BusinessMirror June 07, 2023

Lower food, transport costs slow inflation to 6.1%

THE country’s headline inflation slowed to 6.1 percent in May 2023, the fourth consecutive decline for the year, on the back of slower increases in the prices of transport and food and non-alcoholic beverages, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

PSA data showed that inflation slowed from 6.6 percent in April but was still higher than the 5.4 percent posted in May 2022. The rate in May 2023 was also the slowest in 12 months, when inflation in May 2022 was at 5.4 percent. According to PSA, among the 13 commodity groups, the downtrend of the headline inflation in May 2023 was “primarily” brought about by the annual decline in the index of transport at -0.5 percent

from 2.6-percent annual increase in the previous month.

“The heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages also pulled down the overall inflation during the month with a lower inflation rate of 7.4 percent from 7.9 percent in April 2023,” PSA said.

PSA also noted the third main source of deceleration for the May 2023 inflation was restaurants and accommodation services, which registered slower inflation at 8.3 percent from 8.6 percent in the previous month.

Meanwhile, core inflation was at 7.7 percent, a drop from the 7.9 percent in April 2023. The core inflation excludes selected food and energy items in the headline inflation.

DESPITE SLOWER MAY INFLATION, EL NIÑ O IMPACT EYED

By Andrea E. San Juan

AS inflation in May 2023

eased to 6.1 percent, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it “stands ready” to adjust its monetary policy stance to prevent further “broadening of price pressures,” among others.

In a statement on Tuesday, BSP said the easing of inflation to 6.1 percent in May 2023 is within its forecast range of 5.8 to 6.6 percent, consistent with the overall assessment that inflation will remain elevated over the near term before “gradually” decelerating back to target range in the fourth quarter of 2023 in the absence of further supply-shocks.

The BSP cited risks to the inflation outlook for 2023 and 2024 such as the potential impact of El Niño on food prices and utility rates, among others.

“The balance of risks to the inflation outlook for 2023 and 2024 remains tilted to the upside owing to persistent constraints in the supply of key food items, the potential impact of El Niño on food prices and utility rates, as well as the effects of possible additional adjustments in transportation fares and wages,” BSP said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, it noted, the impact of a weaker-than-expected global economic recovery “continues to be the primary downside risk to the outlook.”

With this, BSP said the Monetary Board (MB) will review its assessment of the inflation and macroeconomic outlook in the monetary policy meeting scheduled on June 22,2023.

“The BSP stands ready to adjust the monetary policy stance

Claire S. Mapa said, partly in Filipino, “We’re seeing a drop in core inflation. Perhaps there are just items under core inflation that are really hard to bring down. These are the items that are lesser in terms of volatility, and as we’ve been mentioning, we have made announcements on inflation in specific commodities like personal care—it’s really hard to bring these down.”

He added that they are “really monitoring those items that are non-food because the food items now, including transport, energy, have declined, but with non-food there are still items there that are really hard to bring down.”

Neda: monitoring system in place

FOR its part, the National Economic and Development Authority

(Neda) assured the public that a “coordinate and proactive monitoring system” is in place to keep food and energy prices within the target range amid the further easing of the country’s inflation to 6.1 percent in May 2023.

“We are confident that we can achieve the government’s inflation target this year as we work closely with concerned government agencies in monitoring the primary drivers of inflation,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

On May 26, 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed Executive Order No. 28, creating the Inter-Agency Committee on Inflation and Market Outlook

See “Inflation,” A2

‘ready’ amid inflation risks

PHL exports boost seen as PBBM signs PEDP ’23-’28

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

THE government will soon provide comprehensive industry and firm level interventions to help increase the country’s export volume under its new Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2023-2028.

GSP+ PENDS, DTI PUSHING FTA TALKS WITH EU

E. Pascual said the Philippines may be eventually barred from availing itself of EU-GSP+ once it achieves upper-middle income status.

The GSP+ exempts several exported Philippines products from tariffs in the EU.

Plus (GSP+) from the regional bloc.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Trade Secretary Alfredo

“This was mentioned to me by the EU parliamentarians,

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has finally approved the PEDP during a sectoral meeting on Tuesday to help boost the country’s competitiveness in terms of merchandise exports through “development-centric” trade facilitation and right regulation.  “We are a laggard in exports, particularly in the export of goods— those merchandise exports. But we are rather doing better and sometimes can be considered ahead of our neighboring countries in the export of services. Typical examples of these services are those offered by the BPOs [business process outsourcing], the IT-BPM [information technologybusiness process management] sector,” Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said in a press briefing. To help increase merchandise exports, the PEDP aims to help address industry production

See “PEDP,” A2

National Statistician Dennis

DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual on Tuesday announced that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has given his approval for the Philippine Export Development Plan 20232028. He also said the government is pushing for the revival of free-trade agreement talks with Europe, as the future of the country’s GSP+ privileges remains

UPSE faculty members air ‘grave concerns’ with MIF

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

NEARLY two dozen faculty members of the UP School of Economics (UPSE) on Tuesday expressed “grave concerns” regarding the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and urged President Marcos Jr. to “seriously reconsider” enacting the measure into law.

The 21 UPSE faculty members coauthored a discussion paper publicly released on Tuesday, explaining why the Marcos Jr. administration’s proposed MIF should not come to life, describing the measure as “still beyond repair.”

The discussion paper outlined six arguments why the MIF “violates” fundamental principles of economics and finance and how it poses “serious” risks to the economy and the public sector.

First, the authors argued that both justification and characterization of the MIF remains “unclear,” which could be a “potential” violation of Principle No. 2 of the Santiago Principles.

Principle No. 2 underscores that “the policy purpose of the SWF should be clearly defined and publicly disclosed.”

The authors explained that the concept of the sovereign wealth fund (SWF), which was the initial characterization of MIF, has evolved throughout the years, resulting in various classifications

such as sovereign development fund (SDFs) and strategic investment funds (SIFs).

“Whether the MIF is an SWF or SDF or SIF, it should be stated clearly in the bill. Clarity of goals is essential for any new SWF,” the authors said.

Because of its “confused goals,” the current MIF bill does not “adequately articulate” and “take [into] account” the “several” implications of the fund’s dual-bottomline objective, according to the discussion paper.

The authors explained that the MIF has a dual-bottom line objective, which is to earn commercial returns by investing in financial instruments while generating economic returns by funding local development projects.

The authors argued that the MIF is not aligned with the Philippine Development Plan nor the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework while the bill remains “vague” about the measure’s expected financial and economic returns.

“By having unclear financial and developmental goals, the MIF threatens to encroach upon the budget process,” they said.

“If the government wishes to set up the MIF primarily to invest in projects that yield economic or social externalities, such goals may be better achieved through the normal budget process, not an SIF,” they added.

The UPSE faculty members also claimed that another “major defect”

of the MIF is that it could further strain public coffers while being “vulnerable” to “moral hazard.”

“At the very least, MIF’s proponents should have put in place provisions that align the MIF’s funding and investments with the country’s fiscal objectives,” they said.

“The lack of any surpluses necessarily forces the MIF to scour money from other agencies and corporations of government, posing risks on, say, state-run banks and even the [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas],” they added.

The authors also claimed that there are “red flags” in the Maharlika Investment Corp.’s (MIC) governance structure.

The discussion paper stressed that all members of the MIC’s board, even the independent directors, are all presidential appointees, contrary to some of the best practices in the world, wherein government representatives are not part of a fund’s investment committee.

“The MIF bill provides for a poorly designed governance structure that opens the floodgates for political interference, mismanagement, and corruption,” they said.

“We also observe that the proposal for a risk management unit, as outlined in the MIF bill, lacks sufficient independence from the Board. This could potentially compromise the effective risk management of the MIF,” they added.

The authors added: “With elevated global economic headwinds and uncertainties, it is unlikely that

Inflation. . .

MIF will be able to ‘crowd-in’ investments and eke out returns that are large enough for the fund to grow substantially to finance development projects.”

Lastly, the authors claimed that the national government’s “preoccupation” with the MIF has diverted its attention from “more vital” and “urgent” problems such as reforming the retirement and pension system for military and uniformed personnel.

“In view of the foregoing, we call upon President Marcos to seriously reconsider the final approval of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill, and present before the public a clear and solid rationale for setting it up in the first place,” they said.

“We also call on our former and present colleagues who are now part of the Marcos economic team to reconsider their position on Maharlika and advise the President accordingly, in line with their best appreciation of their discipline and the reservations expressed by the rest of the economics profession of the country,” they added.

BSP. . .

Continued from A1

as necessary to prevent the further broadening of price pressures as well as the emergence of additional second-order effects,” BSP said.

Meanwhile, the central bank said it also supports the “timely and effective” implementation of non-monetary government measures to mitigate the impact of persistent supply-side pressures on inflation.

According to an earlier story of the BusinessMirror , the BSP, moving forward, said it will continue to monitor developments affecting the outlook for inflation and growth. The central bank said it is ready to resume monetary tightening as necessitated by emerging data, consistent with its primary mandate to promote price and financial stability.

Last May 18, the BSP decided to pause its aggressive monetary policy tightening campaign, noting that inflation is now “firmly on track” to hit the government’s target.

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said in a press briefing on May 18 that if the current forecast is maintained, the central bank is unlikely to raise [rates] but also reluctant to cut, because “the problem is if the US is raising policy rates and we are cutting, the market seems to see that as a trigger for a significantly weaker peso.” (Full story here: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/05/19/bsp-pauses-interest-ratehikes-as-inflation-cools-and-consumer-demand-eases/)

On Tuesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the country’s headline inflation slowed to 6.1 percent in May 2023, the fourth consecutive decline for the year.  PSA data showed that inflation slowed from 6.6 percent in April 2023 but was still higher than the 5.4 percent posted in May 2022. The rate in May 2023 was also the slowest in 12 months, when inflation in May 2022 was at 5.4 percent.

Continued from A1

who visited my office. That is why as I said, we need to start negotiating for a free trade agreement [with the EU],” he said, partly in Filipino.

Last mon th, the World Bank (WB) said the country may reach upper middle income status once gr oss national income per capita falls within the range of US$4,256 to US$13,205, in the next few years.

Currently, the Philippines is classified as a lower middleincome country by the multilateral lender, with a GNI per capita at US3,640.

Pascual said he will try to discuss the FTA during his visit to Brussels this month, while he also follows up on the country’s bid for the reauthorization of its GSP+ with the EU.

The proposed Philippine-EU FTA already has the support of business from Europe with operations in the country, as well as some members from the EU parliament, according to the DTI chief.

T he country has been negotiating for an FTA with the EU since 2007.

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(IAC-IMO), to enhance coordination in managing inflation and mitigating the impact of rising commodity prices.

B alisacan said the committee is keeping tabs not only of current trends and data on local and international prices, but also the level of domestic production, import arrivals, climate outlook, and other relevant supply and demand information for key commodities.

As the risks to the inflation outlook lean towards the upside due to potential increases in transport fares, wage adjustments, higher electricity rates, and domestic prices of key food items resulting from the impact of El Niño, the government is working to implement the necessary interventions as we aim to keep prices low and stable for Filipino consumers,” Balisacan said.

Weather-related risks

MEANWHILE , University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics head of research Renato E. Reside Jr. believes that while inflation slowed to 6.1 percent in May 2023, there are still certain risks to watch out for in the coming months such as the “usual weather related risks.”

“ The usual weather-related risks that can reduce the productivity of harvests of essential agricultural commodities in the country,” Reside replied to a Viber query of the B usiness M irror on Tuesday.

H e noted that “any other potential disruption to the food supply chain whether domestic or imported supplies” should also be watched out for.

Mo ving forward,Reside said “The government would do well to ensure access to sufficient food inputs and output. This includes keeping import windows open, keeping transport routes open, investing in post harvest and adequate cold storage facilities. Also encouraging investment in Agriculture.”

On right track–Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the country is on the right track in further slowing down the inflation rate.

In a brief video message posted on his Facebook page, the President attributed the decline to the success of the government’s anti-inflation measures.

“It w ould seem that we have started off in the right direction, on the right foot. It appears the policies, which we implemented to revive and revitalize our economy, were right, “ Marcos said.

“We will continue with what we are doing so we can go back to our favorable [economic] situation,” he added.

Among the measures taken to address the high cost of living are the expanded Kadiwa program and distribution of subsidies for vulnerable groups. Go vernment economic managers aim to keep the country’s inflation rate within the range of 5 to 7 percent this year.

Supply bottlenecks

TRADE Secretary Alfredro E. Pascual said the government was able to reduce food costs by addressing supply chain bottlenecks.

“For example, if there is a big harvest in a certain area, that harvest cannot reach where the demand is. So, the solution there is to make sure that the logistics are available to be able to deliver the harvest where the demand is,” Pascual said in a press briefing.

Another major contributor for the lower inflation, he said, was the drop in the prices of coal and oil, which affect transportation costs.

Wage hike DESPITE the downward trend of inflation, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) still seeks a P150 daily wage hike nationwide since many employees are still struggling with the high cost of living.

“ The average inflation rate from January to May still stands at 7.5 percent, highlighting the ongoing burden faced by Filipino workers,” FFW said.

“ The easing of inflation alone is not sufficient to address the persistent challenges arising from the rising cost of living,” it added.

T he bills granting the proposed wage hike are pending in Congress.

The Department of Finance (DOF) has warned against potential inflationary effects if the measure is passed into law. With Samuel P. Medenilla

PEDP. . .

Continued from A1

constraints; develop a strong innovative export ecosystem; and increase the Philippines ’s export “mindshare” or brand recognition in the global market.

“The export competitiveness of the Philippines lies in the competitiveness of the firms themselves,” Pascual said.

“We must develop reliable, design-driven, technology-driven, sustainable and forward looking exporters to become or to make the Philippines an agile export powerhouse,” he added.

Among the in terventions to be extended by the government to the said establishments are consulting services as well as access to technology and potential buyers from abroad.

Marcos is expected to issue a Memorandum Circular defining the rules of various agencies for the PEDP’s implementation.

Priority sectors

THE plan will benefit four priority industry clusters, namely industrial machinery and transport; technology, media and telecommunications; health and life sciences cluster; and “modern basic needs of a resilient economy” such as firms engaged in addressing food and energy security.

T he covered establishments will be further classified into breakers as well as those in the cresting and ripple stages.

P ascual explained breakers are establishments, which have “broken into the international market” and are already exporting in sizable volume; thus, they need less support from the government.

C ompanies in the cresting phase are those which have shown “export capability” and have done some transactions with foreign clients. They have the potential to expand their exports with the backing from the government.

T hese include firms engaged in animation, game and software development.

R ipple stage firms such as those engaged hi-tech industries will receive the most government support since they have the least exposure in the export market.

W ith the full implementation of the PEDP and additional international trade agreements, DTI aims to significantly increase the country’s exports.

“B y promoting investments, facilitating trade and developing key industry clusters, the plan aims to achieve substantial export growth and establish the Philippines as a producer of high value products and services,” Pascual said.

Last mon th, Pascual said the country has the potential to increase its exports by as much as US$49 billion based on data from the International Trade Center.

Car battery may have caused MCPO blaze–BFP

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

THE Bureau of Fire Protection has declared that a leaking car battery that has been stored along with combustible liquids caused the long fire, which gutted the Manila Post Office (MCPO) building on Lawton Avenue in Manila two weeks ago.

Scout Rangers rescue teen son of Jolo Cathedral suicide bombers in 2019

ELITE Army Scout Rangers operating against top terrorist leaders allied with the Islamic State (IS) rescued the son of an Indonesian suicide bomber who died during a bomb attack of a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, in 2019.

A belated report from the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said the teenager was identified as Ahmad Ibrahim Rullie, 15, who was rescued during the operations of the Scout Rangers on Saturday in Sumisip, Basilan.

Joint Task Force Basilan acting

commander Col. Frederick Sales said Rullie alias Adih, is the son of the late IS suicide bomber Abbang Rullie, one of the two Indonesians who carried out the biggest bombing of the IS in Mindanao.

Abbang alias Rullie Rian Zeke, 35, and his wife Ulfah Handayani Saleh, 32, were previously tagged by authorities as perpetrators of the Jolo Cathedral bombing in January 2019 that killed 23 people and wounded more than a hundred others. Ulfah also died during the attack.

Westmincom spokesman Major Andrew Linao said elements of the 5th Scout

Ranger Battalion recovered Rullie from the harboring site of the group of Mudzrimar Sawadjaan alias Mundi at Sitio Lobloban, Barangay Guiong, Sumisip, Basilan.

The Scout Rangers were conducting a focused military operation against Sawadjaan, a leader of the IS and Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu, and Basilan-based ASG subleader Pasil Bayali alias Kera. Sawadjaan has transferred to Basilan in order to escape from military operations in Sulu.

The military said that Rullie was left to the care of Sawadjaan when his father carried out the Jolo Cathedral suicide bombing.

Rep. Villar to govt: Prepare for El Niño

THE government must pre -

pare for an impending El Niño and its adverse impacts on various sectors, even as the state weather bureau has just declared the start of the rainy season, a leader of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday.

Deputy Speaker and Las Pi -

ñas Rep. Camille Villar said she already filed House Resolution 1024 to look into possible government interventions ahead of the El Niño threat, which has a 90 percent chance of materializing this year, as its resulting severe weather conditions could impact the agriculture sector, affect essential and non-essential industries and stoke inflation.

“Apart from agriculture, water resources, power generation, health and sanitation and other sectors are likely to be impacted by El Niño, and concerned state agencies must prepare to mitigate the impacts of severe weather conditions,” said Villar.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said there is a high possibility of El Niño to develop in the coming months, which may persist up to the first quarter of 2024.

There is also a significant chance of ocean surface warming later this year, the state weather bureau has said.

Experts noted that El Niño’s

impact typically causes hot and dry weather and below-normal rainfall conditions, which could have negative impacts such as dry spells and droughts in some areas of the country. It could also bring heavier-than-normal rain conditions in other areas.

Taking note of the country’s previous experience from the El Niño phenomenon that resulted in a decline in agricultural output, Villar said the farming and fishing subsectors, as well as workers’ livelihood and food security, could take a hit from dry weather.

Also, the lingering effects of El Niño added to inflation woes and this time may drive up the already elevated cost of basic goods and services, Villar added.

The World Meteorological Organization has warned that El Niño could cause “far-reaching repercussions for health, food security, water management, and the environment.”

DA boosts tie-ups ahead of El Niño

IN a related development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday assured it is taking the necessary actions to prepare the agriculture and fisheries sector ahead of El Niño.

On June 1, 2023, the DA’s National El Niño Team (DA-NENT) convened partner agencies from the Food Security Group under the National El Niño Team of the

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NENT-NDRRMC) for its first Inter-agency Meeting to discuss the actions taken and plans of the member-agencies.

“We in the DA are doing our best in trying to allocate the resources like seeds, fertilizers, and other commodities that are necessary for the impact of the El Niño phenomenon to the farming communities in the country,” Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said during the meeting.

The DA Field Operations Service Director and DA-NENT Chairperson U-Nichols Manalo presented the DA El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan for crops, fisheries, and livestock subsectors. The plan is based on the four thematic areas of the Disaster Risk and Reduction Management (DRRM) framework, namely, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery.

The strategies identified include dissemination of information, education, and communication materials, proper water management, prepositioning of resources, crop diversification, adjustment of planting calendar, buffer stocking of inputs, promotion of short cycle and drought tolerant crops, among others.

“DA is already preparing for the worst scenario for El Niño

Sawadjaan has also been identified as one of the planners of the attack.

Linao said Rullie was abandoned by Sawadjaan when he and his group escaped from their harboring site in Basilan as the Scout Rangers closed in on them.

Westmincom commander Lt. Gen. Roy Galido commended the troops of Joint Task Force Basilan for successfully rescuing the Indonesian.

“He is still young, and we are hopeful that with proper guidance and counseling, he will be able to walk back on the right path and build a better future,” Galido said. Rene Acosta

this year. Nevertheless, we will be of course expecting to provide us regular updates on this. Sana po ay hindi naman magtuloy, but we should always prepare for the worst case scenario,” DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa said.

He also noted that not all areas in the country will be affected, thus the government initiatives could focus more on areas that will be severely hit.

De Mesa also urged the representatives from partner government agencies to facilitate easy access and sharing of information with the DA to guide planning and decision-making activities.

“With all of us working together, we shall be able to achieve more,” Panganiban, for his part, said.

The members of the DA-led Food Security Group are the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Energy (DOE), Labor and Employment (DOLE), Budget and Management (DBM), Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOSTPCAARRD), Department of Finance-Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (DOF-PCIC) are also part of the group.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

DENR, JICA reaffirm cooperation on management of PHL forestland

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) vowed to strengthen forest management in the Philippines to boost the livelihood of upland dwellers and farmers to help sustain economic development.

JICA is the sole Japanese government agency that implements Official Development Assistance, providing technical cooperation, loans, and grants, to overcome challenges common in developing nations. It operates in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide, including the Philippines.

JICA Chief Representative to the

Philippines Sakamoto Takema paid a courtesy visit and was received by DENR Secretary Maria Antonia YuloLoyzaga at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on May 29.

During the visit, Loyzaga and Takema discussed the Forestland Management Project (FMP), a joint DENR-JICA undertaking that aims to strengthen forestland management in three critical river basins in the country, namely, the Upper Magat and Cagayan, Pampanga, and Jalaur on Panay Island.

A 10-year project that started in 2012, the FMP focused on rehabilitating degraded forestlands and improving the socioeconomic conditions of affected communities

surrounding the three river basins.

FMP employed collaborative and comprehensive community-based management strategies, such as empowering people’s organizations; securing land tenure rights; enterprise development for food security and income; and development, conservation, protection, and sustainable use of forestland resources.

Loyzaga and Takema also talked about other possible areas of cooperation for environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.

At the same time, Takema introduced JICA’s other environmentrelated projects and activities, such

The report was made by the BFP as it terminated its investigation into the fire that hit the historic building on May 22 and raged for 31 hours, razing parcels, letters and government documents, with the damaged pegged at P300 million.

The BFP said the car battery stored in the building’s southern basement along with paints, thinners and cans has self-discharged that triggered a thermal runaway which caused pressure and temperature to increase which triggered an explosion.

The explosion gave way to the fire, which injured several people. Lawmakers have earlier called for a thorough investigation into the fire that razed the building, even raising the possibility that it could have been a case of arson.

The MCPO building is a neoclassical structure that was designed by Filipino architects Tomas Mapua and Juan Marcos de Guzman Arellano with American architect Ralph Doane in 1925.

The building was destroyed during World War II in 1945 but was rebuilt after the war in 1946.

Smooth CA confirmation for

Gibo and Ted–Zubiri

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who also sits as chairman of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), signaled a smooth confirmation for the nominations of Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr., who also held the same post during the Arroyo administration, as well as designated Health Secretary Ted Herbosa.

“I welcome and fully support the President’s appointments of Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro and Health Secretary Ted Herbosa,” said Zubiri.

The presiding chairman of the confirming body described Teodoro as “a tried and tested public servant, and we trust that he will head the Department of National Defense [DND] most capably, particularly amid this atmosphere of brewing tensions in our waters.”

Moreover, Zubiri signaled they see no hassle in the case of Herbosa, saying, “We are happy to see the Department of Health [DOH] helmed by an experienced public health expert.”

The chairman of the confirmation body added: “Secretary Herbosa’s appointment comes at an opportune time, with our Regional Specialty Centers Act having just gotten bicameral approval, and we are hopeful that he will spearhead a truly wholeof-nation approach in the improvement of our public health services.”

“ With Secretary Teodoro in defense and Secretary Herbosa in health, the President has just addressed the two most pressing challenges of our time—territorial integrity and our full recovery from the pandemic,” he noted, adding:

T heir appointments should give a big boost to our fight to have a secure and a stronger nation supported by a healthy population, Zubiri said.

At Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the DND welcomed the appointment Teodoro as its new secretary, his second stint at occupying the position.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Teodoro, a pilot, a former lawmaker and businessman, on Monday to the post. He will succeed Carlito Galvez Jr., who had been the agency’s officerin-charge.

Teodoro, who topped the 1989 Bar exams

and licensed to practice his profession in New York, USA, previously headed the DND for two years.

Straight, bright and intelligent, Teodoro had been dubbed as one of the best secretaries to occupy the defense portfolio.

Galvez also welcomed the appointment of Teodoro and thanked Marcos for allowing him to lead the DND until his successor’s designation.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the President and Commanderin-Chief, His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., for entrusting me to lead the Department over the last few months.

I also thank the entire One Defense Team, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and our civilian bureaus, for their support during my tenure as the Officer-in-Charge of the Department,” Galvez said in a statement released by DND spokesman Arsenio “Popong” Andolong.

“We have achieved great strides in our priority programs on internal security, territorial defense, disaster preparedness, and the continued development of the defense organization. Rest assured that the DND has my unequivocal support as we all work together in the pursuit of our vision of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Philippines,” he said.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, for his part, said “having a permanent secretary of the DND is crucial for several reasons. It ensures continuity and stability, expertise, effective coordination, policy implementation, accountability, and representation in defense and security matters. These contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the defense sector in safeguarding the nation’s security.”

He added: “As the third civilian to be appointed as permanent DND chief since 1986, Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro, has the best credentials, not to mention, the experience, to handle the position which deals with complex and long-term security issues, having been designated to the same position in 2007 to 2009. On top of all these, he’s a licensed commercial pilot, Air Force reservist and a bar topnotcher.”

“I am optimistic that his experience and expertise in defense matters will ensure informed decision-making and effective management of defense affairs, particularly on security challenges,” Estrada said. With Rene Acosta

as the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project, Flood Risk Management Project in various cities, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Capacity Enhancement Project, among others.

DENR and JICA have been working closely for the protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources for six decades.

Most recently, JICA sponsored DENR’s training program on Sustainable Forestry Management with Community Participation in 2019. It also provided technical assistance in establishing ecological solid waste management programs in the cities of Calbayog, Sagay, and Davao in 2022. Jonathan L. Mayuga

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will continue to implement programs to raise farmers’ yield, notwithstanding the charges filed against DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.

“We will continue to work here at the DA. We believe that we are the work force and we will continue to implement the programs of our government that we know will help our farmers, our work will continue,” DA spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said.

Evangelista mentioned the graft case filed by a group of sugar workers against Panganiban for his role in the alleged

illegal importation of sugar in February 2023.

“We continue to work, we have committed to ourselves as far as public service is concerned, so our commitment is continuous,” Evangelista added.

For his part, Pablo Luis Azcona, acting administrator and chief executive officer of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said “personally I will support the Usec [Panganiban] and we know that the program work based on a farmer’s point of view.”

“Its another hurdle or obstacle Senior Usec has to face, and hopefully [could be able to] handle...it,” he said. Raadee Sausa

Despite raps filed vs Panganiban, it’s ‘business as usual’ at Agri dept

DOE finally issues amended rules on RPS program for off-grid areas

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

RPS requires distribution utilities (DUs) to source an agreed portion of their supply from eligible RE resources. It is a policy mechanism under Republic Act no. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. The rollout of the RPS off-grid rules has been delayed due to the pandemic. The DOE said it was not able to undertake the capacity building among mandated participants

and the individual determination of their RPS requirement. Following the conduct of public consultations last March, the agency moved to promulgate the revised guidelines. Under the revised rules, the National Power Corporation-Small Power Utilities Group (NPC-SPUG) shall prepare a multi-year RPS compliance plan, which shall include plans and programs to minimize

the use of conventional fuels for its power generation facilities in the off-grid and missionary areas.

The DUs, National Electrification Administration (NEA), National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) shall develop a system to support, among others, the capacity building of the mandated participants.

The mandated participants include generation companies, NPCSPUG, DUs, local government units operating electric systems in offgrid areas, and other entities, which may later be identified by the DOE.

They shall ensure the compatibility of eligible RE facilities with existing plants and transmission or distribution systems in the missionary or off-grid areas. They have the option to contract minimum RPS requirements or construct their own RE facilities.

The DOE shall review the RPS off-grid rules every year to ensure

its alignment with the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREP) and the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP). “Such review shall consider, among others, the emerging RE technologies and resources, the existence of registered RE projects and changes in the criteria of eligible RE facilities.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) shall develop a regulatory framework for the revised rules that will consider the impact of the RPS off-grid compliance with existing contractual agreements, the potential impact and cost arising from a mandated participant’s compliance, and the cost recovery mechanisms.

“To ensure that the objectives of this circular are met, the DOE and ERC shall conduct regular coordination meetings,” said the DOE.  The circular, signed on May 23 this year, shall take effect 15 days after its publication.

House reso seeks to gauge impact of fertilizer use on farmers’ income

LAWMAKERS have filed a resolution to look over the impact on national palay yields and farmers’ incomes of the over four-decade heavy dependence by farmers on imported synthetic or petroleum-based fertilizers, amid a fresh government push for balanced fertilization or the combined use of both chemical and organic inputs in farming.   Camarines Sur Rep. Ray Villafuerte said they have filed House Resolution (HR) No. 972 directing the House Committee on Agriculture to study “the effectiveness of the use of chemical fertilizers in rice production.”

“To support, through meaningful legislation, the direction set by President Marcos on finding alternatives to boost palay productivity, there is a need to answer: [1] whether or not chemical fertilizers like urea really cost cheaper than, if not just the same, as biofertilizers, and [2] whether or not organic inputs or biofertilizers are still untested or have been proven to significantly boost crop yields,”

said Villafuerte and his fellow authors in HR 972.

HR 972’s other authors are Sta. Rosa City Rep. Danilo Ramon Fernandez, who chairs the House Committee on Public Order and Safety; Bataan Rep. Albert Raymond Garcia; and Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan. Lawmakers recalled that the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued last April 27 the Memorandum Order (MO) No. 32 covering the “Implementing Guidelines on the Distribution and Use of Biofertilizers, which sets the guidelines on the distribution and use of biofertilizers for CY 2023.”

They observed that MO 32 apparently aims “to conquer high price of inputs and promote alternative inputs such as biofertilizers,” given that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced at a recent DA sectoral meeting “his administration’s push for the use of biofertilizers by our farmers to cut their use of imported petroleum-based fertilizers.”

High palay production costs affect all rice-eating Filipinos, they

said, because aside from shrinking the incomes of local farmers, the rising cost of imported inputs, such as synthetic or chemical fertilizers “also affect consumers who bear the brunt of the consequent higher prices” of rice and other foodstuff.

“Our farmers rely heavily on fertilizers and other farm inputs to boost agricultural productivity amid the lack of control over meteorological and other natural conditions,” said lawmakers.

Amid this situation, “the pressure on productivity to feed our people is ever increasing as the Philippine population grows at an estimated pace of 2 percent per year,” they said.

The DA has pegged the country’s annual requirement for various fertilizer grades at 2.6 million metric tons (MMT), which said HR 972’s authors, dents the country’s dollar reserves and our farmers’ incomes as “the Philippines imports 95 percent of its fertilizer requirements, which make it vulnerable to conditions that can affect output and prices.”

The four lawmakers pointed

out that “the spike in oil prices also saw a corresponding increase in prices of fertilizers, which are by-products of oil,” thus leaving the Philippines with “virtually no control over factors affecting the cost of farm inputs as it is a net importer of fuel and fertilizer.”

They pointed out that the country ranks 64th out of 113 countries in terms of implementing the four dimensions of food security (affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience), according to the 2021 Global Food Security Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Compounding our country’s palay productivity woes, according to the resolution’s authors, is that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has reported that recent conditions and model forecasts indicate that El Niño—a weather condition of prolonged dry spell— might emerge in the coming season (June-August) and even persist until the first quarter of 2024.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA)

on Tuesday reported a “significant decline” in the production of refined sugar this year.

“Our current stocks, we are about 13 percent better on a month-on-month comparison, based last year’s [inventory] on raw sugar, but last year there was June production. This year 13 percent better but [there is no] June production, so that’s an alarming situation,” Pablo Luis Azcona, acting administrator and CEO of SRA told reporters.

“The farmers need to keep their farm-gate price at P60 so that they will continue farming and they will continue to make a profitable business.

Personally, I have been suggesting for a Suggested Retail Price [SRP],” he added.

“As of now, we can see the retail price is gradually going down, farm-gate [price] since January went down by P60,” Azcona said.

“We want to maintain an SRP of P85 [per kilogram] in the retail [market],” he said.

Based on DA’s price monitoring, refined sugar in Metro Manila retails from P86 to P110 per kg compared to only P70 per kg

a year ago. The last time the DA implemented an SRP for agricultural goods was in November 2020 when the suggested price is P50 per kg for refined sugar and P45 per kg for brown sugar.

Earlier, the SRA board lowered its sugar production estimates for this crop year, with shortfall to be addressed by the importation program and released in a calibrated manner to lower retail prices and protect farmers.

Azcona said the board is projecting raw sugar production to reach 1.831 million metric tons (MT) in crop year 2022-2023.

The figure is slightly lower than the pre-final crop estimate of 1.834 million MT released last December. In its pre-crop year estimate, sugar production was projected to reach 1.876 million MT.

“For this year, we are expecting a projected production of 1.831 million…but our demand is a lot more. We feel that the 440,000 MT is just right to cover this year’s lack of sugar. This will cover from now until we begin milling next year,” Azcona said. Raadee S. Sausa

Polomolok farmers set

on agripreneurship

AGROUP of farmers from Polomolok, South Cotabato are eyeing to become agri-entrepreneurs and completed a short course offered by the Farm Business School (FBS) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The group of 32 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) successfully completed the 25-session course of the program designed to equip farmers with knowledge on farm business management and capacitate them to become farmerentrepreneurs or agripreneurs through interactive lectures and field exercises.

Dolefil Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative vice chairperson Ma. Antonia Banting extended her heartfelt gratitude to DAR for its continuous programs on the development of ARBs and for offering the program to their members.

“This business school accepts anyone who is interested and our

participants are living proof that age is just a number when it comes to learning and that learning can be made anywhere,” she said.

Assistant Regional Director H. Roldan A. Ali, Al Hajj said FBS would boost the ARBs’ farm production and marketing strategy and help them become more open to venture on agricultural businesses.

“Apply what you have learned into actions and share these insights, within your organization so that you will all grow as farmerentrepreneurs,” he said. Domingo Poliquit, Consejo Caballo, and Jair Gibluena, who are among the FBS graduates, expressed the positive possible effect of the course for their farm’s productivity.

“The knowledge we acquired through FBS can be applied effectively not only in farming but also in our everyday lives, especially on financial matters,” Gibluena said. Jonathan L. Mayuga

SRA chief reports ‘significant decline’ in refined sugar production this year

sight

THE Department of Energy (DOE) released on Tuesday the amended rules on Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) program for off-grid areas.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. said the Philippines has forged a new partnership with Israel to help boost the country’s agricultural competitiveness.

T his after Israeli Foreign Minister

Eli Cohen offered to help the country become more self-sufficient on its food supply when he met with the President on Monday in Malacañang.

I think that we can work together and let’s say that less import, more export for the Philippines. And I think that we can work together,” Cohen said during the meeting.

T he Israeli official suggested the creation of the Philippine-Israeli hub to implement the said initiative.

M arcos welcomed the proposal, which he said is in line with his administration’s priority to ensure food security.

Because when we look at the economy as hard to just test, we said how do we fix the economy. It always comes down to agriculture first, how to fix every policy, then everything else would be great. So that’s the position that we find ourselves in,” the President said.

So, the offers that you make for assistance and partnership in those two areas are very, very welcome,” he added.

B oth officials also discussed possible collaboration on water management as well as direct flights between Philippines and Israel to help increase tourism and business between the two countries.

Cohen is the first high-ranking Israeli diplomat to visit the country in 56 years.

I srael is targeting to double its investments to the country next year to $1 billion.

TOURISM PLAYERS HIT CHOICE OF GRAB ‘GUIDE’

Continued from A12

Arthur Lopez, president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, said most hotels already have tieups and contracts with tourist transport companies. “It’s not easy for them, because they have to get accredited first [from the DOT] before they are able to operate. Is Grab going to be accredited?”

‘What’s next? Angkas tour guides?’

HE added, “Our partner transport companies have to insure their passengers into the millions of pesos to protect the hotels from lawsuits, so they can carry our guests. Grab’s passenger insurance is probably just P5,000 on a third-party liability.”

Further, he said Grab’s partner vehicles are old—“those Mitsubishi Adventures are about 10 years old!” —which can break down and affect the tourist’s experience. Under DOT accreditation rules, tourist transport operators have to have a fleet of at least 10 vehicles, all brand-new, current models. Lopez noted that most tourist transport vehicles servicing PHOA member-hotels are, at most, two years old.

According to Grab’s presentation to the DOT, 30 six-seater vehicles like the Toyota Innova  and  Avanza  will be used for the city tours. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco inspected a vehicle that will be used in the project after a recent meeting with Grab executives.

C lemente, a former vice chair of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, cited Section 40 of Republic Act 9593 (Tourism Act of 2009), which specifically points to the value of accreditation: “Only accredited enterprises shall be beneficiaries of promotional, training, and other programs of the Department and its attached agencies and corporations.”

She noted, “This project doesn’t seem to be adhering to that [provision] at all. What’s next? Angkas tour guides?” Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

DOJ legal opinion: LTFRB has no mandate to apprehend, impound colorum vehicles

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

“ We advise that LTFRB has no power to apprehend, impound and dispose [of] colorum vehicles. Its authority extends only in the coordination cooperation with other government agencies in the apprehension, impounding and disposal of such vehicles,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a legal opinion dated May 31, 2023.

T he DOJ’s legal opinion contradicts the position of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) headed by Secretary Jaime Bautista, who believes that the LTFRB has enforcement authority under Commonwealth Act No. 146, also known as the Public Service Act,

which allows the agency to make reasonable rules and regulations for the operation of public service and to enforce these rules.

Bautista, along with the LTFRB, have both sought the DOJ’s legal opinion on the issue.

T he DOTr noted that Executive Order No. 202, which created the LTFRB, mandates the agency to promulgate, administer, and enforce policies, laws and regulations on public transportation.

It also pointed out that while Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 prescribes penalties for violations in connection with franchise, including apprehension

and impounding of vehicles without stating that the agency has the authority to implement the same, it may be inferred that it has the authority to do so under Commonwealth Act No. 146.

Fu rthermore, Bautista noted that LTFRB is spearheading the effort of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) of apprehending and impounding colorum vehicles.

T he DOTr chief also said the President’s directive to conduct a nationwide crackdown on all colorum vehicles, including the arrest of drivers and seizure of vehicles and approval by Congress of budgets for acquisition of impounding areas for this purpose, “reinforces, if not affirms,” the agency’s power to apprehend and impound vehicles.

However, the DOJ said Section 5 of EO No. 202, which enumerates the powers and functions of LTFRB, “does not contain any express provision which authorizes LTFRB to apprehend, impound and dispose colorum vehicles.”

I f there was no express grant of authority to apprehend, impound and dispose column vehicles, could such power be inferred from others of EO No. 202. The answer to this is in the negative.

W hile Section 5 (k) of EO 2020 grants LTFRB the power to enforce rules and regulations, the DOJ stressed that it applies only to specific purposes listed in the said provision.

Section 5(k) states: “To formulate, promulgate, administer, implement and enforce rules and regulations on land transportation public utilities, standards of measurements and/or design, and rules and regulations requiring operators of any public land transportation service to equip, install and provide in their utilities and in their stations such devices, equipment facilities and operating procedures and techniques as may promote safety, protection, comfort and convenience to persons and property in their charges as well as the safety of persons and property within their areas of operations.”

Nothing therein can be remotely used to justify the power to apprehend and impound colorum vehicles,” the DOJ said.

W ith respect to DOTr’s position that the power to apprehend and impound colorum vehicles may be inferred from JAO No. 2014-01, the DOJ reiterated that without any provision of law granting such power to LTFRB, it has no authority to exercise such powers.

“Administrative issuances must be in harmony with the law upon which such issuances are based,” the justice department stated.

It explained that JAO No. 2014-01 is in the nature of an administrative issuance whose purpose is to provide for the details of the law and serve as a guide in the implementation of the same.

If EO No. 202 did not expressly grant to LTFRB the power to apprehend, impound and dispose [of] colorum vehicles, such powers cannot be inferred from JAO No. 2014-01,” the DOJ pointed out.

T he DOJ declared that it is the Land Transportation Office and the Traffic Management Unit of the Philippine National Police which are authorized to enforce traffic rules and regulations under Section 4 (5) of Republic Act 4136, also known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code and Section 35 (b) (8) of RA No. 6975, otherwise known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.

T hus, the DOJ said unless duly deputized by the LTO or PNP, “LTFRB has no power to enforce the provisions of EO No. 202 and other related laws and, hence, cannot legally apprehend and impound colorum vehicles.”

ALARMED over the growing number of cases of end-stage kidney disease in the country and as the nation marks National Kidney Month this June, lawmakers are pushing for the passage of a measure requiring government hospitals to set up wards for dialysis and provide this treatment for free to indigent patients.

Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACTCIS Party-list Rep. Edvic Yap, noted that dialysis treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5 (CKD 5) or end-stage kidney disease remains costly for most Filipinos, especially for poor patients, which is why they are pressing Congress to approve their proposed measure as outlined under House Bill (HB) 7841.  D ialysis facilities also remain limited in public hospitals, resulting in long lines for poor CKD patients seeking treatment for this dreaded disease.

D uterte and his fellow authors said that even with the upgrade on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) coverage for hemodialysis from a maximum of 90 to 144 sessions, this is still not enough to cover the actual number of dialysis treatments needed by many CKD patients, given the severity and chronic nature of their disease.

U nder current PhilHealth guidelines, the 91st to 144th additional sessions shall be exclusively used for outpatient hemodialysis. According to reports, PhilHealth plans to increase its coverage for hemodialysis to 156 sessions starting this year.

T he bill aims to institutionalize the grant of free dialysis sessions to indigent patients and make the treatment accessible to them in government hospitals.

The cost of medical treatment for kidney disease remains exorbitant—beyond the reach of ordinary patients. CKD 5 can be treated with kidney transplantation or renal dialysis. However, while

kidney transplant is a definitive treatment, the low levels of organ donations, lack of infrastructure, and its high cost makes dialysis as the most viable option for renal patients,” the bill’s authors said.

A d ialysis session costs around P2,000 to P5,000 per session, which means a patient needing this treatment thrice a week would have to shell out P6,000 to P15,000 a week, or P24,000 to P60,000 per month just to be able to survive.

C iting the latest available data from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Duterte and his fellow authors noted that CKD 5 has been identified as the 7th leading cause of death in the country, with 120 Filipinos per million population being afflicted with the disease each year.

T he latest estimates placed around 2.3 million Filipinos with CKD, Duterte said.

D uterte’s home city of Davao continues to rank third in the country with the most number of kidney diseases since 2017, according to reports quoting officials of the Philippine Society of Nephrology and the Davaobased Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

T he American Journal of Kidney Diseases published a report in July 2020 stating “the Philippines in particular has experienced a large rise in the prevalence of dialysis with an approximate increase of 400 percent over the past 10 years.”

Under HB 7841, all national, regional and provincial hospitals are required to establish, operate and maintain a dialysis ward or unit within two years after the measure becomes a law.  These medical facilities are required to provide dialysis treatment to indigent patients free of charge.

A ny hospital chief, administrator, or officer-in-charge who fails to comply with the provisions of the measure will be fined P50,000 to P100,000. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has declared that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has no power to apprehend, impound and dispose of colorum vehicles.

Manila and Jerusalem forge partnership to boost PHL food production–PBBM

Rep. Duterte, two other lawmakers push free dialysis for indigent kidney patients

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

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

Office application/s for

(PHILS.) GARMENTS INC.

9 CPO ELECTRONICS PHILIPPINES INC.

Block 6-09 Amplefield SME Park, J.P. Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, Bugtong Na Pulo, City of Lipa, Batangas

verification and

Fluent in Nihongo and English language and minimum of 5 years extensive manufacturing experience

- Php499,999

CLOUDZONE CORP.

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

20 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

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

21 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

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

22 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

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

DINH VAN QUAN

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

DO, THUY LINH

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

DOAN BA HUNG

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HUA, VAN TUAN

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

US, INDIA STRENGTHEN DEFENSE INDUSTRY TIES

By Nick Wadhams & Peter Martin

THE US and India have made a new pledge to deepen defense industry ties, including by sharing cutting-edge technology, amid a broader campaign by both nations to counter China’s increased assertiveness in the region.

Washington and New Delhi will focus on technologies for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as aircraft engines and munitions, a senior US defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity. They also intend to make India a logistics hub for US and partner-nation aircraft and ships.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, announced a Road Map for US-India Defense Industrial Cooperation on Monday after meetings in New Delhi, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

T he road map’s goal is to “change the paradigm” for cooperation between the countries’ defense industries and give India access to “cutting edge technologies,” including through the co-production of

defense technologies, the Pentagon added in the statement. The official said the two countries would look at ways to streamline regulations, licensing and export controls, and deepen ties between defense companies.

China will not be named in the text of the road map, the official said, but both countries have sought to counter Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance in recent years. The Indian military has repeatedly clashed with China’s People’s Liberation Army on the two countries’ disputed border, while the US twice accused China of “risky” maneuvers in air and at sea this week.

The US has advanced similar initiatives in the past, including in 2018 when the Trump administration signed an agreement to bolster military communications and get Indian firms more involved in the US defense-sector supply chain.

The road map is part of a broader USIndia initiative on critical and emerging technologies launched in May 2022. It is one of several defense co-production efforts that the US has launched with partners in Asia, including with Japan and Australia.

Bloomberg News

US, China hold ‘candid’ talks days after security forum spat

SENIOR US and Chinese officials held “candid” talks in Beijing, days after the two countries’ defense chiefs squared off at a fraught security forum exposing limits in mending the bilateral relationship.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the top US State Department official for Asia, met with Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu on Monday, becoming the most senior US official to publicly travel to Beijing since an alleged Chinese spy balloon derailed ties in February.

Both sides described the talks as “candid” and “productive” in their readouts, with the US State Department

saying in a Monday release that the exchange was part of ongoing efforts to restore “high-level diplomacy.” The Chinese side called the exchange “constructive” in a statement on Tuesday.  Sarah Beran, the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan affairs, and Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, were also present at the meeting, along

with Yang Tao, director general of the North American and Oceanian Affairs Department, according to the statements.

The meeting was the latest exchange in a flurry of high-level diplomacy as the world’s two largest economies try to find common ground for dialog, potentially laying the groundwork for a call between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Last month, CIA Director William Burns made a secret visit to Beijing, while Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sat down with top diplomat Wang Yi for two days in Europe.

Despite those efforts, the relationship remains strained over a

series of ongoing flashpoints, such as Beijing’s territorial claims over the self-ruled island of Taiwan and Washington’s campaign to isolate China from high-tech chips with potential military applications.

China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu refused to meet his US counterpart at a conference in Singapore at the weekend, using a speech there to attack Washington’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific. A Chinese warship crossed the bow of an American one in the Taiwan Strait at a distance of around 150 yards, the Pentagon said Saturday, as tensions simmered.

On Monday, Kritenbrink discussed “cross-Strait issues” with Chinese officials, according to the US statement, while China said that it stated its “solemn position” on Taiwan and other “major principles.” Bloomberg News

The World

Journalists strike to demand leadership change at biggest US newspaper chain

By Alexandra Olson AP Business Writer

NEW YORK—Journalists at two-dozen local newspapers across the US walked off the job Monday to demand an end to painful cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country’s biggest newspaper chain.

The strike involves hundreds of journalists at newspapers in eight states, including the Arizona Republic, the Austin AmericanStatesman, the Bergen Record, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, and the Palm Beach Post, according to the NewsGuild, which represents workers at more than 50 Gannett newsrooms. Gannett has said there would be no disruption to its news coverage during the strike, which will last for two days at two of the newspapers and one day for the rest.

The walkouts coincided with Gannett’s annual shareholder meeting, during which the company’s board was duly elected despite the NewsGuild-CWA union urging shareholders to withhold their

votes from CEO and board chairman Mike Reed as an expression of no confidence in his leadership.

Reed has overseen the company since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media, a tumultuous period that has included layoffs and the shuttering of newsrooms. Gannett shares have dropped more than 60 percent since the deal closed.

Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York, called the shareholder meeting “a slap in the face to the hundreds of Gannett journalists who are on strike today.”

“Gannett CEO Mike Reed didn’t have a word to say to the scores of journalists whose livelihoods he’s destroyed, nor to the communities who have lost their primary news source thanks to his mismanagement,” DeCarava said in a statement.

In legal filing, the NewsGuild said Gannett’s leadership has gutted newsrooms and cut back on coverage to service a massive debt load. Cost cutting has also included forced furloughs and suspension of 401-K contributions.

“We want people in our local community to know what this

company is doing to local news, and we want Gannett shareholders to know what Gannett is doing to local news,” said Chris Damien, a criminal justice reporter and unit guild chair of the Desert Sun, which covers Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California.

Gannett Chief Communications Officer Lark-Marie Anton said the company disagreed with union’s recommendation to vote against Reed.

“During a very challenging time for our industry and economy, Gannett strives to provide competitive wages, benefits, and meaningful opportunities for all our valued employees,” Anton said in a statement.

The Gannett strike coincided with an open-ended strike being staged by 250 unionized US employees at Insider Inc., a global company that publishes Business Insider. Members of the Insider Union, which formed in April 2021 and is represented by The NewsGuild of New York, called the strike after failing to reach a first contract agreement with the

Ukraine seen ending battlefield stalemate in what may be start

By Susie Blann

The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday, in what may herald the start of a long-anticipated counteroffensive after 15 months of war.

Russian officials seemed to be trying to portray the Ukrainian attacks as the start of the counteroffensive, saying that Moscow’s forces foiled at least one assault. While not explicitly confirming such a large-scale effort, Kyiv authorities said their forces were indeed increasing offensive operations and making gains, but suggested some of the Russian announcements were misinformation.

Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine’s partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk province on Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.

“The enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday (Sunday),” and the new attempt to break through the front line was “more large-scale and organized,” Rogov said, adding: “A battle is underway.”

Rogov interpreted the Ukrainian military movements as part of an effort to reach the Sea of Azov coast and sever the land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Analysts have long viewed that strategy as likely because it would cut the Russian forces in two and severely strain supplies to Crimea, which has served as a key Russian military hub in the war that started on February 24, 2022.

Rogov’s comments came after Moscow also said its forces thwarted large Ukrainian attacks in Donetsk province, near its border with the Zaporizhzhia province.

Reacting to Russia’s declarations that it repelled Ukrainian offensives, a US official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters: “We have no reason to believe any Russian action has had any spoiling effect on pending or ongoing Ukraine operations.”

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the Ukrainian military has scored gains.

“Despite fierce resistance and attempts of the enemy to hold the occupied lines and positions, our units moved forward in several directions during the fighting,” she said.

Malyar drew no distinctions between phases of the war, insisting that Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion “contains everything, including counter-offensive actions.” She acknowledged that Kyiv’s

forces “in some areas...are shifting to offensive operations.”

Sir Richard Barrons, a general who is a former commander of the UK Joint Forces Command, said that Ukraine was “clearly in the preliminary phase” of its counteroffensive and would probe Russian defenses to find weak spots, and then focus its resources to ram through them and hold ground. Barrons, now co-chair of the UK-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions, told The Associated Press the Ukrainians are “trying to increase the chances of surprise about when you do it, where you do it and how you do it.”

Commenting on the Russian military’s assertion that it thwarted a big Ukrainian attack, he said it could be part of Ukrainian efforts to probe Russian defenses and test its units in combat. He added that Moscow could have exaggerated the scale of the fighting and claimed victory to assuage its domestic Russian audience.

Barrons predicted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive would involve a series of moves and take weeks.

“It’s a process, not an event,” he said. Ukraine often waits until the completion of its military operations to confirm its actions.

A Ukrainian Defense Ministry video showed soldiers putting a finger to their lips in a sign to keep quiet. “Plans love silence,” it said on the screen. “There will be no announcement of the start.”

Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk are two of the four provinces that President Vladimir Putin claimed as Russian territory last fall and which Moscow partially controls.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had pushed back a “large-scale” assault Sunday at five places in Donetsk province. The announcement couldn’t be independently verified, and while Ukrainian officials reported fighting in that area, they didn’t

company. Some of Gannett’s striking newsrooms are negotiating contracts and accuse the company of dragging its feet, but Anton said the company continues to negotiate fairly.

Among the contract demands are a base annual salary of $60,000. The median pay for Gannett employee in 2022 was $51,035, according to the company’s proxy filing. Reed’s total annual compensation was valued at nearly $3.4 million, down from $7.7 million in 2021.

At the shareholder meeting, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss said the union proposed lowering Gannett’s median CEOto-employee ratio from 66:1 to 20:1. But Schleuss said the meeting lasted just eight minutes and Reed didn’t address any questions. In a series of tweets, Schleuss called the meeting a “complete joke.” Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 200 other daily US newspapers with print editions, announced last August that it would lay off newsroom staff to lower costs as it struggles

of counteroffensive

were hacked Monday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. A fake broadcast featured a voice impersonating Putin and stated that Ukrainian forces had invaded the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia.

Those Russian regions have occasionally been targeted in cross-border strikes during the war.

The impersonator announced that martial law was declared in those regions, where people were urged to evacuate, and all Russians eligible for military duty were being mobilized.

with declining revenue amid a downturn in ad sales and customer subscriptions.

The newspaper industry has struggled for years with such challenges, as advertising shifts from print to digital, and readers abandon local newspapers for online sources of information and entertainment. Major newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have gained substantial digital audiences for coverage of broad topics, but regional and local papers have struggled to replicate that success in narrower markets.

In its first quarter earnings report this year, Gannett said its digital subscriptions had grown 15 percent year-over-year, and revenue from digital circulation grew 20 percent. The company reported a $10.3 million profit versus a $3 million loss in the same period last year, although revenue fell by 10.6 percent. The company also reported repaying $37 million in debt.

According to the NewsGuild, Gannett’s workforce has shrunk 47 percent in the last three years due

to layoffs and attrition. At some newspapers, the union said the headcount has fallen by as much as 90 percent.

The Arizona Republic, for example, has gone from 140 newsroom employees in 2018 to 89 this year, the NewsGuild said. The Austin American-Statesman’s newsroom shrunk during that period from 110 employees in 2018 to 41 this year.

Some newspapers have forsaken coverage of local sports or business, the union said. Reporters have had to take on several unrelated beats. Some publications have dropped local news coverage altogether to focus on regional news.

Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst for the Poynter Institute, said that while the union isn’t powerful enough to prevent layoffs, the strike shows it has gained momentum.

Schleuss said 18 Gannett newsrooms have unionized in the last five years. Two more newsrooms voted to unionize Monday: the Athens Banner-Herald and the Savannah Morning News, both in Georgia.

S. Korea says US alliance upgraded to nuclear-based

By Sohee Kim

PRESIDENT Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea and the US have elevated their alliance to “nuclear-based,” as he praised a deal struck with Washington on the deployment of America’s atomic arsenal to deter North Korea.

it would be used to retaliate against a North Korean strike. But the ultimate decision on the use of nuclear weapons still remains with the US.

confirm a retreat.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in an unusual overnight video that 250 Ukrainian personnel were killed in the fighting in Donetsk province, and 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armored combat vehicles were destroyed. In response, the Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russian forces were “stepping up their information and psychological operations.”

“To demoralize Ukrainians and mislead the community (including their own population), Russian propagandists will spread false information about the counteroffensive, its directions and the losses of the Ukrainian army. Even if there is no counteroffensive,” a statement on Telegram read.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russians overreacted to its latest push.

“We see how hysterically Russia perceives every step we take there, every position we take,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

Ukrainian officials have said for months that a spring campaign with advanced weapons supplied by Western allies to reclaim territory seized by Russia during the war was planned, but they have kept quiet about when, how and where it might start, or whether it had already been launched.

Recent military activity, including drone attacks on Moscow, cross-border raids into Russia and sabotage and drone attacks on infrastructure behind Russian lines, has unnerved Russians. Analysts say those actions may represent the start of the counteroffensive.

In other disruption, TV and radio broadcasts in several regions of Russia

The Russian military said Monday it repelled the latest Ukrainian incursion into the Belgorod region, on the border in Ukraine. Russians who purport to be fighting alongside Ukrainian forces said they attacked on Sunday. They were driven back by airstrikes and artillery fire, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

At least two factors have been at play in the counteroffensive’s timing: better ground conditions for the movement of troops and equipment after the winter, and the deployment of more advanced Western weapons and training of Ukrainian troops to use them.

Ukraine’s Western allies have sent the country more than 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in military aid to help its defense. Driving out the Kremlin’s forces is a daunting challenge for Kyiv’s planners. Russia has built extensive defensive lines, including trenches, minefields and antitank obstacles.

After months of a battlefield stalemate, with neither side making significant gains and suffering losses of personnel and weapons, Ukraine could launch simultaneous pushes in different areas of the front line that stretches for around 1,100 kilometers (nearly 700 miles), analysts say.

In the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the site of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle, Malyar, the deputy defense minister, said Ukrainian forces are advancing and “occupy dominating heights.” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, “Bakhmut direction—well done, warriors!”

The leader of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin—a frequent critic of his country’s military brass whose statements are sometimes unreliable—said that Russian forces lost control of part of the village of Berkhovka outside Bakhmut. Prizoghin said last month that his forces had seized all of the city of Bakhmut, with Ukrainian forces remaining in control of many surrounding areas.

Yoon said at a speech Tuesday to mark South Korea’s Memorial Day, that the socalled Washington Declaration he reached at a White House summit with President Joe Biden in April “dramatically enhances the extended deterrence capabilities of US nuclear assets.”

“The US-South Korea alliance has now been elevated to a nuclear-based alliance,” he added. The deal gives South Korea a greater say in how America deploys its nuclear umbrella and provides assurances

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has rattled regional security in recent years by rolling out new missiles that can deliver nuclear strikes to all of South Korea, which hosts about 28,000 US military personnel, and increasing threats to unleash his arsenal in response to joint US-South Korean military drills.

The exercises have been restored under Yoon to levels not seen in more than five years when Yoon’s predecessor and former US President Donald Trump scaled them down, or suspended drills, in their attempts at rapprochement with Pyongyang, which failed in reducing Kim’s atomic arsenal. Bloomberg News

Ukraine says Russia blows up major dam, warns of widespread flooding

By Susie Blann The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of southern Ukraine that Russia controls, sending water gushing from the breached facility and risking massive flooding. Ukrainian authorities ordered hundreds of thousands of residents downriver to evacuate.

Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area.

Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that the failure of the Kakhovka dam could unleash 18 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water and flood Kherson and dozens of other areas downriver where hundreds of thousands of people live, as well as threatening a nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant.

Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom said in a Telegram statement that the blowing up of the dam “could have negative consequences for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” but at the moment situation is “controllable.”

The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on Twitter that its experts were closely monitoring the situation at the

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant upstream, and there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk” at the facility.

According to the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Working Group, a total collapse in the dam would wash away much of the left bank and a severe drop in the reservoir has the potential to deprive the nuclear plant of crucial cooling, as well as dry up the water supply in northern Crimea.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis, Ukrainian officials said.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry wrote on Telegram that the Kakhovka dam had been blown up, and called for residents of 10 villages on the river’s right bank and parts of the city of Kherson downriver to gather essential documents and pets, turn off appliances, and leave, while cautioning against possible disinformation.

The Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka Vladimir Leontyev said Tuesday that numerous strikes on the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant destroyed its valves, and “water from the Kakhovka reservoir began to uncontrollably flow downstream.”

Leontyev said the strikes were “a very serious terrorist act” said Moscow-appointed authorities are “preparing for the worst consequences”—though stopping short of urging an evacuation of city residents.

UKRAINIAN soldiers ride an APC on the frontline near Bakhmut, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine on Monday, June 5, 2023. IRYNA RYBAKOVA VIA AP

The World

After missteps with some Hispanic voters in 2020, Biden faces pressure to get 2024 outreach right

By Will Weissert & Adriana Gomez Licon The Associated

Press

KISSIMMEE, Fla.—Joe Biden

vowed in 2020 to work “like

the devil” to energize Hispanic voters, and flew to Florida seven weeks before Election Day to do just that. But as he stepped to the podium at a Hispanic Heritage Month event near Disney World, Biden declared, “I just have one thing to say” and used his phone to play part of “Despacito.”

It was meant as a salute to the singer of the reggaeton hit, Luis Fonsi, who had introduced Biden and cried, “Dance a little bit, Joe.” Still, the gesture triggered swift online backlash from some Hispanics, who saw it as playing to belittling stereotypes— proof that while outreach is important, failing to strike the right cultural tone can undermine such efforts.

“The details actually matter for people because it’s respecting their background, respecting their history, respecting their culture,” said Grecia Lima, national political director of Community Change Action. “It’s not an insignificant portion of what campaigns are going to have to wrestle with in the ‘24 cycle.”

Biden is hardly the first politician to strike a sour note trying to connect across cultural lines, but the blowback he encountered illustrates a bigger challenge facing the president and his party as he seeks a second term next year.

Hispanic voters, long a core constituency for Democrats, have reliably supported them based on substantive matters of policy, from health care to managing the economy, according to Pew Research Center surveys. But recent signs that Republicans have made inroads with those voters are adding to the sense that Democrats have work to

do to maintain their advantage.

Democratic candidates won 57 percent of Hispanic voters during last year’s midterms, a smaller percentage than the 63 percent of Hispanic voters Biden won in 2020 and the 66 percent of Hispanic voters supporting the party in 2018, when Democrats took control of the House, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of the national electorate.

Meanwhile, 39 percent of Hispanic voters backed Republicans last year, a tick up from the 35 percent who supported former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican considering a White House run, said Democrats have failed to connect with Hispanic voters and hurt themselves by adopting terms like Latinx, a gender-neutral alternative to “Latino” and “Latina.”

“They’ve created a tremendous opportunity for Republicans,” Suarez said. “A lot of the issues that Hispanics care about are issues that are being touted by the Republican Party.”

Democrats say they maintain the upper hand on policy, but party leaders had expected another boost in electoral support from recent demographic shifts in the Hispanic population. A growing share were English-speaking and US born, and they came from a wider array of backgrounds.

Many Democrats also believed harsh rhetoric from Republicans before, during and after the presidency of Trump—who famously used his campaign launch in 2015 to declare immigrants from Mexico to be rapists and criminals—would work in their favor.

Yet even modest swings toward Republicans could mean millions more 2024 GOP votes since Hispanics made up 62 percent of total growth in the nation’s eligible voters between 2018 and

last year’s election, according to Pew. And that makes engaging in effective Hispanic outreach critical, activists say.

“Are they behind?” asked Javier Palomarez CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council. “Yes.”

Hispanic support for Republicans has risen in places like New Mexico and New York, said Palomarez, who noted that such trends could continue—especially since word-of-mouth is crucial to influencing Hispanic voting—unless Democrats change the way they work to mobilize Hispanic voters.

“What they need to do immediately is really start talking to the Hispanic community in a genuine fashion,” said Palomarez, a fierce Trump critic who once joined the Trump administration’s council on diversity in hopes of finding consensus. “We’re no less important than any other community, but we’ve been left behind.”

Democratic strategist Maria Cardona countered that nearly every cycle features “activists with their hair on fire: ‘The campaign’s not doing enough, we’re not hearing from enough people.’”

She said Biden’s campaign is neutralizing those perceptions with “his -

toric strides and investments” in Hispanic voter mobilization, especially important since a new Hispanic American turns 18 years old nationwide about every 30 seconds. That helps account for around 4 million more eligible Hispanic voters ahead of 2024 than there were in 2020.

Biden supporters also say incidents like playing “Despacito” don’t resonate with Hispanic voters who are more interested in concrete policy achievements, especially when leading Republican candidates feed racially charged fear-mongering about immigrants and the US-Mexico border.

“President Biden has spent his first two years in office focusing on the issues facing many Latino families— lowering health care costs, creating good-paying jobs, getting our small businesses and schools reopened, and fighting gun violence in our communities,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for Biden’s reelection campaign, said in a statement.

Of course, cultural gaffes are bipartisan, going back to 1976, when President Gerald Ford bit into a Texas tamale without removing the corn husk. And

Trump and other top Republicans have long used language such as “illegal alien,” regarded by many Latinos as dehumanizing.

In the long run, the anti-immigration policies enacted by the Trump administration, including separating children from their parents at the border with no plans to reunite them, could matter more than Hispanic voter outreach efforts. Still, Hispanic voter support for Republican candidates held steady between 2018 and 2020 at 35 percent nationally, according to Vote Cast.

And “Despacito” wasn’t the Biden camp’s only misstep since then.

During a visit to Puerto Rico last fall, the president sought help pro -

nouncing Caño Martín Peña while promoting federal funding to improve that canal. First lady Jill Biden flubbed the pronunciation of “Si Se Puede,” the old farmworkers union slogan that later became an Obama-era rallying cry, during a speech in California last spring. Then, in Texas last summer, she said the Hispanic community was as “unique as breakfast tacos here in San Antonio.” “We are not tacos,” the National Association of Hispanic Journalists tweeted in response, prompting an apology from the first lady’s office.

The Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report from Washington.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Govt can help boost PHL’s sugar output

THe list of agricultural commodities that the Philippines is importing in huge quantities has expanded, based on pronouncements made by officials in recent years. Sugar, which used to be exported by the Philippines mostly to the United States, where it enjoys preferential tariffs, has joined the list of commodities that the Philippines purchases in bulk from abroad. The latest purchase order was made just months ago, based on Sugar Order (SO) 6 that authorized traders to bring in as much as 440,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar. (See, “Sugar import allocation requires DA chief nod,” in the BusinessMirror, February 16, 2023)

The country has not allocated any volume of sugar for export to the US via the tariff rate quota scheme, based on sugar orders for crop years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Prior to the start of the crop year for sugar, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) issues SO 1, which details the allocation of sugar produced by local farmers. The last time the government allotted sugar for export to the US was in crop year 2020-2021, when 7 percent of the country’s output was classified as “A.”

Apart from the fact that the country would have to stop supplying the US market and prioritize domestic needs, output has not been enough to meet the Philippines’s requirement for the sweetener. Aside from the 440,000 MT that the administration has allowed to import, it has also approved the purchase of up to 150,000 MT of imports. A report from state-run Philippine News Agency said the additional imports would prop up local stocks and stabilize domestic prices.

The sugar sector has been asking for help from the government prior to the pandemic. Even before Covid-19 struck and Russia invaded Ukraine, stakeholders in the sugar industry have been urging the government to implement tweaks in policies and increase its assistance to farmers who have struggled to produce enough of the sweetener in the face of rising production costs. The disruption in supply chain caused by the pandemic as well as the conflict in Eastern Europe worsened the many ills that the sector had to deal with.

Despite grappling with a number of challenges including low productivity, the sugar sector was able to meet the requirements of the domestic market based on data from the SRA. Imports had been minimal if not zero as the sector was able to supply both the needs of industries and individual consumers. Because of this, prices were relatively stable and a kilo of sugar did not have to cost nearly a fourth of a worker’s daily minimum wage.

Sugar may not be a staple food like rice, but it is used in making a number of food items that Filipinos purchase and consume on a fairly regular basis including bread, biscuits, and beverages like soft drinks and juices. It would do well for concerned agencies to implement policies that would allow the Philippines to stop importing the sweetener in huge quantities and boost efforts to help the country become self-sufficient in sugar again.

Since

Guatemala’s presidential hopefuls channel heavy-handed tactics of El Salvador’s leader

By Sonia Pérez D. | The Associated Press

GUATeMALA CITY—Candidates to be Guatemala’s next president are taking a cue from the leader of neighboring el Salvador and promising their voters they will build megaprisons and hammer criminal gangs into submission.

The formula of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has become wellknown to citizens across Latin America, and the tough-talking, Bitcoinloving leader enjoys approval ratings the envy of any world leader—even a year after suspending key rights to wage war against his country’s gangs.

“It would be good to adopt his program” in Guatemala, said 48-yearold Lucrecia Salazar, a government worker who lives in a neighborhood in the capital known as a hotspot for gangs and crime. “We have the resources. What we lack is the will.”

Now, many top candidates for president in Guatemala are vying to demonstrate such a will, saying ahead of June 25 balloting that, if elected, they would emulate Bukele’s heavy-handed tactics.

Former First Lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity of Hope party announced her platform to cheering supporters at a hotel in May, saying she’d implement Bukele’s strategies “to end the scourge of homicides, murders and extortions in our country.”

She says she’ll build two megaprisons for gang members.

Following an outburst of gang violence in El Salvador in March

2022, Bukele has pursued a strategy of locking up anyone with a whiff of gang affiliation — now totaling more than 68,000 people. He built what has been billed as Latin America’s largest prison.

Homicides, already on the decline, plummeted. Life returned to streets and public squares of many communities that long had been under the thumb of gangs and where families used to hide at home after dark.

In Guatemala, many of the same gangs terrorize and extort the population. But the country has nearly three times the population and five times the land area of its neighbor, so there’s no guarantee El Salvador’s strategies could be replicated here.

Homicide rates across the region plunged in 2020 due to pandemic lockdowns. But while they’ve continued to decline in El Salvador each year since then, from 19 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 to just 8 per 100,000 last year, they have rebounded in Guatemala.

Last year, Guatemala had 17 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, up from its historic low of 15.3 per 100,000 in 2020. As a comparison, Honduras had 36 per 100,000 inhabitants last year.

Political scientist Renzo Rosal of Guatemala’s Landivar University said candidates are emulating Bukele partly because of Guatemala’s own strain of authoritarianism and partly because they lack their own proposals.

One long-shot candidate, Amilcar Rivera of the Victory party, even has adopted an Bukele-like appearance with a dark, close-cropped beard and baseball cap. “The level of emptiness is such that they even copy his physical appearance,” Rosal said.

Bukele fans and imitators have cropped up in other parts of Latin America too.

In Argentina, campaign banners of Santiago Cúneo, a marginal candidate in that country’s presidential elections in October, feature side-byside photos of himself and El Salvador’s president.

Colombia’s right-leaning Semana magazine recently put Bukele on its cover with the headline “The Bukele Miracle,” for a story lauding his administration’s security achievements. Colombia will hold local and regional elections in October.

Another top Guatemalan candidate, Zury Ríos Sosa, daughter of late dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and the standard-bearer for the far-right Valor-Unionista coalition, has expressed admiration for both Bukele and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who led an all-out offensive against leftist guerrillas during his presidency in 2002-2010.

Ríos Sosa has promised to build at

least three new prisons under what she calls the “El Salvador-Colombia Strength Plan.”

“We have to admit that President Bukele has had the character, the strength and the determination to apply the law,” Ríos Sosa said. She visited El Salvador Monday, telling local media that Guatemalans had heard a lot about Bukele’s security success. “We admire the public security policies he has done,” she said.

Human rights advocates have broadly criticized what they call an erosion of due process in El Salvador. Carolina Jiménez, president of WOLA, a Washington-based nongovernmental organization focused on human rights in the Americas, sees the measures promised by Bukele’s Guatemalan admirers as creating an illusion of security.

“The Bukele effect is contagious because of the security needs that people have, a valid necessity that has not been attended to,” she said. The easiest thing to say is, “I can apply that security model here.”

“But what comes after?” Jiménez asked. “The roots [of the problem] have to do with social exclusion, poverty and other structural problems.”

Danilo Cardona, a 49-year-old security guard at a restaurant in Guatemala’s capital, said Bukele’s polices can’t be copied in Guatemala “because we’re different with different problems.”

“Security is a priority, but so are education, the economy and malnutrition,” Cardona said.

China edging out Russia as sanctions redraw Kazakhstan trade

By Nariman Gizitdinov | Bloomberg Opinion

AN economic seesaw between China and Russia in Central Asia is moving toward a new equilibrium for Kazakhstan, which expects its eastern neighbor to come out on top as international sanctions over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine transform commerce.

In the over three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia held on to its spot as the biggest trading partner for Kazakhstan even as China made inroads across much of the region that stretches from the Caspian to Manchuria.

But financial and economic sanctions that have sidelined Russia and diverted trade flows are creating an opening for China. Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and its minister of trade and integration, said it’s a matter of a few years before China overtakes Russia.

“The growth in trade is happening due to China,” he said in an interview in the capital, Astana. By 2030, Zhumangarin expects volumes with

China to eclipse Kazakh trade with the 27-nation European Union as a whole.

For centuries a gateway for China’s trade with Europe and the Middle East, Central Asia is now at the nexus of competing interests spreading from Washington to Moscow and Beijing.

China’s President Xi Jinping last year chose Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for his first foreign trip since the coronavirus pandemic. The US and the EU have also stepped up their outreach.

But while countries from Italy to Australia rethink their ties with China, the pull of the world’s secondbiggest economy may prove hard to resist for the nations of Central Asia,

which also include Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Trade with China surged by about a third last year to approach $24 billion for Kazakhstan. It still lagged volumes with Russia—which added just over 6 percent in 2022—by about $2 billion, according to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a Mandarin speaker who once worked as a diplomat in China, has refused to side with Russia over the invasion launched just weeks after he needed troops sent by President Vladimir Putin to crush deadly riots in early 2022.

But even as Kazakhstan has said it’s complying with the curbs imposed in punishment for the war, it opposes the US-led campaign of sanctions and has seen trade with Russia grow since the attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Along with countries like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan has been under scrutiny by western governments for facilitating shipments of restricted goods.

Outside the perimeter

“WE aren’t within the perimeter of the sanctions and we do not support them, especially against our main trading partners,” Zhumangarin said. “But we comply with these sanctions and will continue to comply. And this is purely economic policy.”

The world’s largest landlocked country is the biggest global miner of uranium and a top producer of commodities such as ferrochrome. Transit is like “fresh air” for Kazakhstan’s mining and metallurgical industries, Zhumangarin said.

For Kazakhstan, Russia was long an outlet to the outside world, enabling maritime access and creating an entry point into a much larger market thanks to low trade barriers and established supply lines.

The two countries are members of a customs union and share the world’s second-longest frontier after the US-Canada border, with a pipeline linked to the Russian port of Novorossiysk transporting about 80 percent of Kazakh oil exports. See “China,” A11

Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder

Senegal violence threatens country’s stability as experts call on govt to instill calm

By Sam Mednick & Babacar Dione | The Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal—Senegal experts called on the government on Monday to instill calm after days of the deadliest violence in years and concerns it could have lasting consequences.

Days of clashes between security forces and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko have killed at least 16 people and injured hundreds of others. Police have arrested 500 people, some of whom used Molotov cocktails and weapons.

“[There’s] the threat of chaos. The threat of civil war,” Alioune Tine, founder of Afrikajom Center, a West African think tank, told The Associated Press in an interview Monday in the capital, Dakar. “We have never ever lived this situation in Senegal... We cannot go fighting among ourselves and we have to stop now, to make peace now, to be united now.”

The clashes first broke out last Thursday, after Sonko was convicted of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. Sonko, who didn’t attend his trial in Dakar, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Sonko came third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and is popular with the country’s youth. his supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Under Senegalese law, Sonko’s conviction could bar him from running.

While Senegal, a country of around 17 million people, has experienced upheaval before, rights groups and analysts say the current clashes are the worst political crisis the nation has seen since 1988, when a general strike and electoral protest shook the power of the then president, Amnesty International researcher Ousmane Diallo said.

At the heart of the unrest are fears that President Macky Sall will run for a third term. The constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms. But Sall argues that a constitutional reform adopted in 2016 allows him to reset the clock and seek another term.

“My massive worry is that we are only on the premises of the violence cycle in Senegal as the [possible] announcement of a third mandate run by Macky Sall could trigger a massive popular uprising and violence Senegal has never seen so far,” said Guillaume Soto-Mayor, researcher at the Middle East Institute.

Some extremely young people are dying daily, and Senegal and its democratic system are possibly on the brink of collapse, he said.

Others Senegalese experts warn that if the violence continues it might not only destabilize the country but could be an opening for jihadi violence, which has already wracked much of the region, including in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.

Some families have lost relatives who weren’t involved in the protests, but have suffered the consequences of the unrest.

Elhaji Cisse was walking home

China

continued from A10

The calculus for Kazakhstan is changing after the invasion.

The movement of goods through Russia has become more difficult and some of its sanctioned companies could no longer receive Kazakh raw materials, Zhumangarin said. And as more Russian producers focus on the domestic market, they’re crowding out Kazakh exports, he said.

Though overall trade with Russia last quarter was up 10 percent from a year earlier, according to Zhumangarin, the ripple effects of sanctions have forced Kazakhstan to adjust by starting to re-export more goods and building up local production.

As trade opportunities narrow with Russia, Kazakhstan is looking

after praying at the mosque Friday evening when he was shot in the shoulder by a bullet. The 26-yearold was rushed to hospital, but died minutes later. he was about to study abroad in Canada, said his family.

“Elhaji was not a demonstrator. he was a good patriot. he was interested in everything that was happening in the country... he went to pray, but when he came back, they threw tear gas. he stepped aside to avoid the grenades. Then the gendarmes were there and they shot,” said Djimbala Ba, his brother. The AP cannot independently verify how Cisse was killed, however demonstrators have reported the use of live bullets.

On Monday, dozens of emotional friends and relatives gathered to pray around Cisse’s body outside a mosque near his house. They later followed his body to the cemetery in a procession of motorbikes, buses and cars.

While a cautious calm returned to Dakar on Monday, with traffic resuming and some people going back to work after days of shuttering inside, many are bracing for what lies ahead.

Sonko’s house is under tight security, and he hasn’t been seen or heard from since the verdict and it’s unclear when or if he’ll be detained and taken to prison. Sall also hasn’t addressed the nation.

Violence erupted in March 2021, killing at least 14 people during clashes when authorities arrested Sonko for disturbing public order on the way to his court hearing. Religious leaders, who hold significant influence in the country, were key in bringing both sides to the table to quell the violence, analysts say.

Since last week’s clashes erupted, some religious leaders have appealed for calm. Over the weekend, Serigne Mountakha Mbacke, caliph of the Mouride brotherhood, Senegal’s most influential religious order, called on people in the city of Touba, the brotherhood’s headquarters, to stop demonstrating and return home.

Religious leaders are mediating with the parties behind the scenes and believe that a minimum consensus might be reached, Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Sy, president of the Unitary Framework of Islam of Senegal, a Muslim religious group, told the AP on Monday. however, obstacles, such as Sonko’s arrest remain, which could “still set our country ablaze,” he said. While many Senegalese want the upheaval to end, others say they’ll continue protesting until there’s justice.

“The government wants to prevent our leader from being a candidate. We do not accept,” said Malang Coly, a Sonko supporter. “We will fight even if the government has arrested many of our comrades. We will continue to denounce. If the opportunity arises, we will demonstrate.”

east to China and across the Caspian to Iran—and then to the Gulf region, India and beyond. “The Chinese direction is a priority,” Zhumangarin said.

At last month’s meeting with Xi —during the first in-person summit of Central Asian leaders in China— Tokayev set the goal of nearly doubling trade with China to $40 billion by 2030.

Chinese companies have already started to assemble vehicles in Kazakhstan, which expects other auto brands like Chery to follow soon, Zhumangarin said.  Kazakhstan has meanwhile started to ship grain to China and is now in talks to export meat there. In addition to two existing rail terminals linking Kazakhstan with China, it’s building another and plans a fourth link, Zhumangarin said.

Is it real or made by AI? Europe wants a label for that as it fights disinformation

By Kelvin Chan | AP Business Writer

LONDON—The European Union is pushing online platforms like Google and Meta to step up the fight against false information by adding labels to text, photos and other content generated by artificial intelligence, a top official said Monday.

EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said the ability of a new generation of AI chatbots to create complex content and visuals in seconds raises “fresh challenges for the fight against disinformation.”

She said she asked Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and other tech companies that have signed up to the 27-nation bloc’s voluntary agreement on combating disinformation to work to tackle the AI problem.

Online platforms that have integrated generative AI into their services, such as Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Google’s Bard chatbot, should build safeguards to prevent “malicious actors” from generating disinformation, Jourova said at a briefing in Brussels.

Companies offering services that have the potential to spread AI-generated disinformation should roll out technology to “recognize such content and clearly label this to users,” she said.

Google, Microsoft, Meta and TikTok did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Jourova said EU regulations are aimed at protecting free speech, but when it comes to AI, “I don’t see any right for the machines to have the freedom of speech.”

The swift rise of generative AI technology, which has the capability to produce human-like text, images and video, has amazed many and alarmed others with its potential to transform many aspects of daily life. Europe has taken a lead role in the global movement to regulate artificial intelligence with its AI Act, but the legislation still needs final approval and won’t take effect for several years.

Officials in the EU, which also is bringing in a separate set of rules this year to safeguard people from harmful online content, are worried that they need to act faster to keep up with the rapid development of generative AI.

Recent examples of debunked deepfakes include a realistic picture of Pope Francis in a white puffy jacket and an image of billowing black smoke next to a building accompanied with a claim that it showed an explosion near the Pentagon.

Politicians have even enlisted AI to warn about its dangers. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to craft the opening of a speech to Parliament last week, saying it was written “with such conviction that few of us would believe that it was a robot—and not a human—behind it.”

European and US officials said last week that they’re drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence that could be ready within weeks as a way to bridge the gap before the EU’s AI rules take effect.

Similar voluntary commitments in the bloc’s disinformation code will become legal obligations by the end of August under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which will force the biggest tech companies to better police their platforms to protect users from hate speech, disinformation and other harmful material.

Jourova said, however, that those companies should start labeling AIgenerated content immediately.

Counteroffensive? Probing defenses? A look at the fighting in Ukraine

By The Associated Press

WhiLE Kyiv is keeping silent about the start of any counteroffensive, fighting is raging in several sections of the front line, signaling that the long-expected campaign could be getting underway.

A video, released over the weekend by Ukraine, shows several of its soldiers in full combat gear raising a finger to their lips. “Plans love silence. There will be no start announcement,” say the words flashing on the screen afterward, followed by warplanes in flight.

Moscow claims it successfully fended off a Ukrainian attempt to ram through Russia’s defenses, but some pro-Kremlin military bloggers paint a different picture, acknowledging that Kyiv’s troops made some quick gains.

‘Shaping operations’

IN recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified the shelling of Russian positions and successfully pushed back against Russia’s attempts to extend its gains outside the eastern city of Bakhmut that it reclaimed last month in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.

Pro-Kyiv paramilitary groups of Russians who have been fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces also launched forays over the border into Russian territory, attacking the Belgorod region.

The Ukrainian shelling and the cross-border incursions ravaged several towns and villages near the frontier and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, angering Russian hawks who criticized the Kremlin for failing to strike back resolutely.

And on May 30, a rare drone attack targeted Moscow, causing only minor damage but exposing glaring breaches in the capital’s air defenses and underlining its vulnerability.

Military analysts describe the attacks as part of “shaping operations,” a series of moves intended to probe Russian defenses, force Moscow to spread its forces thin and draw attention from areas where Ukraine might focus its counteroffensive.

The Russian military, in turn, has intensified strikes deep inside Ukraine, launching a barrage of near-daily drone and missile attacks against high-value military facilities.

Russia declared it destroyed the US-made Patriot missile defense systems in Kyiv, successfully struck the military intelligence headquar-

ters, also in the Ukrainian capital, and hit air bases and weapons stockpiles in several regions. These claims couldn’t be independently verified. Ukrainian officials acknowledged some of the strikes but have remained cryptic about the damage.

Russian military bloggers described them as part of Moscow’s efforts to derail the counteroffensive by softening Ukraine’s air defenses and destroying Western weapons and ammunition intended for the campaign.

In Washington, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said: “We have no reason to believe any Russian action has had any spoiling effect on pending or ongoing Ukraine operations.”

Hybrid warfare

BOTh sides have sought to mislead and weaken each other through propaganda and disinformation.

On Sunday, Ukraine hacked into some TV broadcasts in Crimea to air a menacing Ukrainian military statement about the counteroffensive.

In an unprecedented move intended to undermine morale, broadcasts in several Russian regions were hacked Monday to carry a fake address by President Vladimir Putin in which a voice resembling his was heard declaring martial law, a nationwide mobilization and a massive evacuation of three border regions.

Kyiv, in turn, accused Moscow of hybrid warfare. It said Russian claims of a major Ukrainian attempt to pierce Russian defenses was part of “information and psychological operations” intended to “demoralize Ukrainians and mislead the community.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak mocked the Russian claims as “virtual reality,” saying sardonically: “Moscow is already actively involved in repelling ... a global offensive that does not yet exist.”

The main strike

MIlI TARy analysts say Ukraine has tried to hide its intentions by launching multiple attacks on several sectors of the front line to force Russia

Most digital giants are already signed up to the EU disinformation code, which requires companies to measure their work on combating false information and issue regular reports on their progress.

Twitter dropped out last month in what appeared to be the latest move by Elon Musk to loosen restrictions at the social media company after he bought it last year.

The exit drew a stern rebuke, with Jourova calling it a mistake.

“Twitter has chosen the hard way. They chose confrontation,” she said.

“Make no mistake, by leaving the code, Twitter has attracted a lot of attention, and its actions and compliance with EU law will be scrutinized vigorously and urgently.”

Twitter will face a major test later this month when European Commissioner Thierry Breton heads to its San Francisco headquarters with a team to carry out a “stress test,” meant to measure the platform’s ability to comply with the Digital Services Act. Breton, who’s in charge of digital policy, told reporters Monday that he also will visit other Silicon Valley tech companies including OpenAI, chipmaker Nvidia and Meta. AP reporter Jan M. Olsen contributed from Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Ukrainian shelling and the cross-border incursions ravaged several towns and villages near the frontier and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, angering Russian hawks who criticized the Kremlin for failing to strike back resolutely.

to scatter its resources and distract them from where the main strike would be launched.

“The attacks in the Zaporizhzhia and the Donetsk regions, the developments in Russia’s Belgorod region, and increasingly frequent strikes on Russian military depots in the rear are all part of preparations to the Ukrainian counteroffensive,” said Ukrainian military analyst Roman Svitan. “Kyiv is looking for Russia’s weak spots and trying to spread the front as wide as possible.”

Many military experts expect Ukraine to try to ram through Russian defenses toward the Sea of Azov coast to break the land corridor to Crimea that Moscow created after capturing the key port of Mariupol in May 2022.

Russian officials and military bloggers suggested the latest attacks in the southern part of the Donetsk region and the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region that began Sunday could herald the start of that big push.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine on Sunday sent several battalions to try to ram through the Russian defensive positions, which were pushed back after suffering significant losses.

Some Russian military bloggers offered a less-optimistic view, saying Ukrainian troops managed to make some gains Sunday and were pouring more resources to exploit that success. Some said that, for the first time, German-made l eopard tanks were seen in significant numbers in the area.

Tasks and challenges

WhEThER or not the latest fighting marks the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, many observers warned against expectations of a quick breakthrough that could end the war quickly.

“We need to understand that what we’re calling the Ukraine counteroffensive is not like a football match,” said General Sir Richard Barrons, the former Commander of the UK

Joint Forces Command. “ you know, it’s not going to be done and dusted in 90 minutes with a halftime on an appointed day. It’s been nine months at least in the preparation in the sense that they’ve had to gather weapons and ammunition from Nato. Not enough, I think, so far.”

Barrons, who is co-chair of the consulting group Universal Defence & Security Solutions, noted Russia has bolstered its forces, replenished some of its ammunition stockpiles and built complex defensive lines.

“Russia has had time to lay out a textbook fixed defense,” he said, with three lines of trenches and held-down positions allowing tanks to come forward to fire at the attackers.

“They will have rehearsed the artillery fire plan in support of defending those lines, and they will have rehearsed the crucial rapid counterattacks, which are so vital when you are trying to restore a line that’s being attacked,” Barrons added. he predicted Ukraine will try to focus its nine newly formed brigades armed with Western weapons to ram through Russian defenses in just one, two or three places, trying to concentrate their forces to have a significant numerical superiority “in order to smash their way through and then exploit and hold on to the ground that they’ve taken.”

The offensive “is going to be, in a land sense, quite a narrow frontage,” he said.

“I’d be surprised if it’s more than 20 miles, to be honest,” Barrons added. “The battlefield success has to be enough to show hope and prospect to bind in further strategic support.”

he emphasized the Russian army has learned from its setbacks last fall when it retreated from large areas in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions under the brunt of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, noting it could be more challenging this time for Ukraine to push the Russians out.

“The thing that is most important about this offensive is whenever it comes, however successful it is, it is simply not possible for it to throw every Russian out of Ukraine unless the Russians decided to give up and go,” Barrons said. “And they are not going to do that.”

The West must mobilize its military industries to ramp up support for Ukraine to allow it to win, he said.

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, and Tara Copp in Washington contributed.

PHL spared from Europe’s IP rights watch list for 5th yr

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Philippines has remained out of the European Commission’s intellectual property (IP) rights watch list, marking five years since the last mention of the country in 2019, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

I POPHL Director General Rowel

S. Barba said this signifies that the Philippines remains an “attractive investment destination to trade partners,” as the country has maintained a “safe” intellectual property climate which he said is “in tune” with global economic standards.

T he report, released on May 17, cites “Legal uncertainties and diverging applications of the law, low level of trade secrets protection and enforcements and overall weak IPR enforcement” as the deciding factors of the priority countries.

According to the European Commission, this report is part of its efforts to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in third countries. As such, this type of report is being published biennially or every other year.

“ The main objective of this report is to identify third countries

in which the state of IPR protection and enforcement [both online and offline] gives rise to the greatest level of concern for the EU and thereby to establish an updated list of so-called ‘priority countries,’” the report published by EC read.  C hina topped the list as the sole country under “priority one” due to the “persistence” of IP rights violations through piracy and counterfeiting, paired with inconsistent IPR law enforcement and application, IPOPHL noted.

Under “priority two,” the EU Commission flagged India, particularly for the several constraints on patent protection, and Turkey, generally for their gaps in national IP enforcement.

M eanwhile, “priority three” countries consist of Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, for varying IP protection concerns,

IPOPHL said.

D espite the Philippines being delisted from the report, Barba underscored the importance of “going beyond” the exclusion from global watch lists.

T he IPOPHL chief said there is “much more work” needed to be done to ensure a “clean and reliable” marketplace for IP rights owners across all nations.

“ Since our last mention as a priority three in 2019, we have doubled down our efforts to safeguard our investment attractiveness, a testament to our commitment as a proactive national IP office,” the IPOPHL chief added, assuring the continuity of efforts to keep counterfeiting and piracy at bay.

Meanwhile, IPOPHL said in a statement on Tuesday it continues to initiate anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy policy (ACAPP) campaigns across local government units (LGUs) and the academe to deepen IP rights awareness, especially among public authorities critical in IP enforcement.

B arba said the agency’s “wholeof-nation” approach to IP enforcement does not only empower the country’s economic landscape. He noted that this also translates to a

TOURISM PLAYERS HIT CHOICE OF

GRAB ‘GUIDE’

“prosperous and lasting” relationship with critical trade partners such as the European Union.

In fact, IPOPHL said it has maintained a “fruitful” partnership with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The cooperation has made significant developments through the continuous capacitation of businesses on IP services, awareness, and enforcement.

“

In an effort to boost trade competitiveness, the EUIPO and the Commission have assisted IPOPHL through the IP Key SEA in progressing the country’s geographical indications [GI] mapping via a forum participated by potential GI producers nationwide,” IPOPHL said in a statement on Tuesday.

A ccording to the EU Commission, trade in goods in 2022 between the Philippines and the EU amounted to €18.4 billion, while 2022 bilateral trade in services amounted to €4.7 billion.

I n 2021, the EU accounted for 7.9 percent of the Philippines’s total trade, making it the Philippines’s fourth-largest trading partner.

On the other hand, the Philippines ranks as the EU’s 39th largest foreign investor, making up for 0.4 percent of the EU’s overall trade.

TOURISM stakeholders are calling out the Department of Tourism (DOT) on its new partnership with ride-hailing app Grab Philippines, which they said gives the company unfair advantage over accredited tourist transport companies and tour guides.

A ileen Clemente, president of Rajah Travel Corp., told the BusinessMirror , “I really feel this is a big mistake, especially considering that the DOT mentioned they conducted a one-day training [with Grab drivers] on the Filipino brand of service excellence (FBSE) and they will be tour-guiding already. The current accredited tour guides train for more than just a day and know how to curate tours. How can we expect that from a one-day training on the FBSE?”

S he also pointed out, “These Grab drivers are NOT ACCREDITED tourist transport drivers— such drivers undergo strict standards for that. They don’t even drive DOT-accredited transportation. This will not sit very well with accredited tour guides and tourist transport delivers whose job will be taken over just like that.” (Emphasis hers.)

Under the GrabTours Manila project, passengers can book a 5-hour tour around major destinations in Manila via Grab. “The driv-

ers, who will also undergo briefing on the tourist sites, will double as tour guides during the trip,” picking up and dropping off the tourists at their hotels. (See, “DOT partners with Grab for city tours pilot run,” in the BusinessMirror , June 6, 2023.) None of the major tourism stakeholders associations appeared to have been consulted by the DOT before the project went on a pilot run.

Tourists’ safety at risk

TOURISM leaders underscored that many tour guides and tourist transport services have yet to fully recover from the pandemic, so the DOT-Grab project will take potential income away from these stakeholders. They also claimed the project puts tourists at risk because Grab’s partner-vehicles are “old.” “ None of us knew about this,” said a tourism stakeholder, who requested anonymity. “Even the tour guides are meeting to discuss their moves kasi nga aagawan sila ng trabaho [their work will be stolen],” he noted.

Per DOT’s website, there are 54 accredited tourist land transport operators in the National Capital Region (NCR). Grab is not on that list. The website also shows close to 200 accredited tour guides in the NCR.

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies

B1

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Delisting bid of MPIC back to square one–Pangilinan

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Manuel V. Pangilinan, MPIC chairman, president and CeO, said regulators have disapproved the report given by its first independent financial advisor (IFA) as it was “not independent enough.”

Pangilinan is also part of the group that will buy the shares owned by the public.

“So the bidders have to have to appoint a new IFA. So you know you’re back to square one. We will have to most likely appoint a new IFA, and then the process will

then restart after IFA determines the price,” he said at the sidelines of MPIC’s annual stockholders’ meeting.

“Then you’re going to have to submit that again to the PSe [Philippine Stock exchange] and SeC [Securities and exchange Commission].”

Pangilinan said they were given a list of accredited IFAs, and their choices have whittled down to two.

he said they were in indirect talks with other minority holders, such as the pension funds.

“ you know, any price point you put at the table will be considered low. We know that. It’s typical of any of any tender (offer) right, your initial indication would be would be regarded as low. So that’s how the markets operate,” Pangilinan said when asked about the reaction of pension funds.

The consortium, composed of Metro Pacific holdings Inc., Pangilinan’s MIG holdings Inc., GT Capital holdings Inc. and Mit-Pacific Infrastructure holdings Corp., has offered shareholders a price of P4.63 pesos per share. The tender offer price earned criticisms from investors who said the price was “very low.”

The tender offer price, the consortium said, takes into consideration the voluntary delisting rules of the PSe and represents a premium of 22 percent over the 12-months volumeweighted average trading price of MPIC on the PSe T he consortium took back last week the said tender offer price.

From an MPIC perspective, Pangilinan said, the company’s share

Knight Frank: Half of large firms plan to cut office space

price has been undervalued for quite some time, and has been trading for a number of years at a low price of P5 per share.

“It is indeed a significant discount to the underlying value of the shares of Metro Pacific, we know that even as a company at our level,” he said.

“The market makes it sound judgment as to what level of share price it wishes to value the company at that level. And our difficulty has always been to be able to fund the expansion of the growth of MPIC.”

he said the company has not raised funds through equity due to its low price, “because we do not want to penalize the stockholders having to buy the share price at a steep discount.”

“So it does put a bit of a crimp on our ability to raise funding on the equity side of the business. And at the end of the day, the whole point about being a public company is to be able to raise funds from the public at a decent price to the existing shareholders,” Pangilinan said.

MPIC’s shares closed on Tuesday at P4.46 apiece.

Petron shelf registration gets nod

The Securities and e xc hange Commission (S e C ) has approved Petron Corp.’s shelf registration of up to 50 million preferred shares. In its en banc meeting on June 1, the S e C approved the registration statement of Petron covering Series 4 preferred shares.

Petron may offer the preferred shares in one or more tranches within a period of 3 years. For the first tranche, the listed company will offer 12.5 million preferred shares at an issue price of P1,000 each, with an oversubscription option of 10 million preferred shares.

The company expects to net P22.34 billion from the offer, assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised.

Proceeds will be used for the partial redemption of certain securities, debt refinancing and purchase of crude oil, the company said.

The preferred shares will be listed and traded on the main board of the Philippine Stock e x change.

The first tranche is scheduled for public offering from June 14 to 27, with listing on the PS e slated for July 7, based on the latest timetable submitted to the S e C Petron has picked China Bank Capital Corp. as the sole issue

manager for the offer as well as a joint lead underwriter and bookrunner, alongside Bank of Commerce, Philippine Commercial Capital Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp.

Petron’s net income for the first quarter declined by more than 5 percent to P3.39 billion from the previous year’s P3.59 billion.

Consolidated revenues reached P188.8 billion for the quarter, 10 percent higher than the reported P172.3 billion last year.

The company captured the growth in fuel demand and sold consolidated volumes of 28.6

million barrels in the first three months, up 1 percent from the previous year’s 25.7 million barrels.

“It’s still a promising start to the new year,” Petron President and C e O Ramon S. Ang said. “The consistent rise in fuel demand and better industry conditions, combined with our efficiency and volume-generating measures contributed to our results in the first quarter.

“Despite external challenges, we remain confident in our ability to navigate the highs and lows of this industry as we work on achieving a full financial recovery this year.” VG Cabuag

MAN y of the biggest corporate employers plan to reduce the amount of office space they occupy over the next three years, underlining the changes set to reshape the commercial real estate market.

A Knight Frank poll of 350 real estate leaders at international firms found that half of the largest companies surveyed—those with more than 50,000 staff—expect to shrink their global portfolios, with most expecting to shrink by between 10 percent and 20 percent.

By contrast, more smaller businesses—those with fewer than 10,000 employees—said they expect to grow, with 55 percent saying their office footprint would expand, the

survey data show.

“Now that we are in a truly postpandemic world, corporate decisionmakers are ‘removing the blinkers’ and making clear decisions around their future corporate real estate strategy based on a broader array of business issues than just the pandemic,” Knight Frank global head of occupier research Lee el liott said. The rise of hybrid working since the pandemic has heightened concerns about the amount of office space in cities around the world that may be obsolete. Cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston have already seen landlords hand back the keys as vacancy rates soar amid anemic demand for all but the best new space. Bloomberg News

DFNN Inc., a technology provider to the gaming industry, has announced that Ricardo F. Banaag is its new president and CeO Banaag, the company’s former COO, replaces Calvin Lim, who became the company’s executive operating director. Their appointments took effect on June 2.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to lead team DFNN to a sustained growth trajectory across its core and emerging lines of business,” Banaag said.

Banaag has the depth of corporate experience in developing the ICT Industry in the Philippines. Prior to joining DFNN, he was president and country manager for Intel Microelectronics Philippines Inc., a position he held for over 16 years. In that role, he was primarily responsible for all of Intel’s sales, marketing, and customer support operations in the Philippines.

Previous to joining Intel, the new CeO ran IBM’s personal computer company, and was managing the entire PC marketing and support operations for IBM Philippines. VG Cabuag

SuPeR app Grab advised users on Tuesday to expect “noticeable improvement in booking reliability” and anticipate “ride confirmations happening twice as quickly compared to the last quarter of 2022.”

This, as Grab was able to grow its fleet of driver-partners following the opening of 10,300 new transport network vehicle service (TNVS) slots by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Already, Grab said it was able to fill “half” of the new allocation, enabling it to enhance the commuting experience of GrabCar passengers.

“We commend the LTFRB for their unwavering support of the TNVS industry. At Grab, we consistently advocate for a steady increase in TNVS slots to address the demand-supply gap that arose during the pandemic,”

Grab Philippines Senior Director Operations Ronald Roda said.

“With the opening up of more TNVS franchise slots, Grab and other players can better meet the mobility demand of the commuting public.”

Roda also acknowledged the LTFRB’s efforts to foster a supportive environment for the TNVS industry, evident through the increasing number of slots and easing of requirements for aspiring TNVS drivers.

“More slots mean more livelihood opportunities for Filipino driver-partners, and reduced waiting time for passengers. As we enter a high-volume holiday season, we hope for a substantial growth in franchise slots in the second half of the year,” he said.

“This progress will empower us to deliver unparalleled reliability and cater to the fast-rising demand for seamless ride-hailing services.”

Grab earlier made a commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to generate 500,000 livelihood opportunities within the sectors that it operates: transport, deliveries, and payments.

In January, the company announced that it rolled out a bonus scheme for new GrabCar driver partners following the opening of 4,433 new TNVS slots.

“Grab aims to help improve passengers’ booking experience on the app by onboarding more driverpartners on the platform,” it said in a statement.

The company offered up to P10,000 worth of driver bonuses and legal assistance for applicants with 6-seater vehicles, and up to P6,000 for those with 4-seater vehicles. The bonus scheme applies exclusively to TNVS licenses registered through Grab. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Efforts to take conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) into private ownership are back to square one as the bidders will have to get another accredited independent advisor to determine the right price for the transaction.

Marikina launches OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Center to help MSMEs promote local products

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

OTOP is a priority stimulus program of the DTI for MSMEs in different regions in the country.

Marikina First District Rep. Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro graced the opening of the one-stop shop that intends to make Marikina-made products accessible to the public, especially to tourists.

In her speech, the lawmaker said the OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Center also aims to help MSMEs in the city to grow and flourish that’s why it was provided for free to them.

The OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Center is located at the Marikina Sports Center, along McDonald’s

Avenue. Showcased at the one-stop shop are quality and durable leather goods, handicrafts, bags, and local food products, among others.

The OTOP Philippines Hub or OTOP.PH provides physical and on-

line channels as well as a market access platform where OTOP products, particularly those that have been aided through product development, are presented on a daily basis. This section tackles the markets aspect

of entrepreneurship.

Teodoro said that they want people’s love for Marikina-made shoes and bags to return.

“A ng mga taga Marikina , hindi lang may disiplina, pero higit sa lahat skilled, talented, matiyaga sa kanilang pagmamahal sa isang produkto,” the lawmaker also said.

She expressed intention of expanding the OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Center with the City Tourism Office to make the OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Shop to be the last stop for all tourists visiting Marikina City.

Marikina City, led by Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, has been advocating to boost the city’s shoe industry by showcasing affordable and durable shoes and leather goods made by the Shoe Capital’s skilled craftsmen.

For her part, DTI Regional Director Marcelina S. Alcantara said that the OTOP Hub is a big help to MSMEs by providing marketing and product development.

Carmona vendors, drivers now accept QR codes for cashless trade

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28

Contributor

CARMONA, CAVITE—Timely to its bid for cityhood, the Municipality of Carmona in Cavite is embracing fully the age digitalization, as it moves toward reaching its goal to become a “smart city” and financially inclusive.

With the collaborative efforts of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in cooperation with leading mobile wallet GCash, this progressive town is the first municipality in the Calabarzon region and the 14th local government unit (LGU) in the country to roll out the Paleng-QR PH Plus program aimed at pushing further digital transactions in the Philippines.

Promoting cashless mode of payment, this initiative provides the constituents with a safer, and more convenient transaction with local business establishments, according to Carmona Mayor Dahlia A. Loyola.

“We, at the Municipality of Carmona, are open, adoptive to change. We will not hesitate to accept all innovations that will benefit our people,” she said during the program’s launch on Friday, June 2, 2023.

The local chief executive welcomed this development as they are now gearing towards becoming a new component city of Cavite through a scheduled plebiscite on July 8.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the digitalization of payments proved to be effective in facilitating the continuation

of businesses and in government transaction amid mobility restrictions.

“It has enabled the government and private institutions to provide guidelines of support to the vulnerable sector,” DILG Region 4-A Director Ariel Iglesia said in a statement read by DILG-Calabarzon Assistant Regional Director Noel Bartolabac.

Hence, the BSP and DILG signed in June 2022 a joint Memorandum Circular of Paleng-QR PH Plus, enjoining LGUs to push for the acceptance of digital payments by customers to market vendors and public transportation drivers across the country.

“The program aims to build the collective financial resilience of more Filipinos and help them maximize economic opportunities for inclusion to formal financial systems,” said Dr. Felipe M. Medalla, chairman of Monetary Board and governor of BSP.

Under the Paleng-QR PH, vendors and sellers in Carmona Public Market, as well as public transport drivers are encouraged to transact using digital payment platforms such as GCash using QR Codes by virtue of Ordinance 06-2023. The municipality gives P2,000 as incentive to registrants who will undergo pre-orientation on how to use QR Codes in accepting payments from customers.

“The local government has enough resources, so we are just bringing them back to our constituents,” Loyola told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Municipal Treasurer Edwina R. Ledesma cited there are around 3,000

registered businesses in Carmona—about 500 of which are micro, small and medium enterprises.

During the kick off ceremony, the mayor and other local officials and representatives of partner agencies and payment providers awarded the incentives to the initial batch of 50 market vendors and drivers who have already enlisted.

“As Caviteños use their transaction accounts to pay for purchases, or accept payment at the market, either as consumers or vendors, they will be able to access other financial services, such as loans, savings, insurance, and investment. It is indeed our aspiration that through the Paleng-QR PH Plus, we can have a digitally-driven payments ecosystem where everyone can be onboarded and become financially included,” said BSP South Luzon Regional Office Director Tomas J. Cariño Jr.

Per Loyola, they will continue with their information dissemination to urge more registrants by posting to Facebook accounts of the LGU and barangays the program’s video presentation of the BSP.

“I will also set as an example to encourage them,” she said of her constant use of GCash to pay for food items, which she showed during the launch at the Carmona Public market.

“We also target next year to make it as a requirement for entrepreneurs, who will renew their business permits, to register to Paleng-QR PH Plus,” Ledesma added.

GCash President and Chief Executive Officer Martha Sazon believes that the project’s implementation in Carmona is a significant move as Cavite is part of the

largest region in the country.

“The Southern Tagalog can already be considered as an extension of Metro Manila. In just a short span of time, it has become a highly urbanized region and is now home to those working in the capital. Which is why we at GCash would like to extend our safe, fast and convenient digital payment solutions to the Calabarzon region. This of course is inline with our vision of a more financially inclusive society and it starts here in Carmona,” she said.

In addition, more vendors in the city can now be onboarded as a GCash Pera Outlet (PO) partner. This feature on the app allows small merchants to earn extra income and grow their businesses by offering customers in the community convenient access to various GCash services such as Cash-in, Cash-out, Pay Bills, and Send Money. Caviteños can also access the GCash GTreat booths at the Public Market for a safer and more convenient cashless experience.

Driven by their shared vision of “Finance for All,” GCash, BSP, and DILG have onboarded thousands of vendors and tricycle drivers for the Paleng-QR initiative in various public markets nationwide, including the Baguio City Public Market, Bangkerohan Public Market in Davao City, Dao Public Market in Tagbilaran City, Pasig City Mega Market, Antipolo Market, Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (AMTODA), Camiling Public Market in Tarlac, Naga Public Market, Lapu-Lapu Public Market—all of which now accepts GCash cashless payments using QR codes.

The congresswoman also lauded the Local Economic and Investment Promotion Office (LEPO) headed by their hard-working chief, Lourdes Dela Paz, for ensuring MSMEs in Marikina will participate in the said program. According to Dela Paz, a total of 18 merchants in the city participated in the program of the DTI.

The merchants are: Abby Shoes/ Roadtrips Sandals; Apollo Shoe Gallery; C. Point Shoes; Ely Knows Enterprises; L. Evaristo Shoe Shop; Princess Ilona; Nico Angelo Leather Classic; Zachy Shoes; Fontelle Shoes; Tropical Palm Herb Manufactring; Clavel Handicrafts; Suba’s Diner; Authentic Wood Products; Vinhessa Food Processing and Marketing; V&M Handbags; Vestrada; FAVP Handvags/Nichollethes; and Azulis Bag Collection.

Also present at the opening of the OTOP Hub and Pasalubong Center was Councilor Cloyd Casimiro, chairman of the Committee of Trade, Commerce and Industry.

Etaily to hoist PHL start-up flag abroad

BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) e-commerce enable etaily will represent the Philippine start-up ecosystem in a global stage, following its victory in the Expand North Star Pitch Competition hosted locally, in partnership with the GITEX Global team.

Earning the qualification, the homegrown company will bring its expertise and winning idea to Dubai for the upcoming finals.

A cooperation between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates, this contest serves as a venue for companies to present their ideas in front of a panel of distinguished judges.  Judges Katrina Chan of QBO Innovation, Franco Varona of Foxmont Ventures and Carlo Calimon of StartUp Village commended the quality of the pitches of local participants and expressed optimism about the future of Filipino entrepreneurs.

“Winning the Expand North Star Pitch Competition is an honor, and we are thrilled to represent the Philippines at the Supernova Challenge 2023 SemiFinals in Dubai. It is an opportunity for us to showcase our talent on the global stage and create partnerships that will help our startup thrive,” etaily Chief Executive Officer Alexander Friedhoff said. Competing entrepreneurs in the Supernova Challenge will vie for cash awards of up to $200,000. They can also get the chance to connect with global investors as it gives them a forum to present their inventions and earn exposure in the worldwide market.

Both the Expand North Star Pitch Competition and the Supernova Challenge serve as proof that the start-up ecosystem in the country is growing and has a big potential to create innovative solutions with positive impacts on the world.

Roderick L. Abad

Mekeni Food Corporation passes another global food standard audit

MEKENI Food Corporation (Mekeni), a leader in food safety, recently passed the surveillance audit by a global testing and certification firm, proving its commitment to international food quality and safety standards.

The Porac, Pampanga-based food processing company has passed the unannounced surveillance audit in relation to its current certification to FSSC 22000 v5.1. The audit was conducted by SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification company.

“We continue to commit quality products to our consumers. Mekeni is but a steward of this business whose main objective is to create a livelihood for our workers. We are grateful for their support of our commitment,” said Mekeni President Prudencio Garcia.

FSSC 22000 v5.1 covers standards for the so-called Good Hygienic Practice and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Both GHP and HCCP are internationally-recognized frameworks for food con-

sumption safety. It is also aligned with the updates in Global Food Safety Initiative and covers adherence to ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System, its pre-requisite programs, and additional requirements such as the management of services and pur-

chased materials; improvements in product labeling; and storage and warehousing.

Mekeni, through the years, has passed various food safety certifications that include ISO 22000:2005 (Food Safety Management System), the World Quality Commitment

Award (France, 2016), The International Arch of Europe (Germany, 2013), Century International Quality ERA Award (Switzerland, 2012), and Grand Slam Award for Best Meat Processing Plant AAA Category (NMIS, 2007).

Mekeni recently participated

in IFEX, the largest international food trade fair in the Philippines. The event served as a venue for local food manufacturers like Mekeni to showcase their world-class products. The Department of Trade and Industries attended the threeday event to show support.Its ISO

22000 certification in 2006 is the very first issued in Asia and second in the world. It is also a Grand Slam Winner as the Best Meat Processing Plant in the Philippines with “AAA” category from 2004 to 2006.

Mekeni is also the first and only heat-treated processing facility accredited by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to export products to the said country.

Starting as a backyard business by husband and wife Felix and Meding Garcia in 1986, it now has operations and distribution in the United States, Canada, and other parts of North America, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. The unannounced surveillance it passed manifests Mekeni’s adherence to food safety and quality control and solidifies that its commitment to food safety is an integral part of its processes. The certification will also enable the company to ready itself to pass the higher level of Version 6 when it rolls out next year.

The local government of Marikina and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) opened the One Town, One Product (OTOP) hub and Pasaubong Center to promote quality Marikina-made products and help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMes).

Marikina City First District rep. Marjorie ann “Maan” Teodoro graces the One Town, One Product Hub and Pasalubong Center at the Marikina Sports Center on Thursday, June 1, 2023. also present during the opening are Marcelina a cantara and Councilor Cloyd Casimiro. Photo courtesy of Marikina LGu

in the photo are (l-r) Mekeni aVP for Hr and Exports Marilou Uy, DTi Trade Promotions Group led by assistant Secretary Glenn Peñaranda, Mekeni President Pruds Garcia, and Mekeni aVP for Marketing kat Gomez-Schultz.

MEkEni President Pruds Garcia (right) and aVP for Hr and Exports Marilou Uy with representatives from Saudi-based importer Good Livelihood. Photo taken during iFEX held at World Trade Center Metro Manila from May 26 to 28, 2023.

DOF sees inflation easing into range by Sept

to overall inflation.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

“The new inflation number and the declining trend give confidence that inflation would be within the target range of 2.0 percent to 4.0 percent by September this year,” Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno was quoted in a statement as saying. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported last Tuesday that

the country’s inflation in May was at 6.1 percent, slower than the 6.6 percent in April.

Diokno noted that the main sources of the decline in headline inflation were the lower contribution of transport, food and nonalcoholic beverages and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels

“This is a positive development.

The economic team expects that our country’s inflation rate shall continue to decline. Our kababayans can be assured that we will remain steadfast in implementing strategies to keep the inflation rate well within target,” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman was quoted in a separate statement as saying.

“This goes to show that the economic strategies of the administration of President Bongbong Marcos is on the right track. Our whole-ofgovernment approach is working,” Pangandaman added.

Core inflation

THE Finance Secretary also pointed out that core inflation, which excludes selected volatile food and energy items, has shown signs of slowing down as it slightly declined to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in

April. Nonetheless, he noted that it was still higher than the 2.8 percent core inflation recorded in May of last year.

“It is also encouraging to see that inflation has gone down in all regions. The government is committed to identifying bottlenecks in the country’s supply chain and improving the distribution of commodities down to the localities,” Diokno said.

Nonetheless, Diokno said year-todate headline inflation is at 7.5 percent, still higher than the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) assumption of 5.0 percent to 7 percent for full year 2023.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort echoed Diokno’s view that the easing of inflation was due to softening food prices on the back of improved domestic harvest as well as declining oil prices.

Twisting of ban on pension-fund use for MIF flagged

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

MINORITY Senators warned against distorting the interpretation of the Senate version of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill that mandates an “absolute” prohibition against using pension funds for the controversial sovereign wealth fund.

“It is clear: the Senate’s version of the bill, which was later on adopted, orders the absolute prohibition of the use of funds of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and other insurance and pension institutions,” Deputy Minority Leader Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros was quoted in a statement as saying.

Hontiveros was obviously reacting to remarks by Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno and, before that, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., qualifying the prohibition placed by senators.

Talking to reporters last week, Marcos said that the ban is on using pension funds for equity or for the seed money for the MIF. However, he said, if the boards of the SSS or GSIS later deem it a wise investment to put money in the MIF in order to grow their members’ funds, then they could do so.

In a separate briefing, Diokno said that while the Senate version imposed a prohibition on using the pension funds to seed the MIF, there was no prohibition on these pension funds investing in projects that the MIF may undertake; say, a major infrastructure project.

BPI sees lending to SMEs to grow on tepid inflation

THE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) sees its loan book for small enterprises expanding by 10 percent this year on the back of stronger consumer confidence driven by the country’s stable economic performance and easing inflation.

Dominique R. Ocliasa, head of BPI Business Banking, said his segment’s loan book to small enterprises, which have an annual income of P3 million to P50 million, would track the projected industry growth of 10 percent this year.

Ocliasa noted that BPI’s loan book to the small enterprises last year rose by an annualized rate of about 40 percent to around P12 billion.

BPI’s annual integrated report for 2022 showed that it lent P12.1 billion to 112,000 small-sized and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) clients last year.

“We are going to dovetail to the prognosis of the industry, which is a 10-percent increase. We are going to do better than that; that is both in number of clients and loan book,” Ocliasa told reporters on the sidelines of the launching of the BPI segment’s online platform for SME loan applications.

‘Plateauing’ rates

OCLIASA’S optimism stems from the country’s easing inflation rate and the “plateauing” of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) policy rates coupled by “renewed” consumer confidence.

“Policy rates as against inflation, for the first time, are moving close to each other. In the past, inflation has been leaving policy rates behind. It is an indication for us that maybe interest rates are on the way down—at the very least plateauing, which would be very good for business in general,” he said.

Last month, the BSP decided to pause its aggressive monetary policy tightening campaign as it believes that inflation is now “firmly on track” to hit the government’s target. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/05/19/bsp-paus-

Stiffer penalties

THE prohibition on using pension funds was widely seen as a deal breaker that allowed for a majority yes vote of 19 before the Senate adjourned sine die on June 1, since many lawmakers were balking at including the monies of the SSS and the GSIS, among others, for seed fund or equity of the P500-billion MIF. “Sinigurado nating mailalagay ang safeguard na ito upang hindi malustay at magamit ang pera ng taumbayan,” Hontiveros said last Tuesday. [We ensured this safeguard is put in place so that the people’s money is not wasted and used.]

The senator warned that stiffer penalties await those who would be found to have misused the people’s money.

“Dagdag pa sa parusang pagkakakulong sa maling paggamit at magkakamal

ng pondo. Pero bakit parang nilulusot pa rin nila ngayon? ” she wants to know.

[In addition, there’s a prison sentence for misappropriation and hoarding of funds. But why does it seem they’re trying to insert this sneaky provision now?]

The opposition stalwart noted that “again, the Executive branch is tasked to carry out laws that have been passed by the legislature,” stressing that “what Congress intended should be the standard for how the law is implemented.”

Hontiveros reminded that “the Executive is not allowed to change, expand or limit it based on its own interpretation.” The lawmaker is also banking that “the Senate will likewise exercise its oversight function to ensure that these safeguards for the protection of pensioners’ and contributors’ hard-earned money are enforced.”

Ricafort added the easing trend is expected primarily due to higher base effects. Nonetheless, he noted that easing inflation would support faster economic growth of the country.

“The expected easing trend in year-on-year inflation for the coming months to about 5-percent levels in June 2023; 4-percent levels from July-September 2023 and 3-percent levels from October-December 2023; and, 2-percent levels or even lower in [first quarter of] 2024,” Ricafort said.

Closer monitoring HOWEVER, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said while “the overall cost of food continues to rise at a slower pace with the improvement in supply, it still accounts for a huge portion of the headline figure.”

“Items like corn, meat, fish and oils posted a lower inflation print.

On the other hand, the price of rice and vegetables rose at a faster pace,” a statement issued by BPI last Tuesday read. “Rice is a commodity that requires closer monitoring in the coming months, as it could become a significant driver of inflation.” The lender noted that news reports indicate an anticipated global shortage of rice this year, primarily attributed to reduced production in China and Pakistan.

“As the country becomes more reliant on imported rice, the local supply may be at risk and this could lead to higher prices,” BPI said. With rice accounting for almost 9 percent of the inflation basket, the impact of this commodity is significant, the lender added.

BPI said that another upside risk is the oil production cut of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, “which could limit the disinflationary impact of oil.”

Expanding the Philippine fintech and IT sectors

FINANCIAL technology (fintech) and information technology (IT) firms dominated the “2023 Top Companies in the Philippines” list of LinkedIn Corp., the largest professional network in the world. According to the survey findings, fintech and IT companies are among the 15 best workplaces where Filipino professionals can grow their careers.

Data from LinkedIn shows that the largest job functions in which these companies invest are IT, customer success and engineering. In the financial services sector, in-demand skills are fintech, economics and artificial intelligence (AI), while those in the IT services sector look for skilled workers in computer security and software development.

es-interest-rate-hikes-as-inflationcools-and-consumer-demand-eases/)

The country’s inflation in May, which measures the rate of increase of prices of goods and services, further slowed to 6.1 percent from 6.6 percent in April.

‘Acquisition tool’

BPI’s plan to expand further its print in the SME market got a fillip last Tuesday with the launch of its digital platform.

“We are seeing increased interest among SMEs in harnessing on-demand technologies to become more agile and flexible in pursuit of their business goals,” Ocliasa said.

He added the lender believes the digital platform, called “Ka-Negosyo On The Go” (KOTG) would allow BPI to reace more SMEs nationwide “because it is online and accessible from anywhere.”

The lender said the platform contains various services such as loan eligibility checker, loan application proper and loan calculator, among others.

Prospective SME borrowers can apply for loans through the platform without the need of going to a physical BPI branch. The platform would also allow them to monitor the status of their applications real-time.

Ocliasa described the bank’s digital platform as an “acquisition tool” as he sees it bringing a fourth to a half of the Business Banking segment’s loan portfolio in the future.

He noted that extending loans to the SMEs is critical to economic growth as these enterprises account for 63 percent of the national workforce and 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Ocliasa also disclosed that the Business Banking segment is already working with BPI’s Agency Banking segment to bring KOTG to the an e-commerce platform.

(Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/02/01/bpi-eyes-clientsvia-deal-with-lazada/)

BPI’s stock price closed at

With the continuing trend toward the expansion of fintech and IT in the country, Philippine Stock Exchange-listed DFNN Inc. has enhanced its management team with the appointment of experts in the tech sphere. Its board of directors recently named Ricardo F. Banaag as DFNN’s new President and CEO, replacing Calvin Lim who has taken on the role of Executive Director.

Banaag has the depth of corporate experience in developing the local IT sector, having served as president and country manager of Intel Microelectronics Philippines Inc. and managing the personal computer subsidiary of IBM Philippines Inc. Previously the COO of DFNN, he said that his promotion to CEO would give him the opportunity to lead the company to a sustained growth trajectory across its core and emerging lines of business.

Designated as the new COO of several DFNN operating subsidiaries is Donald Benjamin G. Limcaco, an accomplished practitioner in IT operations, change enablement and strategic planning. Limcaco has over 30 years of experience in Fortune 500 organizations based in Asia, Europe and North America.

Another key appointment is that of Jacob Edel as DFNN’s Vice President for Marketing. A graduate of Copenhagen University and Oslo University, Edel worked for IBM

Svenska AB as communications officer before starting a career in the gaming industry as global PR manager of an online gambling company and Nordic marketing manager for Pokerstars-owner Flutter Entertainment plc.

Last week, the company’s Investor Relations Officer Abigail A. Garcia disclosed that the DFNN Group grew its revenue by 69 percent in 2022 after enjoying extraordinary development in all facets of its business. Total revenue amounted to P905.8 million compared to P536.1 million in 2021. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization reached P228.7 million, reflecting a robust 190.7-percent jump from the previous year’s loss of P252.2 million.

For the first quarter of 2023, DFNN posted a 10.9-percent increase in its total revenue year-onyear, from P283.7 million in the first three months of 2022 to P314.6 million in the corresponding period this year. Total assets stood at P2.2 billion as of March 31, 2023, while stockholder’s equity amounted to P421.8 million, with no significant long-term debt.

As the diversified conglomerate strives to constantly grow in the highly dynamic digital platforms and AI industry, DFNN will further implement the latest Philippine laws that allow seamless synergies among its core competencies in the fields of fintech, blockchain and quantum computing technologies.

Joseph A. Gamboa is the vice-chairman of the Finex Ethics Committee and director of the Noble Asia Industrial Corp. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror . #FinexPhils www. finex.org.ph.

Investors’ asking rates for Treasury bonds go low

THE Bureau of Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday raised P25 billion from the auction of Treasury bonds (T-bonds), marking the seventh straight week of full award, as investors’ asking rates were lower than the original coupon rate.

The Treasury said its auction committee decided to make a full award after the average asking rate for the reissued 10-year T-bonds settled at 5.805 percent, lower than its coupon rate of 6.25 percent.

The Treasury added that the average yield was also lower than the rate recorded in the

previous 5-year auction result.

Treasury data showed that the average asking rate for the last 5.5-year T-bonds auction was at 6.02 percent. Investors’ asking rate during the Tuesday auction ranged from a low of 5.7 percent to a high of 5.85 percent.

However, the average rate fetched by the reissued T-bonds was slightly higher than the 5.727 percent secondary market benchmark level for the government security.

The auction for the reissued T-bonds, which had a remaining term of 4 years and 9 months,

was 1.7 times oversubscribed as total bids reached P41.7 billion.

“With its decision, the Committee raised the full program of P25.0 billion, bringing the total outstanding volume for the series to P100.2 billion,” the Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday.

For the month of June, the Treasury aims to raise P185 billion from the sale of T-bills and T-bonds. The Treasury plans to generate P60 billion from four auctions of T-bills and P125 billion from five auctions of T-bonds.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

THE fourth consecutive month of inflation slowdown in May “gives” confidence that the rate would be within the government’s target range of two to four percent by September, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

Finex Free enterPriSe

Joseph Araneta Gamboa

HEALTH LINE This May 11, 2023, photo shows Philippine National Bank Provincial Commercial Banking Group Head Aaron L. Astor (left) and Metro Zamboanga Hospital and Medical Center Inc. (MetroZam) President Dr. Anthony G. Chan shaking hands after MetroZam secured a 10-year term loan for the ongoing construction and completion of its hospital building. The hospital is owned by various Zamboanga doctors and businessmen whose aim is to provide excellent healthcare services not only in Zamboanga City, but also in the islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi and the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay. CREDIT Ph l PPInE naTIonal Bank

Preventing factions at work

TALKiNG

IUSED to work in an organization where the employees were cliquish, and you cannot be a part of a group unless you did something for them. And they took advantage of new employees like me who knew nothing about the factions. I only discovered it when I asked someone in the team to help me out, but he dismissively told me to ask help from my group. Later on, the factions became more aggressive, and it became worse for me because our manager joined the other group. They even had their own chat group where they talked about the other members of the rival group. I quit soon after. Factions are subgroups within a team or an organization that share time and resources for whatever reason. Some are harmless and sometimes beneficial because information is shared faster, and people can depend on each other to get the work done faster. However, there are also factions that come together because of conflict within the team, caused by the leaders themselves, or even created to go against the entire organization. These are the factions that need to be addressed unless you want it to affect other team members and even the rest of the organization.

Great food, great friendship at Fil-Aussie cookbook launch

IT was a celebration of great food and great friendship during the recent launch of Australian-Filipino food and travel writer, photographer and cookbook author Yasmin Newman’s Under Coconut Skies: Feasts and Stories from the Philippines at SM Aura Premier.

The event organized by the Australian Embassy and the Australia Global Alumni in the Philippines brought together members of the Filipino-Australian community, alumni and corporate executives.

These included Australian Embassy second secretary Alex O’Hara, Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce vice president Bradley norman, and Qantas Airways Philippines general manager Honeybee Hubabib. During the afternoon reception at the mall’s Skypark, Visum Ventures founder and CEO John Michael Hilton, also a FilipinoAustralian, joined Yasmin in preparing kinilaw na isda using kalamansi and Australian finger lime. Broadcast personality and Australian alumnus Martin Andanar hosted the program. They were welcomed by SM’s Millie Dizon.

Under Coconut Skies is Yasmin’s second Filipino cookbook. The book is a celebration of the Philippines and its food, and takes her readers on a journey to discovering classic Filipino dishes through stunning photographs and unique culinary traditions, folklore and personal stories.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hk

Yu PSM said, “One of the things that Filipinos and Australians share is our love for food—we love bringing people together to enjoy great food and have great conversations. We are delighted to have FilipinoAustralian Yasmin Newman here in the Philippines, to celebrate Philippine culinary heritage with the best of Australian products—a culinary fusion of the best of both countries.”

In this vivid cookbook, Yasmin Newman invites everyone into her kitchen and into the homes of friends and locals, sharing traditional dishes, and vegetarian and modern interpretations on the classics. From sizzling wild mushroom sisig, golden turmeric and cassia bark rice from the Muslim south and pork belly adobo to glistening candied kalamansi cake, Filipino food celebrates and satisfies all the senses.

Guests were seen enjoying the afternoon tea curated by Yasmin

well-loved Filipino dishes from her cookbook using fresh Australian ingredients, such as Tasmanian salmon with turmeric rice and ube pavlova.

Under Coconut Skies: Feasts and Stories from the Philippines is available on Amazon.

Factions can also form when there is a perception that one person is favored over other members of the team. They also develop when there are workload imbalances or certain people get the easier projects than others. It can also occur because of a lack of resources, inadequate communication, even because of poor leadership. Telltale signs of these include ignored emails or messages, blaming other members of the team, avoiding certain members of the team, or even refusing to work with other team members.

Factions hinder teamwork because team members who do not belong to any of the factions in your team will find themselves out of place or try so hard to become part of one side of the team when they need something. If there are factions in your team, some will try so hard to appease both factions just to get the work done, or they will try to look for ways to go around the other group. This unnecessarily takes more time and effort to get the work done. Your team needs to collaborate with everyone in the team if they are to significantly contribute to the team’s success. If there are factions, workflows will keep being disrupted.

Factions also lead to decreased engagement, unnecessary friction, and increased miscommunication among team members. It goes without saying that factions in a team alienate those belonging to a rival faction, and even those caught in the middle. If you do not do anything, this can escalate into a full conflict which will result in more problems. As a group, everyone should be working toward the achievement of the team’s goals. When there are factions, it becomes more difficult to rally a team

toward the finish line. The first thing you need to do as a leader is to set clear guidelines on what behaviors are acceptable within the team. If you allow open communication and dialogue, your team needs to know that what they say to you will not be taken against them. There are leaders who say they want open communication but fail to provide specific guidance and direction on what the team should do. When factions develop because of a leader’s lack of direction and guidance, then you have failed as a leader. As their leader, you are the one who is supposed to unify your team into a cohesive whole.

Always be on the lookout for disgruntled employees because prevention is better than a cure. If you think a person is disrupting the work environment, step in and investigate why the team member is upset. If it is something you can do, commit to fixing it. If it involves other people, it would be best to talk to everyone involved so that issues are resolved and difficulties are addressed. Remember that as their leader, you need to be on top of what is happening in your team. If there is a need to resolve conflict between factions right away, get them in a room so they can discuss and let them find a way to resolve their own conflict. You should facilitate the discussion toward finding a resolution to their conflict. Make them come to terms with their issues and help them see how their actions are affecting other team members. Then ask both factions to identify what they can both do to resolve their issues. If their issue is with

your leadership, be brave enough to admit your shortcomings and tell them what you intend to do moving forward.

When looking for a solution to the conflict, find common ground so that both sides can agree on a compromise and then work your way toward other actions plans both factions are willing to do. You have an important duty of helping them see the other’s point of view so that both groups can find a way to work together. If it becomes too difficult to work together and there are irreconcilable differences, make plans to move them to other departments of the organization as a last resort. As difficult as it may seem, you need to keep an eye on your team’s working environment because that will affect your team’s deliverables.

If both parties are amenable to working it out, ask them to work on a simple task so they can start working again together. Make sure the task is achievable but it should also force both parties to work together. Opposing factions need to find their way back into each other’s good graces and hopefully find ways to work professionally together. These may be little steps, but it can help in restoring confidence in each other.

Factions in your team indicate that they are not satisfied with the way things are going in the team. Whatever the reason, you need to identify what is driving it and address the issues they have with each other, or with you. If not, you will find your team looking for a leader who can and will do the work you are unwilling to do. n

Japan workers are shifting from lifetime employment, LinkedIn says

By Winnie Hsu & Momoka Yokoyama Bloomberg News

LInkEDIn Japan’s first female country head argues that the nation needs to move toward a more skillsbased labor market, and firms need to adapt to workers’ changing values if the country is going to improve its persistent gender inequality.

“Japan is at a turning point,” Wakana Tanaka said in her first media interview this week since she took over the top job in late March. “Building your skills constantly is really important in this coming age.”

Amid a backdrop of increasing government spending in this area, Tanaka said that Japan’s labor market is already shifting toward focusing on individual skills rather than lifetime employment, and the shift has the potential to be positive for women. LinkedIn is providing various online courses including those partly powered by artificial intelligence to help workers adapt to the changing environment, she said.

The world’s third-largest economy has traditionally had an employment system that ties workers to one company for life and incentivizes employees to focus on corporate loyalty and not taking too much risk.

It has also grappled with persistent gender inequality as men were expected to take those stable jobs while women take lower paid part-time jobs and shoulder the bulk of childcare and household tasks. Japan continues to have the largest gender pay gap among Group of Seven nations.

“Female participation in the labor force is large, but many are still doing temporary jobs,” Tanaka said, adding that a shift to job-based hiring should allow more opportunities for diversity and an increase in wages for women. “My personal mission is to work toward elevating women’s status in Japan and in Asia,” she said. Firms also need to adapt to changing attitudes among workers who value family life and flexibility more than they did in the past, Tanaka added.

“There’s no longer a one-size fits all policy for workplaces,” said Tanaka, who is also a mother of two. “We just did a research last month on Japanese people, and compared to 20 years ago, across the generations people value families the most important, not work. 20 years ago it used to be work.”

The new head of LinkedIn Japan is also the first woman and the first person under the age of 60 to be Harvard Business School Club of Japan’s president. Her career background so far include consulting at Arthur D. Little, digital marketing at Google, and serving on a parliamentary commission looking into the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Educated at Harvard and Georgetown University, Tanaka feels that her diverse career path and the varied skills she acquired along the way have helped her land her current job leading LinkedIn Japan. That focus on skill sets over lifetime employment is something the government has also been pushing.

This year Japan set aside a budget of ¥1 trillion ($7.3 billion) over five years for what it calls “reskilling”— encouraging employees to learn new skills to

potentially switch to higher-paying jobs.

The lack of wage growth is something the government has been trying to address, as the central bank looks to achieve sustainable inflation backed by pay gains and growth. But Japan’s persistent gender pay gap, which measures the difference in wages between the sexes, has also contributed to keeping wage growth low.  Women also remain rare in the upper ranks of corporate Japan. Less than 13 percent of executives at publicly traded companies are women, according to JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. The number ranks the lowest among the G-7 nations, and compares with 45.3 percent of female executives in France and 29.7 percent in the US.

Still, Tanaka says that has been slowly changing compared to when she first entered the labor market in the late 1990s. These days she’s part of a group of female leaders in Japan that meet informally to support each other and share information, she said.

Members include former vice chair of Goldman Sachs Japan Kathy Matsui, ex head of the OECD’s Tokyo Centre Yumiko Murakami, and Microsoft Japan’s new president Miki Tsusaka.

Back when she started her working life as a consultant, Tanaka remembers feeling uncomfortable as clients tended to view her as a woman, rather than a professional. Acquiring skills have helped her gain confidence, and Tanaka encourages more Japanese firms to value workers’ skill sets.

“I have a daughter myself, so when she becomes an adult, I really want Japanese society to be better,” she said.—WiTH ASSiSTANCE frOm KUrUmi mOri

featuring

fAvOriTE rECiPES Australian-Filipino food and travel writer Yasmin Newman shares her favorite recipes with SM’s Millie Dizon at the Book Nook of SM Aura Premier.

FILIPINo-AuStrALIAN John Michael Hilton, founder and CEo of Visum Ventures, (the group behind brands, such as Koomi, t2, Zig, and oh My Greek) at the afternoon tea reception hosted by the Australian Embassy for cookbook author Yasmin Newman.

AuStrALIA-NEw ZEALAND Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM) vice president Bradley Norman

SM Foundation completes repairs of six school buildings all over the country

SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, completed the repair of six school buildings in elementary public schools in Antipolo City, Dagupan City, Legazpi City, Pulilan (Bulacan), City of San Fernando, and Sorsogon

The repair of the school buildings was programmed for the year 2023 with a budgetary allocation of P3 million. All repairs were completed and turned over to the beneficiary schools ahead of schedule. The repaired school buildings are buildings donated by SM Prime through

SM Foundation. The beneficiary schools are Mayamot Elementary School (Antipolo), East Central Integrated School (Dagupan), Bitano Elementary School (Legazpi), Balatong Elementary School (Pulilan, Bulacan), Telabastagan Integrated School (City of San Fernando), and Sorsogon’s Basud Elementary School.

The repair of SM-donated school buildings is a commitment of SM Foundation and is done every five years. Aside from repairing the ceilings, roofs, walls and floors, the school buildings were also repainted. These two-storey, four-classroom school buildings were turned over in 2018 except for Basud Elementary School which was turned over in 2021 but was damaged by the onslaught of Typhoon Paeng (international name Nalgae) in 2 022. The school building donated to Basud Elementary School was the first building project of SM Foundation for 2021.

E.M. Calampiano, second Patriarch, who celebrated the first Mass in the Shrine last May 28, 2023.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce to fete IICTAP Awards winners, finalists at celebratory dinner

DE La Salle University remains to be among the world’s leading HEIs or higher education institutions according to the Times Higher Education (THE) for successful delivery of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

DLSU retains its standing in the 2023 THE Impact Rankings, placing in the 401 to 600 bracket.

The University was ranked in four SDGs: Clean Water and Sanitation (Top 45), Responsible Consumption and Production (101 to 200), Life Below Water (101 to 200), and Partnership for the Goals (201 to 300).

La Salle improved its ranking in the Clean Water and Sanitation category (SGD 6) through its various efforts on improving waste management, sewage treatment plants, and other initiatives led by the Campus Sustainability Office.

In its continuous pursuit of SGD 12 or Responsible Consumption and Production, DLSU was able to improve its global standing this year. It has consistently implemented the ban on single use of plastics on all its campuses. It also regularly sponsors seminars and workshops to raise the academic community’s awareness on the said topic.

For the Life Below Water category, or SDG 14, the University spearheads numerous programs including research projects, community engagement and training. Among these is the Br. Alfred Shields Ocean Research Center or SHORE’s Pasig River Communities

Against Plastic Pollution project supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines and the City Government of Pasig.

In addressing SDG 17 or Partnership for the Goals, DLSU also bolstered its ranking through its collaborations with local government units as well as various local and international NGOs. The DLSU Research Congress in 2021 centered on UN SDGs to tackle pandemics.  Likewise, the University-hosted Asia-Oceania Five

Universities Alliance Summer Camp focused on UN SDGs.

The SDGs were established by UN member nations in 2015 to navigate global action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure global peace and prosperity by 2030.

The rankings analyze universities across research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. The 2023 Impact Rankings assessed 1,591 universities from 112 countries.

Two different nations, one love and passion for the arts

MAESTRO Luca Vezzaro and the team of Four Legged Tiles embarked on an arduous journey to the Kalinga province to present a handcrafted, hand-carved, and hand-painted wooden mosaic masterpiece to Apo Whang-Od, a treasured national artist also known as the “Ink Queen”. The artwork was created in honor of Apo Whang-Od’s contribution to the world of art.

The local government of Kalinga, including Governor James Edduba, Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang, and Lorraine Ngao-i of the Tourism Office, welcomed Maestro Luca and his team with open arms during a ceremony held on May 8, 2023. The government officials received the artwork on behalf of Apo Whang-Od and honored Maestro Luca with a plaque of recognition and community token.

Vezzaro’s masterpiece will be permanently displayed at the Kalinga Art Museum, a testament to the lasting impact of Apo Whang-Od’s art on the local community. The journey culminated in an arduous hike to Apo Whang-od’s secluded mountain village in Buscalan, Kalinga, where Maestro Luca had the honor of meeting the “Ink Queen” and receiving her signature three-dot traditional tattoo.

Vezzaro expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to create art for a living legend and stated that the pain and long journey were all worth it. This incredible journey exemplifies the unifying power of art, bringing together different nations with a shared love and passion for creativity.

To learn more about Four Legged Tiles or the Artwork Turnover Ceremony, you may contact Ms. Monica Briones at +639772545186 or email at monica.fourleggedtiles@gmail.com.

ALL winners and finalists of the International ICT Awards Philippines (IICTAP) since the annual event was launched in 2007 will be honored at a Gala Celebratory Dinner on June 8, 2023 at the Marriott Manila Hotel. The names of companies that were winners of awards will be presented in Roll of Honor as a highlight of the event.

The critical importance of ICT services, products, knowledge and innovation for future expansion of the Philippine economy and social well-being will be addressed at the event in key-note speeches by the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balicasan and Information and Communications Technology Secretary

John E. Uy.

Julian Payne, Chairman of the IICTAP Organizing Committee and President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of

the Philippine that organizes the annual IICTAP events, praised the companies that will be honored.

Payne lauded the winning companies as “the vanguard of the private sector that has advanced the Philippine economy internationally for two decades.” “Their excellence is attested by their winning IICTAP awards. Their excellence is an example for others to learn from and follow on for the future. We honor their excellence as milestones leading us forward to a great future for business, the economy, and the Philippines,” he said.

The IICTAP Gala Celebratory Dinner is supported by BDO as the Platinum sponsor. Other sponsors include: Eastern Communications, Trends and Technologies, Reed Elsevier Philippines, TechRep, Inc., and TELUS. Even media partner is BusinessMirror while hotel partner is Marriott Manila Hotel.

Cebu Pacific honors top performing corporate and government accounts at the 10th CEBBIZ Awards

CEBU Pacific (PSE: CEB), the Philippines’ leading carrier, recognized its top performing corporate and government accounts during the 10th edition of the CEBBIZ Awards.

A total of 24 accounts from the country’s top 1,000 companies, government agencies, small and medium enterprises, and labor and shipping sectors were conferred with the CEBBIZ Award in a ceremony held on May 10 at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. A special award was also given to the Department of Budget and Management - Procurement Service as CEB’s invaluable partner for 2022.

The CEBBIZ Awards is an annual event that aims to recognize CEB’s top corporate account producers. The 2023 ceremony, which recognized the previous year’s top producers, was the first since 2019 after the awards were suspended for three years due to the pandemic.

“Through these awards, we hope you will

all accept our gratitude for keeping Cebu Pacific strong despite the challenging times, and for helping the airline soar high again,” Arlene Tena, CEB Director for Passenger Sales and Distribution, told the awardees during the awarding ceremony.

To further show appreciation for their efforts, CEB took the awardees on a tour around Albay on May 11, 2023 to explore the province’s stunning landscapes, delicious cuisine, and vibrant culture. The tour was in partnership with the Provincial Government of Albay, Albay Provincial Tourism, Culture, and the Arts Office and Misibis Bay Resort Philippines.

CEB is firmly in place for full recovery this year as it restores its pre-COVID network and capacity, aided by its unbeatable seat sales, widest domestic network, and reinstatement of its international destinations.

The airline currently flies to 35 domestic and 23 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

THE newly repaired Balatong Elementary School in Pulilan, Bulacan.

APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC CHURCH moves to new home in the metro. The global ACC community welcomed the Solemnity of Pentecost with the opening of the Shrine of the Paraclete located along North EDSA, Project 7 in Quezon City. The Shrine is the new ACC central location in the metropolis which houses the Office of the Chancellor, Office for Inter-faith and Inter-religious Relations, its various congregations and holy orders, and the central administrative offices including lay formation and pastoral affairs. It serves as the seat of His Holiness, +Juan Almario

DLSU is one of the world‘s leading sustainable higher education institutions for the fifth consecutive year

The quintessence of luxury, elegance and sustainability

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

In a recent press briefing, Arthaland senior vice president for sales and marketing a nd chief sustainability officer Oliver Chan, told reporters that the high-end project Eluria is a vision and a concept that has a personal human touch. Through Eluria, Chan pointed out that a human personal touch can still be relevant even in the digital age.

“When you say personal touch, you know what to expect, what to do and what they like,” said Chan.

“You can only do that when you provide service to exclusive people,” Chan added.

Located at the heart of the country’s premier business district along Rada Street in Legazpi Village, Makati City, Eluria allows future residents easy access to retail a nd commercial establishments, exquisite restaurants, cultural destinations, medical facilities, and world-class institutions.

Eluria features 37 limited edition units that offer a high degree of elegance, craftsmanship, and rarity, like owning a piece of a rt inspiring prestige. According to Sydneybased architecture and interior design firm

Mid -2023 finds i nterior design group HBA Manila d e sign Office bustling as its teams work to meet the targets they have set for their client partners to open new doors to freshly transformed spaces. A part of the international hospitality design firm HBA, known worldwide for designs that localize even the most sophisticated spaces, the Manila d e sign Office could very well run in their own twist of a love local campaign with the six projects they are set to finish in the last quarter of this year.

Citadines Bacolod

Sc H eduled for completion this October is their project for c tadines Bacolod. HBA Manila d e sign Office created the hotel interiors that feature the unique flavor and spirit of Negros in this international 200unit serviced apartments and facilities, which include a ballroom, meeting rooms, swimming pool, gym, and restaurant. Because c i tadines Bacolod is located in a dynamic commercial and lifestyle hub in the swiftly developing city, the design team ensured that the rich Negros heritage would not be drowned out in all the 21st-century trappings around it.

As explained by HBA Partner and HBA Manila d e sign Office Principal Norman Agleron, the team’s work was i nspired by the quote, “a smile can hide the deepest emotion--fear, sadness, heartbreak—but it also shows one other thing, strength.” “The interior design evokes a contemporary and distinct identity inspired by the different forms and patterns derived from culture and heritage found in Negros. This is executed with rhythmic play of layers, forms, and clean lines that exude an elegant flair that is soothing and uncomplicated.”

Radisson Red

Af T er this project, HBA Manila d e sign Office will be closing the year with five completed projects. Topping the list is r adisson re d in cebu ci ty. “Travelers from all around the world come to the Queen c i ty of the South for its white-sandy beaches, spectacular diving, and lush tropical surroundings. The city of cebu is the Queen of this story. The hotel’s interiors will evoke all the Queen’s unique attributes to create spaces that are modern, vibrant, and chic. cebu defines the hotel’s identity by showcasing local artist works, infusing its heritage through fabric, texture, and graphics,” Agleron expounds.

Waterfront Manila

Al S O s cheduled for completion by d e cember are their designs for the architectural façade and the casino and hotel interiors of f ilipino-owned Waterfront Manila. f o r the architectural façades, the design group is featuring the Bakunawa, the moon-eating dragon from Philippine mythology, and the r i sing d r agon of the east, a mythical benevolent creature that symbolizes the fierce pursuit of prosperity and progress, and also

FMB Architects, the contemporary treehouse concept of Eluria was developed from the pressing need for high-quality, vertical living spaces in our cities. An Eluria unit is worth P540,000 per square meter.

Reimagining exclusivity and sustainable elegance with Eluria

In partnership with ARCH Capital, Arthaland has reimagined the future of sustainable homes for the sophisticated market w ith Eluria. “We take care of the residents the way we can manage them and the way they want to be handled, which is personal,” Chan explained.

To provide residents with the highest level of comfort and convenience that gives a touch of royalty, Chan said Eluria has introduced premier concierge services and raises the bar with personalized white-glove services courtesy of internationally trained Hospitality Directors which have been carefully s elected for their professionalism, attention

to detail, and excellent interpersonal skills, these hospitality directors will undergo an intensive 10-week training program through The International Butler Academy (TIBA) in the n e therlands. Moreover, TIBA has provided trained butlers for prestigious clients, including royal families, high-networth i ndividuals, and luxury hotels and resorts.

For utmost privacy, there will just be 1 to 2 units per floor, with units ranging from 287 square meters to 578 square meters for the Penthouse Suite. Residents will have direct and secure access to their unit through private lifts equipped with destination control R FID technology. Fourteen units out of the total 37 units have been sold.

There will also be a separate service elevator that opens to the unit’s service area, f ire exit, and valet box. Amenities include a two-lane heated saltwater leisure and lap pool, an indoor children’s playroom, a function hall, and a Potager Garden at the roof deck. Residents may also avail

themselves of complimentary chauffeur shuttle services to select nearby destinations. The pick-up and drop-off area is in a s ecluded part of the building for added security and privacy.

Eluria has been pre-certified Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold, and is on track for WELL, Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies ( EDGE), and Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) green c ertifications. The project broke ground last n o vember 2022 and construction recently reached a major milestone with the first concrete pour.

Arthaland is giving future residents a glimpse of the Eluria lifestyle through a series of activities dubbed Eluria Signature Experience. It will be tapping world-renowned a nd multi-awarded local talents who have excelled in their own respective fields to showcase Filipino ingenuity and excellence as part of its sustainability commitment. The

first such activity was headlined by Asia’s Best Female Chef of 2023 as voted by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Chef Johanne Siy, who regaled guests at the Eluria model unit with an exquisite 6-course tasting menu featuring her take on sustainability. The Eluria model unit was artfully curated by Adefuin Design Studio, who took inspiration from tents used by royalty in the Middle East.

Arthaland is the only real estate developer in the Philippines with a portfolio that is 100 percent certified as sustainable by both local and global organizations.

Sheryll Verano, Arthaland senior vice president for strategic funding and investments, corporate planning and investor relations said the planning of Eluria took five y ears including in the pandemic period. “Further, we are now implementing the projects i ncluding Eluria. We’re thankful we have done it in the long term,” she said.

Eluria is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026.

SM opens first mall in Bataan

By Roderick L. Abad

BATAA n has welcomed retail giant SM as it opened its first mall in the province and the 83rd nationwide.

SM City Bataan is reflective of the values of the local community as it employs local talents to comprise more than 96 percent of the mall’s administration staff, including two in leadership roles.

Having over a thousand employees across mall tenants—and still increasing—the mall showcases the skills and expertise of the community.

of overcoming adversity. The hotel interiors are inspired by a “Journey through Manila.’ Agleron shares, “there is no one more endlessly enamored by Manila than Nicomedes ‘Nick’ Joaquin. i n his lifetime, his literary works and creative endeavors were driven by his love of the historic city. The new design of Waterfront Manila, from its exterior to its interior, its building envelope, details, materials, and furniture style will evoke his passion, bringing life to his stories, prose and poems about his city making The Waterfront Hotel the Heart of Manila.”

This will be most evident in the main lobby, which was designed with f l ores de Mayo as inspiration—the unique and elegant pieces produced by talented local artists, from jewelry, clothing, sculptures, to name a few. Also distinctively showcasing old Manila is the flow space, channeling l a P laza de Manila, located beside the Walled c i ty, and adorned with the lovely and colorful vegetation of the tropics. And lastly, the interiors of d e e’s c a fé seeks to express the beauty and freshness of the Nilad flower, which once grew abundantly in mangroves along Manila Bay and the Pasig r i ver. The team executes the design through simplicity, sophistication, and texture, in a contemporary approach, using a warmer palette to show the richness and opulence of nature’s elements while adding some drama and character to this space.

Holiday Inn Manila Galleria & Crowne Plaza

T W O HBA Manila d e sign Office projects will be helping refresh long-time favorite spaces in Ortigas center for both leisure and business—the Holiday inn Manila Galleria and cr owne Plaza Manila Galleria. The former promises to transport visitors to a villa in the Jasmine garden, a place to celebrate and to relax, with artful touches influenced by villas and gardens, in modern amenities.

The strength of new interior design concept for c r owne Plaza Manila Galleria, u n ravel: c o smopolitan Oasis, lies in creating a refined urban oasis within the

hotel, which stands in one of the busiest areas of the business and lifestyle district. Agleron explains, “the idea of unraveling evokes peeling off or removing the existing old layers to uncover beautiful, timeless design features, such as ribbed white panels, marble, and brass.”

“With bright white walls, ample free space, adequate lighting, and minimal visual distractions, the gallery feel of the environment will gracefully enhance c r owne Plaza’s art collection. As guests step into this bare yet elegant spaces, their attention will be diverted from the outside chaos, to allow them to rest their senses and rapidly unwind.”

Aeon Towers Davao

Hel P i NG b ring the year to a close for HBA Manila d e sign Office is their work on the interiors of Aeon Towers Hotel in d avao. d avao has a wonderful history that adds to its impressive attraction. r i ch festivals and rituals and festivals to this day highlight the colorful past and culture of the people.

fr om all these, the design group’s concept pays homage to the legendary warrior Apong of the story behind the magnificent Mt. Apo that defines d avao, and his daughter Sari, known for her ethereal beauty.

e l ements of cultural intrigue and visual ingenuity are featured in interesting finishes on tone-on-tone layering, patterns with stimulating movements, and unique locally made furniture pieces.

Overall, the design contributes to the positioning of The Pullman Aeon Towers as an urban courtyard—a natural haven for both sedate and daring pursuits, where guests can find inspiration, and make connections—in the midst of d avao’s commercial district.

HBA Manila d e sign Office always sees modernization as a welcome and a globally accepted inevitable evolutionary route that signals progress, but they continue to help ensure through their designs and concept that cultural legacy and identity continue to be celebrated and remain symbols of local pride.

Congressman Albert S. Garcia graced the opening rite, expressing his support and highlighting the positive economic impact of the mall’s establishment to the whole province.

“When we had the ocular for the different stores during the blessing, we found out that almost everyone working there is from Bataan. They are residents of either Balanga, Pilar, Orani, Orion, or Hermosa. I’m happy to know that these jobs are filled by Bataeños. That is really what we were aiming for to begin with—to present more job opportunities that will help make the lives of every Bataeño better,” said the representative of the second district of Bataan.

Garcia also praised SM for its effort to extend support to the province’s local development by featuring homegrown businesses (including family-owned brands and locally managed franchises) in different prominent spaces within the mall which makes it a hub that links communities across the province.

One of the local tenants, Roberto Santos, the owner of Chedeng’s Snack Bar, expressed his joy at the presence of many local brands that are now in SM City Bataan. He said: “It’s a big thing that homegrown local brands are now in SM. In addition to helping fellow Bataeños, many will be motivated as well to go out and do business with SM to promote the local food industries of the province.”

Bataan within the mall LOCAL identities are present in SM City Bataan.

Stepping into the mall, visitors are greeted by a mural with clay pots or “banga” that capture an aspect of the cultural identity of its residents celebrating the namesake of its

capital Balanga. Entrance two on the other end shoes the commitment of the province to preserving its environment as gel lights-formed birds representing the Ibong Dayo festival were integrated into another mural as a nod to the efforts of the city’s Wetland and n ature Park, an outdoor sanctuary in the protection of migratory birds.

Elevated mall experience

U n I QUE as it is like the other Sy family-owned malls nationwide, SM City Bataan takes pride in its lively and modern take on how a shopping mall should make one feel.

Apart from the abundance of shopping and dining options, there are also installations like The Art In Motion that level up the mall experience.

Once there, viewers are taken on a captivating journey via different natural backdrops, creating an immersive and dynamic atmosphere within the mall. It goes naturally with the wood-like accents and earthy tones throughout the mall.

Go-to-destination

STRATEGICALLY located in Downtown Balanga, Bataan’s capital city, the newest mall stands as a reliable community partner with its residents not only through its local economic contribution but by serving as a center of accessibility with the incorporation of the Bataan Common Terminal in the mall compound.

“The common terminal serves all public utility vehicles in and out of the city,” said Jhoanalyn Gatdula, assistant mall manager of SM City Bataan. “ n o t only will this help the general workforce of the mall, but it will also bring comfort to all our commuting customers.

With the terminal hubs surrounding SM City Bataan, the mall also serves as a gateway to conveniently explore interesting places in the province, such as the Spanish-inspired Plaza Mayor in the capital, or the hidden gem that is Dunsulan Falls behind Mt. Samat.

Overall, SM City Bataan, developed by SM Prime Holdings Inc., the property arm of SM Investments Corp., does not fail to beyond the box-type feel usually seen in other malls.

From its design to the tenants, it seeks to return the warmth it received from the community and celebrate the identity of the province and the people it serves.

Leadingsustainable developer arthaland Corp. recently introduced its ultra luxury brand eluria which epitomizes elegance, luxury and sustainability.

n CE foye | Actual photograph. Experience the grandeur of Eluria as you step into the stunning entrance foyer, where modern elegance meets sustainable design.

o ffI CE | Ac tual photograph. The generous office space showcases the future of work, where green practices and innovative design come together harmoniously. Embrace serenity and sophistication as the warm hues of dusk envelop Eluria.

CURLING BODY SEEKS MEMBERSHIP IN POC

Sports BusinessMirror

B8 | Wednesday, June 7, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

By Josef Ramos

THE newly-formed Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines Inc. (CWSAP) headed by Benjo Delarmente applied for membership with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) with an immediate mission of fielding a national team to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“ We—Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines— are applying for membership with the POC in order to represent and bring home glory for our country in international winter competitions,” Delarmente said.

Delarmente said that the CWSAP currently has 20 members, including 15 Filipino athletes who have already competed at the World Men’s Junior

Curling Championships and US Women’s and US Junior Curling Championships.

The organization is based in Vallejo, California.

W ith Delarmente at the CWSAP are vice president and secretary Joselito Cruz, secretary general Charles Walker and members of the board of trustees Donna Umali, Micha Ella Suarez, Alan Frei and Jim Palomar Apelar.

A pelar is the president of the Philippines Ski and Snowboard Federation who was with Delarmente during the campaign of FilipinoAmerican skier Asa Miller at the Beijing Winter Olympics last year.

Curling was played in the 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics and was reinstated in the 1998 Nagano Games. Also a Paralympic winter team sport, curling is played on ice where two teams take turns to slide the granite stone towards a target known as a house.

We have a realistic shot at qualifying for 2026 because most of our athletes can become highlyskilled in this sport, while some of them are competing already in several competitions abroad,” Delarmente said.

The CWSAP needs the POC’s recognition to be admitted by the World Curling Federation, which recognizes only Thailand in the Southeast Asian region.

Competitions in curling are in the men, women, mixed doubles and mixes wheelchair team categories.

“ It has both mental and physical components to it,” Delarmente said.

“You can also describe curling as a combination of bowling, billiards and chess on ice—three sports activities that Filipinos love.”

The Philippines despite its tropical climate has sent athletes, practically all of them foreign-based, to the Winter Olympics in skiing and ice skating. There’s also national ice hockey teams for men and women which are vying in regional and international competitions.

To make the Olymics, Filipino athletes need to win in Division B of the Pan-Continental Curling Championships later this year to get into Division A in 2024. A top 5 ranking in 2024 would earn the country a ticket to the world championships in 2025.

“A country that competes in the world championship will be eligible to compete at the Olympic qualifying event that has three spots,” Delarmente said.

T he POC, headed by Rep. Abraham Tolentino, has as members the Philippines Ski and Snowboard Federation and the Philippine Skating Union.

Italy is hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

Que, Alido card four-under 68 in first round

ANGELO QUE drained a long putt for birdie on the 18th as he matched flight mate Ira Alido’s 68 for a one-stroke lead over four others at the start of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Valley Golf Challenge.

Q ue saved what could’ve been a rocky finish to an otherwise superb round on a steamy day at the Valley Golf Club Tuesday in Antipolo City.

The three-time Asian Tour winner actually threatened to rip the South course and blow the field with an eagle-spiked frontside 32 then hit another birdie on No. 10 to go 2-up over his nearest pursuers.

But bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 enabled five others, including Alido, to gain a shared view of the top before

ATHLETICS TEAM STRIKES GOLD

THE Philippines’ rode the athletics team’s three-gold medal onslaught to stay in the hunt in the 12th ASEAN Para Games at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.

K ing James Reyes saved his best for last and finally struck gold in the men’s 800 meters T46 with a time of two minutes and 13.22 seconds— an improvement on the silvers he claimed in the 5000 Sunday and 1500 Monday.

R osalie Terrefiel and Andrei Kuizon also snared a gold medal each with Terrefiel reigning supreme in women’s javelin F11 and Kuizon ruling men’s shot put F54/54. T he wards of coach Joel Deriada hiked their gold medal haul to six to match last year’s harvest in Surakarta in Indonesia with still one day remaining in the four-day centerpiece sport.

Big field expected at New Clark City for Asian age-group swimming meet

MORE than 1,400 athletes are expected to converge at the Aquatics Center of the New Clark City for the 11th Asian Age Group Swimming Championships set December 3 to 14.

T his was jointly announced by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol”

Tolentino and Bases Conversion and Development Authority Senior Vice President Corporate Services Group Arrey Perez during the event’s logo launch at Charito in Tagaytay City on Monday.

“Our goal is to improve on our six golds the last time and we’re close to achieving that,” said Deriada, who thanked the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled, Philippine Paralympic Committee and their manager, Judith Staples, for

B esides the championships for swimmers aged 11 to 18, the 45-country Asian Swimming Federation (ASF) will also hold its Congress during the event in Clark.

T he ASF granted to the POC and BCDA the hosting rights for the championships, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was shuttered by the pandemic.

We are handling the competition as a caretaker—as long as there’s no legitimate swimming body recognized [by the ASF and World Aquatics, formerly FINA],” Tolentino said. “The POC and

Denver coach a conundrum

pair of 34s while Que holed out from way out on the par-3 18th to the delight of the crowd atop the green and at the clubhouse veranda.

It’s a long par-3 so I just wanted to make a par,” said Que of his closing feat set up by a 4-iron tee-shot that rested some 25 to 30 feet off the cup.

A lido was also on target. After saying he’s “currently playing at a high level mentally and physically and confident of his chances [to win] week-in and week-out,” he backed up his words with a solid result, birdying the first two par-5s (Nos. 5 and 7) and picking up another stroke on the 13th.

I feel really well, feel good about my game. The course suits to my liking,” said Alido, seeking a follow-

up to his come-from-behind victory in Bacolod last March. “I missed about 2 or 3 chances for easy birdies but nonetheless, it’s a bogey-free round and it’s good for me. I also saved a couple of pars that helped me get to the top.”

Zanieboy Gialon, who with Caliraya Springs leg winner Tony Lascuña competed in Taiwan during the PH Masters week, also birdied the 17th as he turned in a 69 to crowd Reymon Jaraula, Justin Quiban and Korean Chon Koo Kang at third while Lascuña recovered from miscues on Nos. 13 and 15 with a birdie, also on the 17th, as he saved a 70 for joint seventh with Albin Engino, Japanese Atsushi Ueda and rookie pro Gabriel Manotoc.

Ikeda scrambles way to 1-shot lead

their support.

The Filipinos ran at fifth place in the medals race with a 15-18-18 gold-silverbronze haul.

I ndonesia stayed at the helm with a 71-61-41 harvest followed by Thailand’s 4649-36, Vietnam’s 31-29-45 and Malaysia’s 30-23-14.

“ We’re still on target in surpassing the 28 gold medals who won last year in Surakarta,” said PSC commissioner and chef de mission Walter Torres.

The Filipinos’ golden streak in swimming, however, came to a halt as they managed only a silver in the 100 butterfly S14 courtesy of Ariel Joseph Alegarbes who clocked 1:00.73. Muhd Imaan Aiman of Malaysia won the gold in 1:00.35.

The swimmers scooped five gold medals in the first two days including two new games record by Gary Bejino.

R eyes, a 21-year-old native of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, said he drew inspiration from his faith and family.

My family’s my inspiration,” said Reyes, who lost his right arm after falling from a tree when he was five years old.

BCDA are together in this meet.”

A World Aquatics-ordered and POC-supervised elections for the new members of the board of trustees of the Philippine Swimming Inc. are scheduled Thursday at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Pasay City.

“ The Aquatics Center is in harness for the championships— from the competition aspect to the accommodation and other organizational needs of the delegates,” said Perez, adding the world-class facility in Capas, Tarlac, that was the centerpiece venue for the

MICHAEL MALONE is hard to please.  No, the hardest to please.  Even when he is winning, Malone makes whining a priority.

W in or lose, the Nuggets coach loves sounding the alarm in the ongoing National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals between Denver and the Miami Heat.

A resurrected Einstein? Perfectionist?

M alone sounded the alarm after Game 1—even after Denver had mightily spirited away a 104-93 victory.

“ You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after Game 1, when I said we didn’t play well,” Malone said.  “We didn’t play well.”

Th at was an emphatic 11-point win and here is Malone telling us his Nuggets didn’t play well?

A nd he ain’t done yet.

W hen Miami escaped with a 111-108 win in Monday’s Game 2 for a 1-1 tie in the best-of-seven series, Malone was furious as he sounded the alarm a second time.

2019 Southeast Asian Games is well maintained.

O rganizing committee head Jojit Alcazar and POC deputy secretarygeneral for international affairs Bones Floro also graced the logo launch for the biggest swimming competition that country is hosting. The delegates—athletes, officials, chaperones and tourists—will be having a convenient time at the New Clark City with the opening of the newest airport terminal in Clark and the new roads from the airport in Clark,” Perez added.

CHIHIRO IKEDA took charge with a birdie start and had to hold sway despite a gutwrenching run of bogeys for a 74 as the rest tripped coming home in both sides of Valley South after 18 holes of the Ladies International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Valley Golf Challenge in Antipolo City on Tuesday.

A s “three-peat” hunting Harmie Constantino groped for form and hardly survived a birdieless round of 76, Ikeda banked

on a fine start and conservative to stay on top despite miscues on Nos. 3, 14 and 18 at the demanding up-and-down layout. “

I just tried not to be too aggressive because the course is difficult,” said Ikeda, who had hoped for a big round after sinking an 18-foot putt for birdie on the first hole. It never came as she failed to rescue pars after missing the greens, the last she described as “good” after hitting it behind and into the frontgreen bunker.

But the reigning Ladies Professional Golf Tour (LPGT) Order of Merit champion’s 36-38 proved enough to net her a one-stroke lead and spark a campaign coming off a runner-up finish in the inaugural Ladies Philippine Masters at Villamor a couple of weeks back. But three players of varying styles and skills put in identical 75s, including perennial contender Daniella Uy and title-hungry Florence Bisera and Martina Miñoza, while Constantino, despite her four-over start, stayed in the thick of things at joint fifth with Korean amateur Min Yeong Kim. Bisera also hit an early birdie (No. 11) in a backside start but made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from No. 14 and yielded another stroke on the sixth. But she tied Ikeda with a birdie on the seventh, only to fall behind again with another mishap on the tough par-3 No. 8. I missed a couple of par putts from short range at the front so I have to stay focused tomorrow [Wednesday] and try to hit more fairways and greens,” said Bisera, hoping to finally hit paydirt this week.

CHIHIRO IKEDA leads in the first round despite a 74 at difficult Valley. NONIE REYES

“ This is not the preseason,” Malone said.  “Let’s talk about effort.  I mean, this is the NBA Finals and we’re talking about effort.  That’s a huge concern of mine.”

Nikola Jokic made a monster 41 points and that wasn’t an effort huge enough as to give Denver a 2-0 lead?

Painful because the loss was Denver’s first at home since March 30 this year.

Jamal Murray missed a three at the buzzer that could have forced overtime.

T he equalizer had appeared on target.  But it somehow curved toward right, hitting the inner rim before bouncing out.

Painful because it finalized Denver’s first loss in 10 games played at home this year.

Pretty glad that he missed it,” said Jimmy Butler, who meekly contested the game’s final shot.

T he miss preserved Butler’s 21 points and 9 assists and Bam Adebayo’s 21 points and 9 rebounds.  Add Gabe

Vincent’s 23 points and that gave the trio 65 of Miami’s 111 points.

This is the finals,” Adebayo said.  “We gutted one out.”

A debayo scored Miami’s last two points from the stripe on Monday, giving the Heat a safe 111-106 lead before Jokic made it a final 111-108 count on an undisturbed drive.

Our guys are competitors,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, whose Fililpino mother has roots in San Pablo, Laguna.  “They love these kind of moments.”

The win gave the Heat a monumental momentum going to Games 3 & 4 both set in Miami.

W ill the Heat sear the Nuggets there and return to Denver with a 3-1 mark?

Giddy up, Malone.

THAT’S IT. Nice to hear Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-3 beanpole, say that his Top 2 dreams are “to play for Gilas in the Fiba World Cup and in the NBA.”  Good luck, kiddo!

CURLING Winter Sports Association of the Philippines Inc. president Benjo Delarmente competes at the Potomac Curling Club competition in Maryland.