BusinessMirror July 30, 2021 by BusinessMirror

Marcial advances to quarterfinals T

By Jun Lomibao

OKYO—Eumir Felix Marcial sent a strong message—but not Irish Magno—on the boxing ring; Juvic Pagunsan squeezed into contention in men’s golf; and EJ Obiena and Kristina Knott were put on heightened alert halfway through the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Marcial booked a Referee Stopped Contest-Injury victory over Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi with 19 seconds remaining in the second round to advance to the men’s middleweight quarterfinals, where another victory would assure him of a bronze medal. Magno, however, couldn’t solve a taller and lankier Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand and exited from the women’s flyweight division nursing a 0-5 setback.

“I’m so thankful, I want to thank God for giving me strength to win this fight,” Marcial, who turned pro September last year but kept his vow to win gold in the Olympics, said. “I’ll do my best performance in my next fights.” The alarm bell, meanwhile, was sounded in the country’s campaign in athletics following two Covid-19 positive tests administered on world No. 2 pole vaulter Sam Kendricks of the US and German Chiaraviglio of Argentina. But Obiena, according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association spokesman Edward Kho, is saddened and frightened about the bad news on Kendricks. “He [Kendricks] and EJ are close friends. They have been having interactions during many competitions in the past,” Kho said. “This is bad news. You

never celebrate somebody else’s misery.” At the Kasumigaseki Country Club course in Saitama Prefecture some 70 kms northwest of Tokyo, Pagunsan carded a five-under 66 in a rain-interrupted first round to tie for fifth place with Denmark’s Joachim Den Hansen and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas. Pagunsan and co. were three shots off leader Sepp Strata of Austria after the first round when major winner Collin Morikawa and top 10 players Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas groped for form. Japan, meanwhile, wrested the No. 1 spot on the medal tally board with 15 gold, four silver and five bronze medals. China was relegated to No. 2 with 14-6-9 gold-silver-bronze and the US was at No. 3 with 13-14-10. Australia (8-2-10) and Russian Olympic Committee (7-11-8)

TOKYO OLYMPICS medal Count

occupied the next two spots. The Philippines, with its lone gold medal courtesy of Hidilyn Diaz in women’s weightlifting, remained tied for 31st place with 10 other countries including Thailand. Olympics stories in Sports, page A12.

RANK

TEAM/NOC

Gold

Silver

Bronze

TOTAL

Japan

United States of America

People’s Republic of China

ROC

Australia

Great Britain

Republic of Korea

France

Germany

Italy

Philippines

1 As of July 29, 2021 | 9:10 pm

Source: Olympics.com | Full table at www.businessmirror.com.ph

(2017, 2018, 2019)

PHL GOVT DEBT POSTS NEW HIGH OF P11.166T

Friday, July 30, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 289

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

BSP UNFAZED BY PESO DEPRECIATION TREND

@BNicolasBM

HE national government’s outstanding debt has reached a new high of P11.166 trillion as of end-June this year, swelling by 23.3 percent from P9.054 trillion a year ago. The Bureau of the Treasury reported on Thursday that the national government’s debt stock rose by P94.91 billion or 0.9 percent from P11.07 trillion as of end-May. Year-to-date, this was also 14 percent higher than the end-2020 level of P9.795-trillion. Still making up the bulk of the debt stock are domestic borrowings at 71.1 percent while the rest came from foreign sources. Domestic debt as of end-June jumped by 28.2 percent year-on-year to P7.94 trillion from P6.19 trillion. Month-on-month, it went up by P22.8 billion or 0.3 percent from P7.92 trillion as of end-May this year, resulting from the net issuance of government securities. See “PHL,” A2

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 24 pages |

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shrugged off worries on the recent depreciation trend of the local currency, saying structural foreign exchange flows to the country are expected to remain strong in the coming months. In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said that while the local currency is displaying weakness against the dollar in recent weeks, the long-term value of the peso remains stable as per their monitoring. “While short-run f luctuations in the peso are affected by market sentiment, its medium-

Eumir Marcial reacts after winning against Younes Nemouchi of Algeria during middleweight preliminaries at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. AP/Frank Franklin II

to long-term movements are largely supported by economic fundamentals,” Diokno said. “Looking ahead, we expect the peso to be supported by structural foreign exchange flows such as overseas Filipino remittances, business process outsourcing receipts and eventually by earnings from tourism activities. Furthermore, foreign exchange inflows related to foreign direct investments are also expected to help shore up the currency,” he added. According to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the local currency closed at P50.305 on Thursday with a trading volume of $993.8 million. See “BSP,” A2

‘Return to ECQ to cause more MSME closures’ By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

President Duterte leads the inauguration on Thursday of the expanded EstrellaPantaleon Bridge, one of the projects supported by Chinese foreign assistance. Flanking him are Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian. Behind him is Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar, who has billed the project one of those meant to decongest Edsa. Story on page A4, Nation. MALACAñANG PHOTO

PESO exchange rates n US 50.3900

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned on Thursday that imposing a strict lockdown measure amid the Covid-19 Delta variant threat will likely increase the number of closed businesses to 16 percent. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said this at a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday following the recent reports about several business groups agreeing on enforcing a hard lockdown to curb the spread of infection. The organizations have since clarified they were not endorsing such measures as this would hurt further the economy. See “Return,” A2

n japan 0.4584 n UK 70.0824 n HK 6.4774 n CHINA 7.7636 n singapore 37.1635 n australia 37.1626 n EU 59.6920 n SAUDI arabia 13.4359

Source: BSP (July 29, 2021)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, July 30, 2021

BSP...

Continued from A1

In January this year, the peso averaged trade against the dollar at P48.061. In its earlier projections, the BSP expects cash remittances to grow by 4 percent in 2021, bouncing back from the 0.8-percent decline in 2020. BPO receipts are expected to grow by 5 percent in 2021 from the 1.3-percent decline in 2020. Diokno also said the peso is following the trend seen across the region against a strong dollar. “Let me make this crystal clear: the peso is not the only currency that has depreciated against the US dollar on a year-to-date basis. The reality is that the peso depreciation has been broadly in line with regional peers,” the governor said. Diokno reiterated that they remain committed to a flexible exchange rate arrangement amid the depreciation trend. “We believe that the exchange rate acts as an automatic stabilizer in the face of external shocks. A marketdetermined exchange rate has the benefit of reducing the negative impact of external shocks as a floating exchange rate can appreciate or depreciate immediately to stabilize the country’s balance of payments,” Diokno said.

Amid shadow of ‘Delta’ risk, Pinoys bullish on job security By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

ILIPINOS are now more confident about job security and making major purchases, according to the latest survey data released by global analytics firm Ipsos. And, they are considered among the most optimistic in Southeast Asia in terms of seeing an improvement in their finances in the next six months. However, Ipsos Philippine Country Manager Vicky Abad told the BusinessMirror, this may change given the uncertainty brought about by the Delta variant. This could also affect the country's efforts to “return to normalcy.” “To be honest, this new Delta variant scare is likely going to bring a new wave of uncertainty—especially at the current roll-out rate of vaccinations,” Abad told this newspaper in an e-mail on Thursday. “Already our SEA counterparts have experienced case surges in the last two weeks and we are currently under a new phase of community quarantines so really can’t say at this point,” she added. Nonetheless, based on the data, Abad said Filipinos’ optimism will not wane based on the level of optimism recorded after the Covid-19 case surges post-Holy Week. Based on Ipsos data, around 23 percent

of the survey respondents were “more or less comfortable” in their jobs in June 2021 compared to the 13 percent recorded in February 2021. In terms of making major purchases such as a house or a car, 12 percent of Filipinos were “more or less comfortable” to make these purchases in June 2021. This is slightly higher than the 10 percent recorded in February 2021 or the 7 percent registered in September 2020. “What I know for sure is that as soon as we are able, Filipinos are now more optimistic about their future—even with the case surges that we experienced just after Holy Week [pre-Delta],” Abad said. “This tells me that it is the sense of uncertainty that will be most against our return to normalcy with precautions,” she added.

Bullish on finances

Further, Ipsos data showed the Philippines is the most optimistic in the region when it comes to seeing their finances improve in the next six months. Data also showed 79 percent of Filipino respondents felt their current personal financial situation is good or fair. This is above the 76 percent average recorded in the region but still lower than the 83 percent recorded in Singapore. The data showed that 51 percent of Filipino respondents believe there was an

improvement in the country’s economic conditions in June 2021 compared to 26 percent in February 2021. “I think it’s the positive outlook of the Filipinos that’s actually gonna help. There’s a lot of eagerness to go back to normal, eagerness to spend, be with family, go back to your malls, that’s actually gonna be the catalyst for more consumer spending in the next couple of weeks and months,” Abad said in the briefing on Thursday. “ We just have to be mindful though that we might actually be at the forefront of another surge because while we lagged behind the other markets in Southeast Asia on the impact of delta, it's seemingly upon us,” she added.

Prioritize health

Moving forward, Filipinos along with other Southeast Asian citizens expect their governments to prioritize health by keeping everyone safe from Covid-19 infections; control the prices of goods and services or inflation; and provide cash assistance to households. In terms of business or private sector priorities, Filipinos and other Southeast Asian respondents believe they should also prioritize efforts to keep everyone safe from Covid-19; paying the wages and salaries of their employees; and controlling the prices of goods and services. The latest findings from the Ipsos 4th wave of the study conducted in June 2021 was based on the responses of 3,000 adults in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. In the Philippines, there were 500 respondents nationwide. The survey was conducted using their internal online panel.

PHL...

Continued from A1

From the end-2020 level of P6.69 trillion, domestic debt has risen by 18.6 percent. Meanwhile, external debt already stood at P3.23 trillion, a 12.7-percent climb from P2.86 trillion as of June last year.

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Return...

Continued from A1

The DTI chief reiterated that implementing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) anew will take a toll on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), whose cash flows were already weak following the earlier imposition of the strictest form of community quarantine. Currently, Lopez said that about 8 to 10 percent of the MSMEs are shut down due to challenges brought upon the lockdown measures. More restrictions will only bring the figure up, he added. He also told the reporters on Thursday that another major lockdown will be too costly for the economy, estimating that P30 billion worth of wages may be lost from a two-week lockdown. This, as 1.8 million workers are seen to be affected if the National Capital Region plus bubble will be put under ECQ, he added. “The economy cannot bear another massive lockdown, unless the situation really calls for it,” he said. The trade official said the Covid-19 cases are still “within manageable levels,” and the Delta variant is being closely monitored. He noted that the moves regarding community quarantine measures only favor essential activities to avoid the so-called super spreader events and are finalized with the aid of health experts and advisers. “What is key is we allow the economy to reopen in a safe and very calibrated way, but we make more restrictions on non-essential activities and mass gatherings and definitely no super spreader activities,” Lopez explained. With this, Lopez reminded the MSMEs to always follow the health protocols imposed amid the pandemic to support the safe reopening of the economy. “As long as we have intensified vaccination rollout plus strict public health standard and granular lockdown, we keep the economy going and save jobs and livelihood,” he added.

No to hard lockdown

Business groups made a clarification regarding a two-week hard lockdown amid the threats of Covid-19 Delta variant, noting its anticipated adverse impact on the already struggling economy. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), in a statement, said it was not endorsing further mobility restrictions as these will hamper economic activities. “One of our leaders was misquoted and was explaining that we need to wait and see if the health care sector can cope with the recent surge of cases and not be overwhelmed if the rise in cases continues,” PCCI Acting President Edgardo Lacson said. “Even medical doctors are divided on the Delta variant that although it is highly contagious, it is not fatal.”

External debt as of end-June this year is also now higher by P72.1 billion or 2.3 percent than the P3.16 trillion end-May figure, owing to the impact of local-currency depreciation against the US Dollar amounting to P64.86 billion and net availment of foreign loans, P25.52 billion. However, the Treasury said these were tempered by the P18.27-billion decrease in the peso value of debt denominated in other currencies such as the euro and Japanese yen due to currency appreciation. Nonetheless, external debt was up by 4.1 percent from P3.1 trillion as of end-2020. As of June, total guaranteed debt of the national government slipped by 4.7 percent year-on-year to P438.6 bi l l ion from P460 billion. Likewise, it was also down by 4.3 percent from P458.35

1-week heads up

Based on several reports, however, PCCI President Emeritus George T. Barcelon, who is also chairman of the Philippine Exporters Confederation of the Philippines (Philexport), was among the business leaders that agreed to the hard lockdown. Others include Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong and Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Ma. Concepcion III. The reports were based on a forum held on Wednesday. Barcelon told the BusinessMirror that he did not endorse having a twoweek major lockdown as this is up to the government. “[If] the gov’t wants to do a lockdown, the private sector is requesting a one-week heads-up be given to prepare. Not that we agree to their ‘lockdown’ decision which we don’t, unless necessary. The economic downside to establishments and employees is not something we can afford,” he explained. Philexport President and PCCI Honorary Chair Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., who also heads the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, clarified in a recent radio interview that these business groups were not for strict lockdown. Another lockdown will translate to daily losses of some P1.2 billion, he estimated. “It will especially hurt daily wage earners and those in the non-essentials sector,” Ortiz-Luis explained. Lacson shared the same sentiment, saying it will be “disastrous to the economy,” which has been suffering from losses already following a previous lockdown.

Accelerate vaccination

PCCI said the government should focus instead on quicker rollout of the vaccination program to protect the population. “The full opening of the economy hinges on the successful rollout of the anti-Covid vaccination program to reach herd immunity by inoculating 70 percent of the population before the end of this year,” Lacson told the BusinessMirror in a recent interview. “But the much delayed and inequitable allocation/distribution of the Covid vaccine coupled with logistical problems that spoiled some vaccines may keep the target date unattainable,” he added. To allow further mobility, the PCCI also recommended providing incentives to the fully vaccinated population. These included permission to travel across provincial borders or to enter establishments freely. “The virus will be with us for months, maybe years, and we have no choice but to live with it. This is how other countries have fought the virus. Lockdowns will cause even greater hardships for our people,” Lacson concluded.

billion as of end-2020. Month-on-month, total guaranteed obligations rose by P12.01 billion or 2.8 percent from P426.59 billion as of end-May following the net availment of domestic guarantees amounting to P11.07 billion and the impact of local-currency depreciation amounting to P3.98 billion. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) economist Michael Ricafort said outstanding debt continued to rise to cover wider budget deficit in recent months brought by government expenditures exceeding its revenues. For the coming months, Ricafort sees a further pickup in debt as the government needs to spend more on infrastructure and purchase of Covid-19 doses. “The increase in the government’s debt would still remain sustainable in the coming years for as long as the debt-to-GDP ratio remains around 60 percent, which is considered an important international threshold,” Ricafort said. This year, the national government programmed to borrow a total of P3.1-trillion, of which around 75 percent is expected to be raised through domestic sources. Last week, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the debtto-GDP ratio this year is projected to rise to 59.1 percent from 54.6 percent in 2020. It is also expected to peak next year at 60.8 percent— slightly above the internationally accepted threshold— before gradually tapering off to 60.7 percent and 59.7 percent in 2023 and 2024.

Economy BusinessMirror

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Bill allowing CSOs, POs to join budget process OK’d

HE House of Representatives has endorsed for Senate approval a bill institutionalizing people’s participation in the annual budget process in Congress. This after lawmakers, voting 200 affirmative, zero negative and without abstention, approved on third and final reading House Bill 7407 to institutionalize people’s participation in budget deliberations, and make the budgeting process more participatory through the involvement of grassroots organizations. House Committee on People’s Participation Chairman Rep. Florida P. Robes of San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan, one of the authors of the bill, said the measure seeks to allow the exercise of the people’s right to participate in public decision-making and in the process, enhance accountability in the use of taxpayers’ money. The annual budget deliberations are expected to begin this month in the House of Representatives. Under the bill, accredited civilsociety organizations (CSO) will be given a right to participate in the budget preparation of government agencies, including constitutional bodies and government-owned and -controlled corporations, similar to the rights accorded to NGOs in local development councils. They shall also be entitled to notices of hearings and receive budget documents, as well as submit their own alternative budget proposals or position papers. They shall also have the right to observe the budget deliberations, including the bicameral conference committee meetings. They shall also be allowed to participate as resource persons during budget deliberations in Congress. In order to participate, people’s organizations (PO) need to be accredited by the respective offices they seek to represent. Any government officer or employee who restrains any CSO from participating in the process will be penalized with a suspension ranging from one month to six months or a fine of P30,000 to P100,000 or both. “One of the critical aspects of the budget process that we are doing in Congress is to ensure its transparency and accountability. Providing for a mechanism to ensure that people’s organizations participate in the process and give them a voice on how public funds will be spent is a giant step towards ensuring that the budget we pass in Congress is not only transparent, accountable but also inclusive and responsive to the needs of the people,” said Robes. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Pandemic drastically pulls down power, water consumption in tourism industry

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE tourism industry’s consumption of water and electricity plummeted due to the pandemic in 2020, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The PSA data showed the tourism industry’s water consumption contracted 84.6 percent, while electricity consumption declined 80.9 percent in 2020. “[The] global pandemic restricting movement of people pulled down water and energy

consumption of tourism industry in 2020,” PSA said. Water consumption of the tourism sector reached 109.62 million cubic meters (m3) in 2020, This was a decline of 84.6 percent from the 711.61 million m3 in 2019. PSA data also showed the share of

tourism to total water consumption of the economy was 2.5 percent in 2020, lower than the average share of 14.8 percent from 2012 to 2019. From 2012 to 2019, PSA said the average water consumption of the tourism industry was at 440.99 million m3. Meanwhile, PSA data showed the energy consumption of tourism was only 3,533.24 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (KTOE). This was an 80.9-percent contraction compared to 18,534.47 KTOE recorded in 2019. The energy consumption also accounted for 4.6 percent of the total energy consumption of the economy from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products for the year. Data showed between 2012 and

2019, the average energy consumption of tourism from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products was 11,264.48 KTOE. PSA said this accounted for an average share of 16.6 percent to the total energy consumption of the economy from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products in the same period. As a result, PSA data showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products of the tourism sector was 4,475.62 Gigagrams (Gg), a 79.1-percent contraction from the 21,372.91 Gg recorded in 2019. CO2 emissions resulting from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products by

the tourism sector posted an average of 13,292.94 Gg or 19.7-percent share of the total CO2 emission of the economy from 2012 to 2019. The PSA data is based on the preliminary estimates on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) in the country. The MST provides information on water consumption; energy consumption from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products; and carbon dioxide emission derived from energy use from inbound and domestic tourism activities. It aims to provide useful information toward promoting a suitable balance among the economic, sociocultural, and environmental aspects of tourism development to ensure its long-term sustainability.

House tells PSC to ensure grant of cash perks to sports winners By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

AWMAKERS asked the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Thursday to ensure that all Filipino podium finishers as well their coaches will receive their cash incentives as provided for by Republic Act 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act. Under RA 10699, Deputy Speaker Wes Gatchalian of Valenzuela said gold, silver, and bronze individual medalists in the Olympic Games are entitled to receive P10 million, P5 million and P2 million, respectively. “Our winning athletes deserve every single peso that is due them. Some of them have even spent their own money just to be able to train for this competition,” Gatchalian said. He said for winners in team events, teams with less than five members are entitled to the cash price equivalent to individual medal winners, which would be divided equally among the team members. Members of teams composed of more than five will receive 25 percent of the cash incentives for individual medal winners. “The accolade for the recordbreaking medal of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first gold for the Philippines in a century, is because of her hard work and dedication. Our athletes have made our country proud and incentives provided to them by law is a token of our gratitude for the honor they bring us, and the PSC should ensure that the incentives for our winning ath-

letes are given in a timely manner,” Gatchalian said. “These athletes can use the cash incentives they will receive to train for future competitions and to further hone their craft,” he added. The lawmaker also noted that coaches of winning athletes in the Olympic Games shall also be entitled to cash incentives if they have personally trained the athletes or teams who won at least six months prior to the international competition. The coaches of the winning athletes and teams are entitled to receive 50 percent of the cash incentives for gold, silver, and bronze medalists. If there is more than one coach, the cash incentives shall be divided among themselves.

Congressional Medal

M E A N WHILE, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco led the filing of a resolution awarding the Congressional Me d a l of Excellence to Diaz for her historic gold medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. It would be the first

Fresh vaccine shipment arrives at Naia By Recto Mercene

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, July 30, 2021 A3

@rectomercene

FRESH shipment of 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine from Beijing arrived at 7:31 a.m. on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) onboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J671. A second shipment of 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccines is expected to arrive today, Friday, July 30, 2021. The airport Customs district (BOC-Naia) has already given its stamp of approval for the release the 2 shipments prior to arrival after representatives from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration presented advance copies of the shipment. BOC-Naia also cleared some 324,090 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, which arrived last Monday, July 26, 2021, on board Air Hong Kong Flight AHK/LD457 around 9:20 p.m. at Naia’s Terminal 3. All Covid-19 vaccines were processed at the Port of Naia’s One Stop Shop. Meanwhile, the local government of Marikina City on Wednesday guaranteed the safety of Covid-19 vaccines being stored at their cold-chain facility amid the flooding

and inclement weather being experienced in Metro Manila in recent days. Mayor Marcy Teodoro told radio station DZBB that the vaccines are safe from floods as the cold-chain storage area is located on the second floor of the building. “This cold-chain facility has been elevated in advance following a scenario that the area would be subjected to flooding,” Teodoro said, adding that PharmaServ Express has a prepared set of protocols in case the vaccines need to be transferred to another storage area. Teodoro explained that the vaccines are being distributed on the same day or the following day to various local government units in Metro Manila and to the provinces. Teodoro said their cold-chain facility is also prepared for power interruptions with its backup generators sufficient to maintain required temperatures for vaccines. Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque assured the public that Covid-19 vaccines stored in the Marikina warehouse were not affected by floods. He explained that all of contingencies, such as floods and brownouts, have been covered before the DOH entered into an agreement with PharmaServ Express.

time the legislative chamber will confer such an award, the creation of which is subject of a separate resolution filed by Speaker Velasco, Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano. Velasco said Diaz deserved “gratitude and recognition from every single Filipino” after clinching the very first Olympic gold medal for the Philippines. “We thought an Olympic gold medal for the Philippines will never happen in our lifetime until it did, many thanks to Hidilyn Diaz!” Velasco said, echoing the sentiments of Filipino sports enthusiasts. In House Resolution (HR) 2041 that he filed along with other House

leaders and members, Velasco cited Diaz for serving as an inspiration to Filipinos, especially young women and athletes. “Hidilyn Diaz has now inspired countless young Filipino women and girls, athletes, and young Filipino dreamers to reach for their goals and achieve their dreams,” the resolution stated. “Hidilyn Diaz’s fighting heart and indomitable spirit has ignited hope and dreams in our country reeling from the current pandemic and economic downturn by bringing honor and pride to all Filipinos, whether in the country or abroad,” it read. Velasco, Romualdez and Paduano also filed HR 1981 seeking to institutionalize the Congressional

Medal of Excellence for national athletes who win the gold medal in the Olympic Games, which they described as “the world’s only truly global, multi-sport celebratory athletics competition.” There are currently two congressional medals being handed out by the House: Congressional Medal of Distinction and Congressional Medal of Achievement. The Congressional Medal of Distinction is given to Filipino achievers in sports, business, medicine, science, and arts and culture; while the Congressional Medal of Achievement is awarded to political, economic, and cultural leaders, who have distinguished themselves through their life work and their vision.

A4 Friday, July 30, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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QC Station 3 chief sacked over dispatch of virus-afflicted policemen during Sona By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

HE Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame relieved on Thursday the chief of police of the Quezon City Police Station 3 of her post over the deployment of 52 policemen during the State of the Nation Address of President Duterte early this week after tests later showed that they were positive of the Covid-19 virus. The relief of Lt. Col. Christine Tabdi, commander of Police Station 3, was ordered by PNP chief General Guillermo Eleazar over what he said was a breach of protocol arising from the deployment of the policemen for Sona security duties and other police functions. “In view of the apparent breach of protocol when most of these PNP personnel were deployed for SONA duties even if they were still waiting for their RT-PCR results, I have already ordered the administrative relief of the Station Commander, Police Station 3 of the QCPD [Quezon City Police District], for command responsibility,” Eleazar said. “This should serve as a reminder to all our commanders to exercise prudence and to strictly abide with our existing protocols amid the serious threat of Covid-19, especially with the rising number of infection from the Delta variant,” he added. Both the Quezon City Police and City Hall earlier announced that 82

members of the Station 3 have been tested positive of the virus, 52 of whom, Quezon City Police director Brig. Gen. Antonio Yarra said, were deployed during Duterte’s address before the joint Congressional address of the President on Monday. At the same time, Yarra said the vaccination of all Station 3 personnel and the disinfection of its premises have been conducted, while 100 fully vaccinated members of the District Mobile Force Battalion would undergo swab test before they would be deployed to the station as augmentation force since the 82 personnel have been confined in quarantine facilities in the city. Eleazar said the PNP is poised to conduct more testing for QC policemen in coordination with the local government based on the results of aggressive and continuous contact tracing that the PNP started on Wednesday. At the same time, the PNP chief urged the public to stop from issuing “unnecessary and insensitive” comments out of the policemen’s case, reminding that the policemen performed their official duties and functions. Meanwhile, Eleazar assured that the PNP is ready to enforce a “hard lockdown” should the IATF decides to impose the measure to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases. Secretary Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force against Covid-19, earlier

to be finished at the end of the year. The President expressed his appreciation to the Chinese government’s generosity in funding the construction of this new bridge that has not only improved mobility and connectivity but also enhanced the resilience against natural disasters. Villar said that this modern bridge across Pasig River is expected to accommodate about 50,000 vehicles daily and is among the projects under the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Network to address traffic congestion including that of Edsa. Construction of 506.46 meters bridge began in January 2019 under

Guevarra orders NBI to probe slay of 2 Guinobatan, Albay activists By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

FILE photo shows a huge gathering of anti-administration protesters amid Covid threat during President Duterte’s sixth and final State of the Nation Address last Monday. NONOY LACZA

said the national government is open to imposing a hard lockdown to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant. The business sector has reportedly agreed to the proposed course of action. The independent OCTA Research group suggested a “circuit-breaker” lockdown in Metro Manila after the region recorded an average of almost 1,000 cases daily amid the threat of the more infectious Delta variant.

‘Super spreader’

HEALTH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, meanwhile, said there was a breach of protocol when policemen were deployed during SONA even if they were still waiting for their RT-PCR results. Vergeire appealed to the people present during the SONA protest to coordinate with the local government units if they had an encounter with these policemen.

Duterte, DPWH top execs lead reopening of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge at Rockwell

RESIDENT Duterte inaugurated on Thursday the EstrellaPantaleon Bridge, a modern bridge that will connect the cities of Mandaluyong and Makati within five minutes. The President was joined by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar in the symbolic unveiling of bridge marker at Rockwell in Makati City. Built at a cost of P1.46 billion, the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge Project is one of the two bridges funded by a grant of the People’s Republic of China — the other one is Binondo-Intramuros Bridge in Manila expected

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the implementation of DPWH Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations headed by Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, who together with Villar were at the forefront of ensuring the quality completion despite the challenges of this project under the Build, Build, Build program. While this pandemic may slowed down and disrupted the implementation of this bridge project, the DPWH UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 Team and contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation have worked double time, added Villar. The new four-lane bridge with added aesthetic value of V-shaped piers

is made of pre-stressed concrete rigid frame with corrugated steel webs, replacing the temporary two-lane box truss bridge dismantled in 2019. Compared to the old bridge made of temporary modular steel components, the new bridge has two (2) lanes on each direction and with wider sidewalk component. Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge has a 50.5 meters approach road on Estrella Street, 66 meters Makati approach bridge made of pre-stressed continuous girder, 146 meters main bridge and 243.96 meters approach road at Barangka Drive connected to Pantaleon Street in Mandaluyong City.

“So we can appropriately contact trace those individuals,” she added. The 51 policemen were part of the 82 members of the Quezon City Police Station 3 located in Talipapa, Novaliches. They were reported to be asymptomatic. They were among the 161 members of the station who underwent RT-PCR tests. With Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

HE Department of Justice has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to dig deeper into the killing of two activists in Guinobatan, Albay last July 25. In his Department Order 175, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra instructed NBI Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Eric Distor to file charges, if evidence warrants, against those who will be found responsible for the deaths of activists Jemar Palero and Marlon Naperi. “Further, OIC Distor is hereby directed to submit reports on the progress of the subject investigation directly to the Office of the Secretary within 10 days and periodically thereafter,” Guevarra said. Human rights groups claimed that Palero and Naperi were shot dead by policemen who caught them spray-painting an anti-Duterte slogan on a bridge in Albay. The policemen involved, however, claimed they were on mobile patrol when they saw the activists vandalizing the Banao Bridge. When the activists sensed their presence, they allegedly fired shots at the cops, prompting the latter to shoot back. Philippine National Police chief General Guillermo Eleazar has also ordered a separate probe into the incident.

Fabian, southwest monsoon spell leave trail of destruction in Luzon, Visayas–NDRRMC

LPP seeks wider prerogative in quarantine classification By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

HE League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) has called on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to give local government units (LGUs) a wider “leeway” in determining community quarantine levels in their localities to address the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. “Local government units should have sufficient leeway and flexibility in classifying the community quarantine status of their respective jurisdictions,” League of Provinces of the Philippines National President and Marinduque Gov. Presbitero J. Velasco said in a news statement issued on Thursday. The LPP has written, through Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, reiterating its proposal to allow LGUs to determine the appropriate community quarantine classification they need to implement to immediately address a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases. “A matter of exigency such as this must be dealt with by the LGUs having the direct and first-hand knowledge of the situation,” Velasco explained. The reclassification by LGUs, he

said, will still be in accordance with the parameters and standards set by the IATF, while leaving to the IATF the national classification of the community quarantine for each province and highly-urbanized and independent component city that is being done on a fortnightly basis. “The flexibility we are requesting is in situations where there are sudden surges in cases in a particular province, and there is an immediate need to regulate and even tighten the movement of people in and out of the area to arrest further transmission of Covid-19 infections, most especially the Delta variant,” Velasco said. In cases of sudden surges of cases, the LGUs need to ensure the safety and protection of their constituents and take immediate action by escalating the prevailing community quarantine, he explained. Velasco underscored, however, that the league has also proposed that in such situations, all actions of community quarantine reclassification done by LGUs will be immediately reported to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) and the IATF within 24 hours. If deemed necessary, the IATF may rectify the community quarantine classification and immediately inform the concerned LGU of the same, he added.

MEMBERS of the Philippine Coast Guard wade along floodwaters as they look for residents to be evacuated to safer grounds, in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, on Friday, July 23, 2021. Thousands of residents fled from flooded communities and swollen rivers in Visayas and Mindanao last Saturday after days of torrential monsoon rains, leaving at least four persons dead. AP

EVERAL days of intermittent rains brought about by the prevailing southwest monsoon enhanced by typhoon Fabian triggered flooding in Central Luzon, particularly in Bataan, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on Thursday, even as the number of families affected by the bad weather continued to swell across Luzon and in the Visayas. Rain induced by typhoon Fabian and continuing southwest monsoon triggered f loods and landslides over the past days, forcing the evacuation of thousands of families in Southern Tagalog, National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region and in Region 6. The NDRRMC said floodwaters as high as up to three feet swamped 18 barangays in Bataan, particularly in the town of Dinalupihan and in the city of Balanga. The flood,

however, is beginning to subside as of Thursday. Several areas in Luzon and in the Visayas have earlier reported similar flooding due to typhoon Fabian, forcing the evacuation of families to high grounds or in governmentrun shelters. As of Thursday, the NDRRMC said that at least 684 villages have been affected by the southwest monsoon that was enhanced by Fabian wherein at least 68,342 families or 278,444 individuals were moved out of their homes or were assisted by the government. The government has put up and maintains 325 evacuation centers for the affected families. The casualty count, on the other hand, stood officially at four although three other deaths are still being subjected to validation if these are connected with the bad weather. Four people were also reported injured. Rene Acosta

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₧41-B tax collectible from Shell to fund Covid response–Palace By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

HE government is eyeing to spend the P41 billion excise tax collectibles owed by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. to fund its Covid-19 response program. In an online news briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the court-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the government to collect the amount was removed. He said the Bureau of Customs has decided to collect the “biggest excise tax in the country’s history” from Pilipinas Shell.

“The P41 billion will be primarily be used for our Covid response,” Roque said. He explained the amount of unpaid excise tax initially started with just P3 billion to P4 billion, but ballooned to P41 billion due to penalties and interests. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court lifted the TRO it issued in 2014 followingtheappealofthegovernment. The case stemmed from Pilipinas Shell’s refusal to pay the excise tax for 80,162 barrels of alkylate worth over P1.99 billion. It noted the substance is not subject to taxation since it only serves as an additive for its unleaded gasoline.

Groups sustain opposition to local propagation of golden rice variety

ORE farmers groups on Thursday expressed opposition to the commercialization of the golden rice variety, arguing that the genetically modified organism (GMO) has some “serious” biosafety issues. “Rice Watch Action Network, Inc. [R1], along with farmers groups denounce the approval of the commercial propagation permit of Vitamin A-infused rice, better known as Golden Rice, and raise serious concerns on its biosafety issues,” R1 said in a news statement. R1 board member Neth Daño

claimed that there is lack of transparency regarding risk assessment results of golden rice. “Department of AgriculturePhilippine Rice Research Institute [DA-PhilRice] claims that it has undergone satisfactory biosafety assessment but has not made the results public,” Daño said. Daño argued that the government did not present to the public any of the reviews, results and assessments on the impact of golden rice on health, cultivation, environment and socioeconomic well-being.

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Friday, July 30, 2021 A5

DOF bares as much as P43-B potential revenue with lifting of mining freeze By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

HE government’s lifting of the nine-year-old moratorium on new mining projects is expected to boost mineral production by around P15 billion more every year until 2023, and up to an additional P43 billion annually until 2027, the Department of Finance (DOF) disclosed. Finance Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa S. Habitan, who sits as the alternate chair of the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI), said on Thursday that they project that the Executive Order (EO) 130 signed by President Duterte would also lead to increased exports, more workers and more revenues. “Potential new entrants will increase exports by $1 billion to $2 billion every year in the short and long terms, as well as employ as many as 1.3 times more workers. With 100 more players in the market for mines, the government can collect an additional P34 billion in taxes and fees,” Habitan said during the PH-EITI National Conference 2021. The finance official said EO 130 was among the initiatives taken by the government to reset the extrac-

tive industry’s growth trajectory after it was battered by pandemicinduced lockdowns. If not for the pandemic, Habitan said the extractive industry in the Philippines was poised to grow in the long-term at an annual rate of 10.3 percent from 2020, mainly driven by the oil and gas sector’s annual growth rate of 26 percent on the back of the Philippines’s relatively slow transition to decarbonization. “However, the projected growth rates of the extractive industry and its sectors were stymied by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a huge slump in consumer demand and a consequent slowdown of the global economy,” she said. Habitan said all sectors of the local extractives, including oil, gas, coal, metallic and non-metallic mining, shrank to an average of -16 percent. Meanwhile, primary exports of major commodities, such as gold fell by 11 percent, while copper concentrates plunged by 78 percent between January and July of 2019 and 2020. Nonmetallic mineral manufactures also dropped by 19 percent while iron and steel plunged by 71 percent. “The nonmetallic mines were the most affected by the Covid-19. Almost all of those that responded to the survey said that their volume

of production plummeted by around 50 percent and more than half of them experienced a reduction in their sales by about the same proportion,” she said. Unlike the nonmetallic mining sector, the metallic mining sector was “relatively resilient to extreme conditions such as Covid-19” because three out of four company respondents said they suffered little or no impact on their output and revenues, Habitan said. Nonetheless, she said EO 130 is expected to maximize the industry’s potential to propel the pandemic-hit economy. “In terms of opportunities, the industry’s GDP share is only hovering around 1 percent so there is still much room to contribute to it. The same thing goes with its exports to major destinations,” she said. Apart from EO 130, Habitan said, the implementation of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) law reducing the corporate income tax from 30 percent to 25 percent will allow companies to reinvest savings further toward further expansion. Metallic mines are also expected to gain more export revenues as importation needs of Hong Kong, China, and Japan will drive greater

demand for extractive commodities from the Philippines, she said. “The global post-Covid-19 recovery is pushing the need for higher gold purchases as a liquid resource and an investment safeguard against another possible pandemic. The worldwide trend of utilizing electric vehicles over conventional ones is focusing market attention on nickel as an essential component of rechargeable batteries,” Habitan said. “As such, both gold and nickel can contribute a conservative maximum of $21 billion in foreign exchange earnings for the Philippines,” she added. Habitan also said they still see a bright future for the oil and gas sectors as Philippine transportation will still continue to rely on fossil fuels even as the promotion of electric vehicles has started to gain grounds in developed countries. “In the longer term, as the demand for electric vehicles rises, so will the need for nickel as a main component of their batteries. Given that the country is the Top 2 producer of this metallic mineral in 2019 after Indonesia, the domestic consumption of and the export demand for nickel will continue to benefit the metals sector in the many years to come,” she said.

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Govt prepares financial aid to beneficiaries in ECQ zones

By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

NDIVIDUALS residing in areas that are currently under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) may finally be getting cash aid from the government.

On Thursday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the P1 billion funding for the said initiative will come from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under its Assistance to Individuals

in Crisis Situation (AICS). “The President approved the distribution of a P1,000 aid to those who are in need in areas under ECQ,” Roque said. He noted each family could have

a maximum of four members, who may avail of the cash aid. The funding for the program, which is expected to benefit at least a million individuals, is already being downloaded in Iloilo City and Iloilo Province, Cagayan de Oro City and Gingoog City, which are all currently under ECQ an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks. The ECQ classifications in the said areas, which should have ended this month, was extended until August 15, 2021 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). The cash aid is part of the national government’s commitment that seeks to provide aid for people

in areas, which will be placed under the strictest community quarantine classification.

Lockdown consideration

ROQUE noted that the funding for the program were among the considerations of the IATF when it decided not to escalate the community quarantine classification of the National Capital Region (NCR) from general community quarantine (GCQ ) “with heightened restrictions” to ECQ next month. “The issue is: Do we have financial aid? Because we know if we lockdown Metro Manila, many people will become hungry because 60 percent of our GDP [gross domestic product]

come from Metro Manila and the other plus 8 areas,” Roque said. The so-called plus 8 areas include Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Metro Davao, and Metro Cebu. The other considerations for implementing an ECQ include the impact of the lockdown to struggling businesses, health-care utilization, average daily attack rate, and twoweek attack rate among others. Some business groups and the mayors of NCR announced they are ready for the implementation of a preemptive lockdown in the region as long as the national government can provide financial aid to the affected communities.

This was based on the recommendation of the independent OCTA research group for the implementation of a two-week ECQ in NCR to contain the spread of the Delta variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detected in the region. “We still don’t know if we have the financial assistance for another extensive lockdown. But probably if we will need [the funding], we will look for it,” Roque said. Currently, the Department of Health has yet to recommend a stricter community quarantine restriction in NCR due to its still high health-care capacity, as well as low daily attack rate.

MMDA calls on private firms to raise WFH set up for workers; NCR girds to face Delta By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

HAIRMAN Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development

Authority (MMDA) appealed to private companies anew to increase their work-from-home (WFH) operations amid the Delta variant threat. Abalos cited that restaurants and other food establishments

should help prevent the spread of the virus by shutting down their dine-in service and focus on takeout and delivery instead. “They should discuss on their own how to protect the workers and consumers,” Abalos said in an online news conference. He stressed such measures were done before when the country was placed in a lockdown. Abalos said these could still be repeated while the country remains under general community quarantine (GCQ) “with heightened restrictions.” Reducing mobility, he said, would greatly help in containing the spread of the virus.

at 19 percent. Further, the Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) in the NCR for the previous three to four weeks is only at 4.69, which is comparatively low as against that of the past one to two weeks which rose to 5.55. “As it is, there is now an increase of Covid-19 cases in the NCR. In fact, projections made by health experts show that daily cases may reach up to 11,000 by the end of September 2021 with the assumption that Delta variant of Covid-19 is 60 percent more transmissible and that the PreventDetect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy and vaccination performance is status quo,” he added.

Cases in NCR

Marikina

THREE to four weeks ago, Abalos recalled that the growth rate of Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) is at -6 percent. However, for the past one to two weeks, he noted there was a significant increase in growth rate, which is now

THE Marikina city government has geared up for the possible increase of Covid-19 cases, and prevent the entry of the highly contagious Delta variant in the city after GCQ with heightened restrictions was declared in Metro Manila. “Ever since the start of the pandemic, we have been aggressive and proactive in ou r re sponse against Covid-19 to pro tect the lives of our constituents. With the threat of the new variant, Ma r i k ina w i l l exhaust all possible measures and available resources, as well as to em-

ploy stricter protocols to prevent the entry and spread of the variant and stem the increase in cases,” Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said. He said that expanded testing and contact tracing, effective isolation and quarantine, and strict adherence to minimum public health standards are being aggressively implemented to successfully prevent the spread of the virus. The city government also continue to remind residents to always practice minimum public health standards, even for fully vaccinated individuals. “As such, the city government will aggressively intensify its inoculation drive to immunize Marikina residents against the dreaded var iant of Cov id-19. We implore the national government to deploy additional vaccines to Marikina to boost our inoculation program and vaccinate as much people as possible,” Teodoro assured. Likewise, the city government said that they are open to the possibility of imposing granular lockdowns in specific areas in the city as part of proactive measures against the dreaded disease. “We need to be proactive in our pandemic response as the precious lives of the people are at stake,” he said.

Pasay

PASAY City Mayor Emi CalixtoRubiano on Thursday said that the city government is doing everything within its power to maintain the number of coronavirus cases to the barest minimum, while also protecting its borders from the possible entry of Delta variant. In a Zoom interview with the media, she said they are protecting their residents by conducting an intensified information, communication and educational campaign about the dangers of the new variant and the steps on how to avoid contracting it. Despite a slight increase in cases, Pasay still has one of the lowest numbers of active cases at 80 in Metro Manila, and the City Hall is working

double time to further bring it down to the lowest. Their current contact tracing ratio is currently at 1:22 which is well within the recommended 1:15 or more ratio. “Right now, Pasay City still has zero Delta variant cases. But even before the declaration of the community transmission of the said variant in the country, we have already met with our barangay officials, Covid team and our health officials to prepare, and if possible prevent its entry to the city,” the mayor said. According to Calixto-Rubiano, they raised the number of isolation facilities and Covid-19 beds, as well as stockpiled on oxygen to prepare for a possible surge, and impose stricter border measures in the localities. Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that Pasay City showed an increased two-week growth rate of Covid-19 cases, and its average daily attack rate qualifies as high-risk. She explained that the increase in the cases came from people who temporarily moved to the city prior to their intended destinations. Meanwhile, she said that if the city’s growth rate will be analyzed and ADAR using their own data, “we can see that currently, we are at medium risk.” “That’s why we are now implementing stricter measures and tightening our watch in our borders,” she pointed out. To prevent the entry of the variant, the mayor said they are conducting regular consultation meetings with barangay officials regarding border controls and implementation of strict quarantine protocols. Additionally, Calixto-Rubiano reminded the residents that their vaccination sites are open Monday to Sunday. She pointed out that they would continue with the implementation of granular lockdowns, which were proven effective in containing the cases, and are now being adopted also in other cities.

DOF nixes making Hidilyn’s donations, rewards tax-exempt continued from a8

“All prizes, incentives and perks given to Hidilyn for winning the country’s first Olympic gold should be tax-exempt. However, the rules with regard to the treatment of prizes, awards and incentives received by Filipino athletes are not clear. It is time for the BIR to issue a clarification and settle the matter in favor of the athletes,” Drilon said Thursday. “I urge the BIR to affirm the interpretation that all the awards and incentives should be tax exempt,” he added. “It will be an incentive for our athletes to do even better and inspire future Hidilyn Diazes who will give honor and pride to the nation,” he added. Drilon said that he hopes Diaz’s victory in the Tokyo Olympics will pave the way for more benefits for atheletes, including augmentation of their allow-

ances and additional incentives. “Consistent with the objectives of RA 10699, we must promote excellence in sports by looking after the welfare of national athletes and coaches competing for the country and by providing benefits and incentives for national athletes and other athletes who win in international sports competitions and bring honor and recognition to the country,” Drilon said. Drilon recalled how Hidilyn trained with makeshift weights made out of broomsticks and duffel bags in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. “Her resourcefulness and resolve to win are admirable. Hidilyn Diaz has shown us that with heart and perseverance, the Filipino can emerge triumphant. We can prevail and overcome,” Drilon said.

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DOJ HASTENS PROBE ON BI’S ‘PASTILLAS’ By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday vowed to speed up the ongoing investigation of Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel linked to the “pastillas scheme” after President Duterte said he expected them to be dismissed from the government service. “We will expedite the investigation and impose the proper penalty upon those who may be found guilty,” Guevarra said. The Justice Secretary was reacting to a statement by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that Duterte’s remark at his State of the Nation Address—that he had ordered the dismissal of the BI personnel involved in the pastillas scam—might have been a directive to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the BI to do so. In his sixth SONA last July 26, Duterte mentioned he fired 43 Immigration personnel in connection with the “pastillas” scheme. However, Guevarra on Wednesday clarified that the BI employees were merely suspended for six months and have already returned to work pending the resolution

of the criminal and administrative cases against them before the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ) BI spokesman Dana Sandoval clarified that these BI personnel have not been assigned to sensitive posts in the bureau since their return to the BI after their sixmonth suspension lapsed last month. She said in compliance with standard procedures on personnel with administrative cases, these BI personnel were assigned to administrative offices with back-end and non-sensitive positions. Of the 86 originally placed under preventive suspension by the Ombudsman, 84 have reported back to work as one had already retired and another one was considered a whistleblower in the controversy, she said. Guevarra noted that both the Ombudsman and the DOJ may exercise disciplinary power on BI employees for dishonesty and other major administrative offenses, provided that respondents are given due process. On the other hand, Guevarra said those who are on job-order basis only may be terminated immediately.

DOF nixes making Hidilyn’s donations, rewards tax-exempt By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

& Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

INANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III thumbed down the proposed measure to make tax-exempt the monetary donations and rewards given to national athletes and coaches who compete or win in international sports competitions. A day after House Committee on Ways and Means and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda filed the “Hidilyn Diaz Act of 2021,” Dominguez said the Department of Finance is not amenable to the measure because it is only fitting that citizens and residents comply with their duty to society. “All Philippine citizens and residents have an obligation to share in the cost of the provision of public goods to society,” Dominguez told reporters in a message. The bill filed by Salceda aims to grant tax exemption on “rewards, bonuses and other forms of emoluments” given to national athletes and coaches who compete or win in international sports competitions. This, after Diaz bagged the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the women’s 55 kg weightlifting competition in Tokyo on Monday. Salceda’s proposal seeks to amend Republic Act 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act. The Senate is also looking into the possibility of filing a resolution to formally urge the BIR to exempt Diaz’s winnings as an Olympic gold medalist. In a statement on Thursday, the Bureau of Internal Revenue clarified the P10 million cash incentive that Diaz will be receiving from the Philippine government through the Philippine Sports Commission after winning the Olympic gold medal is excluded from income tax under Section 32(B)(7)(d) of the Tax Code. Also excluded from the computation of Diaz’s gross income under Section 32(B) (3) of the Tax Code are the donations given to her by businesses, private individuals and entities. However, the BIR clarified that this “presupposes that the generous donors have already paid the donor’s tax on these items.” “It’s a good thing that the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law has finally lowered the donor’s tax rate to 6 percent in excess of P250,000. Otherwise, the maximum donor’s tax would be P1,004,000 + 15 percent in excess of P10 million,” it said. “We congratulate Hidilyn Diaz and the Philippine team, and we hope for the best for the Filipino athletes still in the running to earn their spot at the Olympic podium,” it added. Despite the position of the DOF, Salceda said his committee will still deliberate all

tax proposals as mandated by the Constitution. If his proposal is not passed, Salceda said, Diaz will pay P14.5 million in tax. According to Salceda, the Tax Code excludes from gross income all prizes and awards granted to athletes in local and international sports competitions and tournaments whether held in the Philippines or abroad and sanctioned by their national sports associations. Under Section 24 (B) (1) of the National Internal Revenue Code, Salceda said a final tax at the rate of 20 percent is hereby imposed upon on interests, royalties, prizes, and other winnings derived from sources within the Philippines. “There is an ambiguity that is capable of being argued that anything granted to the athletes outside what is in the law or granted by the organizers themselves is not an award but a “gift” since it is granted in gratuity. So, we want to close the question of whether this is taxable,” he added. “After the past two [controversial] RRs [Revenue Regulations], Congress wants to close any ambiguity,” he said. He said his bill closes the question by making the definition broader. The bill excludes from taxes “rewards, bonuses, and other forms of emoluments in favor of national athletes and coaches” and not just “awards” or “prizes.” “Usually, what you get from the organizers is the ‘prize.’ Anything else is just a bonus,” he said. “Likewise, the gifts are still subject to [6 percent] donor’s taxes, and the bill will address this by exempting these donations,” he added. Among the incentives and rewards expected to be received by Diaz are: P10 million cash as mandated by Republic Act 10699, P10 million from San Miguel Corporation, P10 million from MVP Sports Foundation, P3 million from Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero of 1-PACMAN Party-list, P2.5 million from Zamboanga City, P5-million cash and free fuel for life from Phoenix Petroleum, P14million residential condominium unit in Eastwood, Quezon City from Megaworld, P4-million house and lot from Century Properties; and a house and lot in Tagaytay from Philippine Olympic Committee. Diaz will also receive lifetime free flights from AirAsia Philippines and 80,000 free miles per year for life from Philippine Airlines.

Drilon weighs in

MEANWHILE, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said that Olympic-related prizes, awards and incentives given to Olympic Gold Medalist Hidilyn Diaz should be tax exempt. Continued on A6

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PHL consumer spending rebound not seen till ’22

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

ITCH Solutions, the research arm of the Fitch Group, said consumer spending—one of the main drivers of the local economy—is not bound to fully recover until 2022, as the Philippines continue to lag in vaccination rates. In a report published on Thursday, Fitch Solutions projected total household spending to reach P10.6 trillion in 2021, still lower than the total spending of P11.1 trillion before the pandemic in 2019. “We forecast real household spending in the Philippines to post growth of 4 percent year-on-year in 2021, the

start of a recovery from the 8.3 percent year-on-year contraction in household spending estimated over 2020, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdown measures,” Fitch Solutions said. “As a result, we believe that a full recovery of Philippines’s consumer and retail sector will only take place in 2022, with

more conventional growth returning in 2023. We forecast real household spending to expand at 5.1 percent in 2022, with total spending reaching P11.2 trillion,” the think tank added. Fitch Solutions said the country’s recovering unemployment numbers and the expected downtrend in inflation will likely support their view of consumer spending recovery in 2022. The delay in recovery, the research firm said, largely rests on the country’s lagging vaccination numbers. “The Philippines’s vaccination drive is lagging behind the wider Asia region, with 9.9 percent of the population having received at least one dose on July 23. As such, we believe that most Covid-19 related restrictions will only be removed in the late 2021, allowing for continued consumer spending growth in 2022,” Fitch Solutions said. “Our global view for a notable recovery in consumer spending relies on the ability of authorities to vaccinate a large enough proportion of their populations and thereby experience a notable drop in Covid-19 infections and a decline in hospitalization rates. Both these factors will lead to governments gradually lifting restrictions, which will boost consumer confidence and retail sales,” it added.

Speaking at the BUSINESSMIRROR’s latest online segment called Freshly Brewed on Thursday, Xendit Philippines Managing Director Yang Yang Zhang said the Indonesian startup sees a huge opportunity in the Philippines, as the pandemic forced digital transformation to go at an accelerated pace in terms of adoption. The Philippines, she said, is on the cusp of a “hyper growth course” despite the pandemic and the development of financial technology (fintech) will help fuel this trajectory. See story in Banking page B3, “Fintech devt seen to aid PHL in road to hyper growth.”

Filipinos willing to get Covid-19 jabs now at 82%–Ipsos poll By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

ORE Filipinos are now willing to get vaccinated as a “sense of duty” allows them to conquer their fears of the unknown, according to the latest survey data released by global analytics firm Ipsos. Based on the data, vaccine interest in the Philippines is now at 82 percent, per a poll done in June 2021. This was a 14 percentage point increase from the 68 percent recorded in an Ipsos survey done earlier this year. The Philippines and Malaysia were the only countries in Southeast Asia which saw an increase in vaccine interest. In Malaysia, vaccine interest was higher at 93 percent in the latest survey compared to 76 percent in the previous data collection. “I think it’s because people are realizing that getting vaccinated is a sense of duty as citizens and the fact that there is no other source currently for vaccines—as fast and as much as what our own LGUs (Local Government Units) are able to roll out,” Ipsos Philippines Country Manager Vicky Abad told BusinessMirror via e-mail.

“So the more people get vaccinated, the more they are also influencing others to be vaccinated. It’s all about overcoming the fear of the unknown,” she added. In other parts of Southeast Asia, vaccine interest has declined in June. Ipsos Regional Lead of Strategy3 for Southeast Asia Director Kiranjit Singh said there was no general explanation for this. However, based on the data, vaccine hesitation was higher among senior citizens and people without children. The vaccine hesitation was also highest in Thailand and Indonesia. Singh said vaccine interest in Thailand was only at 69 percent while in Indonesia, it was at 74 percent based on the June 2021 data. “There are many reasons for it. There is no one reason. It’s not only less education, younger (members of the population), and so on. There are differences,” Singh said in a briefing on Thursday. “You have to go deeper into each country and each demographic to understand the reason.”

Family reunions

MEANWHILE, in the next three months, Ipsos data showed 53 percent of Filipino respondents said they would be more com-

fortable seeing family and friends. This is considered the top activity that Filipinos want to do in the next three months. The data also showed 46 percent of Filipino respondents would be more comfortable dining in a restaurant in the next three months while 38 percent would be comfortable using public transportation during the period. However, traveling to another country and joining a cultural event or gathering received lower interest among Filipino respondents. Only 24 percent said they are comfortable traveling to another country and 25 percent said they would join a gathering in the next three months. Regionally, visiting family and friends in their homes is the top activity that respondents would like to do in the next three months. The latest findings from the Ipsos 4th wave of the study conducted in June 2021 was based on the responses of 3,000 adults in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. In the Philippines, there were 500 respondents nationwide. The survey was conducted using their internal online panel.

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Friday, July 30, 2021 A9

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. IV-A 4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362 July 30, 2021

11.

Mr. GONG CHEN Chinese

Mandarin Customer Service Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

12.

Mr. PENG CAO Chinese

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

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Mr. YI CHEN Chinese

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Mr. YINGQIANG HU Chinese

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Php1,000,000.00Php1,500,000.00/ month

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

Ms. CHUANHUA CAI Chinese

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

Mr. SHAOBO XIE Chinese

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

Mr. YABIN WU Chinese

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

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Php20,000.00Php50,000.00/month

Name and Address of Employer: COVAC PHILIPPINES, INC. LTC, Lipa City, Batangas

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A10 Friday, July 30, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

2021: It’s been a long year

he Covid-19 has been cruel to the world in 2021, and in a sense, global governments have reacted “cruelly.” Efforts to place blame on government for not curing the disease is unfair. Of course, there may more “Covid Pandemic Experts” on social media than there are actual cases. But no absolute solution has been found. What seems to work in one place does not work in another country. Then a massive blame game begins. Most of the 7 billion people on the planet are weary, frustrated, and angry after a year of this ongoing situation. Humans are by nature inclined to give whatever is the cultural equivalent of The Middle Finger and slap the side of the head of whoever creates a problem. How many invading movie aliens have had to deal with some “pissed-off” human? Perhaps a large part of the weariness, frustration, and resentment is that we all feel helpless. You can be doing “everything” according to the transmission control protocol, and somebody else is loose with social distancing, sneezes, and you spend the next week worrying about getting sick. Many questions are unanswered. Why does Peru have by far the greatest number of deaths per capita while imposing one of the longest lockdown periods? But a poorer country in terms of wealth and environment—Nicaragua—has one of the lowest cases and deaths per capita equal to Hong Kong. No wonder our collective mental health is in the proverbial toilet. Global cases began increasing in November 2020 and peaked in January, allowing us a moment of relief. Then another wave (pick whatever number you wish) comes and we hit what looks like another peak of cases at the beginning of May. But then about a month ago, the headlines were screaming “Delta Variant” just as we were starting to see some light by being vaccinated. Now we are told that the vaccines are 100 percent effective and 100 percent safe, except when they are not safe or effective. The most used health protocol against getting sick from the virus has been “The Lockdown,” more kindly known as “Community Quarantine.” This is the science behind that rule. “Lockdowns have saved lives by reducing the physical interactions between infected and uninfected people, which in turn reduces transmission and the number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2.” How about this science? “Not driving or riding in an automobile significantly reduces the chance of dying in a traffic accident.” But as with “Community Quarantine,” nothing is 100 percent certain. “An analysis of data reported by State Highway Safety Offices shows that 6,721 pedestrians were killed on US roads in 2020, up 4.8 percent from 6,412 fatalities in 2019. That’s about one death every 92 minutes.” These are 2021 headlines in no particular order. March 17, 2021: “Jordan uses tear gas to clamp down on anti-lockdown protesters.” July 11, 2021: “Brighton vaccine center forced to cancel jabs after anti-lockdown protest.” July 3, 2021: “More than 300 people demonstrating against Covid-19 restrictions marched through the center of Dublin today.” July 27, 2021: “Sydney anti-lockdown protesters charged with animal cruelty after punching police horse.” It is still going to be a long year. Since 2005

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Dealing with the Delta variant Sonny M. Angara

Better Days

T the time this article was being written, Philippine health authorities have detected no less than 114 infections of the Covid-19 Delta variant in the country. This particular strain, first detected in India in October 2020, is among the “variants of concern” identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are are more infectious, even to the point of infecting those who have been fully vaccinated. With its increased transmissibility, the Delta variant poses a heightened threat to cripple entire healthcare systems with waves of new Covid-19 cases. The WHO projects that it will be the dominant strain “within months” after being detected in 124 countries as of mid-July 2021. This is already true in the United States where over 83 percent of the current infections sequenced are traced to this more contagious Covid-19 variant, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) head Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Data from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data indicated that the Delta variant is, in fact, “gaining ground.” The United Kingdom detected 38,745 Delta variant cases, or equivalent to 96 percent of new infections sequenced in June 2021. In the same period, Portugal traced about 1,100 infections of the same variant or 72 percent of the total Covid-19 cases sequenced—the third highest country with the Delta variant in GISAID’s analysis of 80 states.

India, Singapore, and Indonesia are also tracing more than 90 percent of their sequenced Covid-19 cases in the past four weeks to the highly transmissible variant. Countries all over the world have responded to the variant by ramping up their vaccination programs, imposing travel restrictions and lockdowns, and tightening border controls, among other countermeasures. Russia has gone as far as ordering the compulsory vaccination of 60 percent of its workers in the hospital sector and all public sector employees, even offering raffle prizes to the general population who choose to be vaccinated. Indonesia constructed an emergency hospital to cope with the surge in Covid patients and has ordered more oxygen, while Japan developed a new testing reagent just to detect the Delta variant. In the Philippines, the government has already taken similar actions to curb the Delta variant and intensify our Covid-19 response. For one, a travel ban has been imposed on travelers coming from at least

10 countries (as of July 24) that are severely affected by the more contagious Covid-19 strain. There is also the re-imposition of stricter controls as Metro Manila has been placed under a general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions and the reversion of the rule allowing kids outdoors. The Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry are taking specific steps to prepare for a possible surge. The DOH started to stockpile oxygen and coordinated with local government units (LGU) to increase their inventory of the same, while the DTI has called on oxygen manufacturers to double production. Moreover, the Health department is also looking into conducting “purposive sampling,” or getting samples from areas with surges to determine the local transmission routes of the variant. Related to the tracing and sampling efforts of the DOH on the Delta variant, I filed Proposed Senate Resolution 759 to call for an inquiry on the current state of Covid-19 bio surveillance and genome sequencing to improve identification and classification of new variants. Filipino doctors and medical experts in the previous months expressed concern over the country’s current Covid-19 genome sequencing capacity. Apparently, only 750 samples are being evaluated per week, or less than 1 percent of the total recorded cases nationwide, as against the ideal rate of 5 percent as recommended by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC). Based on preliminary talks of our office with the DOH and the PGC, the top priority should be expanding genome sequencing capacity in

regional hubs such as Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao to minimize transport of specimens and to encourage nearby provinces to send samples for sequencing. This would enable faster sequencing and shorter turnover time, allowing for bio surveillance findings to be communicated to LGUs and the public in a more timely manner. In addition, it was mentioned by the agencies that genome sequencing capacity can be expanded through the provision of supplies and logistics (e.g. dry ice, boxes, transportation), biobanking (e.g. ultralow refrigerators), additional human resources and increased capacity on computing and analytical capacity for epidemiological analysis. The WHO underscored how rapid generation and sharing of virus genomic sequences are crucial to understanding the virus’ transmission routes and how these data can calibrate clinical and epidemiological mitigation strategies. That being said, expanding and improving the country’s bio surveillance and genome sequencing capabilities should be prioritized and looked into jointly by the government and the private sector. Improvements in this area will safeguard the nation from future outbreaks and, more importantly, prevent the disruption in the livelihood and jobs of all Filipinos, thus avoiding severe economic losses caused by widespread health crises.

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 17 years. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate. E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

Thailand risks first double-dip recession since 1998 crisis

By Suttinee Yuvejwattana | Bloomberg Opinion

hailand will likely be the worst economic performer in Southeast Asia this year, with economists continuing to slash the country’s growth forecast amid surging Covid-19 infections, mounting political tensions and fading hopes for a tourism revival. The Finance Ministry on Thursday cut its 2021 gross domestic product forecast to 1.3 percent growth, from the 2.3 percent it expected in April. With new Covid infections and deaths continually breaking records since the latest surge began in April, some economists are flagging the possibility of a technical recession in the second half of the year—or even a second straight annual contraction, something the country hasn’t seen since the Asian Financial Crisis more than two decades ago. According to the latest weighted average of 36 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, gross domestic product should grow 1.8 percent this year. That’s particularly weak considering it’s a comparison to last year, when

Thailand’s economy contracted 6.1 percent, the most in more than two decades. “We see Thailand as a laggard in the region, penciling in the lowest GDP growth forecasts in Asean for both 2021 and 2022,” said Charnon Boonnuch, an economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore. “Our forecast implies economic output will not return to pre-Covid levels before the third quarter of 2022, the slowest in Asean, partly reflecting the high dependence on foreign tourists.” Bangkok and 12 other provinces, which account for more than half of the Thai economy, have been under lockdown and curfew since last week as the Delta variant threatens to overwhelm the country’s public

health system. The Bank of Thailand has said the outbreak could shave as much as two percentage points off this year’s GDP if current measures fail to quell it and the pandemic endures for the rest of the year. The Finance Ministry’s new forecast, which carries a range of 0.8 percent to 1.8 percent, assumes Thailand will receive 300,000 tourists this year, a fall of 96 percent from last year. The ministry also expects the current lockdown to last just one month, and sees the outbreak peaking in August. “We expect that exports and government spending will help support the economy and should prevent GDP shrinkage this year,” said Kulaya Tantitemit, head of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office. The ministry raised this year’s export forecast to 16.6 percent growth, from 11 percent predicted in April, as global demand recovers. The Thai baht is down 8.9 percent against the dollar so far this year, the worst performer among Asian currencies tracked by Bloomberg. The local currency was little changed at

32.875 to the dollar as of 12:54 p.m. local time. The ministry forecast the baht’s average level for the year at 31.48 per dollar. “Thailand’s worsening coronavirus outbreak looks set to push the economy into a double-dip recession in the third quarter, as well as a back-to-back yearly contraction for 2021. The high-frequency indicators tracked by Bloomberg Economics show no let up in the country’s weakening recovery momentum. We now see significant risks that the Thai economy will shrink further in 2021, compared with our previous forecast of a 2.3 percent expansion,” said Tamara Mast Henderson, Bloomberg Asean economist. Thailand reported 17,669 new infections and 165 deaths Thursday, both single-day records. Total cases rose to 561,030, of which 95 percent have come since the latest wave began in April, official data show. The Health Ministry expects the current wave to begin easing by October. Thailand has administered about See “Thailand,” A11

Opinion BusinessMirror

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The return of VP Jojo Binay

Symbols and sports: The Tokyo Olympiad

Manny F. Dooc

Tito Genova Valiente

annotations

TELLTALES

vershadowed by the victory of our sports heroine Hidilyn Diaz at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics is the announcement that former VP Jojo Binay shall run for senator under the Lacson-Sotto ticket. This was unexpected, as many political pundits have thought that his political career is over after he lost in his congressional bid against Romulo ”Kid” Peña in Makati in 2019. This was following his upset loss in the 2016 presidential contest where President Duterte emerged the winner. One of VP Binay’s assets is that he has the correct narrative to tell the people. A poor boy who was orphaned at the age of 9 and adopted by an uncle who took care of him. Old residents in Kulikuli, in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati still recall his early days when he collected “kaning baboy” from the neighboring households. This was one of the various odd jobs he did to support himself at school. He attended public schools to save on tuition fees and school expenses. He attended the Philippine Normal College preparatory school for his basic education. He graduated from the UP High School before taking up Political Science Degree at the University of the Philippines. He pursued his law studies in the same university and finished his law degree in 1967. He was a “Iskolar ng Bayan” all throughout. After becoming a lawyer, he devoted his time to human rights causes, which earned him respect among his peers, including Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a leading opposition figure during the martial law years. After the 1986 Edsa revolt, VP Binay was the first local executive to be appointed by President Cory as Mayor of the premier city of Makati, upon recommendation of DILG Secretary Pimentel. And the Binay family has not relinquished the position since. No viable opposition has come out to challenge Binay’s dominance in Makati politics that former Mayor Junjun ran against his own sibling, Mayor Abigail, to reclaim the city’s chief executive post. Makati, the richest local government units of our country, is a republic run by the Binays and there is no Vico Sotto in the horizon to topple it. VP Binay will come to his full political blooming if he gets elected to the Senate. All his political life, he has served the executive branch of the government—as Mayor of his beloved City of Makati for 21 years, as MMDA Chairman, as Vice President and as a cabinet member. His impressive resume and educational training equipped him with a breadth of knowledge that will serve him well in crafting legislation to improve the lot of his countrymen. As a veteran lawyer who has represented political activists and militants for free and as a street parliamentarian himself, he possesses the tool to introduce relevant pieces of legislation and successfully navigate them into passage along the intricate legislative mill. He is one of the founders of Mabini, a group of nationalist lawyers who defended human rights during the dark days of Martial Law. He was a leading member of the August Twenty One Movement, a staunch anti-Marcos organization formed to perpetuate the memory of Ninoy Aquino, to oppose Martial Law and the abuses of the Marcos regime. He defended political detainees, student and labor activists for free, and his militant legal advocacy had landed him in jail but he was undeterred in his commitment to democracy. He is one of our current leaders gifted with political courage who defied the incumbent president to protect his rights. When he was the Makati City mayor, he was preventively suspended from office by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for allegations of corruption. He refused to receive the order of suspension and barricaded himself inside the

Thailand. . .

continued from A10

16 million vaccine doses, enough to cover about 11 percent of the popula-

VP Binay will come to his full political blooming if he gets elected to the Senate. All his political life, he has served the executive branch of the government—as Mayor of his beloved City of Makati for 21 years, as MMDA Chairman, as Vice President and as a cabinet member. City Hall, with his security forces. He successfully rallied his supporters to troop to the Makati City Hall to prevent the government forces from taking over Makati until the Court of Appeals had issued a restraining order stopping VP Binay’s suspension. VP Binay could have been the present occupant of Malacañang. He was the clear frontrunner months before the 2016 presidential election. Early in the campaign, VP Binay got the endorsements of powerful politicians who command the votes in their respective bailiwicks. The Dys and the Albanos of Isabela, the Remullas of Cavite, the Garcias of Cebu and many other vote-rich provinces, which could spell victory and defeat in the national election. He had vast government experience and the support of a well-oiled political machinery. But his adversaries ganged up on him and pounded him on the sole issue of corruption. VP Binay did not face up to the charges and wished that it would just die down and be buried by other election issues. But it did not. Opponents harped on it in every presidential debate and the corruption issue dogged him throughout the campaign. VP Binay’s “strategy of silence” amidst the rampaging accusation of corruption scandal had boomeranged against him from which he could not recover. Contrast it with what President Duterte and his handlers did. President Duterte was confronted with a bank document allegedly showing his huge bank deposits a couple of weeks before the election. All his public life, VP Binay has been hounded by controversy. His dark skin and diminutive height have earned him the moniker, ”Nognog,” a popular comic character who was stout and dark-skinned, and “Rambotito,” for his penchant to wear fatigue combat uniform with Uzi submachine gun slung on his shoulder and powerful gun tucked in his waist during the height of the coup attempts against President Cory. But he was hardly affected by them and even capitalized on it to his advantage. He and his family were subjected to the longest Senate investigation on alleged corruption activities, but up to now not one of them has been put in jail. In fact, many of the charges have been dismissed. He was accused of cheating on his wife and a photograph showing him and his alleged lover was circulated to the public. He admitted it but confessed that it was long over and that he had already sought forgiveness from his wife and family. Now that he is once more running for an elective office, VP Binay will again invite media and public attention. Muckrakers, well meaning or not, may again dig up skeletons in his closet and have their field day on social media. But VP Binay has seen, fought and suffered them all. Those who still believe in him, and there are many, will vote for him and find out what we have missed by rejecting him last time. tion, according to the Bloomberg Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker. The central bank, which previously expected the country to achieve herd immunity in the first half of next year, now says that milestone won’t be reached until

Friday, July 30, 2021 A11

istory plays a significant role in the return of the Olympics to Japan. In 1964, Japan was granted the honor of being the first Asian nation to play host to this competition. Here was a nation brimming with confidence and power two decades after its defeat from World War II. Forget about its rise from the proverbial ashes; economic historians would know that much of the support of the United States of America was given to this island-nation, as it always describes itself.

With the 1964 Tokyo Olympics came massive changes in Japan. One was the Shinkansen or Bullet train, the beginning of a transport system that would impress the world. Many things have taken place since then. The automobile industry of Japan would not only stand for its superior machine and design; it would supplant and put out of business the pioneering car factories of the US. The country, overnight, turned itself into Japan Incorporated, with its business auguring the spread of Japanese culture across the globe. Soft diplomacy it was called. As Japan hurtled into the future, it did not forget its art forms. Preserved and well-funded, its traditional arts and crafts lived side by side by side with inventions that dominated the world market. While new thoughts and ideas were unencumbered, Japanese literature and aesthetics forwarded different and enchanting ways of perceiving and presenting things. Cultures of nations are ways of displaying identities; nowhere is this act more compelling than in Japanese culture. In its language, a series of levels is available to its speakers: Shall I lower myself or shall I bring myself equal to this person I am talking with? Shall I elevate the status of this person before me as I further efface myself? There are varied pronouns and verb forms for all social engagement; there are different bodily movements

embedded in the social environment of the Japanese individual. Even the mythical inscrutability of Japanese society and culture, much of it a function of a language again that favors vagueness over directness, turned into a popular handle for us outsiders as communities attempted to enter the Japanese universe. Thus was reborn the concept of Nihonjinron. A kind of essentialism, this phenomenon refers to books and papers written by Japanese scholars as well as non-Japanese academics purporting to describe Japan as “unique.” Cutting across disciplines, like sociology, economics, political science and many others, Nihonjinron satisfied the exoticization done by both outsiders and insiders with regard to Japanese culture and society. This Nihonjinron traces itself back to the Kokugagu or national studies writings, which offered images of Japan before the advent of the Chinese civilization. It was a search for the “pure” and indigenous culture of the country. This claim of uniqueness, however, does not end with the proclamation of a monolithic culture but a declaration of both purity and supremacy. Note the Expo 70, again an introduction of the technological discoveries this time held in Osaka, where ultimately the symbol was Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun.” Tracing the sun

back to the myths of Japan (the first chapter of Japanese history is about their myth of origin), that symbol links itself to Amaterasu, the putative origin of all Japanese people. It is a beginning premised on a pure race, a nation that cannot accept foreigners. Flash forward to the opening ceremony: Behold Naomi Osaka, a hafu or a half-breed. What is the fruit of that decision to give the honor of lighting the cauldron on top of a structure symbolizing Fujisan or Mt. Fuji, the sacred mountain for the Japanese, to one who is not of “pure” Japanese blood? That night, Japan presented itself again thickly with symbols. Was it for the first time that the national anthem of Japan, the Kimigayo (its title referring to “His Imperial Majesty’s Reign”) was belted, by Misia, a pop singer, instead of played by an orchestra or sung by a choir? While the protests for days and months pleaded that the government think of the safety of its people, actor-dancer Mirai Moriyama performed an “In Memoriam.” In a dance that was half-lament, halfretribution, the deaths related to the Olympics were mentioned, with the assassination of the Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics jolting the audiences. There were kitschy moments (imagine “Imagine” being sung) but these were visually overpowered in memory by a Kabuki being

Prosecutor’s fallacy in the war on drugs

The statistic that Sir Professor Meadow used is the probability of having two infant deaths among all innocent families. However, the statistic that should have been used is the probability of being innocent among all families who suffered two infant deaths. In the first, the numerator is the number of families with two infant deaths and the denominator is the number of all innocent families. This commits the Prosecutor’s fallacy. In the second, the numerator is the number of innocent families who suffer from two infant deaths, and the denominator is the number of all families (innocent and guilty) who suffer from two infant deaths. After several appeals and protests from many imminent statisticians, Clark was released in 2003.

The Prosecutor’s fallacy is relatable if explained in the war on drugs. On March 21, 2018 police killed 13 suspected drug dealers in dozens of anti-narcotics operations in Bulacan and Cavite. Citing a Reuters article published on March 22, 2018, “These operations are part of our stepped-up campaign against drugs and all other forms of criminality in the province,” Bulacan police chief Romeo Caramat said in a statement. “Unfortunately, 13 of the suspects were killed when our officers fired in self-defense shortly after the suspects who were armed with concealed guns sensed they were being entrapped and started firing.” What the reasoning implied basically is that there is a very small probability that an innocent suspect will fire back at police

or nanlaban. Therefore, the suspect must have been guilty of drug trafficking. Therefore, the police were justified to kill the suspect. However, there is a bigger probability that a suspect who shoots back is innocent. Therefore, police should have been more judicious and should not have killed on merit of self defense. In statistical parlance, police looked at P (nanlaban|innocent) when it should have looked at P (innocent|nanlaban). The first is the “nanlaban” among the innocents, and the second is the innocent among the “nanlaban.” Consider the following stylized figures. It is conceivable that there is close to 0 percent chance that an innocent suspect will fire back. That is, the number of innocent suspects firing back over the number of all innocent suspects (nanlaban or otherwise). If a suspect is innocent, s/he will probably not fight back. However, it is conceivable that there is significantly greater, say 5-10 percent, chance that a suspect firing back is innocent. That is the number of suspects firing back over the number of suspects (guilty or innocent) firing back. If a suspect shoots back, s/he might have a reason. The suspect shooting back might be reacting irrationally, for example, due to panic or by psychological disorder. The suspect might be acting based on knee jerk reaction. S/he might be defending himself or herself from the police’s abuse of power. Maybe s/he is just framed and is officially reported as one shooting back. For clarification, a vast majority of police are good and hardworking

after 2022. “There’s now increasing chatter that the Thai economy will contract again this year,” said Maria Lapiz, managing director of Maybank Kim Eng Securities Thailand. “There’s no reason for optimism.”

The economic and health crises coincide with a rise in political unrest. The pro-democracy movement has returned to the streets in Bangkok after a six-month lull, with near-daily gatherings organized by

different groups since June 24. “We are in a severe crisis and our health system is on the brink of collapse,” said Burin Adulwattana, chief economist at Bangkok Bank Pcl. “The compensation program is

Dr. Luis F. Dumlao

EAGLE WATCH

uoting from Oxford Reference, Prosecutor’s fallacy is a misstatement of a probability as result of misunderstanding of conditional probability. Sally Clark was a British who gave birth to her first son Christopher in 1996. Three months after, Christopher died in his sleep. A year after, Clark gave birth to a second son, Harry, who also died in infancy. In applying conditional probability, pediatrician Sir Professor Roy Meadow testified that the probability of two infants dying in the same family is 1 in 73 million. The jurors convinced that this could not have been coincidence, Clark was convicted and sentenced to life.

performed side by side with Berklee alumna and jazz artist, Hiromi Uehara. It was an explosion of energy with legendary Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo wearing a costume more than 60 kgs, as he showed images from the play, Shibaraku (literally, Wait a Moment!). Technology was the muse of the night. And precision commanded the whole show. This is Japan that we like and even understand. This is Japan that we consume. Months ago, however, Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Olympic committee resigned after it was found out he uttered sexist remarks (“women talk too much during meetings”). He was replaced by a woman, Seiko Hashimoto, a former Olympics athletes now a politician. Less than two days before the opening ceremonies, the director of the said event, comedian and theatre director, Kentaro Kobayashi, was fired. Reason: it was discovered he used the Holocausts in a comic scene he did, in 1998. But some things cannot change, addressed as “The Emperor” by the Chairman of the Olympic Committee, the name for the present monarch was a neutral portrait of gentility. But addressed in Japanese by Hashimoto, Naruhito became Tenno Heika, the “God-Emperor” no less, a direct descendant of the SunGoddess.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

people, but the reality is that there are some corrupt police. If there is a big chance that the suspect is innocent, it is not without unreasonable doubt that the suspect is guilty. The suspect should not have merited death on merit of police’s self defense. Statistics aside, one should not downplay that the cause of deaths in the war on drugs as mere reaction to the Prosecutor’s fallacy. According to Human Rights Watch, the war on drugs has caused 12,000 deaths, with about 2,500 attributed to the Philippine National Police. Anger has taken over reason, and this is the root of the killings. It is also wrong to resist arrest whether innocent or guilty. As stated, a vast majority of police are good and hardworking people. Thus, the best course of action against police’s abuse of power is to report the minority evils to the majority good. Also, one should not downplay the drug problem. Drug users are mostly sick but innocent; most of them are victims, not assailants. Drug dealers must be put to justice. And in the administration of justice, there will be collateral damage. Still, the Prosecutor’s fallacy has been used to justify the killings of those who shoot back. If people become aware that a significant proportion of people who shoot back are innocent, then people will become more aware that shooting back in itself does not justify the killing of suspects.

inadequate. More and more people are losing faith with the government, which led some of them to take to the streets. This can undermine the government’s stability and further damage confidence.”

Dr. Luis F. Dumlao is Dean of the John Gokongwei School of Management at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Sports

JUVIC 3 SHOTS OFF IN TOKYO T OKYO—Juvic Pagunsan carded a five-under 66 in a rain-interrupted first round of the men’s golf competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday to find himself three shots off leader Sepp Strata of Austria. Pagunsan nailed six birdies and a lone bogey at the par-71 Kasumigaseki Country Club course to tie for fifth place with Denmark’s Joachim Den Hansen and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas. PGA Tour veteran Strata carded a flawless eight-under 63 for the first-round lead with Thai ace Jazz Janewattananond also going bogey-free round for a 64 good for solo second place. Germany’s Thomas Bel Pieters and Mexican Carlos Ortiz were tied for third at six-under. A thunderstorm on Wednesday night softened the 7,447-yard course, allowing players to go for the pins and with only 13 of the 60-player field submitting over par rounds. Pagunsan has just holed his sixth birdie at No. 16 when rain stopped play of the last two flights for over an hour. Pagunsan was at the second to the last flight with Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Paraguay’s Fabricio Zanotti. Pagunsan went one-under with a birdie on the first hole but

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yielded a shot with a bogey at the par-three No. 4. Pagunsan was 34 at the front nine with birdies at No. 6 and 8. He collected three more birdies going back for a solid 66, overshadowing major winner Collin Morikawa and top 10 players Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. Schuaffele closed out with a bogey and settled for a 68 for joint 12th with a big group including American Patrick Reed, Korean Kim Si Woo and Swede Henrik Norlander. Morikawa, the 2020 PGA champion and 2021 Open winner, and Rory McIlroy, another big gun in the field, were in another big group a shot back at 69. Jun Lomibao

NO SWEAT

FOR EUMIR

IRISH MAGNO and Jutamas Jitpong acknowledge the boxing officials after their fight. AP

Magno yields to cunning Thai

the Philippine team’s three-month training camp in Thailand. Four of the five judges gave the victory to the Thai via similar scores of 30-27, with the fifth judge scoring it at 30-28. “We stand proud of the accomplishments of Irish. The future looks very promising for her,” Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas said. Magno’s three teammates in Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial are still in contention. On Saturday, Paalam fights Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi at 10:48 a.m. (Philippine time), before Petecio shoots for the gold-medal round at 12:39 p.m. (Philippine time) against Italy’s Testa Irma. Marcial, predicted by Association Press to win a gold medal here, tries to assure the Philippines of another bronze medal on Sunday at 11:36 a.m. (Philippine time) against Armenian pro Arman Darchinyan, who he has beaten in the 2018 Aiba World Championships. Jun Lomibao

OKYO—Eumir Felix Marcial hardly sweat in his Olympic debut on Thursday to move a victory shy of a guaranteed podium finish. The 25-year-old Marcial sent Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi to the exit via Referee Stopped ContestInjury (RSC-I) with 19 seconds remaining in the first round, thus advancing to the quarterfinals of the men’s middleweight class where he is the top seed. “Accidents happen,” Marcial, 25, said. “He got cut and the doctor decided he could no longer continue.” Both fighters accidentally banged heads a little over a minute into the first round with the Algerian getting a nasty cut in his right eyebrow. “I’m so thankful, I want to thank God for giving me strength to win this fight,” Marcial, who turned pro September last year but kept his vow to win gold here, said. “I’ll do my best

EUMIR MARCIAL scores against Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi in the fight that didn’t go beyond the first round. AP

OKYO—World No. 2 Sam Kendricks of the US is out of the men’s pole vault competition of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19 on Thursday along with German Chiaraviglio of Argentina. But instead of feeling relieved because the event is now one less medal potential, Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, is feeling otherwise. Obiena, according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association spokesman Edward Kho, is saddened and frightened. “He (Kendricks) and EJ are close friends. They have been having interactions during many competitions in the past,” Kho said. “This is bad news. You never celebrate somebody else’s misery.” The athletics delegation is now on “heightened alert.” “We’re taking a lot of extra precautions now,” PATAFA secretary general Terry Capistrano said. Besides Obiena, 200 meters specialist, Filipino-American Kristina Knott, is also in Tokyo. Knott, who is based in Florida, tested positive in June despite having two doses of Pfizer vaccine. Obiena and Knott, along with their

performance in my next fights.” Marcial was in control of the fight and barely allowed Nemouchi to slug his way through the cool and cunning Filipino, who trained for a month in the US boxing facility in Colorado Springs with coaches Ronald Chavez and Jerson Nietes. Also a pride of Zamboanga City besides Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Marcial unleashed a blinding right hook that rocked the Algerian one minute into the fight. He got a standing eight-count from Slovakian referee Simon Radoslav. “I am so happy that [Eumir] Marcial is back to his old form and with polished new moves he developed in the last three months that he trained with us,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines President Ricky Vargas said. “I believe he will only get better because his mind and body are now fully focused.” A silver medalist in the 2019 World Boxing Championship in Yekaterinburg (Russia), Marcial booked the easy victory before

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who, like International Olympic Committee Representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski, never missed to cheer the Filipino bets in these Games. Marcial agreed his month-long stint in Colorado Springs and his brief exposure as a pro made him a polished boxer. He thanked the other members of the coaching staff—Reynaldo Galido, Elmer Pamisa and Don Abnett—and pro mentor Freddie Roach with whom he trained under at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. Marcial tries to assure the Philippines of another bronze medal on Sunday against Armenian pro Arman Darchinyan, who he has beaten in the 2018 Aiba World Championships. “I beat him (Darchinyan) in 2018 in Russia, but the Olympics are another story,” Marcial said. “Everyone here prepared hard for their matches.” Darchinyan was impressive against Andrej Csemez, mauling the Slovakian for a 5-0 victory in the match before Marcial stepped up the ring. “The fight underscored the great conditioning, excellent tactics and overall preparation Eumir underwent the last three months before Tokyo,” Abap secretary general Ed Picson said.

MVP on Hidilyn’s gold: Mission accomplished!

LDT and MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan cried tears of joy as soon as he heard the news that weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on Monday night. “Wow as in Wow. Great job, Hidilyn. We knew it was a tough journey for you, but every step is now well worth it,” Pangilinan tweeted. “You have our

coaches and sports medicine support group, are billeted at Conrad Tokyo and no longer at the Olympic Village upon instructions of Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. “We’re bringing our own alcohol to Edogawa Stadium [training facility], where EJ practices, and we are the ones who wipe down whatever surfaces he will be in contact with,” Capistrano said. “We can never be too careful anymore.” Obiena’s dad, Emerson Obiena, agreed with Kho. “We are not bothered by Sam no longer competing, what bothers us is that anytime, EJ or anyone of us could contract the virus,” he said. “Our concern are the athletes. Against the virus, they don’t have any chance.” Three Australians who have been in contact with Kendricks were isolated, reports said. Kendricks owns a personal best of 6.06 meters, second to world record holder Armand Duplantis’s 6.18m. Brazil leapt to an Olympic record 6.03 meters in Rio 2016, while Obiena, at No. 6, owns a personal best 5.87m. Jun Lomibao

continuing prayers and support albeit at the end, it is you who does the heavy lifting. Tonight, you carried the nation on your shoulders. A huge thanks.” Diaz and 13 others on the 19-athlete Team Philippines in Tokyo are under the care of the MVPSF, an organization under the MVP Group that supports Filipino athletes. “Congratulations, Hidilyn! You make us so proud. The MVPSF was born ten years ago with its vision of winning our first Olympic gold medal. You did it,” said Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. President and CEO, and MVPSF President. “We at PLDT and Smart have

PANGILINAN

PANLILIO

always believed in the importance of sports in shaping individuals and communities for the better. Hidilyn embodied what puso really means,” added Panlilio, who is also the First Vice President of the Philippine Olympic Committee. The MVPSF has supported Diaz’s training both financially and logistically in the last two years,

Academy to produce more Olympic gold medalists–Senator Gatchalian

EJ, KK ON ‘HEIGHTENED ALERT’

| Friday, July 30, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

JUVIC PAGUNSAN is within striking distance off the early leaders. AP

By Jun Lomibao

OKYO—Irish Magno fell to a superior opponent from Thailand to be the first Filipino boxer to be eliminated in the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Magno bowed to wily Thai Jutamas Jitpong in the women’s flyweight round-of-16 bout via unanimous decision, reducing to three the country’s chances of winning another gold medal after Hidilyn Diaz in weightlifting. “I felt sad about my result, but these are the Olympics, it’s not that easy to win here,” the 25-year-old Magno said. “Everyone here trained very hard to win the gold medal.” “But for me, there’s no stopping,” she said. “I will keep boxing, I will not give up…until the gold is won.” Magno beat Jitpong in the Philippines 2019 Southeast Asian Games, but the Thai came out prepared in Tokyo. Hopes were high for the Filipina, who started her campaign here with a dominant 5-0 rout of Kenyan Christine Ongare, setting up her clash with Jitpong, who Magno sparred with several times during

A12

By Butch Fernandez

EJ OBIENA is not happy at all about Sam Kendrick’s exit from the Games.

EN. Sherwin Gatchalian is banking on the National Academy of Sports (NAS) to hone more future Olympic gold medalists following record-breaking weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines’s first Olympic gold medalist. “First but definitely not the last,” Gatchalian predicted Thursday voicing renewed public optimism that the sports academy will continue to produce more champion athletes to follow in the footsteps of the Filipina Olympic gold winner weightlifter. Recalling that the Academy was established just last year following the signing into law of Republic

Act 11470, Gatchalian reminded that while Filipino athletes need broader government support, “the establishment of NAS is a major leap forward in institutionalizing government support for the next generation of Filipino athletes.” The Senator notes that law mandates the NAS to “implement a quality and enhanced secondary education program, integrated with a special curriculum on sports, which takes into consideration the education and special training needs of the student-athletes.” He expects that the holistic and quality education that NAS shall provide will enable its athletes to “excel in their respective sports or pursue their chosen profession or career,” noting that it offers full scholarships to natural-born Filipino citizens with considerable potential in sports. As sponsor and co-author of

Diaz to get additional P5 million for records

OKYO—The rewards continue to flow Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s

way. Diaz will get an additional P5 million cash bonus from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for setting new Olympic records in the women’s -55 kgs class of weightlifting. The additional reward is provided for under Republic Act 10699 or the Expanded Athletes and Coaches Incentive Act. Diaz set new Olympic records of 127 kgs in the clean and jerk and 224 kgs in total lift on Monday night. PSC Officer-in-Charge Commissioner Celia Kiram confirmed that the additional incentive has already been approved, signed and ready to be released to the Olympic heroine. All in all, Diaz will receive P20.5 million from the government— P15 million under the Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act, P2.5 million from Zamboanga where she hails from and P3 million from President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte also ordered the National Housing Authority to gift Diaz a house and lot in Zamboanga City. Diaz’s other bonuses are the P10 million each from Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corp. and Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Smart and PLDT and P3 million from 1-Pacman Partylist Rep. Mikee Romero. She will also receive a house and lot in Tagaytay City from Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, P5 million cash and free fuel for life from Siklab Atleta Sports Foundation head and Phoenix Petroleum chair Dennis Uy, P14million residential condominium unit in Eastwood from Megaworld, P4 million house and lot at any PHirst Park Homes community of her choice, lifetime free flights from AirAsia Philippines and P80,000 free miles per year for life from Philippine Airlines. Duterte also vowed to present to Diaz Presidential Medal of Merit, while the Philippine Air Force promoted her to staff sergeant. Jun Lomibao and has helped her form a core team of experts to build a solid strategy in her fourth shot at the Olympics. “Thank you so much MVPSF, Sir MVP and Sir Al Panlilio. Thank you so much for the trust you have given me and Team HD,” Diaz said. “We couldn’t have won the gold medal without your support.” Diaz will receive P10 million from MVPSF as an incentive for securing the gold medal in the women’s 55-kg class, on top of other rewards from the government and other private companies. “Hidilyn’s performance has truly inspired the members of Team Pilipinas to do their best. We at PLDT, Smart and MVPSF are doing our best to support these athletes on so many levels, so that they can bring glory to the country through sports,” said Jude Turcuato, Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart. the law, Gatchalian also aired expectations that while face-to-face classes remain restricted, “access to world-class facilities awaits the NAS scholars enrolled in the Sports Academy’s main campus at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac. The Senator added that the law also provides for the establishment of nationally-funded regional high schools for sports to boost the development of young athletes in other parts of the country. In a statement, the Senator likewise reminded that shortlisted applicants of the NAS Annual Search for Competent, Exceptional, Notable and Talented StudentAthlete Scholars (NASCENT SAS) will be announced on August 18, while signing of scholarship agreements and enrollment was set on August 30. “Through this sports academy,” he assured “we will provide studentathlete scholars the support they deserve in the early stages of their journey so they can eventually bring pride and honor to our country and make history just like gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.”

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

AMAZING HOUSE, INC. G/f Oceanaire Residences, Cbpi Sunrise Drive Brgy. 076 Pasay City CHEN, SHUREN Chinese Cuisine Specialist 1.

Brief Job Description: Assist head chef and Training staff with regards to chinese

THAM THANG PHU Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 2.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking

CHOI, JAESUNG Customer Service Representative 17. Basic Qualification: Expert in Menu Planning Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

10.

11.

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13.

14.

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Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

DAM THI THU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

GAO, RONGBIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HNIN WUT YI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HUYNH THI YEN NHI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LAM NGOC QUANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LIU, SIYU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LUO, YA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

TRAN THI MY LINH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

VO THI CAM LOAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

VU THI THUY HUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

WEI, SHAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

CAO, LIN Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

16.

Brief Job Description: To Assist customers regarding their queries, complaints and promotions

LIU, CHENG-XIN Chinese Speaking Cognos Developer 19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

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

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s product or services.

LO, YUEH-NING a.k.a. MAY YUEH-NING LO Mandarin Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s product or services.

ZHOU, LILI Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s product or services.

ZENG, WEIMING Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

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

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s product or services.

KANG, JIE Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

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

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

Brief Job Description: Strategize for contingency planning and risk mitigation and schedule project deliverables, support development of division protocol and policies

HE, XIANTING Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

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

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

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

WU, TAO Mandarin Customer Service 26.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

27.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean Language

No.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean Language

LUO, SHINENG Chinese Marketing Staff 30.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products excellent mandarin communication sills

28.

WANG, LU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

YAN, WEIXING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

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

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

29.

Brief Job Description: Assists/Helps customers; Give customers information about products and services.

Brief Job Description: Prospect and identify new business opportunities utilizing solid and innovative strategies.

WANG, AIMIN Chinese Marketing Staff 31.

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

Brief Job Description: Prospect and identify new business opportunities utilizing solid and innovative strategies.

YAO, YUANBIN Chinese Marketing Staff

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication both in English and Mandarin Chinese, strong public speaking skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication both in English and Mandarin Chinese, strong public speaking skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication both in English and Mandarin Chinese, strong public speaking skills.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer questions about services or products / excellent mandarin communication skills

32.

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

CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY 5/f Rm 501 Ramon Magsaysay Center 1680 Roxas Blvd. 076, Bgy. 699 Malate Manila

Brief Job Description: Prospect and identify new business opportunities utilizing solid and innovative strategies.

ZHANG, JUNBIN Site Officer Of PRDP Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

33.

34.

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

35.

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

Basic Qualification: High School Graduate, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Mandarin Characters

GARRY ANTONIO KOMAN Sports Trader-Bahasa Speaking I 36.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Speaks Fluently in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Coordinate, respond and address inquiries of Bahasa speaking customer

Basic Qualification: Good in static and probability. Excellent in writing, reading and speaking Bahasa and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

D-TRD PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 2f Pmj Bldg. 1860 Evangelista Cor. Cojuangco Sts. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

37.

JANG, JI HYUK Korean Speaking Operations Manager Brief Job Description: Developing operations manager

Basic Qualification: Excellent in reading, writing and speaking in Korean Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

D2R LIMITED-PHILIPPINES BRANCH 2f-01 Cinq Bldg. Blk. 2 Lot 5 And 6 Metropoli Residenza Bagumbayan 3 Quezon City DOS REIS CHAVES, HENRIQUE General Manager 38.

Brief Job Description: Exercise the diligence of a prudent business man in the conduct of the employer’s affairs and implement a paramount duty of loyalty to the Employer.

Basic Qualification: Master’s Degree in Business Administration; 10 years of experience in Marketing in leading companies in Brazil. Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

DELONE-PHILIPPINE CORP. Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St. San Lorenzo Makati City

ZHANG, DAWEI Mandarin Assistant President

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High School Graduate, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Mandarin Characters

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the organization supervision coordination scheduling and management of the daily construction of the project construction site

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

CLOVERSENSE TECHNOLOGY INC. 29/f Robinsons Summit Center 6783 Ayala Center Bel-air Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the organization supervision coordination scheduling and management of the daily construction of the project construction site ZHOU, YIFAN Site Officer Of PRDP

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the organization supervision coordination scheduling and management of the daily construction of the project construction site ZHAO, YANHUA Site Officer Of PRDP

39.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Assistant President will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Assistant President, Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

EAST CATALYST TRADING CORPORATION 3/f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

BOUVARDIA INC. Unit-25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg. Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

SHI, HUINA Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

CHINA ENERGY ENGINEERING GROUP GUANGDONG ELECTRIC POWER DESIGN INSTITUTE CO. LTD., (PHILIPPINES) BRANCH U-1205 12/f 6750 Ayala Bldg. Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

BILLION DRAGON OUTSOURCE PHILS., INC. 3/f Ayala Mall Southpark National Road Alabang Muntinlupa City

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

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

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about products and services

JIA, GUIHONG Chinese Speaking It Project Associates

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: To Assist customers regarding their queries, complaints and promotions

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

AXISCOVE INC. Unit 1 & 3 14/f Sshg Law Center Sycip Law Center 105 Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

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

ASIAN TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INC. 11/f Tower 2 Double Dragon, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

CHO, JUNHYEONG Customer Service Representative

18.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: To Assist customers regarding their queries, complaints and promotions SEO, JINHO Customer Service Representative

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City CHAN KWEE SHIONG Chinese Customer Service

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Friday, July 30, 2021 A13

HUANG, LIANGYUE Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer questions about services or products; Excellent Mandarin communication skills.

40.

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

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503 Nueva St Binondo Manila

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A14 Friday, July 30, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

CHANG CHEW SHAI Marketing And Sales Agent 41.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and research to help develop marketing strategies can help to detail , design and implement plans for each product or service being offered

No.

53.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

SU, GUOYONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

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

CHENG, JIHUI Marketing And Sales Agent 42.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and research to help develop marketing strategies can help to detail , design and implement plans for each product or service being offered Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HUANG, JIANGTAO Marketing And Sales Agent 43.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

HUANG, QINGHAI Marketing And Sales Agent 44.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

LEE HUI LOO Marketing And Sales Agent 45.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

54.

55.

56.

46.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

WU, JIAHAO Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

WU, QIWEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

CHI COC LUONG Customer Service Representative 57.

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They’re the front line of support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied with products, services, and features.

DENG, YOUCHEN Customer Service Representative

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

LI, I-FANG Marketing And Sales Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service

58.

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

PING, HONGFEI Marketing And Sales Agent 47.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and research to help develop marketing strategies can help to detail , design and implement plans for each product or service being offered

DUAN, YAPING Customer Service Representative 59.

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

TAN, XUAN Marketing And Sales Agent 48.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and research to help develop marketing strategies can help to detail , design and implement plans for each product or service being offered

HUANG, JINFU Customer Service Representative 60.

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

TEY KIM GUAN Marketing And Sales Agent 49.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and service and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

50.

Brief Job Description: Conducting Korean lessons who will help transform our client’s communication skills.

61.

52.

Brief Job Description: Conducting Korean lessons who will help transform our client’s communication skills.

LIU, HUAI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Korean verbal and written skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SU XUAN PHAT Customer Service Representative 62.

51.

QU, CHUNYU Customer Service Representative

FULL CHARGE SERVICES, INC. U 801 State Center Bldg. 333 Juan Luna St. 027, Brgy. 287 Binondo Manila

KIM, GARAM Korean Speaking Teacher

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Korean verbal and written skills.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 months to 1 year experience in customer service; fluent in Mandarin/ basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 months to 1 year experience in customer service; fluent in Mandarin/ basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WANG, QINGSHAN Customer Service Representative 64.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 months to 1 year experience in customer service; fluent in Mandarin/ basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 months to 1 year experience in customer service; fluent in Mandarin/ basic English

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

YANG, FAN Customer Service Representative 65.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 months to 1 year experience in customer service; fluent in Mandarin/ basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

GUI, ZHENHUA Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 66.

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

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

HU, CHUNYAN Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 67.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

LI, BOLONG Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 68.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

LI, FEI Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 69.

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

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

LI, WEI Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 70.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

LIU, SHAODONG Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 71.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

LUO, QUAN Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 72.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

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

73.

74.

75.

63.

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

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

ZHOU, YUTONG Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking 76.

VONG A THANH Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

ZHANG, YINPING Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking

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

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

WEN, GUOKANG Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GENX SPORTS & MEDIA PRODUCTION CORP. 11/f Aseana I Bldg. Bradco Ave. Aseana City Tambo Parañaque City

SU, MING Customer Service Representative - Chinese Speaking

EASY TALK LANGUAGE LEARNING CENTER FOUNDATION, INC. G/f Mezz, 2/f, 3/f & Penthouse 95 Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Palanan Makati City KIM, GARAM Korean Speaking Teacher

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

GATEWAYSOLUTIONS CORP. Unit 2306 Antel Global Corporate Center Julia Vargas Ave. Ortigas Center, San Antonio Pasig City

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and research to help develop marketing strategies can help to detail , design and implement plans for each product or service being offered

WANG, HAI Customer Service Representative

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

PATIL, HARSHIT YUVRAJ Customer Service Representative - Indian Speaking 77.

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industrial and good communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industrial and good communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industrial and good communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DARJI, HARI Customer Service Representative - Nepalese Speaking

78.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: Recommends potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proven working experience in digital marketing particularly within the industry and good communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

HOU, JIAOJIAO Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 79.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

LIU, DEJIAN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 92.

LI, LINGJIA Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 80.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

SHI, QILIANG Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 81.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend optimization to Senior Management

CHAN, CHI FAI Executive Chinese Sous Chef 82.

Brief Job Description: To provide consistent quality of food & services to several & external customers by adhering to & enforcing all Marriott standards & projects

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

83.

Brief Job Description: Serves customer by providing product service information and resolving product service problem

94.

95.

96.

97.

84.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for sound financial management organization OTAGIRI, YUTAKA Vice President

85.

Brief Job Description: Performs duties and exercises such powers as prescribed by the board of directors and/or the president, in his absence or in case of temporary disability

86.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

KANG, HUIMIN Mandarin Customer Support Representative 87.

88.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

XI, MENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

DENG, GUANGBO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

JIN, HUI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ZHANG, GUOHUA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ZHOU, JINGUO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Fluent for both native and English language, computer literate Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GAO, DONG Chef Assistant (Sichuan Cuisine)

Basic Qualification: Must possess such other qualifications as may be prescribed in the by-corp.

98.

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

Brief Job Description: Ensuring that food served are of excellent quality and authentic taste are consistently achieved, modifying menus or create new ones that meet quality standards, estimating food requirements and food/labor costs, supervise kitchen staff’s activities, performing other duties assigned by the company.

Basic Qualification: Must possess such other qualifications as prescribed in the by-corp. Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

WANG, JINGHUA Chef Assistant (Sichuan Cuisine) 99.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SATO, HIROFUMI Regional Sales Manager 89.

90.

Brief Job Description: Overall in- charge of the sales dept’s productivity, effectiveness & its personnel

100.

CAI, YONGGANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

KUBOTA, TETSUYA Station Manager Brief Job Description: Plan and implement the acquisition of airport facilities

91.

Brief Job Description: Play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing out projects

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

102.

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

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

JIDA COMMUNICATION (PHILIPPINES) INC. 99 Comclark Reliance Center E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. Ugong Pasig City

SU, HUANYU Project Manager

101.

CHEN, HAI Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, 20 yrs experience in airport management, flight ops, on freight & mail ops

103. Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, business, or a related field. 3-5 years of project management and related experience. Acquired trainings and certification related to project management are advantage Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customers questions about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills

106.

107.

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

108.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 109.

Basic Qualification: Ability to assist and direct kitchen staff in meal preparation, creation, plating and delivery and ensure that kitchen activities operate in a timely manner. Ability to work with minimal to no supervision. Train new kitchen employees to meet restaurant and kitchen standards. Manage the kitchen team in the executive chef’s absence. High level of attention to detail. With Experience in Chinese Restaurants. Fluent in the Chinese Language, both oral and written.

110.

104.

LI, SHUFENG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

LIU, ZHE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language & English)

Brief Job Description: Manages incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

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

XIE, BINBIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language & English)

Brief Job Description: Manages incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language & English)

Brief Job Description: Manages incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Management, two or more years of Operations experience, The ability to communicate, lead a team and solve problems

Brief Job Description: Monitor the day-to-day operations within the company, such as market data on a local, regional or national level, through the use of Mandarin native language, to senior professionals in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin speaking counterpart and clients

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Management, two or more years of Operations experience, The ability to communicate, lead a team and solve problems

SHAO, HUAAN Mandarin Operations Supervisor 111.

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

RED DOT MARKETING AND BRANDING INC. Unit 1514 Burgundy Transpacific Place Taft Ave. 079, Bgy. 727 Malate Manila

112.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in foreign language

HENGSIRI, AONNEERA Foreign Language Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

SHEVRONE INC. Unit No. 2c Floor No. 4/f, Zone 10 Barangay 76, District 1 Pasay City

GUO, FENG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 113.

Brief Job Description: Prepare and maintain company documents and reports and coordinate for daily administrative reports

Basic Qualification: Proficient in handling customer questions about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

STECONFER PHIL CORP. Unit 203 2/f First Midland Condo. 109 Gamboa St. San Lorenzo Makati City

RODRIGUES DOS SANTOS, HENRIQUE JORGE Vice-president/contract Manager Brief Job Description: Responsible for the contract and production management of railway works

Basic Qualification: Civil Engineer with more than 15 years of work experience in rail track works commercial and administrative management Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

TAIYO KOGYO CORPORATION MANILA BRANCH 37/f Lkg Tower 6801 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City

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

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

HAN, HONGFANG Mandarin Operations Supervisor

114. Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

PH GLOBAL JET EXPRESS INC. 11th Floor, The Marajo Tower 26th Street Cor. 4th Avenue Bgc Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

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

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

SONG, WENCHUN Chinese Customer Service

ZHANG, SHUIJIN Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

YANG, MAOMING Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

WU, MENGCHENG Chinese Customer Service

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

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

JAPAN AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD. 2/f Oledan Square 6788 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City Basic Qualification: College graduate, w/ 20 years’ experience in planning & implementing sales strategies

105.

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

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

No.

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

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION Ground, 2nd, 3rd And 4th Floor Eight West Campus Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

CHEN, ZHENLIN Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about products or servicer

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customers questions about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills

NATURAL9 CORPORATION Unit 8c-1, 8 Rockwell Building Hidalgo Drive Rockwell Center, Poblacion Makati City

INTERNATIONAL ELEVATOR & EQUIPMENT, INC. Km. 23 West Service Road Cupang Muntinlupa City KUSUNOKI, SHINICHI Executive Vice President / Treasurer

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in mandarin and Cantonese

IDNPLAY CORPORATION 8/f Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil J.puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City VERONICA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service

93.

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

GRANDSERVICES INC. 10/f Newport Entertainment & C Newport City Manlunas Brgy. 183 Pasay City

Brief Job Description: Prepare and maintain company documents and reports and coordinate for daily administrative reports

FENG, JIANJUN Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend optimization to Senior Management

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

MARKETCLUB INC. 41/f Gt Tower International Ayala Ave. Cor. H.v. Dela Costa St. Bel-air Makati City

GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING Ground Level, Level 2-5 Floor Silver City 4, Ortigas East Ugong Pasig City Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend optimization to Senior Management

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Friday, July 30, 2021 A15

115.

MATSUDA, GEORGE Project Manager

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree

Brief Job Description: Overall in charge of the whole project operation

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

ZTE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 1201 & 1202 12th Floor Fort Legend Towers 3rd Ave. Corner 31st St. Bgc, Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

116.

NIE, FANGBING Product And Solutions Manager Brief Job Description: Wireless product sale , Responsible for technical intro

Basic Qualification: College Graduate in Buss. Course Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 *Date Generated: Jul 29, 2021

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE-NCR Regional Office located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication. Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

PSE to BOI: Require firms enjoying perks to go public By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE), the operator of the country’s equities market, said it has asked the Board of Investments (BOI) to require all companies availing of incentives from the government to go public. PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon said the move is part of the bourse’s effort to encourage more small and medium-sized firms to list their shares on the PSE. “Hopefully we can convince the BOI to require that all companies that avail of the incentives from the government will be offering shares to the public,” Monzon said during the PSE’s midyear online stock market briefing.

At the moment, only seven firms are listed on the Small, Medium and Emerging (SME) board of the PSE. The PSE also launched a handholding program for SMEs in which it will guide companies to prepare them for their initial public offering (IPO). “And I’m glad to report at the moment, we are handholding 23 companies that are interested in doing an IPO,” Monzon said. The PSE earlier eased the listing

standards for SMEs, such as reducing the amount of time required to operate to two years from three years. Previously, SMEs need to have positive earnings in the three years they are in operation. “Now, even if you are not profitable, for as long as your sales figures show 20 percent increase, you are qualified for listing,” he said. “Finally, if you can’t meet the two [matrices], all you need to do is to look for a sponsor accredited by the PSE. The listing sponsor will be the one to assess the applicant’s suitability; they will be the one to endorse the listing applicant to the PSE.” The sponsor will be responsible for handholding the company from its IPO preparation phase to three years after listing to make sure that the company complies with the initial and continuing listing rules, he said. Other programs of the PSE to encourage more firms to use the exchange to raise funds include allowing preferred shares-only listing and the easing of the lock-up rule.

The bourse is also targeting to allow short selling later this year as well as the launch of the PSE’s new mid-cap and high dividend indices. On the technology side, it plans to launch its own data analytics platform as well as expand the PSE EASy platform to allow small investors to subscribe to stock rights offerings, follow-on offerings and retail treasury bonds in addition to IPOs. The PSE also aims to go live with its new clearing and settlement system by the first quarter next year which will shorten the settlement cycle to T+2 (day traded plus two trading days) from the current T+3. The bourse is proposing amendments to its lock-up rule in the main and SME boards to provide an exit mechanism for alternative investment funds or their investment arms. Monzon said the PSE expects to complete all regulatory approvals, such as for offshore collateral and securities lending, to finally allow short selling in the bourse which is seen to generate more trading activity.

AboitizPower income hits ₧4B in Q2 By Lenie Lectura @llectura

boitiz Power Corp. posted P4 billion in net income in the second quarter, bringing its first-half net income to P10.1 billion. The power firm reported strong financial results during the period as its newest power facility—GNPower Dinginin 1—was commissioned. It also recognized higher water inflow, higher demand, and higher WESM dispatch in compliance with the must-offer rule as among the factors that boosted earnings. From April to June, AboitizPower’s net income surged by 136 percent.

Spectrum energizes solar farm

he Manila Electric Co.’s renewable energy subsidiary, Spectrum, has energized a one-megawatt (MW) solar farm within Maynilad’s La Mesa Pumping station. The solar farm is composed of 2,592 pieces of 390W Sunpower solar panels laid out over approximately 8,250 square meters of land. The farm is estimated to generate 1,324,512 kWh per annum while reducing their carbon footprint by 943.32 ton, which is equivalent to planting 1,936,002 trees. The utility firm said Thursday that the solar farm enables the pumping station to generate clean energy for its own use via solar power. “As part of our commitment to create a more sustainable future through renewable energy, we are proud to have worked with Maynilad in powering the La Mesa Pumping Station,” said Spectrum Chief Operating Officer Robert Marlon T. Pereja. Spectrum is also providing power to the City of Dreams (CoD), International Rice Research Institute, and Cagbalete solar farms. In January 2020, Spectrum helped set up a P76million solar power project for CoD Manila, the country’s first integrated resort to harness solar energy. The project’s capacity is 1.2MW composed of 3,120 solar PV panels, installed on a 6,436 square meter area across two buildings of CoD. Lenie Lectura

For the first half of the year, net income was up 171 percent. “We’ve seen more economic activity in the first half with the easing of Covid-related restrictions. The increase in energy demand helped us recover from our financial performance in the same period last year,” AboitizPower President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel V. Rubio said. Later this year, GNPower Dinginin Unit 1 will begin commercial operations and deliver the much needed additional capacity to the Luzon grid. Rubio said the company’s focus in the next 10 years is to grow its Cleanergy portfolio to 4,600 MW.

“This is well on track as we have several renewable energy projects that are in various stages of development. The significant growth of Cleanergy will bring our overall capacity to 9,200 MW by 2030, with a 50:50 balance between renewables and thermal. This is our contribution to addressing the country’s energy ‘trilemma’ of the reliability, affordability, and sustainability of our energy supply,” he added. AboitizPower’s generation and retail supply business recorded EBITDA of P20.5 billion in the first half, 39 percent higher than the P14.8 billion recorded last year. Capacity sold for the first half increased by 6 percent

to 3,600 megawatts (MW), compared to 3,388 MW in the same period in 2020. Energy sold increased by 10 percent to 11,790 gigawatt-hours (GWh) for the first half, compared to 10,764 GWh for the corresponding period in 2020. For the first half, AboitizPower’s distribution business recorded EBITDA of P4.1 billion, 12 percent higher than the P3.7 billion recorded last year. Energy sales increased by 4 percent to 2,745 GWh in January to June, compared to 2,629 GWh in the same period in 2020. This was driven by higher energy consumption resulting from recoveries in demand.

Govt urged to speed up energy transition

oyota Motor Philippines (TMP), the largest automotive company in the country, has called for the implementation of competition policies that will help establish a renewable energypowered economy faster and sooner in an online press conference on Thursday. In a joint statement with AC Energy, First Gen, SN Aboitiz Power Group, and other leading companies in the country, TMP called on the Philippine government to accelerate the clean energy transition: “Full and rapid implementation of the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) signals that the Philippines has a clear long-term vision for growing its energy sector to better meet future demand through stable, market-based mechanisms that deliver reliable and affordable renewable energy, while leveraging private sector capital to reduce public spending on power generation investments.” Echoing this during the OurEnergy2030 virtual presser was Toyota Environment Section Manager Mark Marcelo, saying that “the GEOP is a game changer as it will give more power for our small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to transition to a renewable energy environment. This will help us to be more globally competitive and might be one of the considerations for other multinational companies in transferring their operations in the Philippines.” A statement of support was also issued by Senator Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, who said “we need to focus on

Photo from Toyota.com.ph

the development of renewable energy especially solar, wind, hydro, ocean wave and geothermal—resources which are abundant in our country but tapped improperly and inadequately.” Reacting to the press meet’s outcomes, Atty. Pedro Maniego Jr., senior policy advisor of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, said: “The call of Toyota conveys unequivocally the private sector’s sentiment on sustainable development anchored on clean energy. Businesses could not survive and flourish without reliable, affordable, and secure power.” “Once second only to Japan in Asia, the Philippines had descended near the bottom in competitiveness

ranking. From being one of the financial, corporate and industrial centers in Asia, multinationals had since moved to China, Korea, and our Asean neighbors. Expensive and unreliable power was identified as a major reason for the exodus.” Maniego said the Philippines must “go for the gold” in its energy transition, the top prize being a rapid shift to flexible generation powered by the country’s abundant renewable energy sources. “Toyota is correct in saying that the country’s early, 100 percent realization of its renewable energy targets would serve as a magnet for investments, helping build ‘strong competitive advantage’ compared to what other countries offer.”

Friday, July 30, 2021

Jollibee forms joint venture with Malaysian franchisee

ocal fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) on Thursday said it is forming a joint venture (JV) with its franchise owner in Malaysia, which will become its vehicle to operate the company’s stores in the western part of the oil-producing Southeast Asian nation. In its disclosure, Jollibee said its Singapore-based unit Golden Plate Pte. Ltd. will have a minority ownership of the private company being established with Beeworks Investment Pte. Ltd. that will own and operate the Jollibee stores in West Malaysia, which includes its capital, Kuala Lumpur. “The creation of the joint venture for Jollibee West Malaysia will accelerate even more this growth and will help make Southeast Asia a more significant business for the JFC Group,” it said. The joint venture agreement was executed on Thursday and the incorporation of the new entity will start. Once incorporated, Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. and the new entity will sign the license agreement for the operation of Jollibee outlets in West Malaysia, Jollibee said in its disclosure. The entity will be 30 percent owned by Golden Plate and 70 percent owned by Beeworks. The parties will invest up to $8 million, which is the estimated working capital to fund the joint venture’s first two years of operation. Out of this amount, some $2.4

million will be contributed by Golden Plate in proportion to its ownership of the business. “ The JV will facilitate Jollibee’s entry into West Malaysia and is an excellent opportunity to introduce the Jollibee brand to the West Malaysian market,” the company said. Beeworks is majority-owned by Patrick Chong, who is a franchisee for Jollibee East Malaysia which covers Kota Kinabalu. “He has been a longstanding investor in Malaysia through his company Luxasia Group, an omnichannel leader in luxury beauty and lifestyle brands,” the company said. The joint venture will have the exclusive license rights to develop the Jollibee brand in West Malaysia and aims to open at least 120 stores within 10 years, starting in 2022. Jollibee’s business in Southeast Asia outside the Philippines is its fastest-g row ing reg ion with a total of 885 stores. It has presence in Vietnam, with 621 stores—Highlands Coffee (427), Jollibee (143), Pho 24 (45), Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL) (6); Singapore with 72 stores—CBTL (61) and Jollibee (11); Malaysia with 104 stores—CBTL (103), Jollibee (1); and Indonesia with 88 stores—CBTL, 72, Pho 24 (16). Jollibee’s Southeast Asia business accounted for 6.7 percent of its global systemwide sales. VG Cabuag

Companies BusinessMirror

Friday, July 30, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

July 29, 2021

Net Foreign Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Stocks Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG MEDCO HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

43.9 106.2 83.2 24.3 9.5 44.55 18.82 20.5 56.5 19.5 110 76.5 1.25 4.33 2.89 0.35 0.61 215 2,400

45 106.5 83.4 24.8 9.79 45.05 19.98 20.6 56.8 20 111 76.95 1.3 4.38 3 0.36 0.7 216 2,450

45.05 104.8 83.4 23.9 9.35 44.9 19.06 20.5 57.5 19.2 109.7 76.95 1.25 4.38 2.9 0.35 0.63 210.2 2,400

45.05 106.5 83.75 24.8 9.8 45.1 19.06 20.65 57.5 19.5 111 76.95 1.25 4.38 2.9 0.36 0.63 224.8 2,400

45.05 104.5 82.6 23.9 9.35 44.4 19.02 20.2 56.15 19 108.8 76.5 1.25 4.37 2.89 0.35 0.61 209 2,400

45.05 106.2 83.4 24.8 9.5 44.55 19.02 20.5 56.8 19.5 110 76.5 1.25 4.38 2.89 0.36 0.62 216 2,400

100 1,990,380 1,386,340 59,600 115,800 984,400 900 112,700 3,220 27,500 184,060 8,480 24,000 6,000 24,000 90,000 249,000 13,740 135

4,505 210,137,887 115,661,862.50 1,444,530 1,113,185 44,060,415 17,134 2,304,850 182,299 526,430 20,242,218 649,199.50 30,000 26,270 69,560 32,200 154,200 2,891,692 324,000

-31,575,305 -74,524,293.50 -5,700 -17,366,620 541,775 -124,392 34,240 -108,058 -1,487.50 31,000 2,120,930 324,000

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 8.16 8.17 7.79 8.17 7.68 8.17 40,867,800 325,089,502 1.22 1.25 1.21 1.26 1.21 1.23 149,000 182,670 ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER 24 24.05 24 24.25 23.85 24 2,760,200 66,399,840 0.5 0.51 0.49 0.51 0.47 0.5 33,307,000 16,415,745 BASIC ENERGY 28.1 29.35 27.85 29.35 27.8 29.35 617,500 17,500,275 FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG 74.5 74.8 74.95 74.95 74.5 74.8 4,570 341,887 267 269 267 269.8 266.6 267 262,010 70,007,874 MERALCO MANILA WATER 16.82 16.98 16.7 17.12 16.68 16.82 1,434,300 24,291,660 PETRON 3.12 3.14 3.1 3.14 3.1 3.12 1,263,000 3,944,300 3.95 4.04 4.05 4.05 3.93 3.93 26,000 102,540 PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM 12.48 12.76 12.8 12.8 12.7 12.76 6,200 79,060 19.16 19.44 19.3 19.5 19.04 19.16 142,900 2,770,860 PILIPINAS SHELL 11.86 11.9 11.84 11.9 11.68 11.9 78,500 927,588 SPC POWER VIVANT 15 16 15.32 15.32 15.02 15.02 3,000 45,360 5.81 5.9 5.85 5.97 5.7 5.9 420,200 2,481,192 AGRINURTURE AXELUM 2.7 2.73 2.71 2.71 2.7 2.7 489,000 1,320,880 BOGO MEDELLIN 69 72.1 69 69 69 69 60 4,140 24.9 24.95 24.9 26.5 24.4 24.9 4,717,100 118,497,525 CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE 17.16 17.18 16.9 17.48 16.42 17.16 362,400 6,191,688 8.01 8.05 8.18 8.18 7.9 8.01 2,401,300 19,292,925 DNL INDUS 13.7 13.76 12.78 13.7 12.78 13.7 2,737,900 36,617,142 EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV 83.9 84.5 81 84.5 80 84.5 270,160 22,631,654.50 0.64 0.65 0.64 0.65 0.64 0.65 39,000 24,990 ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG 1.2 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.2 1.21 6,310,000 7,659,370 GINEBRA 89.95 90 89.95 91 88.75 89.95 42,280 3,806,371 197 197.1 190.5 197.6 190.3 197 856,590 167,968,214 JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR 28.55 29.75 29.75 29.75 28.5 28.5 500 14,375 7.22 7.99 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.2 220,000 1,584,000 MACAY HLDG 5.96 6.05 5.96 6.1 5.96 5.97 227,300 1,359,169 MAXS GROUP MG HLDG 0.23 0.234 0.23 0.239 0.221 0.235 200,000 45,590 15.26 15.28 14.88 15.46 14.86 15.26 16,289,900 248,642,980 MONDE NISSIN 7.51 7.7 7.5 7.51 7.5 7.51 182,800 1,372,748 SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.02 1.02 3,830,000 3,992,730 4.53 4.67 4.6 4.6 4.53 4.53 17,000 77,670 RFM CORP SWIFT FOODS 0.131 0.132 0.13 0.133 0.13 0.132 5,320,000 694,500 UNIV ROBINA 132.5 133 133.5 133.8 131.1 132.5 313,950 41,593,968 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.8 0.77 0.8 6,472,000 5,173,820 VITARICH CONCRETE A 46.55 49.5 49.5 49.5 49.5 49.5 2,300 113,850 1.21 1.22 1.2 1.23 1.2 1.22 641,000 781,700 CEMEX HLDG 14.56 14.96 14.96 14.96 14.86 14.96 11,700 174,692 EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP 7.6 7.89 8 8 7.6 7.9 155,700 1,186,051 6.43 6.45 6.4 6.46 6.35 6.43 1,387,000 8,930,065 HOLCIM MEGAWIDE 6.09 6.11 6.2 6.2 6.09 6.09 1,364,700 8,345,172 PHINMA 13.62 14 13.6 14 13.6 14 25,000 348,000 0.99 1.01 0.99 1 0.98 1 126,000 123,700 TKC METALS VULCAN INDL 1.54 1.55 1.5 1.58 1.48 1.55 3,512,000 5,460,350 1.69 1.7 1.67 1.69 1.67 1.69 54,000 90,800 CROWN ASIA 1.82 1.88 1.82 1.88 1.77 1.88 152,000 272,410 EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL 5.11 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.1 5.1 9,500 48,530 5.35 5.38 5.35 5.38 5.35 5.38 123,300 661,885 PRYCE CORP GREENERGY 2.44 2.45 2.35 2.45 2.3 2.45 7,753,000 18,763,680 INTEGRATED MICR 8.9 9.1 8.85 9.1 8.8 8.9 316,600 2,824,454 0.92 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.93 0.94 83,000 77,880 IONICS PANASONIC 5.76 5.86 5.88 5.88 5.86 5.86 1,600 9,402 1.23 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.21 1.25 628,000 775,060 SFA SEMICON 4.8 4.83 4.81 4.89 4.7 4.83 1,413,000 6,741,640 CIRTEK HLDG

100,317,647 12,600 -10,931,490 974,090 -4,101,660 -2,246.50 -7,584,666 4,171,838 -415,470 -66,360 1,156,586 11,456 -540,010 -67,976,405 -296,972 398,641 3,110,178 -2,925,950.50 8,000 649,778 24,633,593.00 40,287,064 454,335 1,628,610 -80 -528,450 -14,452,039 15,800 251,320 -7,184,092 -6,085,017 4,200 54,830 21,710 -168,880 1,590,970 -256,832 558,690

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.92 0.93 0.92 0.94 0.9 0.93 5,628,000 5,156,770 6.7 7 7 7.25 6.95 7 1,900 13,250 ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP 722.5 737 728 742 720 722.5 184,860 135,020,885 39.5 39.9 39.8 40.2 39.5 39.5 713,900 28,378,640 ABOITIZ EQUITY 10 10.02 9.61 10.02 9.6 10.02 935,500 9,297,431 ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG 4.01 4.02 3.8 4.03 3.79 4.02 3,085,000 12,221,330 0.96 0.97 0.93 0.97 0.91 0.96 1,432,000 1,355,620 ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A 0.58 0.59 0.61 0.61 0.57 0.58 511,000 296,810 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 30,000 17,400 ATN HLDG B 4.93 4.95 4.94 5.06 4.89 4.95 950,000 4,682,140 COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG 6.2 6.22 6.19 6.33 6.12 6.22 7,595,500 47,488,407 7.61 7.7 7.8 7.8 7.7 7.7 39,600 306,548 FILINVEST DEV 0.29 0.32 0.285 0.325 0.285 0.325 2,050,000 633,400 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL 562 563 561 568 549 563 95,920 53,992,770 57.8 58 57.15 58.2 57.15 58 3,674,370 210,925,287.50 JG SUMMIT LODESTAR 0.68 0.69 0.68 0.69 0.68 0.69 92,000 62,600 3.1 3.17 3.1 3.1 3.09 3.1 1,037,000 3,214,610 LOPEZ HLDG 9.77 9.78 9.64 9.92 9.5 9.78 24,574,800 239,938,376 LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG 0.5 0.53 0.51 0.53 0.51 0.53 51,000 26,030 3.6 3.61 3.58 3.65 3.56 3.6 27,175,000 97,906,860 METRO PAC INV 3.41 3.61 3.49 3.5 3.49 3.5 8,000 27,960 PACIFICA HLDG SOLID GROUP 1.18 1.2 1.22 1.22 1.18 1.18 145,000 173,740 956 959 949 960 938 956 141,190 134,770,335 SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP 111.6 113 112.8 113 110.2 113 47,520 5,327,765 TOP FRONTIER 137 138 137 138 137 138 70 9,640 0.275 0.29 0.275 0.295 0.275 0.275 1,160,000 335,650 WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG 0.195 0.198 0.199 0.199 0.194 0.198 920,000 180,490

1,324,960 -52,819,355 -10,969,135.00 -2,497,211 -72,320 -3,680 75,250 -1,175,876 20,020 -13,671,525 -27,156,579.50 -52,610 -144,227,728 -38,385,090 -11,096,970 -1,786,476 -76,410

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.62 0.65 0.62 0.65 0.62 0.65 2,000 1,270 7.25 7.71 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 300 2,175 ANCHOR LAND AYALA LAND 35.05 35.15 34.5 35.15 33.8 35.15 8,509,300 296,115,870 36 36.3 35.95 36.4 35.75 36.3 302,800 10,903,345 AREIT RT 1.38 1.39 1.38 1.38 1.38 1.38 78,000 107,640 BELLE CORP A BROWN 0.88 0.91 0.91 0.91 0.89 0.91 633,000 571,260 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.8 746,000 582,290 CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES 0.127 0.132 0.132 0.134 0.132 0.132 430,000 56,800 2.85 2.87 2.8 2.89 2.8 2.87 781,000 2,220,450 CEB LANDMASTERS 0.43 0.445 0.45 0.465 0.425 0.445 41,430,000 18,226,350 CENTURY PROP DOUBLEDRAGON 10.24 10.38 10.4 10.46 10.22 10.38 506,800 5,249,818 1.82 1.83 1.82 1.83 1.8 1.83 7,448,000 13,523,200 DDMP RT 6.95 6.98 7 7 6.95 6.98 23,500 164,295 DM WENCESLAO EVER GOTESCO 0.31 0.315 0.31 0.33 0.31 0.315 23,540,000 7,480,750 1.11 1.12 1.11 1.12 1.1 1.11 6,623,000 7,330,080 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 0.83 0.84 0.84 0.85 0.83 0.83 310,000 261,010 PHIL INFRADEV 1.22 1.23 1.21 1.22 1.21 1.22 110,000 134,160 3.3 3.94 3.24 3.24 3.24 3.24 1,000 3,240 KEPPEL PROP CITY AND LAND 1.28 1.3 1.24 1.3 1.22 1.28 306,000 386,330 2.87 2.9 2.9 2.94 2.87 2.87 15,264,000 44,198,550 MEGAWORLD 0.3 0.305 0.3 0.305 0.29 0.3 19,790,000 5,966,450 MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES 0.55 0.56 0.54 0.57 0.54 0.56 13,734,000 7,686,280 2.35 2.37 2.34 2.39 2.21 2.37 2,458,000 5,672,550 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 16.46 16.48 16.18 16.48 16.02 16.48 2,587,300 42,550,052 PHIL REALTY 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.255 0.27 770,000 203,250 1.49 1.5 1.49 1.5 1.49 1.5 34,000 50,790 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 2.6 2.69 2.69 2.69 2.6 2.69 90,000 234,270 2.66 2.75 2.8 2.8 2.65 2.66 407,000 1,095,360 STA LUCIA LAND 32.8 33 33.1 33.8 32.8 32.8 9,224,300 305,172,225 SM PRIME HLDG VISTAMALLS 3.74 3.85 3.75 3.85 3.75 3.85 8,000 30,390 1.45 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.45 1.5 159,000 230,950 SUNTRUST HOME 43 59.9 43.1 43.1 43.1 43.1 400 17,240 PTFC REDEV CORP VISTA LAND 3.45 3.49 3.45 3.5 3.38 3.45 3,048,000 10,446,710 SERVICES ABS CBN 11.14 11.18 11.1 11.18 11 11.18 56,800 631,596 12.94 12.96 11.8 12.98 11.78 12.94 4,322,700 54,328,358 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.405 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 20,000 8,200 1,901 1,907 1,880 1,910 1,880 1,907 42,090 80,046,430 GLOBE TELECOM 1,242 1,258 1,242 1,277 1,240 1,242 117,145 146,340,165 PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL 0.114 0.115 0.114 0.118 0.111 0.115 114,190,000 13,123,920 22.9 22.95 22.8 23.25 22.8 22.9 3,290,300 75,685,870 CONVERGE DFNN INC 3.8 3.9 3.83 3.92 3.8 3.8 634,000 2,415,410 DITO CME HLDG 7.1 7.11 7.17 7.3 6.95 7.1 5,510,800 39,225,814 2.11 2.12 2.11 2.13 2.07 2.12 312,000 657,450 NOW CORP TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.39 0.4 0.395 0.405 0.385 0.4 2,520,000 999,800 2.2 2.22 2.19 2.25 2.19 2.22 314,000 690,810 PHILWEB 8.06 8.36 8.37 8.37 8.05 8.06 4,300 35,240 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 13.9 14.3 14 14 14 14 6,000 84,000 2.69 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.62 2.69 351,000 940,110 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 45.05 45.25 45.3 46 45 45.25 81,200 3,675,070 INTL CONTAINER 159.8 160 161.8 164 159.8 159.8 934,660 150,550,064 16.32 17.68 17.68 17.68 17.68 17.68 200 3,536 LBC EXPRESS MACROASIA 4.66 4.67 4.61 4.72 4.48 4.67 1,880,000 8,554,490 1.86 1.9 1.86 1.9 1.86 1.9 13,000 24,420 METROALLIANCE A 1.08 1.09 1.06 1.1 1.06 1.09 105,000 112,690 HARBOR STAR ACESITE HOTEL 1.93 1.94 1.83 2 1.78 1.94 704,000 1,356,170 0.103 0.104 0.1 0.104 0.098 0.103 61,480,000 6,252,320 BOULEVARD HLDG DISCOVERY WORLD 2.43 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.6 21,000 53,600 0.53 0.54 0.53 0.54 0.52 0.54 785,000 413,000 WATERFRONT 0.34 0.345 0.345 0.36 0.34 0.345 5,090,000 1,756,500 STI HLDG BERJAYA 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.5 2,100 11,350 5.9 5.92 5.83 5.92 5.83 5.9 1,292,000 7,620,538 BLOOMBERRY 1.46 1.52 1.48 1.52 1.47 1.52 1,749,000 2,573,630 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 1.7 1.71 1.73 1.73 1.67 1.71 454,000 775,400 0.4 0.405 0.4 0.405 0.4 0.405 500,000 200,950 PREMIUM LEISURE 7.49 7.63 7.69 7.69 7.49 7.49 689,800 5,182,529 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 1.32 1.33 1.3 1.33 1.3 1.33 230,000 303,350 40.2 40.25 40.25 40.35 39.8 40.2 1,389,900 55,725,175 PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL 53.25 54 53.5 54 52 54 336,570 17,980,142.50 PHIL SEVEN CORP 89 90.05 92 92 89 89 9,970 891,375 1.15 1.16 1.15 1.16 1.14 1.16 595,000 686,500 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 22.7 22.8 21.8 22.9 21.7 22.8 6,302,700 141,764,320 0.335 0.34 0.35 0.35 0.34 0.34 410,000 139,600 APC GROUP 5.31 5.48 5.31 5.31 5.31 5.31 2,400 12,744 EASYCALL GOLDEN MV 438.4 448 438.2 448 438.2 448 1,890 845,412 6.25 6.49 6.49 6.49 6.49 6.49 1,100 7,139 IPM HLDG PRMIERE HORIZON 1.07 1.08 1.05 1.1 1.03 1.07 9,944,000 10,620,190 SBS PHIL CORP 4.2 4.45 4.04 4.5 4.04 4.5 7,000 29,880 MINING & OIL

ATOK 6.91 7 7 7 6.9 7 41,000 286,836 APEX MINING 1.69 1.7 1.67 1.72 1.67 1.7 3,106,000 5,285,320 7 7.02 6.8 7.12 6.52 7 4,222,700 28,918,010 ATLAS MINING 4.86 5.14 4.7 5.16 4.7 5.16 57,000 288,000 BENGUET A BENGUET B 4.9 5 4.69 5 4.69 5 85,000 421,170 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.3 0.285 0.3 490,000 143,100 COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES 6.12 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.39 6.4 1,600 10,231 2.41 2.43 2.4 2.45 2.4 2.41 10,690,000 25,886,380 FERRONICKEL 0.28 0.31 0.275 0.28 0.275 0.28 130,000 35,850 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.138 0.139 0.136 0.139 0.136 0.138 3,050,000 418,840 0.142 0.156 0.142 0.142 0.142 0.142 700,000 99,400 LEPANTO B 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.01 6,200,000 62,300 MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 10,500,000 111,500 1.22 1.23 1.23 1.24 1.21 1.23 619,000 758,960 MARCVENTURES NIHAO 1.25 1.32 1.24 1.32 1.21 1.32 601,000 755,710 6.09 6.1 5.83 6.14 5.83 6.09 24,897,400 150,219,737 NICKEL ASIA 0.38 0.4 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 30,000 11,400 OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA 0.94 0.95 0.92 0.94 0.92 0.94 658,000 612,510 6.15 6.2 6 6.28 6 6.2 1,535,600 9,469,721 PX MINING 16.52 16.6 16.02 16.6 16.02 16.52 2,466,200 40,519,426 SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON 0.0088 0.0089 0.0088 0.0089 0.0088 0.0088 10,000,000 88,600 16.5 16.8 16.5 16.88 16.5 16.8 7,300 122,358 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 14,900,000 163,900 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 103,000,000 1,133,000 ORNTL PETROL B 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 12,400,000 136,800 PHILODRILL PXP ENERGY 7.16 7.18 7.05 7.29 7.05 7.16 87,600 629,568 PREFFERED HOUSE PREF B 99.9 101 99.9 101 99.9 101 520 51,970 100.8 101 101 101 101 101 540 54,540 HOUSE PREF A AC PREF B1 513 539 539.5 539.5 539.5 539.5 20 10,790 524 530 524 524 524 524 200 104,800 AC PREF B2R 44.9 45.45 44.9 45.45 44.9 45.45 4,700 211,870 CEB PREF CPG PREF A 101 102.1 102.1 102.1 102.1 102.1 10 1,021 99.5 100 100.7 101 100 100 361,670 36,296,695 DD PREF GTCAP PREF A 994 1,020 1,015 1,015 1,015 1,015 10 10,150 1,045 1,049 1,040 1,045 1,040 1,045 2,750 2,873,500 GTCAP PREF B 101 101.5 101.7 101.7 101.5 101.5 7,010 711,625 MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3B 104.1 106 104.1 106 104.1 106 660 69,176 998 1,001 1,001 1,001 1,001 1,001 10 10,010 PNX PREF 4 1,001 1,010 1,013 1,013 1,010 1,010 520 525,275 PCOR PREF 2B PCOR PREF 3B 1,101 1,102 1,119 1,119 1,102 1,102 810 892,705 77.6 77.8 77.8 77.8 77.8 77.8 2,030 157,934 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F 78.6 79.4 79.4 79.4 79.4 79.4 50,200 3,985,880 76.05 76.95 76.1 76.1 76.1 76.1 11,150 848,515 SMC PREF 2H 75.7 76.8 75.7 75.7 75.7 75.7 200 15,140 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 76.5 76.9 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.5 14,110 1,079,415 PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 10.52 10.88 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 600 6,300 11.38 11.48 10.98 11.5 10.96 11.38 333,100 3,780,306 GMA HLDG PDR WARRANTS LR WARRANT 1.21 1 - - - - - -

725 93,787,835 -614,550 -118,800 -88,140 17,110 -114,400 -3,190,668 -4,451,110 193,150 -944,610 -205,350 38,040 -17,835,950 107,050 -23,320.00 3,951,780 8,800,516.00 27,100 -133,763,715 407,640 -3,764,245 20,269,550 -1,278,770 -6,502,070 -115,840 1,145,626 -116,650 500 3,220 14,000 -48,300 -597,155 -7,390,663 152,360 -159,680 -1,615,100.00 -629,724 -99,160 16,700 36,000 1,005,151 -11,940,215 -990,210 -767,860 -1,150 40,506,590 1,111,010 -204,464 -232,620 121,734 47,050 -5,520,740 23,302,618 -82,464 -15,581,846.00 11,000 -26,133 -58,370 1,663,960 -

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MAKATI FINANCE MERRYMART

16.9 2.07 4.55 2.55 3.23

FIRST METRO ETF

98.6

17.04 2.08 5.09 2.69 3.24

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

98.65

17.08 2.15 4.55 2.52 3.18

17.1 2.15 4.55 2.52 3.28

16.82 2.05 4.52 2.51 3.11

17.04 2.07 4.52 2.51 3.24

2,400 142,000 7,000 13,000 3,421,000

40,782 293,130 31,800 32,650 10,961,640

98 98.75 98 98.6 8,370 824,291.50

11,360 607,800 9,875

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘Easing of Covid curbs buoys Emperador’s H1 performance’ By VG Cabuag

@villygc

mperador Inc., the liquor firm of businessman Andrew Tan, said its attributable income grew by 53 percent to P5.1 billion in the first semester from last year’s P3.32 billion. The company also said its revenues expanded by 18 percent to P25.3 billion from last year’s P21.05 billion. “The gradual easing of quarantine restrictions in various parts of the world has buoyed our first half business performance. On-sites have started to return. We see the brandy

business led by Fundador growing by double digit in the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Mexico, Canada and Asia, including the Philippines. The whisky business continues to pace strongly led by North America, Europe and Asia, led by China,” Emperador President Winston Co said.

“We are extremely happy to report a record first-half net profit of P5.1 billion. Both brandy and whisky segments showed increased margins and robust profitability given the benefits from improving product mix and positive operating efficiency. We hope global economies continue to rebound and return to some form of normalcy.” Emperador said earlier it will spend some P1.5 billion this year, some 50 percent higher than last year’s P1 billion, as it further expands its global footprint in various international markets. “Last year at the height of the pandemic we held back our capital expenditures. We expect pandemic to ease with the global vaccination program happening. We expect

people to travel again by 2022 and economic activities to return to some sort of normalcy. So we have decided this year to invest ahead so that our growth plan will be sustained,” Co said. He said the company’s brandy and whisky brands are doing well in the US and in Europe, especially in its stronghold in the UK. In these areas, liquor is considered an essential product. The company reported in May that its attributable income in the first quarter rose by 43 percent to P2.1 billion from the previous year’s P1.45 billion, on the back of its strong overseas sales. Its revenues went up by 13 percent to P12.1 billion from last year’s P10.53 billion.

Foodpanda: Glitch caused riders’ suspension By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

oodpanda said it had a technical glitch in its rider software, which caused the 10-year suspension of some of its riders for supposedly violating their agreements with the company after they planned to protest the alleged mistreatment they received from the food delivery app. The digital platform said in a statement that its rider software did not recognize the offboarding option and instead, sent out the message for the 10-year suspension. “Our technical team has taken all the necessary steps to address this error and we have explained the same to riders who have attended our invitations for open dialogue.” To recall, foodpanda recently suspended a number of its riders in Davao after they held a

protest against its supposed unfair payment scheme. They were suspended from the platform for 10 years. All riders who were off boarded “have been invited to small group dialogues with the foodpanda team to openly discuss the situation on each case, and the possibility of reboarding them.” Infrawatch, a public policy think tank, earlier called for a boycott of foodpanda for suspending its riders. The digital platform considers its riders as “partners” and not as employees, a scheme that the think tank questions. Foodpanda said rider fees are “dynamic” and are calculated based on multiple factors that include the route and distance of the delivery, making the payment structure more “organized and fair.” The earnings of riders on each order, it claimed, “are transparent

Gender equity at the bottom of firms’ priority list–IBM By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

espite the advantages of promoting gender equity in a corporate setting, IBM Philippines Country Manager Aileen Judan-Jiao said the majority of companies still do not consider this as a priority. Judan-Jiao, citing the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study in 2021, said 70 percent of the respondents across the globe had indicated that gender equity is at the bottom of their priority list. “They are not seeing yet the correlation. You will see it over time. You just have to watch whether there is also relation to your business as well,” the IBM official said in a virtual event on Thursday. According to the report, businesses that prioritize gender equity registered revenue growth of as much as 61 percent higher compared to that of other organizations. Majority of the companies with gender equity initiatives also claimed they lead in customer satisfaction and are more innovative than rival firms. However, Judan-Jiao noted that organizations have been working on initiatives to improve gender equity and inclusion. Among the measures include gender-blind job candidate screening, parental leave for women, gender equity pay information, education and re-skilling opportunities and diversity training. Still, the report noted that “too many organizations continue to pursue gender equity and diversity

using broad-based programs that don’t address underlying mindsets and lack a measurable path to value.” Judan-Jiao said more still needs to be done, noting that the root cause of gender inequity should be addressed. For example, in the local information and communication sector, females only comprise 35 percent of the work force, according to the International Labor Organization. Among the considerations for this situation is the number of female graduates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in the country. Citing data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the IBM official said only 36 percent of the STEM graduates are female. In IBM Philippines, she said women representation in the company is at 55 percent. One in two middle and top managers is a woman; some 32 percent of technical personnel and managers are also women. Judan-Jiao, in an earlier interview with the BusinessMirror, reminded company executives to protect customer data, especially those stored in a device used for remote working with hybrid workforce as a new norm during the pandemic. The IBM official said cyberhackers have been taking advantage of the accelerated shift to digital. Phishing activities, she noted, have even targeted employees’ laptops and other devices used outside of the workplace.

at the point of their accepting each order before proceeding.” “As a company, foodpanda is always working hard to keep operations running smoothly everyday - so that restaurants can get orders, riders can deliver them for a living, and customers receive satisfactory service. There are complex areas of balance that are critical so that everyone can be fairly compensated and satisfied,” the digital platform said. It also admitted to have failed

to “communicate better” and noted that it is “always open to feedback for improvements.” “[B]ut please rest assured that all communication channels are open especially to our hard working riders to express their concerns and feedback,” the company said. “We will continue to initiate and continue with regular dialogues to help riders better understand their earnings structure, and other benefits available to them.”

mutual funds

July 29, 2021

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share

Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

208.64

7.02%

-7.19%

-5.49%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.3619

38.1%

-2.71%

-0.38%

3.72%

9.88%

-11.48%

-8.18%

-8.23%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.73781 10.33%

-6.65% n.a.

-8.22%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.716 10.94%

-5.94% n.a.

-3.45%

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

-5.36%

-3.8%

-6.93%

4.09%

-8.12%

-7.79%

-3.48% n.a.

-4.01%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.8753

4.5988

9.84%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.6847 MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

-8.18%

97.85

26.14%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

42.5881

8.91%

-5.62%

-4.5%

-9.09%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

448.72

6.7%

-5.28%

-4.83%

-8.23%

21.44% n.a. n.a.

-5.59%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.1006

10.98%

-4.64%

-3.62%

-5.79%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5

32.0904

1.036

9.98%

-4.71%

-3.38%

-7.71%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.829

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

4.3688

7.27% n.a. n.a. 9.71%

-5.02%

-9.2%

-3.75%

-8.82% -8.81%

731.03

9.63%

-4.93%

-3.87%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.6685

11.21%

-8.49%

-6.79%

-7.01%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.3476

8.54%

-6.87%

-5.02%

-7.62%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8345 9.14%

-5.29%

-4.03%

-9.07%

United Fund, Inc. -a

-5.26%

-3.08%

-7.68%

-4.73%

-3.34%

3.0641

9.27%

-9.88%

Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

98.1251

9.6%

-8.77%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1663

12.66%

3.45%

5.93%

-3.04%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8054

24.39%

11.2%

11.83%

7.93%

-1.03%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6514

6.5%

-0.72%

-2.39%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.146

5.43%

-2.22%

-2.27%

-6.1%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.5005

4.68%

-1.58%

-1.6%

-4.82%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1863 NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

1.8981

3.87%

1.64% n.a. n.a. 0.6%

-0.61%

-3.36%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.564

3.01%

-0.47%

-1.95%

-5.92%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

15.9611

3.53%

-0.36%

-1.91%

-5.76%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

1.9893

4.69%

-1.81%

-1.56%

-5%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.3974 4.83%

-2.74%

-2.91%

-4.92%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9608

2.95% n.a. n.a.

-6.04%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.8646

4.08% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8474

5.33% n.a. n.a.

-9.18%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

5.97%

-4.97%

0.8436

-3.55%

-3.36%

-6.19%

-8.91%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.03827

-2.52%

2.74%

1.29%

-2.17%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0828

5.76%

2.3%

3.27%

-5.86%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.7526 17.98%

8.66%

8.3%

5.31%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.2211 8.36%

5.07%

4.53%

1.58%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

372.81

1.49%

3.16%

2.41%

0.47%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9243

-1.13%

1.1%

0.17%

1.26%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2346

1.18%

3.65%

4.26%

0.62%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2681

-1.55%

2.28%

1.18%

-1.22%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4441 -0.41%

3.32%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.4931

-3.68%

4.56%

1.09%

-3.05%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6

1.3177

1.07%

4.02%

2.69%

1.67%

-0.26%

-0.37%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9821

0.46%

4.63%

1.74%

-0.47%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0383

-0.05%

4.92%

1.49%

-0.36%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2176

1.2%

5.38%

2.07%

0.36%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

0.3%

4.69%

1.38%

-0.22%

1.7512

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$486.76

2.1%

3.14%

2.14%

0.6%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є220.24

1.76%

1.07%

0.89%

0.48%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1991

-6.35%

-3.07%

2.44%

1.31%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0261 - 0.76%

1.72%

0.78%

-1.88%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$1.0505

0.51%

-1.06%

-3.86%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.511

0.71%

1.77%

-0.97%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.063033 3.53%

3.56%

2.1%

1.15%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1822 -1.45%

3.33%

0.65%

-1.28%

2.53%

0.46%

-3.16%

4.91%

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

130.41

1.44%

3.01%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0539 1.04% n.a. n.a.

0.55%

Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.3068

0.79%

1.65%

2.82%

2.55%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.058

1.11%

1.64% n.a.

0.53%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.3156

30.78% n.a. n.a.

16.47%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2

$0.99

5.32% n.a. n.a.

1.02%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU). 1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019. 6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund).

7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BSP tweaking rules to fuel bank loans to farm sector

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

he Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) wants to include sustainable financing, or extending socalled “green loans” to corporations, as part of the proposed revisions to the mandated lending to the agriculture sector. BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Thursday in an online news briefing monetary officials have proposed the inclusion of sustainable finance, including lending to green projects, as among the allowable modes of compliance with the mandatory credit to the agriculture

and agrarian (agri-agra) sector in the draft bills amending the Agri-Agra Law (Republic Act 10000). A recent BSP survey showed that local banks voted the mandatory credits to the agri-agra sector as the “most challenging” in terms of regulatory compliance.

As of end-March last year, the entire Philippine banking system logged in an 11.02-percent compliance for other agricultural credit, which is below the 15-percent statutory credit requirement under RA 10000. Compliance ratio for agrarian reform credit, meanwhile, stood at 0.97 percent. This is way below the required 10 percent. “Sustainable finance creates a positive disruption into how financial markets work as it incorporates the environmental, social and governance lens when investors assess the value, performance, and long-term growth of an asset,” Diokno said. “This supports the financial system’s ability to fund productive activities in the new and low-carbon economy,” he added. In April last year, the BSP released its Sustainable Finance Framework. The framework provides broad ex-

pectations on the integration of sustainability principles in the corporate governance, risk management systems, business strategies and operations of banks. For its next phase, the BSP said it will focus on specific expectations on the integration of climate change and environmental and social risks in the credit and operational risk management frameworks of banks. Diokno also said the BSP is now evaluating the comments on the draft circular after it was exposed for comments earlier this year. Afterwhich, the BSP said, it will study the grant of potential regulatory incentives to banks to accelerate the adoption of sustainable principles. “To maintain the momentum of mainstreaming sustainable finance, various central bank initiatives are underway,” Diokno said.

Private schools tax-hike rule suspended by BIR

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) suspended the implementation of certain provisions of its tax regulation that would have hiked the corporate income tax rate of private schools from 10 percent to 25 percent. BIR Revenue Regulations 14-2021 suspended RR 5-2021, pending the passage of appropriate legislation. “To ease the burden of taxation among proprietary educational institutions, especially during this time of Covid-19 pandemic,” the BIR said in the July 26 document signed by BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III. The order said it takes into account the pending bills in Congress seeking to amend Section 27 (B) of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended, “to finally clarify the income taxation of schools.” With that, the BIR said the implementation of the provisions of RR 5-2021 dated April 8, 2021, “are hereby suspended pending the passage of such appropriate legislation.” In a Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing, private schools have earlier appealed to BIR and the Department of Finance to suspend the tax regulation after they have received reports that the bureau is already trying to impose a higher tax rate.

Barely surviving

PRIVATE schools have protested BIR’s “unilateral insertion” in its RR 5-2021 of a condition that proprietary educational institutions must be “nonprofit” to enjoy the reduced rate of 1 percent as a result of the passage of the recently-enacted Republic Act (RA) 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (Create) law.

Private schools earlier filed a petition before the Court of Tax Appeals in a bid to stop the implementation of RR 5-2021. They said that the implementation of the rule will have “widespread consequences [on] stakeholders of the private education sector at a time when the private education sector is fighting for its survival amidst plunging enrollment caused by the pandemic.” The appeal came after BIR rejected an earlier appeal, this one by the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (Cocopea) to rectify the tax regulation. The BIR said its policy is consistent with the Tax Code and that the tax rate reduction under the Create law applies only to proprietary nonprofit educational institutions and proprietary nonprofit hospitals.

Dealing with VAT

MEANWHILE, the BIR has also deferred the implementation of its tax regulation that would have slapped a 12-percent value-added tax on local purchases by export enterprises that were previously subjected to zero-percent VAT. “ln view of the continuing Covid pandemic and its impact to the export industry. the implementation of RR 9-2021 dated June 9, 2021, is hereby deferred until the issuance of an amendatory revenue regulations,” the BIR said in its RR 152021 dated July 21. Exporters earlier expressed concern that the old RR could cripple the industry. Last week, Finance Undersecretary Antonette C. Tionko, who heads the DOF’s Revenue Operations Group, said the new tax regulation that will replace RR 9-2021 will now follow the provisions of the Create law. That section of the law provides that locally-purchased goods and services “directly and exclusively used” in the registered project or activity of export enterprises shall be subject to zero-percent VAT.

The old RR (RR 9-2021) was issued in line with the provisions of RA 10963 or the Tax Reform and Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train) that certain transactions previously considered zerorated shall be subject to 12-percent VAT after the government satisfies two main conditions. One condition is the successful establishment of an enhanced VAT-refund system that grants refunds of creditable input tax within 90 days from the filing of VAT refund application with BIR. The second condition is that all pending VATrefund claims as of December 31, 2017 were fully paid in cash by December 31, 2019.

No room

THE suspension of RR 5-2021 was commended by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto last Thursday. Still, Recto suggested that the next step should be a “permanent solution” in the form of a remedial legislation that Recto envisions “purging all ambivalence in that provision” of the Tax Code. “Still, it is a welcome move and I thank the good Secretary of Finance for this order,” Recto said, noting that “it would help ease the distress the private schools are going through during this pandemic.” At the same time, the Senate President Pro Tempore vowed to back “immediate passage of that simple, corrective bill so there will be a closure to the issue, leaving no room for erroneous interpretation, which may tempt future administrations to invoke.” Recto reminded that this is one problem partially solved. “Let us move forward by adopting measures that will address the crisis in the entire educational system, which the pandemic has worsened,” he added. Earlier, Recto had warned that the erroneous DOF revenue order “can bankrupt struggling private schools.” With additional report by Butch Fernandez

Advancing good governance in associations

N the invitation of teractions, and democratic the Brussels-based decision-making. AssociationWorld According to the AmeriFoundation, I recently atcan Society of Association tended its webinar on “Mov(ASAE), the reAssociation World Executives ing from Governance to sponsibility for governing Good Governance” together an association typically Octavio Peralta with 37 participants from rests with a volunteer board international and European associations and of directors, operating according to a set of non-profit organizations. The virtual event bylaws, and working in close collaboration was also an occasion to launch its “Good Govwith the organization’s chief executive-led ernance for Associations Initiative” campaign management staff to set strategic direction, in collaboration with international and Europrovide necessary resources, and make key pean key partners. decisions that the staff then implements to The panel discussion centered on what meet members’ needs. good governance is and its basic principles, A paper by the United Nations Economic why it matters, its challenges and approachand Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific es, and the next steps. Panelists included (ESCAP) cites that good governance has eight Sarah Verschaeve, a partner at law firm major attributes: participatory, consensusCuria; Mogens Kirkeby, president of the Inoriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, ternational Sport and Culture Association; effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive, Filipe Machado, association expert at puband follows the rule of law. lic affairs firm Interel; and Kai Troll, CEO n Mainly concerns Board and manageof Best Buddies and volunteer President of ment, and the general assembly’s role is AssociationWorld. somewhat diminished—Most association Below are my takeaways from the session governance processes and practices focus on with references culled from various sources on the roles of the Board (strategic direction, association governance in general and on good oversight, policy-setting) and management governance in particular: (execution and day-to-day operations). Hown No legal definition, principles-based ever, there is a need to also engage the general —Good association governance has no legal assembly (members) from where the Board and definition and is mainly principles-based, remanagement get their authority to govern. As volving around values and ethics, people insuch, one consideration could be that elections

for the Board be done via online voting of all members, whether at the general assembly meeting or not. n ‘No one-size fits all’ approach—Associations vary in size, type, mission, culture, needs and activities. There is no one governance model that can achieve the best results in terms of long-term growth and sustainability. However, transparency, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion are commonalities and essential elements of good governance. n Antithesis of good governance—The opposite, which is bad governance, will result in loss of confidence and reputation and, consequently, loss of members as building reputation back will almost be insurmountable. Poor governance can also cause all the good works of an association to unravel. One hour is obviously not enough for the panel and the participants to discuss all aspects of good governance in one session. AssociationWorld will thus continue the conversation all year round through its “Good Governance for Associations Initiative” campaign which is open to all associations to join. If you’re interested, go to: https://mailchi.mp/associationworld/ggfa. The column contributor, Octavio B. Peralta, is founder & CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and concurrently, president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The views Mr. Peralta expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror’s. E-mail: obp@ adfiap.org

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Friday, July 30, 2021

Fintech devt seen to aid PHL on course to ‘hyper growth’

HE Philippines is on the cusp of a “hyper growth course” despite the pandemic and the development of financial technology (fintech) will help fuel this trajectory, a ranking official of payments gateway startup Xendit Philippines Inc. said on Thursday. Speaking at the BusinessMirror’s latest online segment called “Freshly Brewed,” Xendit Philippines Managing Director Yang Yang Zhang said the Indonesian startup (PT Sinar Digital Terdepan) sees a huge opportunity in the Philippines, as the pandemic forced digital transformation to go at an accelerated pace in terms of adoption. “There’s so much potential in the market today. It feels like it’s on the edge of hyper growth. If you look at Indonesia four or five years ago, it is truly where the Philippines is today,” Zhang said. “There’s so much potential even with the pandemic—businesses are starting to digitize.” As digital transformation happens at different levels for many businesses, Zhang said the group has also observed the digitalization of banks and financial institutions. Combined, she said, these are the ingredients of a potential hyper growth scenario for the Philippines.

“I feel all the right ingredients are in place for this hyper growth course and we really want to be there as part of that growth and also to make that growth even faster,” Zhang said. Proof of this is Xendit’s growth trajectory over the course of its first year in the Philippines. Zhang said the group “managed to grow significantly on average about 40 to 50 percent month-on-month.” “We will continue to grow in this market as years go on,” she said. “We are here for the long haul.” Xendit, she noted, adopted as hyperlocalization as a strategy. “For us, we understand that payments are so specific. E-wallets that are so significant in Indonesia are not the ones that are significant in the Philippines. What we care about is building deep into this market,” she said. Xendit intends to partner with more financial institutions to build more products that will cater to businesses of all sizes—from micro entrepreneurs to big corporations. “For us, we want to make sure as the Philippines grows, we build that backbone that really helps financial institutions reach everyone across the Philippines and make our products as easy to use as possible,” she said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Friday, July 30, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

PHOTO BY HAKAN NURAL ON UNSPLASH

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Chasing the vaccine

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Today’s Horoscope By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Simon Baker, 52; Terry Crews, 53; Lisa Kudrow, 58; Laurence Fishburne, 60. Happy Birthday: Study all aspects of your life before deciding what you want to pursue next. Go with the grain and stop trying to fight the impossible. Say goodbye to what and who is working against you instead of sharing the ups and downs. Declutter your life and put an organized plan together that will encourage the success you desire. Your numbers are 4, 10, 22, 26, 33, 37, 40.

N Tuesday, I finally received my second jab of the precious vaccine against Covid-19. I got it in Muntinlupa, which is where I am a registered voter and, prior to this devastating pandemic, where I lived part-time at Big Sister’s house in the city. But like my other friends, I had registered for jabs with other local government units (LGU) or private companies. Vaccines will help protect us from Covid-19, and that is one immutable scientific fact. It won’t be Ivermectin or any other pharma substances designed for dogs. So I thought, whichever government entity or private establishment gives me the jab first, that’s what I would take. But also, at my physician’s instructions, it should only be Pfizer or Moderna, because of their higher rate of efficacy. (And as it turns out, these are the only vaccines that a number of foreign countries accept. Now government has to scramble to give Pfizer shots to seamen and Filipino workers leaving to work abroad.) Right off the bat, Quezon City was hell to register with. Their initial web site asked for so many proofs of my identity and address, and uploading each and every ID card quickly became unbelievably insufferable. Next came their much-derided EZ Consult app, developed by the geniuses at Zuellig Pharma which the Quezon City LGU had contracted. The app would always crash every time residents would try get a vaccination schedule. At the same time, the Quezon City Mayor’s office had the bright idea of asking barangays to register their constituents for vaccination jabs. It was the height of a lockdown and we were being asked to leave the safety of our homes just to get a vaxx schedule?! What was the point of City Hall paying for an app in the first place?! Then City Hall thought of developing another web site so we could register and get our vaccination schedules. It, too, was prone to error most of the time. To think, this was the largest, most densely populated city in Metro Manila, but the LGU seemed totally unprepared even for something as simply as registering residents. What’s worse, residents could not choose which vaccine they would receive. I later found out that sometime in the course of Quezon City’s vaccination program, only those who had registered with their barangays and lived around certain hospitals could receive the Pfizer vaccine. The rest of unlucky residents and QC taxpayers like me will have had to take our chances, and most of the time, it was Sinovac

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Spend more time listening, assessing and figuring out what’s best for you. Devote less time to people trying to push you in a direction you don’t want to go. Discipline, patience and making your opportunities will pay off. HH

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t let your emotions stand between you and making a good decision. Look at every angle, and you’ll come up with a plan that will help you eliminate conflict with a friend, relative or peer. Choose self-improvement over offering criticism. HHH

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Look for more significant opportunities to use your skills and knowledge to advance. Update your resume and qualifications to suit the current market. Pay attention to seniors and superiors, and you will receive information that will help you make an important decision. HHHH

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Keep your emotions tucked away until you have sufficient information to make a wise decision. Spend more time making self-improvements and less trying to change someone. Think big but live within your means. Charity begins at home. HH

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Say yes to what makes you happy; it will help you get what you want. Say no to negativity and situations holding you back. Shake off the past and focus on how to resolve issues that are making you miserable. HHHHH

on the schedule. The city also offered a few doses of AstraZeneca, which is fine unless the prospective vaccinee has diagnosed clotting issues. At the Muntinlupa LGU, all I had to do was register my name, address and cellphone number on their web site, told them the vaccine I preferred, and that was it. I merely waited for a text from them for a schedule. I had to reschedule my initial appointment—yes, you can do that in Muntinlupa—and was given a new vaxx date. The MunCoVac staff reminded me via text messages, several times in fact, about my appointment, and what to bring that day. (It was all fine until of course that recent dreaded incident, where vaccines were spoiled because of a drop in temperature in the chiller. It’s either the fault of the mall, which hosted the LGU’s jabs, or due to neglect by the staff assigned to guard the vaccines.) Other than that hiccup which pushed back the sked for my second jab, it was an otherwise problemfree vaccination process. I got my second jab at another mall on Tuesday and despite the long queue,

the process moved along quickly. I arrived at 8 am and was done before 10 am. This included queuing, screening, taking of vital stats, a short interview of the effect of the first dose on me, the jab itself (just three minutes), and the post-jab monitoring. I can only thank Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and his MunCoVac staff, as well as all the nurses and medical personnel on duty in all the city’s vaccination centers, for the painless vaccination program. Makati Mayor Abby Binay’s vaccination registration and scheduling was likewise simple and straightforward. I just registered via their web site, wrote in all the needed details especially this newspaper’s name and address, then a few weeks later I received a text message informing me of my vaccination schedule. It didn’t say what vaccine I was to receive that day but by then, I already had received my first jab from Muntinlupa. I just wanted to point out that the Makati

Continued on B5

Webinar spotlights gender, female and trans experiences in architecture GENDER and diversity of voice in the local architecture scene, amid the growing population of female students pursuing the path, is spotlighted in a free public webinar headlined by female and transpinay—a term for transgender Filipina—professionals. Artist-architects Micaela Benedicto and Isola Tong impart their design processes, as well as their respective key project samples and ongoing works that exemplify the seamless extension of their expertise

and talent into visual arts and music. They showcase their diverse disciplines and share their personal experiences through their creative journey and solo practices in Manila. Benedicto, a practicing architect through MB Architecture Studio, aims to achieve a distinctive sculptural and spatial quality by placing emphasis on the relationships between the unique user, the built space and the environment. Her architectural works have been

featured on Wallpaper, BluPrint and L’Officiel, among others. Tong engages in the boundaries between nature and technology, human and nonhuman, center and margin, and north and south epistemologies to challenge binarism, reveal worlds within worlds. She conveys the interconnections of science, aesthetics and politics through the lens of a transpinay from maritime Southeast Asia. Her art spans across a variety of

media portraying a divergence from anthropocentrism toward interconnected biologies. She has shown and performed in Korea, Slovenia, Serbia, and the United Kingdom. Hosted by the Social and Academic Guild for Architects (SAGA, www.facebook.com/sagacsb), the official student-run architecture organization of DLS-CSB’s School of Design and Arts, the talk is scheduled today, July 30, from 1 pm to 2:30 pm.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Put your time and money where they will bring the highest returns. Customizing your skills will prove cost-efficient and help you overcome any competition or challenge that comes your way. HHH

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Make arrangements with someone you love, and it will allow you to discuss your plans and put together a timetable that will ensure you spend more quality time together. Mix business with pleasure, and you’ll reach your objective. HHH

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Keep life simple, your plans doable and your dreams reachable. Focus on personal improvement, moderation and adjusting whatever isn’t working for you. Let your actions speak for you, and do your best to avoid discord. Romance is on the rise. HHH

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Limit financial maneuvers. Be cautious; avoid spending or investing for the wrong reason. Don’t follow what someone else is doing or get involved in something that will help someone other than yourself excel. Do your own thing. HHHHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take a moment to evaluate what’s happening around you. Show sympathy toward friends and family, but don’t feel you have to bail out someone. Put your time, effort and cash into personal and financial growth. HHHHH

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Confusion will set in if you try to follow in someone’s footsteps. Consider your alternatives and eliminate anything that can lead to loss or an emotional standoff between you and someone close to you. HH

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do things differently. Find a use for your skills, and create an atmosphere that puts your mind at ease. Focus on love, relationships and surrounding yourself with positive people heading in a similar direction. Romance is in the stars. HHHH Birthday Baby: You are curious, intelligent and flexible. You are friendly and well-liked.

‘bodybuilding’ by simon marotte The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Vamooses 7 What a tire swing may swing from 11 Poker pile 14 Evoke 15 Falco of Nurse Jackie 16 “That’s relaxing!” 17 It’s represented by bars 19 Brazilian bossa nova hub, informally 20 Sock’s end 21 Relative of ice cream, for short 22 Chopper part 24 Pie containers 25 Wed 27 Like some diet desserts 30 Kleenex purchase 34 Currency for 19 countries 35 ___ Talk 36 Take out a policy for 37 Scarfed down 38 People who made proclamations 40 ___ Antonio 41 Wobble 43 Forest green, for one 44 Shannon of Thirty Seconds to Mars

5 Pulled part of a church instrument 4 47 Like dough after baking, one hopes 48 Common sleep disorder 49 Taken in pill form, say 51 Taste or touch 53 Spanish mister 55 Initials on a deli menu 58 Prefix with “athlete” 59 Certain computer problem 62 Web exchange 63 Fortune-teller 64 “Can I?” 65 Headbutt, or an animal that headbutts 66 Harvard’s rival 67 Site of a famous opera house DOWN 1 Religious faction 2 Ancient Egyptian queen, familiarly 3 Annoy 4 Knee injury site: Abbr. 5 Island of ___ Toys (place visited by Rudolph) 6 Like a disciplinarian 7 Impose, as a fine

8 “Like herding cats” and “sick as a dog” 9 One might say “Is this thing on?” into it 10 Trips to the liquor store, say 11 Vehicles with many lights 12 Toni Morrison’s birth state 13 Hammer-wielding Avenger 18 List of players 23 Mine carts’ contents 24 Chinese “way” 26 Remark to the audience 27 “Swell!” 28 ___ Banks (Netflix show set in North Carolina) 29 Anti-consumerist ideology 31 State with a potato museum 32 Deliver a speech 33 Noble gas in arc lamps 35 Curt 38 Cognac brand 39 Actress Patti 42 Touches on the shoulder 44 Rap’s ___ Nas X 46 Graduation cap feature

47 Not often 50 Easy wins 51 Directive in a sauce recipe 52 Humorist Bombeck 54 To be, in French 55 Stuff in a certain muffin 56 Misplace 57 Card that beats a deuce 60 Congressional approval 61 Teacher’s pen color, often Solution to today’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

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Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Friday, July 30, 2021

‘The Politician’: Dangerously disarming Afternoon viewing heats up with ‘Nagbabagang Luha’

HERE is a fabulous series on Netflix. It is delicious to the senses, endearing in its evil ways. It is about these creatures called politicians. The show itself bears the armor of that name: The Politician. The vaulting ambition begins in a high school in Santa Barbara, California. Our leading man is this wealthy high school student Payton Hobart who, early on, has decided and accepted what he feels is his destiny—to be the president of the United States of America. Along the way, he has to secure his slot with Harvard. The journey is tortured and yet, for Payton, certain. One of these twisted paths is the local politics he must face in his own school. There, he embarks on a candidacy that either (a) puts to shame hardcore politicians or (b) makes us think that corruption and viciousness are really the product of the kind of schooling we subject our children to. In the days leading to the election, we are exposed to the manipulations and machinations of the candidates. The passion these young men and women share with such toxicity lead to personal conflicts, which screech to a dead end. The characters, however, find their way out only to create again more troubles for themselves. But to talk about this series only in terms of youthful ambitions (oh to be young and to be corrupt) is to forget that this show has been developed by Ryan Murphy (with Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk) who brought us series like Glee, Pose and The Boys in the Band. He is also the mind behind Feud, which resurrected, through the glitzy bravura and bravado of Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. And who should greet us in Season 1 of this series but Jessica Lange herself, playing the grandmother who convinces her granddaughter that she has cancer. A grandmother from hell with big hairdo to boot, Lange is Dusty Jackson, a woman whose moods and movements are accompanied by the songs of Shirley Bassey! In Season 1, Payton is running for president and he is finding it difficult to find a running mate. He finds it in Infinity Jackson. Across the aisle, a candidate who is gone (let me not say what caused his disappearance) is taken over by his girlfriend, Astrid. It takes a while to for this young woman to find a vice-president. But she soon settles for a colored candidate. There is so much flip-flopping in this election that one wonders whether these young politicians are looking to their adult counterparts as role models, or is youth really the wellspring of virtues and vices necessary in political life and ambition? As the narrative unfolds, the gimmicks and agonies of these candidates and their teams are so

BEN PLATT (center) headlines the Netflix satire The Politician.

real, we forget we are watching a mere school election. Credit for us being lost and dutifully immersed in this juvenile purgatory to true political hell is the cast. Led by Ben Platt, the cast is composed of many first-timers who are all stellar. Platt can dance and sing; he has perfect angst and he can act. He honed his craft in musical theater, with Dear Evan Hansen uppermost to his credit. That play is now a film with Platt reprising the lead role. In The Politician, he begins as this brat-nerd who is naturally scheming and goes on to be introspective in Season 2, where he runs again for a political position. Supporting Ben Platt is a batch of colorful actors in the variegated sense of it, beginning with Zoey Dutch as Infinity Jackson. As this manipulated victim of a terminal illness, Dutch as Infinity builds herself up from a truly tragic figure, then to a pathetically annoying casualty of her own artlessness. How she rises from the muck in Season 2 is as much the function of the script as Dutch’s quirky charm. Then there is Astrid, the wealthy girl who is hot and fashionable and lovely, but who discovers that the fakery in her family is not only in conscience but in class as well. Pardon this term, but there is an actor in this series who prepares us for the things to come when it comes to gender and identity. This is Theo Germaine who, as James Sullivan, is one of the tacticians for Payton. Theo Germaine is a non-binary and, thus, uses the

pronouns “they/them” and “he/him”. Completing this band of intrepid actors are Laura Dreyfuss as McAfee, Julia Schlaepfer as Alice, and Rahne Jones. Gwyneth Paltrow, subdued but terrifically incendiary, is Mom to Payton. She is married to a rich man but soon leaves him for a butch aviator played by Martina Navratilova. In Season 2, Payton and his high school friends and enemies become one as they fight the older, real politicians. It is set in Albany, New York, and here we have two natural scene-stealers (mainly because they are given roles to chew on): Judith Light as Dede Standish and, behold, Bette Midler. Sophisticated, wise beyond her political ideology, Light’s foreverwinning senator is glum and glam combined. She is so used to victories, she has rested on her gilded laurels. With a name like Hadassah Gold, Midler’s public relations maven can ease herself into a situation and squeeze herself out of the stickiest corner. Midler has moments of kilometric lines she delivers with aplomb, as if she can hear an applause after each pause, or period. For all the entertainment value of the series, it is dangerous to watch The Politician because you are disarmed by what we are supposed to arm ourselves against—the obnoxiously osmotic power of these people whose sole business is to govern us and make us powerless. The Politician streams on Netflix. n

Olympic gold, an original series Television is a powerful medium. So powerful that it can make someone as jaded as I am cry. I am quite familiar with the landscape. I work on TV. I know what happens in front of and behind the camera. But a couple of days ago, I was crying as I surfed various networks. On Teleradyo, I saw a man talking about his supposed achievements for the last six years or so. I was crying for our nation as we really have gone through a lot lately, from the pandemic to a down economy. I cried so much wishing that the country could heal. A few hours later, I found myself crying again but this time out of joy. Hidilyn Diaz bagged our first Olympic gold medal and I really felt ecstatic. I was watching with my dog Andie who looked at me funny and then approached me, mistakenly thinking I needed comfort. And then the moment that our national anthem played and our flag was raised above China’s and Kazakhstan’s, I just lost it and ugly-cried. I bawled like a baby and Andie howled in sync with my sobbing. Everyone has already said how Hidilyn lifted the spirits of the entire nation, or how she has inspired the whole country and given us the much-needed sunshine after all the floods and torrential rains we have been experiencing, and they are all right. Her gold medal is our gold medal. Her victory is our victory. For the first time in many months, I slept smiling. Hidilyn’s victory has lingered with me. And then a friend told me that she has a great life story. After all, Hidilyn is

more than her Olympic triumph, and this is dramatized on the anthology show MMK. To know more about her, this MMK episode will be reaired this Saturday on A2Z and Kapamilya Channel. Jane Oineza brings Hidilyn’s inspiring story to life, along with actors Monsour del Rosario, Smokey Manaloto and Mico Aytona. I will surely watch this episode again. After all, I still have Hidilyn fever. nnn AFTER becoming a household name for her award-winning turn in the movie Fan Girl, Charlie Dizon is playing another fearless character in her latest project—a hopeless romantic searching for true love, even if it kills her. Charlie refuses to let a deadly illness hold her back as

Beginning August 2, the hottest rivalry between two sisters ignites on GMA’s afternoon block with the highly anticipated TV adaptation of the 1988 blockbuster film Nagbabagang Luha. The network proudly brings back the classic movie of renowned filmmaker Ishmael Bernal with the remake featuring award-winning actress Glaiza de Castro as Maita Montaire, responsible sister of Cielo and faithful wife of Alex who has a burning love for her family; Rayver Cruz as Alex Montaire, Maita’s husband and the general manager at Montaire Group of Farms and Resorts who has a burning desire to succeed; Mike Tan as Bien de Dios, Maita’s longtime friend who protects her at all costs despite his unrequited love for her; and seasoned actress Gina Alajar as Mrs. Calida Montaire, Alex’s overprotective and conniving mother who dislikes Maita believing that she steals her son’s attention. Featured in this series is GMA’s newest promising star Claire Castro as Cielo Ignacio, Maita’s narcissistic and seductive sister who has an insatiable hunger for attention. Completing the powerhouse cast are Allan Paule, Archie Adamos, Myrtle Sarrosa, Royce Cabrera, Ralph Noriega, Karenina Haniel, and Bryan Benedict. Making her teleserye comeback, Glaiza reveals her admiration toward the original actress who played the role of Maita: “I feel honored to be chosen to reprise the role of Lorna Tolentino because she is one of the veteran actors I really look up to. She gives every role not only justice but also truth, and that’s always been my objective ever since. I look forward to working with my coactors, especially Ms. Gina Alajar who was my first mentor in acting.” Rayver, in turn, shares that he genuinely enjoyed the camaraderie of everyone on the set during their lock-in taping, “Masaya ’yung experience. First time ko na ganito katagal ’yung lock-in taping. After a long time, ngayon lang ulit kasi ako sumabak sa teleserye tapos sakto na lock-in taping. Hindi ko na-feel na matagal kasi masaya ’yung samahan namin, para talagang isang pamilya kami.” Meanwhile, Claire admits feeling pressured after landing the role of Cielo but is beyond grateful for the support of her costars: “I am honored and pressured at the same time. Thankfully, my costars are approachable, very professional, and very kind. They helped me a lot. They are very supportive to a newbie like me.” Despite struggling to make ends meet and having been deserted by their mother, sisters Maita and Cielo have formed an inseparable bond since childhood. Maita has always been protective of her younger sister Cielo but as the latter gets older, she starts to crave for freedom and exhibits rebellious behavior. Their ordinary life takes an unexpected turn when Cielo gets abducted leading to an irrevocable tragedy. As Maita grieves, her boyfriend Alex becomes her source of strength and peace. Just when Maita is about to start a new life with Alex, Cielo resurfaces—and lives unravel. Nagbabagang Luha is under the supervision of the award-winning GMA Entertainment Group headed by SVP for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, FVP for Drama Redgie A. Magno and SAVP for Drama Cheryl ChingSy. Airing right after Eat Bulaga, the drama is directed by Ricky Davao. Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. It is also available for streaming via iQiyi International or www.IQ.com for subscribers in the Philippines.

GLAIZA de castRo and Rayver Cruz stars in Nagbabagang Luha

Chasing the vaccine she unexpectedly falls in love for the first time with Jameson Blake in the iWantTFC original series My Sunset Girl, which is currently streaming worldwide. Here, Charlie plays Ciara, a free-spirited young lady who defies her circumstances in pursuit of love and happiness. She suffers from xeroderma pigmentosum, an illness that could turn deadly if she is exposed to sunlight for a long period of time. As a result, Ciara is unable to travel the world but she makes up for this by watching travel vlogs and making friends online. Despite her rare condition, Ciara believes she is still capable of falling in love, and that she will find the right person who will love her back. Ciara then comes across and develops a deep bond with Lucas (Jameson), a travel enthusiast just like her who promises to help her accomplish all her goals in her travel bucket list. But as the two start to get closer, Ciara realizes it is not only her sickness that will hinder her from meeting up with Lucas. Her strict mother Melissa (Mylene Dizon) will prevent them from seeing each other, and even go as far as confronting Lucas to stay away from her daughter. Coproduced by Dreamscape Entertainment and All Blacks Media, the iWantTFC original series is directed by Andoy Ranay. It also stars Lance Reblando, Ana Abad Santos, Jun Jun Quintana, Frances Makil-Ignacio, and Jonathan Tadioan. My Sunset Girl can be streamed via the iWantTFC app or on www.iwanttfc.com.

Continued from B4 LGU was efficient as well. By then I had already given up on the Quezon City LGU. It was too much stress just to get a schedule. I’m pretty sure some Quezon City residents will contradict me, and will probably say they had an easy time getting their vaccination appointments and jabs. But I also have an equally good number of residents who just found the entire exercise exhausting. And when there is no common experience, which just means the LGU’s service is inconsistent. Mayor Joy Belmonte has to find a better, easier way for residents to get vaxxed. Stop reinventing the wheel, and just copy the good practices of other LGUs. Meanwhile, kudos to the private companies which have stepped up to offer free jabs to frontliners, or are selling the vaccines they imported almost at cost. I, for one, am extremely grateful I had a lot of avenues in which to chase the vaccine. With the Delta variant now stealthily spreading through the population, government needs to step up the vaccine importation and just jab anyone who wants them. We can’t keep opening and closing the economy because people need to work to put food on their family’s table. And LGUs have to make it almost effortless for their constituents to get the vaccines. What is needed is a no-nonsense approach to registration, scheduling and jabbing, and to minimize queueing or at least strictly implement social distancing at the lines. Many Filipinos are ready to receive their jabs. We just need more of the vaccines—NOW. n

B6 Friday, July 30, 2021

Farmers, employees, teachers benefit from TransUnion and 1CISP contract

IN a new normal contract-signing event held recently, clockwise from top left: 1CISP President and CEO Roy Miclat; TraXion Tech Inc. CEO Ann Cuisia; TransUnion Philippines Project Specialist for Data Expansion Arra Santos; TransUnion Philippines Director for New Member Solutions Ninotchka Sulit; and TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia Arellano.

NFORMATION and insights company TransUnion has reached an agreement with 1 Cooperative Insurance System of the Philippines (1CISP) and its partner TraXion Tech Inc. to extend its solutions to cooperatives in underserved and underbanked areas in the country. 1CISP offers support to mostly underprivileged communities by providing their cooperatives with life and non-life insurance products and wider financial services. Its tech partner— TraXion Tech—is a systems integration company that specializes in transaction management systems. Together, the two organizations launched and operate the DigiCoop website where cooperative members can apply for loans, insurance, and investments, pay bills and other financial commitments, and access the DigiCoop virtual marketplace, among other capabilities. The website provides a convenient online platform that supports financial inclusion in rural areas. Under the partnership, TransUnion will provide 1CISP and its membercooperatives a reliable credit scoring and reporting system integrated and ready to use within the DigiCoop platform. This finally gives cooperatives visibility on their members’ off-books credit behavior, enabling them to assess the creditworthiness of their existing borrowers and new applicants

more efficiently and effectively and at a reduced cost. It will help cooperatives better manage their portfolio and lend with greater confidence, empowering them to be more competitive and allowing them to grant more and bigger access to credit to their community. There are approximately 3,000 cooperatives serving members such as farmers, government employees, and teachers nationwide that will benefit from the partnership. Through TransUnion’s solutions, 1CISP membercooperatives will be able to offer them more tailored products and services that are reflective of the member’s individual finances whilst offering a faster and more convenient loan application process. “Technology plays a huge role in terms of providing services, and DigiCoop and our other initiatives have played an important part already during the pandemic. With the addition of TransUnion’s solutions, we can extend our reach and fulfill our responsibility of providing protection and risk mitigation to the communities and members we serve,” said 1CISP President and CEO Roy Miclat. “Grassroots finance has been performing well during COVID-19 and we want to reinforce this position. Our partnership with TransUnion enables us to further enhance cooperative lending capabilities.”

“As a tech provider, one of the biggest pain points in serving the communities is the lack of infrastructure. Alongside 1CISP and TransUnion, we enable cooperatives to virtually roll out services that they were only able to provide traditionally. By integrating TransUnion’s services into the DigiCoop platform, cooperatives now have access to better insights and intelligence that will help them mitigate and weigh the risks that go along with providing their members the loan that they require,” said TraXion Tech CEO Ann Cuisia. As part of the data-sharing agreement, 1CISP will also contribute its cooperative data to TransUnion’s database and strengthen the insights it is able to provide. In the end, it will become a true bayanihan effort that empowers all stakeholders to work towards achieving countryside development and nation-building goals. “We’re proud to work with organizations like 1CISP and TraXion Tech that share our vision of improving financial inclusion to ensure that no Filipino gets left behind. This is only the beginning. It will be an ever-evolving process as we onboard more cooperatives into TransUnion and customize our solutions to tackle their specific needs,” said TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia Arellano.

Converge provides consistent fixed internet in serviceable regions in Q2 of 2021

OKLA, the global leader in internet testing and analysis, recently verified Converge ICT Solutions Inc. as the most consistent fixed internet provider in six regions, including Metro Manila, based on the recent Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® analysis for the second quarter of the year. The other regions with consistent Converge internet connectivity are Calabarzon (CaviteLaguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon), Ilocos, Central Luzon, Bicol and the Cordillera Administrative Region. Converge garnered a consistency score of 79.46%. This score measures the percentage of a provider’s samples that equals or exceeds a fixed threshold of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. According to Ookla, Converge average internet download speeds for the major regions such as Metro Manila is at 71.22 Mbps, Calabarzon at 74.20 Mbps and Bicol region at 54.44 Mbps.

In June 2021, Philippines’ internet ranking went up to 62nd spot with 66.55 Mbps, out of 180 countries in the fixed broadband category. Converge’s average internet download speed is at 78.88 Mbps in the same month. “Converge has been aggressively expanding and continuously hardening the network to consistently provide world-class internet connectivity to more areas nationwide,” said Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus Romero. Visit convergeict.com for more details.

Private sector supports the two-week lockdown to save lives and livelihood

OLLOWING the recent confirmed reports of Delta variant cases in the country, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion, in consultation with the private sector, supports the proposal of implementing a 2-week lockdown to mitigate the spread of Delta variant to save both lives and livelihood. “We have to protect the lives of the most vulnerable ones most especially our unvaccinated kababayans and continue the aggressive vaccination rollouts while addressing the problem of Delta,” Concepcion said. Concepcion also highlighted the importance of the 4th quarter to the business sector. “It is the most important quarter of the year. This is where consumers spend Christmas. Election spending will also come. Most businesses who lost their income from the previous months will be able to recover,” he added. This proposal is in lieu of the OCTA research recommendation to have a Circuit Breaker Hard Lockdown in NCR for 2

weeks because “once a Delta surge begins, it accelerates in an explosive fashion.” According to OCTA research, the projection based on the behavior of the Delta variant in our ASEAN neighbors suggests that the surge will begin to impact our healthcare system in NCR by the middle of August and hospitals will become overwhelmed by the end of August. “No ASEAN countries have reversed the surge without locking down major cities. The longer we wait, the harder we can reverse the surge.” Meanwhile, Concepcion has expressed his full support should the government push for a 2-week lockdown similar to the one we had last March this year. “We prefer that we solve the problem early and not wait for the problem to get bigger, because then we will have a lockdown for months. That is the most catastrophic thing in our country if that happens in the 4th quarter,” Concepcion said. Concepcion stressed: “If we have to do it, let us do it. Let us prepare for it. We have to be decisive. We have to move quickly.”

Jessy Mendiola stays safe and strong this rainy season with Calcium Cee

HE rainy season has come upon us, and with that comes the need for stronger immunity to fight off seasonal colds and flus. While diet and exercise are always highly recommended to help achieve optimal health, supplements such as Calcium Cee provide another muchneeded layer of defense against illness by boosting one’s immune system.

“I strive to stay fit throughout the year, but more so during the rainy days because I know I have to be extra careful against cough, cold, and flu,” says Calcium Cee brand ambassador Jessy Mendiola since the immune systems become more vulnerable to illness as it weakens due to sudden changes in weather and fluctuating temperatures. To combat this, Jessy makes sure to clock in at least 8 hours of sleep coupled with a quick workout every day. “Upon waking up, I drink lots of water as hydration is very important. I’m not that strict with myself when it comes to my diet but I make sure that I eat in moderation. And on days, when I’m feeling lethargic, I detoxify my body to ‘reset’ it. But, whatever my schedule, I never forget my daily dose of Calcium Cee,” says Jessy. Calcium Cee is Jessy’s preferred supplement as it nourishes and protects

the body with fortified double protection of vitamin C and calcium. These key nutrients are two of the most important and most potent in maintaining a strong and healthy body. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that destroys free radicals that cause diseases, and it’s a powerful immune booster that effectively aids against viral infections. On the other hand, calcium – aside from building strong bones and teeth to combat osteoporosis – strengthens the circulatory system, helping blood vessels and muscles to contract. Calcium also aids in correcting hormone and mineral imbalances, particularly phosphate and potassium. “I’m very happy that I discovered Calcium Cee as this trusted brand is perfect for my lifestyle. I don’t like heavy breakfasts either, and since Calcium Cee is non-acidic, I can safely take it in the mornings on an

“USE GOVERNMENT AID WELL AND WORK HARD.” Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III urges overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the beneficiaries of various government programs to put to good use the financial and livelihood assistance they receive from the government by working hard, to improve the lives of their families, and contribute to the progress of their community and the country, during the distribution of various assistance from DOLE, at the municipal gymnasium in Barili town in Cebu province on July 24, 2021. (Photo by DOLE-IPS)

Get your beauty and wellness essentials from Watsons via foodpanda shops empty stomach,” she adds. As a nonsodium supplement, Calcium Cee does not contribute to the risk of hypertension and heart disease, as well as kidney disease. “It’s very important to take care of ourselves especially now during the pandemic and with the rainy season. We need to stay healthy for ourselves and our loved ones. And with Calcium Cee, becoming healthier and stronger becomes easy and cost-effective,” she ends. Calcium Cee is available in all Mercury Drug Store, Watsons,All Day RX, Merry Mart outlets nationwide and Alturas Bohol. For more information, call the Calcium Cee hotline at 09175644233

AKE self-care to the next level as you stay safe at home. It’s now more convenient to get your wellness and beauty essentials from Watsons as foodpanda shops now includes its extensive catalogue of your favorite brands. Choose from the wide array of skin care products, hygiene needs, and wellness aids by browsing on the foodpanda shops section and have these delivered to your doorstep in as fast as 20 minutes. Find your health supplements in the Watsons catalogue on the foodpanda shops section and supercharge your immunity and beauty by beating off free radicals and staying stress-free. Any beauty routine starts with flawless skin. The Watsons selections on foodpanda shops has many choices of cleansers, serums, masks, and moisturizers to suit your skin’s needs. The latest makeup trends go for expressive eyes, glammed up pouts, and barely-there

foundation. Try out these looks on palettes that suit your skin tone from Watsons. Give your crowning glory the royal treatment with products that lock in healthy, shiny hair. Give your locks a good color rinse or deep condition it to get rid of frizz. All these and more are available online with just a few taps on Watsons on the foodpanda shops section. Moreover, save on your favorite Watsons products by availing of the 10% off promo on a minimum order of P499! "With the recent addition of Watsons on foodpanda shops, consumers will now have an easy access to stay-at-home essentials from personal care, medicines, to make up, including their in-house brands. Find out the nearest branch near you and our friendly foodpanda riders will deliver them straight to your door,” says Daniel Marogy, foodpanda managing director.

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

The World

Tsunami watch issued for Hawaii after Alaska’s 8.2 magnitude quake

ER RY V I L L E , A l a sk a— A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii on Wednesday evening following a large earthquake off the Alaska peninsula. According to Honolulu Star Advertiser, The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center listed the magnitude as 8.1 and said “an investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii.” But the US Geological Survey said the quake was magnitude 8.2 and hit 56 miles (91 kilometers) east southeast of Perryville, Alaska at about 8:15 p.m. The quake was about 29 miles below the surface of the ocean, according to USGS. Two other ear thqua kes w ith preliminar y mag nitudes of 6.2 a nd 5.6 occ u r red in t he sa me

a rea w it h in a ha l f hou r of t he f irst one, t he US Geolog ica l Su r vey repor ted. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a notice that the potential threat to Guam and American Samoa was still under investigation. “Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter,” PTWC said. Ba sed on t he pre l i m i n a r y seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage. Moderate shaking probably occurred in Perryville, Chignik Lake and Sandpoint. AP

US defense chief visits Vietnam, vows support for Southeast Asia

A NOI , V i e t n a m — U S Secretar y of Defense Lloyd Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China, during a twoday visit starting Wednesday. In a speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region he is visiting for the first time as a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, Austin said Tuesday he was committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the People’s Liberation Army. But he repeated that Beijing’s claim to v irtua lly the entire South China Sea “has no basis in international law” and “treads on the sovereignty of states in the region.” He said the US continues to suppor t t he reg ion’s coa st a l states in upholding their rights under international law, and remains committed to the defense treaty obligations the US has with Japan and the Philippines. “Unfortunately, Beijing’s unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isn’t just occurring on the water,” Austin said. “We have also seen aggression against India...destabilizing military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan...and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.”

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to Austin. “ The US ignored the facts, deliberately smeared China, interfered in China’s internal affairs and sowed discords among regional countries with the aim of ser ving its own geopolitical interest,” Zhao said at a regular news briefing. “We admonish the US side not to make an issue about China at ever y turn and do more for the benefit of peace and stability in the region.” Austin is scheduled to meet his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning. He leaves for the Philippines on Friday. Vietnam and the Philippines are among China’s fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbors’ protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores. Austin’s visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown. T he US has donated 5 m i ll ion doses of t he Moder na vacc ine, pa r t of t he 80 m i l l ion doses t hat Biden pledged to lower-income nat ions a rou nd t he world. AP

BusinessMirror

Friday, July 30, 2021

Tokyo officials alarmed as cases hit record highs

OKYO—Japanese officials sounded the alarm on Thursday after Tokyo reported recordbreaking coronavirus cases for two straight days with the Olympics well underway. “We have never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters. He said the new cases were soaring not only in the Tokyo area but also across the country. Tokyo reported 3,177 new cases on Wednesday, up from 2,848 on Tuesday, setting an all-time high and exceeding 3,000 for the first time. Japan has kept its cases and deaths lower than many other

cou nt r ies, but its se ven- d ay rolling average is growing and now stands at 28 per 100,000 people nationw ide and 88 in Tokyo, according to the Health Ministry. This compares to 18.5 in the United States, 48 in Britain and 2.8 in India, according to data from Johns Hopk ins University. “ W h i le a l most not h i ng i s helping to slow the infections, t here a re m a ny factors t h at can accelerate them,” said Dr. Shigeru Omi, a top government

me d ic a l adv i ser, not i ng t he Olympics and summer vacation. “ The biggest risk is the lack of a sense of crisis and without it, the infections will further expand and put medical systems under severe strain.” Tokyo has been under its fourth state of emergency since July 12, ahead of the Olympics, which began last Friday despite widespread public opposition and concern that the Games could worsen the outbreak. People are still roaming the st reets despite st ay-at-home requests, making the measures largely ineffective at a time the more infectious Delta strain is spreading, he said. “We have never seen the infections spread so rapidly.” A larmed by the surge in Tokyo, the governors of three prefectures adjacent to the capital said they plan to ask Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to place

their areas under the state of emergency too. Experts say Tokyo’s surge is being propelled by the Delta variant of the virus and there is no evidence of the disease being transmitted from Olympic participants to the general public. Tokyo officials said Thursday that two foreign Olympic athletes are currently hospitalized and 38 others are self-isolating at designated hotels in the city. Gov. Yuriko Koike urged the organizers to make sure not to burden Tokyo’s hospitals. Nationwide, Japan reported more than 9,500 confirmed cases, a new record, on Wednesday for a total of about 892,000, with about 15,000 deaths. As of Wednesday, 26.3 percent of the Japanese population has been fully vaccinated. The percentage of the elderly who are fully vaccinated is 70 percent, or 24.8 million people. AP

China strengthens Taliban ties ahead of US Afghanistan pullout

EIJING—China’s foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of highlevel Taliban officials as ties between them warm ahead of the US pullout from Afghanistan. A photo posted on the ministr y’s web site showed Wang Yi posing with senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation in the city of Tianjin, then sitting down to talks. The highly conspicuous show of friendliness had the appearance of a diplomatic mission at a time when the Taliban are craving legitimacy. Wa ng sa id C h ina respects A fghan sovereig n independence and ter r itor ia l integ r it y a nd a lw ay s ad heres to noninter ference in A fgha nist a n’s inter na l a f fa irs. He said the hasty withdrawal of the US and NATO “reveals the failure of America’s policies and offers the Afghan people an important opportunity to stabilize and develop their own country.” W h i le no agend a w a s a nnounced for the meeting, China

has an interest in pushing the Taliban to deliver on peace t a l k s or at l e a s t re du c e t he l e v e l of v iolence a s t he y gobble up ter r it or y f rom A f g h a n go v e r n me nt forc e s . China and Afghanistan sha re a na r row border h igh in the remote Wak han Valley, and China has long been concer ned about a possible spi l lover of Isl a m ic m i l it a nc y into its formerly volatile X injiang reg ion. China has a lso sig ned dea ls for oi l, gas a nd copper m ining in A fgha nist a n, a lt hough t hose have long been dor ma nt. “ The Taliban are a pivotal militar y and political force in Afghanistan and are expected to play an important role in the in process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction,” Wang said. China, Wang said, hopes the Taliban will put the nation’s and the people’s interests first and focus on peace talks, set peace goals, establish a “positive image” and work for unity among all factions and ethnic groups. Wang also said China hopes

the Taliban will “deal resolutely” with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group China claims is leading a push for independence in X injiang, but which many experts doubt even exists in any operational form. The heads of the Taliban Religious Council and the Propaganda Committee were also on the trip. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 is seen as a boon to China, Washington’s chief strategic competitor, which has long resented the presence of US troops in what it considers its own backyard. I f t h e Ta l i b a n d o t o p p l e t he U S - b a c k e d c e nt r a l go v er nment, C h ina cou ld ga in a st rateg ic cor r idor a l low ing it a nd long-t ime a l ly Pa k ista n to br ing f ur ther pressure against common r iva l Ind i a. Baradar’s visit comes shortly after Pakistan’s foreign minister and intelligence chief made their trips to China. Pakistan is seen as key to peace in A fghanistan. T he Ta l iban

leadership is headquartered in Pakistan and Islamabad has used its leverage, which it says is now waning, to press the Taliban to talk peace. W hile the Tianjin meeting could be seen as a snub at the US, Washington has been meeting with China and Russia to produce statements calling on the Taliban to enter into a peace deal. Z a l m ay K h a l i l z a d , Wa s h ington’s point person in talks a i med at end i ng dec ades of war in Afghanistan, also made a brief visit to Pakistan earlier this month as relations between Islamabad and K abul reached a new low. That has fed perceptions that the US is engaged in stepped-up efforts to obtain a peace deal ahead of the August 31 deadline that also includes China. After US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Wang in Tianjin on Monday, she and the State Department included Afghanistan on the list of “areas of global interest” that the US and China could cooperate on. AP

Floods make thousands homeless in Bangladesh Rohingya camps

H A K A , B a ng l adesh — Days of heavy rainfall have pelted Rohing ya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, destroying dwellings and sending thousands of people to live with extended family or in communal shelters. Just in the 24 hours to Wednesday alone, more than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) of rain fell on the camps in Cox’s Bazar district hosting more than 800,000 Rohingya, the UN refugee agency said. That’s nearly half the average July rainfall in one day while more heavy downpours are expected in the next few days and the monsoon season stretches over the next three months. “ T he s it u at ion i s f u r t he r compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. T here is currently a strict national lockdown in response to rising cases across the countr y,” the agency said. The agency said it was saddened by the deaths of six people at the camps earlier this week,

five in a landslide caused by the rains and a child swept away by floodwaters. C it ing init i a l repor ts, t he U N H i g h C om m i s s ione r for Refugees said more than 12,0 0 0 ref ugees were a f fected by t he heav y ra infa l l wh i le a n est imated 2, 50 0 shelters have been d a m aged or dest royed. More than 5,000 refugees have tempora r i ly been relocated to ot her fa m i ly member’s shelters or com mu n a l fac i l it ies, the agenc y said in a statement. Refugees said they were struggling to eat or drink properly. “Due to the continuous rainfall for the last four days, today my house is full of water,” says Khatija Begum, who has five children. “We are not even able to eat.” Begum says she fears her children will drown and die in their sleep. C yc lones, he av y mon so on rains, f loods, landslides and other natural hazards are an annual difficulty in the camps. More than 700,000 Rohing ya

Rohingya refugee children play in floodwaters at the Rohingya refugee camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Days of heavy rains have brought thousands of shelters in various Rohingya refugee camps in Southern Bangladesh under water, rendering thousands of refugees homeless. AP/ Shafiqur Rahman

have lived in refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the militar y in Buddhistm a j o r it y My a n m a r b e g a n a harsh crackdown on the Muslim ethnic group following an attack by insurgents. The crackdown included rapes, killings and the torching of thousands of homes, and was termed ethnic cleansing by global rights groups and the United Nations. While Bangladesh and Myanmar have sought to arrange repatriations, the Rohingya are too fearful to return home. The International Organization for Migration says Cox’s Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees live, is one of the most disaster-prone parts of Bangladesh. It is a delta nation crisscrossed by many rivers that gets intense rainfall regularly due to its monsoon climate and location on the Bay of Bengal, where the warm waters can generate destructive tropical cyclones. AP

B8 Friday, July 30, 2021

Motoring BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Chevrolet introduces the All-New Tracker

Story by Randy S. Peregrino

HE Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI), exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet automobiles and parts in the country, recently launched its latest model offering—the all-new Tracker.

The introduction of this newest model is the American automaker’s take to confidently join the highly competitive crossover SUV segment in the country. “We are excited to introduce the all-new Chevrolet Tracker to the Philippine market. This highly acclaimed crossover is a welcome addition to our refreshed model portfolio. The Tracker continues Chevrolet’s tradition of producing highly-capable crossovers and highlights the brand’s unrelenting focus on growing market segments by offering stylishly designed vehicles loaded with customer-centric technology,” said Atty. Albert B. Arcilla, president and Chief Executive Officer of TCCCI. The all-new Tracker is the latest model in Chevy’s new-generation, global SUV lineup. Currently, it is the best-selling utility vehicle in major Latin American markets and is making waves in China, one of the biggest markets for Chevrolet. “The Tracker will appeal to Filipino customers who want more from their crossover SUV. Available in two feature-packed variants, the Tracker offers fuel efficiency, safety, comfort, convenience, and connectivity packaged in a practical and capable SUV,” Arcilla added. With practical functionality, modern athletic design, intelligent connectivity features, refined engine technology, advanced safety features, and smart cargo space, the newest crossover comes in two model variants—the base Tracker

LS and the striking Tracker LT Redline Edition. “Bringing the new Chevrolet Tracker to the Philippines represents a new chapter in the successful and ever-evolving Chevrolet crossover and SUV story that we started writing in 1935 with the Chevrolet Suburban Carryall, the world’s first SUV,” emphasized Christian Soemmer, president and Managing Director of GM Strategic Markets Alliances and Distributors. “And the Tracker with its attractive design and state-of-the-art technical features is the living proof of our 85 years of crossover and SUV expertise.”

Signature style meets modern design

Both exterior and interior layouts drew inspiration from Chevrolet’s sporty DNA while also adapting to the brand’s new and dynamic design philosophy. Sharp, angular lines across its profile provide that youthful countenance, while a Ushaped surface on the hood denotes a bold touch complementing the front’s overall design. Further, the squared-off LED daytime running lights, which double as turn signals, further enhance the Tracker’s striking fascia. The Tracker Redline Edition is upfront with design elements. It conveys the vehicle’s athletic demeanor through its strong black and red accents on the familiar front double grille, plus a distinct horizontal red trim and a black Chevy bowtie

The all-new Chevrolet Tracker crossover SUV

emblem. Even the black heated side mirrors with bright L-shaped red trim and 17-inch black alloy rims with red accents received exclusive trim treatment. Exclusive to the Tracker Redline Edition is a large, sliding panoramic sunroof. Moreover, similar design elements stretched throughout the interior with an all-black dual cockpit and jet-black seats accented with red double stitching. On the other hand, the Tracker LS offers a more playful, sporty lifestyle look and feel, with its two-toned jet black and captain blue interior. Inspired by Chevrolet’s long history on the racetrack, the Tracker features sports-style driver and passenger seats that provide utmost comfort and support.

Tech, space, and then some

The top-spec LT Redline has keyless entry and modern keyless ignition, as well as automatic climate control. Its race-inspired steering wheels sport a flat-bottom, leather-wrapped, Bosch Electric Power Steering wheel with audio controls. Meanwhile, the dashboard has a sleek, functional, and floating eight-inch colored touchscreen featuring the latest generation Chevrolet MyLink Infotainment System. It allows for smooth car and smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay compatibility for easier and safer navigation, plays music, reads and

Sporty interior design concept

sends messages, and phone calls operation via system controls or Siri. The Tracker’s MyLink Infotainment System also has Bluetooth connectivity, four USB ports, and one SD card reader slot. Space-wise, the vehicle provides more than 20 innovative storage solutions to keep things organized inside. With multiple seating configurations, including 60/40 splitfolding rear seats, the new generation crossover SUV opens more room for essential cargo.

Powerful drive, confident rides

Motivation comes from a lightweight, new generation 1.0-liter three-cylinder DOHC Ecotec Turbo engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The motor

can generate 116 hp at 5800 rpm and 175 N-m of maximum torque between 1500-4200 rpm. The allnew engine is packed with intelligent technologies, resulting in excellent performance and better fuel economy. It has an Active Thermal Management System with Electric Water Pump, Exhaust Gas Recirculation, and Variable Displacement Oil Pump. These components ensure no wasted energy to optimize engine performance and maintain engine temperature while expending lower battery power and fuel consumption. The Water-Cooled Turbo Intercooler helps improve mechanical durability and lengthens the turbocharger’s life. Another feature is the Engine

Toyota in Tokyo Olympics

Start/Stop System. It effectively helps reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Fully adapting to different traffic conditions, the discretionary Start/Stop function automatically shuts down the engine when the vehicle runs at low speed or is stationary. It is agile in restarting the engine before the driver releases the brake pedal, ensuring that a smooth drive and vehicle performance are maintained and consistent. Safety-wise, the all-new Tracker comes with a range of active and passive safety technologies, including front and rear disc brakes, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Emergency Brake Warning, Rollover Mitigation, Enhanced Understeer Control, Mini Spare Detection, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Traction Control System (TCS), Engine Drag Control (EDC), Panic Brake Assist (PBA), and Hill Start Assist (HSA). Moreover, it has Low Vacuum Brake Assist (LVBA), No Vacuum Brake Assist (NVBA), Fading Brake Assist (FBA), Torque Vectoring Brakes (TVBB), Engine Immobilizer, Anti-theft A lert System, and Express-Up Window with Anti-Pinch function. There is even Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), driver, front passenger, side airbags, ISOFIX system, electric heated side mirrors, and reverse camera with a wide 130-degree viewing angle. The base Tracker LS retails at P1.142.888 million, while you can own the striking Tracker LT Redline Edition for P1.242.888 million. Available colors are Agate Red Metallic, Satin Steel Gray Metallic, Black Meet Kettle Metallic, Summit White, and Pow Zinga Metallic (exclusive to the LS variant). A special introductory discount of P30,000.00, regardless of the mode of purchase, is available on the Tracker LS and LT Redline until September 30, 2021. The Tracker also comes with the Chevrolet Complete Care package, which includes a five-year warranty, automatic enrollment to the 24/7 Chevrolet Roadside Assistance for three (3) years, and immediate access to the 24/7 Chevy Hotline for convenient vehicle service and ownership needs.

accounts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 24 autocross racers and 24 circuit racers involving pro drivers, celebrities, influencers and media members competed in various classes. The leaders:

OYOTA has proven once more that it is not only into motoring business but in sports development as well. Thus, I salute Toyota for sponsoring athletes to the Tokyo Olympics. This is huge, even as the world’s No. 1 automaker has tossed in a massive $1 billion in support of the quadrennial Games. This is another proof of the automaker’s commitment to also solidly side with humanity’s goal for excellence, solidarity and perfection through the power of sports. Calling its gritty squad as “Global Team Toyota,” the company has 11 athletes from Asia competing in both the Summer Games from July 23 to Aug. 8 and the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. They come from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The car giant calls its first ever global corporate sports initiative as “Start Your Impossible” journey, encouraging their Olympic bets “to achieve their sporting goals and realize their dreams.” Toyota’s Olympics bets are Indonesian Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in badminton, Singapore’s Joseph Schooling in swimming and Thailand’s Panipak

Wongpattanakit in taekwondo. In the Paralympics, Toyota is supporting Filipino swimmer Ernie Gawilan, together with India’s Kumar Saroha in discus throw, Indonesia’s Ni Nengah Widasih powerlifting, Malaysia’s Abdul Latif Romly long jump, Singapore’s Toh Wei Soong and Sophie Soon swimming, Thailand’s Anchaya Ketkaew swimming and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thanh Trung swimming. Said COO Hao Tien of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific to Toyota’s Olympics bets: “Thank you for inspiring us with your ‘Start Your Impossible’ journey in your communities in Asia through your hero projects, which is in line with Toyota’s core belief that if is when you are free to move, then anything is possible. It is when communities are inspired to come together to overcome social, economic and physical hurdles, that there can be transformation.” It’s thinking-out-of-the-box paradigm that separates the real from the unreal.

Vios Cup Results

THE Vios Cup returned recently with its new name, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup. It was streamed via Toyota’s social media

Promotional Class: 1. Maila Alivia, 2. Jiro Garbes, 3. Julia Delos Angeles. Sporting Class: 1. Inigo Anton, 2. Julian Tang, 3. Joaquin Garrido. Super Sporting Class: 1. Estefano Rivera 2. Gerard Loy 3. Red Diwa. Promotional Class 2: 1. Troy Montero, 2. Maila Alivia, 3. Jason Lao. Sporting Class 2: 1. Julian Tang, 2. Joaquin Garrido, 3. Inigo Anton. Super Sporting Class 2: 1. Gerard Loy, 2. Red Diwa, 3. Estefano Rivera. Promotional Class 3: 1. Jiro Grabes, 2. Fabio Ide, 3. Royce Sarmiento. Sporting Class 3: 1. Inigo Anton, 2. Jacob Ang, 3. Julian Tang. Super Sporting Class 4: 1.Gerard Loy, 2. Bryan Co, 3. Marc Soong. Autocross Challenge: 1. Alex Diaz, 2. John Manalo, 3. Jules Aquino. Media Division: 1. Jose Altoveros, 2. Ian Magbanua, 3. Inigo Roces.

PEE STOP When Onyok Velasco won the boxing silver in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a car company (Nissan?) gave him a car. Will that also happen to Hidilyn Diaz? She outperformed Onyok, who became a comedian afterwards. Hidilyn’s weightlifting gold medal was historic: a first ever victory for the country since our first Olympic stint in the 1924 Paris Games. An SUV for her would be more like it?