Wellington not only to witness but play a major role in a historic Philippine first win in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Philippine Football Federation president and FIFA Council member was humble with his words.

“ We’re thankful that we are given the opportunity to be part of the history. Let’s be thankful that we were given a chance to be part of that first Olympic gold medal, and now we are part of the first World Cup win,” Araneta told BusinessMirror minutes after the Filipinas’ victory.

“It’s really providential, thankful to God to be here,” he said. “I prayed to God to just give us hope—so we won’t be going home just after two matches.”

Bona, Diaz aiming for ‘double’ anew in Olivarez netfest

Diaz share most valuable player honors after sweeping the boys’ and girls’ 16-and-under and 18-and-under singles titles, respectively.

To accommodate the big number of participants, PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director and tournament organizer Bobby Mangunay said they are using both the Parañaque Tennis Club courts and the main venue at the Olivarez Sports

Center for the week-long Group 1 tournament.

The chase for the boys’ 16-andunder title is expected to be fierce with Bona bannering the 64-player draw that includes Reign Maravilla, Ariel Cabaral, Tristan Licayan, Samuel Davila, Andrew Serohijos and siblings Frank and France Dilao.

B ona also braces for a big Vince Serna rebound after the top-seeded

Saudi team offers Mbappe record $332M

SYDNEY—After missing out on Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabian soccer team Al-Hilal made a record 300 million euro ($332 million) bid for Kylian Mbappe on Monday, an offer which could see the France striker join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich kingdom Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) confirmed the offer for its player and has given Al-Hilal permission to open negotiations directly with Mbappe.

The 2018 World Cup winner is in a contract standoff with PSG after his decision not to take up the option

of a 12-month extension on his deal. Instead, he plans to walk away as a free agent at the end of the upcoming season when he is widely expected to join Real Madrid. PSG cut Mbappe from its preseason tour of Japan on Saturday, with the French club determined to sell him unless he can be convinced to sign a new contract. A new deal now looks highly unlikely with relations between the 24-year-old Mbappe and PSG becoming increasingly tense.

Tons of uncertainties

bet bowed to Cabaral, 2-6, 3-6, in the 18-and-under semifinals last week and the former easing past Kale Villamar, 6-2, 6-0, and then routing Cabaral, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals.

Bona, from Puerto Princesa, earlier took the 16-and-under trophy with a 6-1, 2-0 (retired) win over Licayan.

D iaz, from Bacoor, Cavite, mastered Sandra Bautista twice, carving out a 6-4, 6-4 decision in

up the kingdom’s image as it remains one of the world’s top executioners and waging a yearslong war in Yemen.

I nterestingly, Araneta was “confined to barracks [hotel and Athletes Village]” in Tokyo and was asked not to watch any of the Filipino athletes compete there, a sort of “pahiyang,” a Filipino tradition either to lure luck or to prevent misfortunes. It turned out it wasn’t only Diaz Naranjo who medaled, but also boxers Carlo Paalam (silver), Nesthy Petecio (silver) and Eumir Felix Marcial (bronze).

CELEBRITIES, EXPATS CHEER FILIPINAS IN WELLINGTON

AS early as three hours before kick-off time, fans, including Fiiipinos sporting red-white-blue scarves and PH flaglets, started streaming in at the 34,000-capacity stadium.

A mong them were actor Ryan

Agoncillo and popular actress wife Judy Ann Santos, who flew all the way from Manila to support the Filipinas and watch them play.

Also among the crowd was Magnolia assistant coach Jason Webb, a former football player in his high school days, with daughters Tatiana and Blessing plus former Senator Freddie Webb and wife Elizabeth Webb in tow.

The Filipino community also came out here in full force with around 500 of them, led by community leader Matilde Figuracion and husband Clark , who, clad, in colorful “Ati-Atihan costumes,  led around 100 of them in a street dance from the waterfront to the arena just before kick-off.

16-and-under and scoring a 6-2, 6-2 romp for the 18-and-under crown in the event which served as part of the country’s nationwide circuit put up by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro.

MARCIAL is giving his Olympic gold medal dream a last shot.

Ice skating head pushing for Frank, Gamez qualification for Winter Games

THE Philippine Skating Union (PSU) is not losing track of its ultimate goal as it steps up its efforts to further promote the sport in a tropical country like the Philippines.

P SU president Nikki Cheng said the ultimate goal of the organization is to field a female skater in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina with Sofia Frank and Isabela Gamez tops on the list.

The goal is to bring a female skater to the Olympics,” Cheng told Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Conference Hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

M ichael Christian Martinez broke the ice for the Philippines in Olympic figure skating in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang where he finished 18th and 28th, respectively.

H e was the first Southeast Asian skater to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Saudi Arabia has sought in recent years to buy its way into international sports. Besides Ronaldo, whose contract reportedly earns him up to $200 million a year, Saudi-funded LIV Golf has shaken up professional golf.

The moves are part of efforts by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to leverage the kingdom’s oil wealth to provide new jobs and opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s youth. However, critics have dismissed the efforts as “sportswashing,” attempting to leverage professional sports to clean

MOST predictions in golf proved false. The latest was Rory McIlroy not winning the British Open on Sunday.

Historically, golf is one game laden with tons of uncertainties.  Why, because it involves variables beyond the control of everyone, certified superstars like McIlroy included.

McIlroy, 34, was too hungry for his fifth major, having won his last Slam in 2014—at The Open at that.  And, he was doing well as evidenced by his consistent Top 10 finishes in almost all of his tournaments prior to the 151st Open July 20-23.

But when the so-called smoke of battle cleared, McIlroy, a favored bet from Northern Ireland, could only finish third.  And a far seven strokes at that with his minus-6 total behind Brian Harman, the nondescript American with just two wins to show since he turned pro in 2009.

Sepp Straka, Jason Day, Tom Kim and Jon Rahm were tied at minus-7, all deadlocked at second spot six shots behind, despite their glorious finishes of subpar rounds in

US intelligence agencies also believe Prince Mohammed ordered the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

E arlier this year, Al-Hilal failed in an attempt to sign Messi, with the Argentina great choosing to join Inter Miami instead. AP

PARIS Saint-Germain (PSG) confirms the offer and has given Al-Hilal permission to open negotiations directly with Kylian Mbappe. AP

the rain and gusting winds at Royal Liverpool in historic Hoylake, England.

But Harman was exceedingly exceptional himself, especially with his putting that was more magical than his impeccable iron shots. He closed out a one-under 70 in a thunderous manner unseen from someone not famously known to contend, bunching up birdies on 6 and 7 from 14 feet and 24 feet, respectively, to numb the sting of a bogey on the par-5 fifth that cut his five-shot lead to three.

W hen leaks started to show again through a bogey on 13, the balding Harman responded with plumberlike precision, quickly birdieing 14 and gunning down another birdie on 15 from—hold your breath—40 feet in a wondrous downhill putt that restored his 6-shot lead.

From there, it was but a cruise in the last three holes for the Savannah, Georgia, native, whose last two victories came in

C heng told the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. that the PSU will not stop pursuing that goal. It’s a milestone that we want to happen,” said Cheng, who was joined by national team coach Abraham Domdom.

The PSU has scheduled the Southeast Asian Trophy: Manila Series in October, National Figure Skating Championships in November and the Carols on Ice also in November, all at the SM Skating Mall of Asia.

2014 in the John Deere Classic and in 2017 in Wells Fargo. His 14-year journey has now netted him $29 million.  Not bad.  Add his $3-million purse as The Open champion, the 5-foot-7 Harman now ranks as among the richest in the Tour. I’m 36 now,” said Harman, only the third lefty to win a major after Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson.  “The game is getting younger and these young guys can all hit it a mile.  They are ready to win.”

But with his first major secured—and the most revered one at that—Harman has hitched his niche in history. A l ate bloomer is born.

THAT’S IT   For us to be in the ongoing World Women’s Football Cup is a national phenom and it would have pricked the heart had the President mentioned it in his SONA on Monday. We finish winless or not, fine. Just by being there is reason enough to be proud.  Worth a gold medal.

EUMIR FELIX