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PHL EXPORT EARNINGS UP 72.1% IN APRIL—PSA www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Thursday, June 10, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 239

P.  |     | 7 DAYS A WEEK

A WORKER fixes the rooftop of a container van converted into a Covid-19 field hospital at Rizal Park in Manila. Expected to be finished this month, the P154-million facility will accommodate mild and moderate patients at its 336-bed capacity. The setting up of field hospitals was first pitched by Red Cross Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon. ROY DOMINGO

B C U. O

@caiordinario

HE global container crisis and the expected holiday spending in the country’s top markets have apparently prompted international buyers to front-load their purchases of locally made Christmas decors and electronics.

Some economists said, however, that the surge in the country’s trade performance in April was largely due to base effects given the contraction of local and international trade caused by the great lockdown. On Wednesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the country’s export earnings surged 72.1 percent while import receipts more than doubled or posted a 140.9-percent growth in April 2021. “For exports, yes, it is probable that some firms are taking advantage of Christmas demand assuming that demand prospects will definitely be better come the end of 2021, especially for many of our

trading partners,” Union Bank of the Philippines Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion told the BM. “It is highly probable as well that for imports, domestic demand for home appliances is improving as the economy gears up for more easing,” Asuncion added. An expert noted that buyers would usually have their Christmas orders shipped in the third quarter of the year. However, a report from the Financial Times indicated that retailers in the United States, one of the Philippines’s major markets, are scrambling to build up their holiC  A

BSP eyeing sale, joint venture for mint in QC B B C @BcuaresmaBM

ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday bared plans for the BSP Security Plant Complex in Quezon City following the completion of the Central Bank’s new facility in New Clark City. In an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday, Diokno said

the current BSP buildings are no longer “relevant to the situation right now” because of its bulky structure and airflow. “The old building in Roxas Boulevard, that will stay,” Diokno said. “The printing plant in Quezon City, close to the Philippine Heart Center and Social Security Building, we are thinking about it. I have

‘STANDARDIZED SHIPPING FEES MAKE LOGISTICS SECTOR COMPETITIVE’ B T J C. P @Tyronepiad

XPORT industry stakeholders are pushing for the implementation of standardized shipping fees, which have increased amid vessel shortage due to container imbalance. In a joint position paper a copy of which was sent to the BM, several industry representatives stressed that shipping charges based on International Commercial Terminology (Incoterms)—a globally accepted standard for international trade—will allow businesses to have better cost management. As such, shipping lines can also be more competitive as Incoterms levels the playing field in terms of pricing, they added. “We believe this will also impact other charges that are usually outside the purview of shipping lines—and are therefore charged based on market rates—but are offered as added services,” the letter noted, citing warehouse storage and drayage from source to port or port to consignee. The position paper—signed by the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP), Export Development Council-Networking Committee on Transport and Logistics, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry—was submitted

to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation on June 8. Advocating for standardized shipping costs, the industry representatives threw their support behind the following House Bills (HB): ■ HB 4316, otherwise known as An Act Regulating the Application of Local Charges (at Origin and Destination) Imposed by International Shipping Lines to Comply with Existing Laws on Obligations and Contracts and International Commercial Terminology Establishing Guidelines Therefore; and ■ HB 4462, otherwise known as An Act Mandating the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to Promote Fair and Transparent Destination and Other Shipping Charges among Forwarders and Agents of International Shipping Lines. The joint statement explained that the said bills will also impact other players in the logistics sector. “For instance, the standardization of charges would provide relevant authorities with the means to gauge and assess petitions for increase in rates, i.e., cargo handling rate increases in the case of port operators,” they said. The exporters explained then that price increases will be based on quantitative pricing

Higher spot prices to push up power generation charge B L L @llectura

IGHER spot market prices will push up power generation charge this month, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said on Wednesday. “Based on early, initial projections, there may be upward pressure on the generation charge for this month due to observed increase in WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market] prices,” said Meralco spokesman and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga. The utility firm is set to announce the power rates for the month on June 10. Even before last week’s red alerts, the Luzon grid was already experiencing tight

supply conditions during the May supply month. An average capacity on outage remained at the 3,000 megawatt (MW) level. The Luzon grid was placed on yellow alert on May 5 due to insufficient operating reserves and the secondary cap of P6.245 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) was triggered from May 4 to 7 and then again from May 20 to 22. The secondary price cap is a price-mitigating mechanism designed to limit the persistent high market prices. The triggering of the secondary price cap meant that WESM prices were persistently high during the month. Hence, the increase in WESM prices will tend to push up C  A

C  A

S “BSP ,” A

PESO EXCHANGE RATES ■ US 47.6900

■ JAPAN 0.4356 ■ UK 67.4909 ■ HK 6.1459 ■ CHINA 7.4504 ■ SINGAPORE 36.0305 ■ AUSTRALIA 36.8930 ■ EU 58.0626 ■ SAUDI ARABIA 12.7170

Source: BSP (June 9, 2021)

News BusinessMirror

Thursday, June 10, 2021

BSP eyeing... C  A

formed a technical working group. We can keep it, we can sell it or we can have a joint project with the private sector with it,” the governor added. In September 2019, the BSP and the BCDA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the groundwork necessary for the establishment of a new BSP facility in the New Clark City-National Government Administrative Center in Capas, Tarlac. In January this year, BSP started its 50-year lease with New Clark City. The term of the lease is for 50 years reckoned from that date, with the option to renew for another 25 years, upon mutual agreement of both parties. The contract covers the lease of a parcel of land spanning 313,171 square meters, located along the New Clark City-SCTEx access road. The BSP also recently launched the design competition for an eco-friendly currency production facility for their New Clark City center. The contest has two stages: the Eligibility Screening and Shortlisting; and Submission of Technical and Financial Proposals and Conceptual Design. To promote participation in the competition, architectural firms are invited to send proposals. Actual construction is projected to start during the second quarter of 2022.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘Effortless’ to keep PHL, Chinese people’s ties, but not for their govts

B R L. M

@rectomercene

ESPITE the highs and lows in relations between the Philippines and China, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. is confident “that the abiding trust and goodwill of our countries, nurtured through the years, will bear much fruit in the years ahead.”

Speaking at rites marking the 46th anniversary of PhilippineChina diplomatic relations, Locsin said, “As in the old day, when we broke through barriers, one after another, in language, culture and beliefs, I have faith that we will once again overcome our differences, that faith has a deep foundation down to the bone, of shared blood and life stories.” Host of the celebration was the Filipino Federation of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII). Wednesday was also the 20th anniversary of Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the

Communist Party of China, an event that was celebrated with performances of Chinese and Filipino musical classics. “Th is celebration gives us momentary relief from the extraordinary challenges of the present,” Locsin added, “more so because these performances demonstrate the harmony between our peoples.” He said the Filipino-Chinese community stands as a reminder of the unbreakable ties between Filipino and Chinese “and those of us like me, who are both.” He said that “when our Chinese ancestors came here almost 300 years ago, they stayed in unbroken

line since then.” Locsin added, “We Filipinos represent the best of both world, the intrepid and pioneering spirit that sought opportunities in distant shores, married to defiant native will that perseveres in adversity.” he added. He noted it would be hard to find a relationship “so effortless to keep as that between Filipinos and Chinese.” However, he added, “It is not so effortless...between the two countries of China and the Philippines,” noting that “to put it mildly, we have our highs and lows and plenty of avoidable differences that serves no purpose on the part of either, but still through it all we come through.” The Philippines and China have been locked in disputes anew since early March, with Locsin’s office sending out diplomatic protests over the presence of hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). However, the DFA has said in previous statements that those differences “are not the sum total of our friendship” as both countries proceed to engage in bilateral relations, and continue robust trade and economic activities.

Common values

FFCCCII secretary-general, Dr. Fernando Gan, said the FilipinoChinese have lived in harmony through centuries, “long before the Spaniards came to our shores,” and

have always cooperated to pursue common goals and development. “Both of us share common values of hard work, festivals and food, and we have the same aspirations to seek prosperity, harmony and stability for our country,” he said. As part of building “bridges and understanding,” the Federation has procured half a million doses of Sinovac vaccine, arriving on Thursday, June 10, and intended for frontline workers. “The sooner we are vaccinated, the sooner we will build consumer confidence and rebuild our economic life,” Gan added. “The bigger picture, however, is the rise of our neighbor and soon a world power, who is our foremost supplier of imported electronics and other consumer products, while China buys from us banana, pineapple and young coconuts and other products.” He said many Philippine companies are now looking at business opportunities in China, “which would lead to the creation of more jobs for Filipinos.” Other guests who extended their felicitations were President Duterte, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Imee Marcos, whose mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, was sent by the former President Ferdinand Marcos to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China; and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

JOE ZALDARRIAGA

Higher spot prices to push up power generation charge C  A

the generation charge for June. Generation charge makes up bulk of an electricity bill. “But notably, as announced earlier last month, Meralco customers are still experiencing record low power rate levels, as last month’s overall rate was still lower than last year’s rate by P0.1548 per kWh. This was also the lowest rate for May since 2017,” commented Zaldarriaga. Meralco, he added, continues to encourage its over 7 million customers to practice energy efficiency initiatives at home to help manage their consumption.

PHL export earnings up 72.1% in April—PSA C  A

day inventory to avoid delays that may be caused by the container crisis. In terms of commodities, exports that recorded the highest growth were ceramic tiles and decor which posted growth of 19,817 percent; fine jewelry, 15,466.8 percent; Christmas decor, 9,887.4 percent; other sugar and products, 3,332.8 percent; and wiring sets for vehicles, aircraft and ships, 1,237.6 percent in April. Exports that posted triple-digit growth included special transactions with a growth of 976.8 percent; consumer electronics, 913.7 percent; natural rubber, 830.7 percent; other agro-based products, 795 percent; and iron and steel, 785.6 percent.

Travel goods

IT was also notable that travel goods and handbags—even if there is very little traveling occurring— grew 672 percent. Footwear as well as baby carriages, toys, games and sporting equipment posted 621.7 percent and 557.8 percent growth, respectively. In terms of imports, chemical compounds saw a growth of 3,340.1 percent. This was followed by Feeding Stuff For Animals (Not Including Unmilled Cereals) with a growth of 575.2 percent; Transport Equipment, 547.4 percent; Other Special Transactions, 430.6 percent; and Home Appliances, 407.5 percent. Other exports that saw tripledigit growth in April were Office and EDP Machines with a growth of 406.8 percent; Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials, 387.9 percent; non-ferrous metals, 334 percent; Other Food & Live Animals, 283.1 percent; and beverages and tobacco manufactures, 278.5 percent. “It’s hard to [say] what has led to these sectors outperforming the rest. I guess they are strong substitutes to demand for travel, entertainment and other face to face related spending,” former Philippine Economic Society President Emilio

S. Neri said. “Since these latter activities are still not doable in the near future, consumers worldwide may have shifted their spending on jewelry, home improvement projects and the like,” he added.

Other drivers, base effects

HOWEVER, Neri said the recovery in the growth of exports and imports in April may not only be driven by supply. He noted that the United States’s monetary policies would also have something to do with it. “The ultra-accommodative fiscal and monetary policies of developed economies led by a Biden-led US [are] also stoking demand and could make it more challenging for the logistics companies and retailers,” Neri said. Meanwhile, Asuncion cautioned that the “stellar” performance of exports and imports in April also indicated the “depth” of the collapse of the country’s trade performance last year. He added that the main reason for the high growth was base effects. The very low base last year would naturally lead to significantly high growth in 2021. Asuncion also said when these numbers were adjusted for seasonality, the month-on-month data would point toward a decline in the performance of exports and imports. “Adjusting the numbers for seasonality, we do get a month-onmonth momentum—seasonally adjust growth rates—for both exports and imports still to be negative. Previous month’s numbers show a positive momentum only to be negative last April. This suggests that the recent lockdown did still have an impact on trade’s performance,” Asuncion explained.

Trade performance

BASED on PSA data, the country’s total external trade in goods reached $14.16 billion in April 2021. This represented a growth of 107.5 percent from $6.83 billion in April 2020. Between January and April, to-

tal trade in goods reached $57.83 billion in 2021. This was a 20.7-percent growth from $47.9 billion in the same period last year. The trade deficit, the difference between the value of exports and imports, reached $2.73 billion in April 2021. This was an increase of 1,361.5 percent from $187.1 million in April 2020. In the January-to-April period, the trade deficit reached $11.09 billion, a 28.4-percent growth from the $8.64 billion posted in the same period last year. Meanwhile, the PSA said total export sales reached $5.71 billion in April 2021 from $3.32 billion in April 2020. Imports reached $8.45 billion in April this year, significantly higher than the $3.51 billion last year. Export earnings between January and April 2021 reached $23.37 billion, a 19-percent growth from the $19.63 billion posted in the same period last year. Import receipts amounted to $34.46 billion in January to April 2021. This was 21.9 percent higher than the $28.27 billion recorded in January to April 2020.

Export markets

CHINA led the country’s top export markets for April with exports to that country amounting to $953.23 million or 16.7 percent of the total. Other top export markets were the United States with $857.45 million or 15 percent of total earnings; followed by Japan, which accounted for $819.27 million or 14.3 percent of the total. The country’s top import source was also led by China, which cornered $2.16 billion or 25.5 percent of the total import payments in April 2021. This was followed by Japan with $811.84 million or 9.6 percent of the total; and the US and Indonesia, which both accounted for 7.1 percent of the total. Shipments from the US amounted to $602.39 million while those that originated from Indonesia reached $596.8 million in April 2021.

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Govt reminded to fast-track Bayanihan 2 fund spending By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

ITING its fast-approaching deadline, Sen. Risa Hontiveros reminded the Duterte administration to “rush the obligation and disbursement” of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) funds before the end of the month. The lawmaker lamented the “slow spending” under Bayanihan 2 that she recalled was originally set to expire last December 19, 2020. Hontiveros recalled that since that first deadline, its effectivity has been extended to June 30, 2021. “So far, there is no indication from the Senate leadership that there is going to be a special session for this,” the senator said. But Senate President Vicente Sotto III, in a recent interview with CNN Philippines, said the extension of Bayanihan 2 would be among the Senate’s priorities when they return from their session break in late July. This, along with the certified bills amending the Public Service Act and the Foreign Investments Act, which are pending for second reading. A third certified bill taxing the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations was passed on third and final reading before senators adjourned sine die last June 4. In a news statement, Hontiveros griped that the fund is likely to expire anew. “We’re just counting days before the fund would expire due slow spending. Meanwhile, those who may need the money most may not be able to receive it. When do we intend to spend that money?” she said in Filipino. The senator recalled that as of December 2020, “the Department of Health [DOH], had only obligated 47 percent of its P12.5billion allocation under Bayanihan 2, mostly on laboratory testing and hiring of human resources for health personnel.” She noted that Department of Budget and Management (DBM) records showed that with Bayanihan 1 and 2, the country has spent P495,060,547,684 for the pandemic, adding that most of the money went to medical supplies, services, and financial aid. However, that amount is only 75.76 percent of the pie. Bayanihan 2 alone still has P127,155,172,328 in unspent funds. The senator also prodded the DBM to release the missing reports on Bayanihan 2 to help the government make quicker and clearer decisions on pandemicrelated expenditures. Hontiveros hopes the missing reports can be evaluated way ahead of budget deliberations for 2022. Last month, the senator called for a special audit of the disbursed funds for Covid-19. Hontiveros stressed the Senate will continue to perform its oversight functions over Covid emergency funds. “Why [is] there [a] need to hold these funds?” she asked.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, June 10, 2021 A3

19 Philippine rivers among top 50 ocean polluters in the world–study By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

SCIENTIFIC study released by the publication ocean Cleanup in the journal Science Advances has identified Pasig River and 18 other Philippine rivers among the top 50 polluting rivers in the world. These rivers in the Philippines, the study added, represent more than a quarter of rivers worldwide that are responsible for 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution. The researchers designed a tool to track plastics flowing into the oceans, which calculated that 454 “very small” rivers contribute 25 percent of global annual emissions, while 360 “small rivers” make up 24 percent of emissions, 162 “medium rivers” are responsible for 22 percent of emissions, while 18 “large” and six “very large” rivers contribute to 2 percent and 1 percent of plastic emissions, respectively. Other rivers of varying sizes contribute to 26 percent of the pollution. The largest contributing country estimated by the model was the Philippines, with 466 out of 1,656 world’s rivers dumping more than 356,371 metric tons of plastic wastes annually. The world’s most polluting river when it comes to plastic is the 27-kilometer Pasig River which runs through Metro Manila, accounting for 63,000 tons of plastic entering oceans from rivers per year. The study also suggested that coastal countries like the Philippines

WORK has begun on San Miguel Corp.’s P2-billion Pasig River rehabilitation initiative, which will extract 50,000 metric tons of silt and solid waste per month from the historic river, or 600,000 metric tons per year, using advanced and specialized equipment. The project is supported by the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works and Highways, Interior and Local Government, Philippine Coast Guard, and Metro Manila local governments, including Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasig. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

have a relatively high probability of plastic entering the ocean due to various factors, including short distances from land-based sources to rivers, and much shorter distances to oceans. Plastic also flows more easily into rivers from paved urban areas than it does in rivers from forests, and travels farther in rainy climates than dry ones. The researchers also considered for the study the proximity of landfills and dumpsites to

riverbanks, finding out that those within 10 kilometers of rivers are likely to spill into them. Aside from Pasig River, among the top 50 rivers that carry the most amount of trash and plastic into the ocean mentioned in the study are the following: • Tullahan River • Meycauayan River • Pampanga River • Libmanan River

• Rio Grande de Mindanao River • Agno River • Agusan River • Parañaque River • Iloilo River • Imus River • Zapote River • Cagayan de Oro River • Davao River • Malaking Tubig River • Tambo, Pasay (Storm drain) • Jalaur River

DOJ chief: Terrorism, murder raps to be filed against rebels in Masbate IED blast By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

& Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra said violation of the Anti-Terrorism Law, murder and other charges may be lodged against the communist rebels behind the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) that killed 21-year-old promising college football player Keith Absalon and his cousin last June 6. “Those responsible for the land mine explosion may be held liable for murder, violation of the AntiTerrorism Law, and violation of the Philippine Act [2009] on Crimes against International Humanitarian Law, genocide, and other crimes against humanity,” Guevarra said. Absalon, a football player of the Far Eastern University (FEU), was named as the most valuable player of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 2016. He and his 40-year-old cousin Nolven Absalon were reportedly biking along Barangay Anas in Masbate with some relatives when an improvised explosive device was detonated. The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPPNPA) have admitted responsibility

over the death of the Absalons.

Just the beginning

A MEMBER of the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday, meanwhile, said the admission of “full responsibility” by the CPP-NPA should not halt the investigation into the “tragic” incident. Agusan Rep. Lawrence Fortun said the acceptance of full responsibility by the CPP-NPA or any other group over the killings does not in any way conclude the case because it has no bearing before the courts as these are not made under oath. “The investigation into the killing of FEU football stalwart Kieth Absalon and his uncle Nolven Absalon should not slacken, much less, halt, regardless of the pronouncement of the CPP-NPA taking full responsibility of the gruesome deaths,” said Fortun, also governor of the Philippine Football Federation. “This is not case closed simply because the CPP-NPA owned up to the IED detonation and sought apology. Members of the family of the victims have raised concerns their kin died not just of explosion, but were actually shot as sustained wounds would show,” Fortun added. While the Philippine National Police in Bicol conduct follow-up operations in Masbate, “it may be best that the National Bureau of Inves-

tigation and Department of Justice intervene now to probe the killings,” the lawmaker suggested. On Tuesday, the CPP and NPA, in a news statement, said they express “their deep remorse over the untimely and unnecessary deaths of cousins Keith and Nolven Absalon and injury to others resulting from errors in the military action mounted by an NPA unit in Barangay Anas, Masbate City last Sunday.” “The entire CPP and NPA take full responsibility for the tragedy. There is no justification for the aggravation this has caused the Absalon family,” the CPP and NPA said. Moreover, Fortun emphasized that NBI autopsy report of the victims’ remains is necessary to ascertain what caused their deaths. “The initial reports of IED detonation do not seem to be consistent with the injuries which could be plainly seen in the pictures and videos of Kieth and Nolven. Given these circumstances, the intervention of NBI should be sought,” Fortun said.

Rare condemnation

THE House Makabayan bloc, meanwhile, condemned the military action by a unit of the NPA in Masbate City. “Our commitment to human rights binds us to condemn any and all acts that harm or kill unarmed

civilians, non-combatants, and protected persons in situations of armed conflict,” the bloc said. “Even as we condole with the Absalon family, we respectfully urge them to report the tragic incident to the Joint Monitoring Committee [JMC], the body that accepts complaints on the non-compliance by either the CPP-NPA or the government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police on the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law [CARHRIHL],” the bloc said. The bloc added that the filing of a complaint with the JMC will serve as an important reminder to the government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that represents the CPP-NPA to always abide by the laws of war. “We look forward to a full and impartial investigation into the incident, and to the CPP-NPA’s response to any complaint to be filed against them with the JMC,” it said. The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives is composed of Bayan Muna Party-list Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers’ Party-list Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago.

Duterte shuns call to seek VP post, says other potential bets can continue ‘legacy’

R ESIDEN T Duter te has shunned calls for him to run for vice president in the next elections, while adding that there are several aspiring candidates for the two top positions in 2022, who have the potential to continue his legacy. In his recorded interview with Kingdom of Jesus Christ head Pastor Apollo Quiboloy aired on Tuesday, President Duterte said he may publicly name these candidates, “when the time comes.” However, he said, these individuals would still have to prove themselves to the public that they

are worthy of being the country’s chief executive. “I do not mean to insult anybody, but it takes more than just what you will show today. Or what they could do today. The Presidency is much more than that,” the President said. On the same topic, he reiterated he does not want his daughter, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, to succeed him despite her supposedly leading in some election surveys. He noted his daughter does not deserve the low salary of P200,000 in exchange for working hard, only to be criticized by

her political opponents. “I told her last night [June 7] not to run [in the 2022 polls],” President Duterte said. The political circles were roiled recently by talk of a supposed DuterteDuterte tandem in 2022, with Sara as president and Duterte sliding down to vice president. The father-daughter tandem had done this before in Davao, when Sara first became mayor and her father slid down to vice mayor.

He wants to retire

AS for his own political career, after his term ends next year, Duterte said

he intends to retire despite being nominated by a faction of his party, the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), to run as vice president in the next elections. These PDP-Laban members also urged him to pick the presidential candidate, who will serve as his possible running mate. “That is hard, Pastor [addressing Quiboloy], since I am about to retire, and will pick the presidential [candidate]. If [the candidate] wins, they will say I want to perpetuate [myself] in power. That is why I resisted [with the nomination],” President Duterte

said in the interview. President Duterte maintained he is ready to retire knowing his achievements during his term, including exposingcorruptioninsomegovernment agencies, as well as weakening the overbreadth of oligarchy in the country. He was referring to his order to review the alleged onerous service contracts of the government with private concessionaires Maynilad Water Services Inc. and the Manila Water Co. Inc., owned by two of the most powerful conglomerates in the country, the MVP Group and the Ayala Group. Samuel P. Medenilla

• Cagayan River • Hamulauon River The study suggested a targeted approach to drastically reduce the world’s river plastic emissions. For the Climate Change Commission, the study findings raise extreme concern on the issue of mismanaged plastic wastes in the country, and supports the call of urgent efforts to solve the plastic crisis by implementing measures to regulate and, in turn, halt the production of unnecessary plastics-made straws and stirrers, spoon and fork, and plastic labo, among others. According to the CCC, House Bill 9147 or the Single-Use Plastics Products Regulation Act recently approved on second reading in the lower House, serves as a potential measure that will effectively address the country’s high rate of plastic waste leakage and plastic impacts on the environment, public health, and climate change through a nationwide phase out of single-use plastics and implementation of producers’ responsibility schemes. “This ushers the start for producers to shift their dependence on throwaway packaging models to more sustainable reuse and refill systems,” the CCC said in a news statement. The agency strongly urged the public to use alternatives and adopt workable community-based solutions to shift away from the singleuse, throwaway culture that currently dominates our market.

BIR readies charges vs suspects behind P544-million fake cig tax stamp case

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is set to file criminal charges and assess the deficiency taxes against the suspects behind the printing of P544 million worth of fake cigarette tax stamps seized recently in Bacolod City. At a recent Department of Finance Executive Committee meeting, BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa reported to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III that the bureau seized 15 million pieces of fake internal revenue tax stamps last May 4 at a warehouse and in three trucks parked outside the premises at Barangay Tangub. Apart from this, various raw and packaging materials for cigarette production were also seized. “The BIR office in Region 12 will file—and we coordinated with them—the necessary criminal cases and the assessment of deficiency taxes on this,” Guballa said in his report during the meeting. Guballa also reported during the meeting that the BIR Strike Team, along with personnel from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), that they also found a total of 3,068 cigarette mastercases of the A380 and Manchester cigarette brands inside the facility of GB Global Exprez Inc. at the Angeles Industrial Park in Pampanga. The BIR official added the GB Global personnel on the site claimed that the cigarettes were manufactured as part of a “dry run” of its facilities. According to Guballa, BIR ensured that the cigarettes would not be removed from the premises while the BIR undertakes the appropriate action against the company. In April this year, BIR also padlocked 83 establishments and collected P737.28 million under its Oplan Kandado program, Guballa said. Bernadette D. Nicolas

A4 Thursday, June 10, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

DOLE’s Independence Day fair TNK opens 40K job vacancies By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

T least 40,000 jobs will be made available during the online Independence Day Trabaho, Negosyo, at Kabuhayan (Job, Business, and Livelihood) fair organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Saturday. In an online news briefing on Wednesday, Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique R. Tutay said the

job vacancies will come from around 400 employers who will participate in the event. “We will be posting links in our web site so they could access our online job fair,” Tutay said. She said top industries with the most vacancies in their TNK event are business-process outsourcing (BPO), manufacturing, security services, media and retail. For overseas jobs, she said, most openings are health-related

like nurses, radiographer, physical therapist, construction related and the services sector. Most of the vacancies, Tutay added, are for those with “middle to high skills.” Tutay said they are hoping more workers will be hired in their upcoming TNK just like in their Labor Day Job Fair last month, where 51,000 vacancies were opened. During the event, some 4,000 job slots were immediately filled by

hired-on-the spot applicants, while 5,000 to 6,000 became near hires, or those who will need to pass additional documents and interviews before they are hired. “This is already a good number [of hired] workers,” Tutay said. The TNK is part of government intervention to provide aid to the over 191,000 workers, who were permanently displaced this year amid the business disruptions cause by the novel coronavirus disease pandemic.

Senate bill imposes 5-percent amusement tax on ‘e-sabong’ By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

HE Senate is on track to consider the passage of a revenue bill taxing Internet betting on locally popular cockfighting, known as “e-sabong.” Senate Bill 2281, filed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, mandates government to collect 5-percent amusement tax on gross receipts, or earnings of off-site betting stations allowed by local governments. The gross receipts are based on earnings from bets placed in online cockfighting, as well as revenue from airing cockfighting derbies on radio and television. As provided in the bill, the “sabong tax” will be collected quarterly. It also requires the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) to issue the guidelines for off-site betting even as the Bureau of Internal Revenue implements

its own process for taxing online betting. In filing the enabling legislation, Gatchalian said it is time to tax e-sabong given the revenue potentials earned by its operators, projected to be much more than doubled, given the pandemic that banned mass gathering events, like popular cockfight derby’s. “It’s time to impose additional taxes on e-sabong considering the net earnings e-sabong of operators rake in amid the pandemic that forced cockpit arenas to shut down,” the senator said. At the same time, Gatchalian acknowledged the government’s need to replace the lost revenue from closure of casinos and other gaming facilities. He added that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. collects regulatory fee of P12,500 for every derby or a minimum guaranteed fee of P75 million a month, or whichever is higher.

POEA resolution retains OFW deployment ban to South Sudan

HE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has retained its deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to South Sudan amid the prevailing violence in the African nation. In its Resolution 1, Series of 2021, the POEA Governing Board maintained its total deployment ban for South Sudan even after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) lowered its alert level for the said country. Last March, DFA downgraded the alert level for South Sudan from Alert Level 4 (mandatory repatriation phase) to Alert Level 3 (voluntary repatriation phase) due to

the formation of a unity government between the two warring factions vying for leadership of the African state. The government, however, observed that “several security concerns, high level of violence and armed conf lict” still exist in South Sudan worsened by the rising novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases there. With this in consideration, the POEA Governing Board opted to sustain the imposition of a total ban on the processing and deployment of all OFWs bound for South Sudan. POEA first imposed a total deployment ban in South Sudan on September 24, 2019. Samuel P. Medenilla

EGGTREPRENEURSHIP

Passersby on a city sidewalk could not help but take a second look at the supposed cheap balut—a Filipino delicacy of fertilized developing egg embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell, being sold by the bunch. The eggs being sold, however, turned out to be small-sized breakfast chicken egg at P20 per balot or per plastic pack of five. BERNARD TESTA

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Substitute House measure proposes overhaul of MUP pension system By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

HE House ad hoc Comm ittee on t he Mi l it a r y and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) on Wednesday approved the substitute bill overhauling the MUP pension system to make it more fiscally sustainable. Committee Chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the substitute bill is still subject to style and further amendments, adding his panel will meet anew to approve the committee report of the measure on June 16. Salceda stressed the importance of the passage of the bill as the current MUP pension scheme has accumulated unfunded liabilities amounting to P9.6 trillion or 53.4 percent of the 2020 GDP. Salceda said that the pension system has a P9.6 trillion unfunded reserve deficit, primarily because uniformed personnel do not have a contribution system and that MUP pensions are much higher than that of civilian personnel. Emphasizing the need to enact military pension reform, Salceda compared the MUP pension liability with other fiscal risks the country encountered in the past. He said debts assumed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from the Marcos administration was P413.45 billion or 25.3 percent of 1993 nominal GDP. Meanwhile, debts of the power sector were P1.24 trillion or 31.8 percent of 2001 nominal GDP. The MUP pension liability is pegged at P9.6 trillion or 53.4 percent of 2020 nominal GDP. “Long-run growth will be hampered as government liabilities become fiscally unsustainable. This will result in the contraction of the economy by as much as -7.2 percent in 2030, significantly worse that the growth impact of the 2008 financial crisis of -2 percent,” said Salceda, citing the magnitude of fiscal threat of the MUP pension crisis. “Public debt will increase by as much as 25 percent in 2030, around 4.5 times larger that 5.5-percent increase in 2004,” he added.

For her part, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo described the P9.6 trillion liability as “unrealistic.” “The P9.6 trillion present value of liabilities is for 10-percent increase annually. Based on my computation, it’s only P3.6 trillion because may sensitivity din na kinonsidera na 5 percent,” Quimbo said. “Historically, the salary increase was only 10 percent every 6 years. Historically, the 10-percent increase was not annual,” she added. But citing the Department of Budget and Management, Salceda defended his numbers, saying his data were thoroughly studied. Moroever, key features of the committee report include the removal of automatic indexation but retention of the no-contribution scheme, pension increases based on a cost-of-living adjustment, rationalizing pensionable age at 56 years old, allowing optional retirement after 20 years in service, higher risk insurance coverage for those wounded or killed in action, and the creation of a military and uniformed services trust fund with leeway to initiate a credible defense posture. Key revisions from the previous committee hearings include the addition of disability benefits in the authorized insurance system on top of already legislated benefits, and the creation of a provident fund to be infused with voluntary contributions from MUPs. Salceda pushed for added disability benefits under the risk insurance system to be created in response to the suggestion of Iloilo Rep. Raul Tupas to enhance the benefits package for MUPs who incur disabilities in the line of duty. “The benefits that MUPs will receive from the insurance system we will create under the Trust Fund Committee will be on top of whatever benefits they are already entitled to. So, this is a way to balance our fiscal reform of the system with the unique risks the MUPs take,” Salceda said. According to Salceda, the House will approve its version before the hearings on 2022 national budget in August.

Malacañang commends GSIS anew for 100% resolution of client concerns

ALACAÑANG recently commended the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for resolving 100 percent of the concerns that it referred to the pension fund within the prescribed turnaround time of 72 hours. The 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center, under the Office of the President, cited in its letter that GSIS acted on all the 188 citizens’ concerns that were referred to it from January 1 to February 28, 2021. It was the second commendation given by Malacañang to GSIS for a 100-percent commendation rate of client concerns since the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center was intro-

duced in 2016. The first one was last year, when GSIS also earned a 100percent resolution rate for addressing 1,510 citizens’ concerns within the 72-hour turnaround time during the period January 1 to December 31, 2020. “This recognition reaffirms our commitment to earnestly listen to the concerns of our members and pensioners,” GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said. “We appreciate and value the feedback of our stakeholders because they serve as guideposts in formulating policies and reforms toward enhancing GSIS benefits and improving

our services,” Macasaet added. The 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center was established as a channel for the public to report complaints or grievances on acts of red tape or corruption committed by government offices. Under the center’s minimum operating standards and as mandated by Republic Act 9485 (Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007), all government offices must provide concrete and specific actions on all referred concerns within 72 hours from its receipt. Failure of government offices to respond in a timely manner will be a basis for administrative sanctions. “We assure our clients that we remain committed in addressing our

clients’ concerns immediately at our level. Gusto naming maginhawa silang makipagtransaksyon sa GSIS,” the pension fund chief said. GSIS has made available various communication channels where members and pensioners may relay their concerns and inform them on the latest benefit programs of the pension fund. They may visit the GSIS web site, www.gsis.gov.ph or Facebook account, @gsis.ph; e-mail gsiscares@gsis.gov.ph; or call the GSIS Contact Center at 8847-4747 (if in Metro Manila) or 1-800-8-8474747 (for Globe and TM subscribers) and 1-800-10-847-4747 (for Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text subscribers).

‘Standardized shipping fees make logistics sector competitive’ mechanisms instead of a unilateral move by a company as a cost recovery measure. The industry representatives said the differences in costs, which they hope to be “minimal,” will be based on other factors, citing the differences in port infrastructure. “W hile the proposals are primarily concerned with international shipping, they may also provide a framework to address issues of high domestic shipping costs, which continue to be a problem among businesses in the country and a hindrance to their competitiveness,” they continued. Shipping costs for shipments sent to the Philippines are way more expensive compared to its

neighbors in the region, they said. The average cost for local ports amounts to $592 per 20feet (ft) full container load, as against the $202 average in other countries. The industry groups blamed the high logistics fee on lack of regulatory oversight, given that no agency is tasked with monitoring local charges imposed by international shipping lines.

Varying shipping costs

DATA provided by SCMAP members showed the varying amount of total shipping charges among four shipping lines. The costs are based on shipments made to Manila with differences in the types of cargo being moved.

For the three shipping lines that moved 20-ft containers, the total shipping fees range from $1,500 to about $2,300. Broken down, ocean freight, trucking charges and destination charges averaged at $900, $337 and $698, respectively. For the shipping line that transported a 40-footer, total shipping fees amounted to $3,929. Ocean freight was priced at $2,000; trucking charges, $380; and destination charge, $1,549. It was noted that destination charges comprised between 30 percent and 50 percent of the total shipping charges. The costs depend on container size, volume of shipment, location, services offered by shipping lines and “negotiated rates.”

“The examples above also illustrate the different terms used to refer to various destination charges depending on the shipping line,” the groups explained. “While someone who is experienced in imports and exports may be able to ascertain which charges are comparable to each other, the differing terms mean there is some difficulty in making an apples-to-apples comparison, and can lead to some shipping lines charging higher-thanacceptable rates for certain services,” they added. Apart from these, the shipping lines are also charging varying amounts for additional logistics costs, including terminal handling charge, equipment imbalance

surcharge, container imbalance charge, peak season charge, and cleaning fee.

Designating Marina

THE export industry stakeholders also backed the proposed Philippine Shippers Act of 2021 by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as this will boost transparency in the logistics sector. Last month, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told the BusinessMirror he was hoping that the said bill, which seeks to mitigate the surging freight costs, will be passed this year. The proposed measure aims to grant Marina power to oversee the freight charges being imposed by the logistics service providers.

continued from a1

The draft bill was submitted to Congress and the Economic Development Cluster. Currently, the Trade department is also working with the Philippine Competition Commission on the ongoing investigation of potential pricefixing in the logistics sector that led to high freight costs. “Ultimately, we believe that these proposals will bring us one step closer to more competitive and reasonable logistics costs, a more competitive and responsible logistics services sector, more competitive importers and exporters and improved quality of life and access to products for end consumers,” the joint letter reads.

News BusinessMirror

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CA affirms RTC ruling on issuance of arrest warrant, HDO vs Trillanes By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

HE Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the order issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Makati City denying the plea of the government to issue an arrest warrant and hold departure order against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes in connection with the coup d’etat case filed against him in 2003. In a 67-page decision penned by Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon, the CA’s Special Eleventh Division dismissed the petition filed by the government through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) seeking the reversal of the orders issued by Makati RTC Branch 148 Presiding Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano on October 22, 2018 and November 22, 2018. The CA held that the petitioner failed to show grave abuse of discretion on the part of Judge Soriano in issuing the assailed orders. While he upheld the validity of President Duterte’s Proclamation 572, which revoked the amnesty granted to Trillanes, Soriano held that the coup d’etat case has been dismissed since September 21, 2011 by virtue of Proclamation 75 which was issued by former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III granting Trillanes’s plea for amnesty. He said based on established doctrine, a final and executory judgment can no longer be reversed. The judge explained that his court was obliged to review the case based on the resolution of the Supreme Court last September 11, 2018. In the said order, the Court denied the plea Trillanes for the issuance of an injunction to enjoin authorities from arresting him following President Duterte’s nullification of the amnesty. At the same time, the Court said the trial courts in Makati City should be first allowed to hear and resolve the pleadings filed by the DOJ and Trillanes with regard to the legality of Proclamation 572. Proclamation 572 specifically revoked the Department of National Defense Ad Hoc Committee Resolution 2 issued

on January 31, 2011 insofar as it granted amnesty to Trillanes in line with Aquino’s Proclamation 75. President Duterte declared as “void ab initio” the grant of amnesty to Trillanes under Proclamation 75 for his supposed failure to file the official amnesty application form and expressly admitted his guilt for the crimes he committed. But, even if the case has yet to be resolved with finality, Judge Soriano said the DOJ’s motion would still have to be dismissed due to the failure of the DOJ to present evidence that would contradict the claim of eyewitnesses presented by the senator to prove that he filed his application for amnesty in which he admitted his guilt for his participation in the Oakwood mutiny. The CA agreed with Judge Soriano’s ruling which affirmed the validity of Proclamation 572, saying that “there is nothing in the 1987 Constitution which prohibits the President to revoke the grant of a conditional amnesty if he finds that the grantee failed to comply with the conditions thereof.” “Proclamation No. 572 is a valid exercise by the President of his Constitutional power of control over all executive departments, bureaus, and offices. This has been succinctly defined by the Supreme Court as essentially the power to alter or modify or nullify or set aside what a subordinate officer had done in the performance of his duties and to substitute the judgment of the former with that of the latter,” the appellate court added. Furthermore, the CA held that Proclamation 572 does not violate Trillanes’s right to due process and equal protection of the law as the said proclamation directs the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to “employ all lawful means” to apprehend the former senator. However, the Court gave weight to the findings of the trial court that Trillanes complied with all the conditions of Proclamation 75, particularly the filing of an official amnesty application form and expressly admitting his guilt for the crimes he committed.

Mayor leads kick off of vaccination of essential workers in San Juan City

MAYOR Francis Zamora supervises a dry run of the vaccination of the A4 category at a San Juan City theater in this June 2, 2021, BusinessMirror file photo. NONOY LACZA By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

TOTAL of 2,500 Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in San Juan City on Tuesday as the vaccination of the A4 group or essential workers who are living or working in the city kicked off. “Ito na ang simula ng pagbangon ng ekonomiya natin [This is the start of our economic recovery]. Ang San Juan ay handa na [San Juan is ready], we are targeting to reach herd immunity as soon as possible,” an ecstatic Mayor Francis Zamora said. Zamora stressed that if more people will be vaccinated, “I’m sure we will see growth in the businesses badly beaten by the pandemic. This will also lead to higher confidence for consumers and shoppers here in San Juan.” “Uulitin ko lang ang battle cry namin sa San Juan. Dito nagsimula ang first local transmission ng Covid-19 noong March 6, 2020, at dito rin namin tatapusin [I will repeat our battle cry here in San Juan.

The first case of Covid-19 was recorded here on March 6, 2020, and we will end it here],” the mayor said. On Wednesday, Zamora personally visited the new vaccination center, the Theatre Mall Cinemas, to check the vaccination process. He was joined by National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., National Action Plan against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon, and Vice Mayor Warren Villa. To make the process easier, essential workers living in San Juan are getting their jabs at the main vaccination center, FilOil Flying V Centre, while non-San Juaneños working in San Juan will get theirs at the newly opened vaccination center, Theatre Mall Cinemas 1 and 2 at Greenhills Mall. The second vaccination center was opened in partnership with the Greenhills Mall and the Music Museum Group to accommodate the number of economic frontline workers who constitute a huge chunk of the city population.

Thursday, June 10, 2021 A5

DBM: 82.9% of ₧4.506-trillion 2021 national budget released By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has so far released P3.737 trillion or 82.9 percent of the P4.506trillion 2021 national budget in the first five months of the year. This is noticeably slower than the 91.1percent release rate it posted from January to May last year when it disbursed P3.736 trillion out of the P4.1 trillion 2020 national budget. Allotment releases are issued by the DBM to enable agencies to incur obligations to finance the delivery of public services. Broken down, the DBM has so far released P2.544 trillion or 82.7 percent of the P3.087 trillion funds under the 2021 national budget. Out of the amount released under this year’s national budget, DBM disbursed to different departments P2.346 trillion or 89 percent of

the P2.646 trillion program. Meanwhile, releases for special purpose funds under the 2021 national budget hit P198.3 billion, equivalent to 45.1 percent of P440.8 billion program. Special purpose funds are appropriations in the national budget provided to cover expenditures for specific purposes for which recipient departments/agencies have not yet been identified during budget preparation. As for automatic appropriations, 70.5 percent or P1.007 trillion out of the P1.419 trillion program was released by the budget department. Releases under automatic appropriations during the five-month period were made for Internal Revenue Allotment (P695.49 billion), interest payments (P132.89 billion), block grant to Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (P71.67 billion), retirement and life insurance premiums (P56.73 billion), special account in the general fund (P31.07

billion), tax expenditures fund/customs duties and taxes (P12.94 billion), net lending (P7.18 billion), and pension of ex-presidents or widows of ex-presidents (P480,000). Meanwhile, continuing appropriations from the 2020 national budget and Bayanihan 2 have amounted to P184.92 billion. President Duterte earlier extended the validity of appropriations of the 2020 national budget until the end of this year while appropriations under Bayanihan 2 are still valid for obligation and disbursement until June 30 this year. In terms of unprogrammed appropriations, P73.59 billion was released during the period. Unprogrammed appropriations provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collections exceed targets or when additional foreign funds are generated. Allotment releases for other automatic appropriations stood at P14.09 billion.

TheBroa

Business

A6 Thursday, June 10, 2021• www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL building digital economy O

By Dennis D. Estopace

NE and zero. These two binary digits have been, and still are, the building blocks of a new way of doing business after the nation’s leaders ordered the lockdown of territorial borders and forced people to close doors to neighbors and friends. The economy went into entropy.

But the binar y digits that powered computer programs offered markets a lifeline: digital platform. “The incredible adoption rate and changes in digital behavior of the Filipino audience are primarily what drives the big changes in the Philippine digital landscape,” Truelogic Inc. Managing Partner Bernard N. San Juan III wrote in an article for the digital marketing solutions provider. “The past five years have been a whirlwind in Philippine digital performance with the country and the region at large exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts for Southeast Asia.” And when people speak about digital economy, there’s one word that is understood: Internet. According to San Juan, global Internet users rose from 3.42 billion in 2016 to 4.66 billion–a 1.24 billion increase–by the close of 2020. Global Internet penetration rose from 46 percent in 2016 to 59.5 percent last year, San Juan said. “There were 1.97 billion social media users in 2016 and it has grown to 4.20 billion in 2020,” he wrote. “Interestingly, there was an estimated 1.3 million new users that joined social media” last year.

Grain of salt

ACCOR DING to San Juan, I nter net p e net r at ion i n t he Phi l ippines was a “ humble” 4 8 percent in 2016. That number rose to 67 percent in 2019 and, at the close of 2020, sat at 74 percent. “Pretty impressive, however, we should take this information with a grain of salt,” San Juan said. “As more affluent individuals own multiple devices and multiple connections, the World Bank estimates that the 74-percent penetration only represents 47.46 percent of the population.” San Juan said that six years ago, we used to call people that clocked three hours and 12 minutes online in 2015 as “ heavy daily users.” “A yea r l ater, in 2016, t he average Fi l ipi no wou ld be a heav y d a i ly user.” San Juan said that that year, the average Filipino spent 3:12 hours online via their mobile device and 5:12 hours through a personal computer. “Five years later, our closing stat for 2020 is a whopping 5:54 hours on mobi le a lone, w ith the heaviest users clocking in a whopping 10:56 hours per day across all devices.” Digital marketers in the Philippines started coining the phrase “Filipinos do not go online, they live online,” San Juan noted. “With a young median age of 25.8 years, it’s no wonder why the Philippines is one of the largest consumers of content on the

Internet.”

Internet penetration

SAN Juan noted that the country’s Internet penetration hit 74 percent last year versus 2016 at 48 percent, or a growth of 26 percent. He added that last year, smartphone users were recorded at 71.32 million, growing from the 52.2 million recorded at the close of 2016. According to the StatCounter website, the Android operating system (OS) has a 42.11-percent OS market share in the Philippines from May 2020 to May 2021. It is followed by Windows at 41.41 percent, Apple’s iOS at 8.3 percent and OS X fourth at 4.7 percent. In terms of the browser market share in the Philippines during the same period, Chrome takes nearly 81 percent. It is followed by Safari at 8.82 percent, Microsoft Cor p.’s Edge (2.35 percent) and Firefox the fourth at 1.98 percent. “We have come a long way in terms of Internet adoption,” San Juan wrote. “The predictions for digital media overtaking traditional media as the primary content we consume were front and center.” He noted that it was in November 2014 when digital time overtook traditional media time with 3:45 hours of time spent on digital devices versus 3:30 hours for traditional media.

Version 7.0

A YEAR later, San Juan noted that the Philippines saw a rise in both mobile computing adoption and mobile internet penetration by 2015. “Mobile users were growing in the country.” San Juan said that where mobile Internet penetration began at 46.35 percent in 2016, Filipinos were at over 70 percent penetration in 2020. “There are more smartphone devices in the Philippines than there are people,” he wrote. “Translated to absolute terms, that is 152 million smartphones for 110 million people and over 79 million Filipino smartphone users!” San Juan said. “This was just one sign that the Filipino digital consumers were changing, and that platforms and brands had to adapt with them.” He cited the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) as “a great example of a brand who listens to the signs of the times.” Six years ago, San Juan said the bank launched an exhaustive campaign to encourage their users to utilize the power of mobility and connectivity by transitioning their customer to a mobile banking experience through their app (V 7.0). By November 2015, the BPI app was downloaded 1.168 million times by customers and exceeded the bank’s user target of 0.8 million. This has made the app the

Philippines’s most downloaded financial app of the year.

Economic, social

THESE elements form just one part of the so-called “digital economy,” or DE. In their paper, Francis Mark A. Quimba and Sylwyn C. Calizo Jr. defined DE as the “amalgamation of several general purpose technologies and the range of economic and social activities carried out by people over the internet and information networks.” Quimba and Calizo, researchers of the government think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), added that with the definition, DE “encompasses the physical infrastructure on which data and information are transmitted, the devices that are used for access, the applications and software powering these devices and the functionality these applications provide.” According to the authors, the strong and developed mobile market is “perhaps the greatest strength of the Philippine DE.” “Households with OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] are more likely to access the internet as well, considering that long-distance relationships with families can be bridged by digital means,” the authors wrote in their 2018 paper titled “Going Digital: From Innovation to Inclusive Growth in the Philippines.” “ T he Phi l ippine DE, t hen, holds a strong foundation on the capacity and optimism of people and businesses to actually participate in digitalization. Filipinos could be described to be more welcoming than resisting changes in the status quo brought forth by the DE.”

Software, hardware

A NO T HER u n not iced a s pec t of DE is the growing reliance on automation and “robots” as health protocols point to physical distancing against the spread of Covid-19. UiPath Inc. Managing Director for Southeast Asia Chris Loo told the BusinessMirror they are “certainly seeing companies embrace automation technologies both during and following the pandemic.” Loo cited a survey conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of UiPath that found that 48 percent of respondents said their organizations are increasing their spend on robotic process automation (RPA) in the next year by 5 percent of more. Loo explained that RPA refers to the automation, through software or hardware systems, of basic tasks usually performed by human workers. RPA allows anyone today to configure computer software, or a “robot” to emulate and integrate the actions of a human interacting within digital systems to execute a business process, he said. RPA robots utilize the user interface, just like humans do, to capture data and manipulate applications. “These robots interpret, trigger responses and communicate with other systems in order to perform on a vast variety of repetitive tasks,” Loo told the BusinessMirror. “Only substantially better: an RPA software robot never sleeps and makes zero mistakes.”

Laborer, robots

ACCORDING to Loo, the RPA allows organizations to automate at a fraction of the cost of other automation technologies today. “The technology is non-intrusive—it can be placed ‘on top’ of

existing legacy IT [information technology] infrastructure without causing disruption,” he said. “A by-product of this is greater efficiency and cost savings.” Loo added: “Most importantly, though, RPA take the robot out of the human.” “By automating repetitive, rules-based tasks, RPA allows employees to perform more valueadded work,” he said. “This has the added benefit of improving workplace morale and job satisfaction.” Loo cited Gartner’s forecast that global RPA revenue would reach $1.89 billion this year, an increase of 19.5 percent from 2020. Gartner also expects this to grow at double-digit rates through 2024. “Asia will be a key driver of RPA growth as companies seek to become more agile and resilient following the disruptions of the pandemic,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Benefits of RPA

NONETHELESS, Loo said “there will always be jobs that require humans, especially manual work.” “However, even in these professions, RPA will help employees.” He cited that, for instance, one can speak to any chef and they will tell you that when they are not in the kitchen, they are in an office doing paperwork, making orders, reconciling stock and handling finances—much of it tedious, repetitive and rules-based. “RPA is able to automate much of this work, automatically processing invoices from suppliers or checking stock inventory, allowing the chef to spend more time in the kitchen.” Loo emphasized the importance of understanding that automation technologies such as RPA “are not about simply cutting costs and improving efficiency—although these are important benefits.” “RPA is about taking the robot out of the human and freeing employees to do value-added work that uses creativity, innovation, etc.”

Embracing automation

ACCORDING to Loo, they have seen how the Covid-19 pandemic drives the use of automation solutions “in a number of ways and for a number of reasons.” Firstly, during the height of the pandemic itself companies needed to adopt RPA as a reaction to the immediate situation, out of a need for survival, he explained. He cited as example the call centers that increased RPA and Artificial Intelligence (AI) use to help employees deal with increased call volume. “This was especially useful for airlines and travel companies who had surges in cancellations and enquiries.” As time has progressed, Loo said they have seen organizations embracing RPA to build resilience. “Many firms saw the risk that the pandemic brought especially w ith employees suddenly required to work from home; so firms are investing in automation to mitigate against that risk,” Loo told the BusinessMirror. “Businesses are looking to automate more repetitive, rulesbased tasks which currently require human intervention, thus freeing up their employees to be able to add value in other ways, often enabling them to work from home.” He cite a good example of this in the processing of invoices, w ith employees trad itiona l ly processing invoices manually and inputting relevant details into their systems.

“ With R PA ‘Document Understanding,’ this can a l l be automated, g iv ing employees the freedom to go on and do more va lue-added tasks.” Lastly, organizations are looking beyond the pandemic and are seeing how behaviors have changed both within and outside of the workforce, according to Loo. “Customers are doing more online and businesses need to respond to that and become more efficient and capable,” Loo said. “RPA and AI are fundamental to firms’ digital transformation plans and their plans for recovery.”

Not from top

AND if RPA is a juggernaut of a word for some, Loo offers the solution offered by “low code” automation, a process of coding that is simple and accomplished by non-technical businessmen. He told the BusinessMirror that “’Low Code’ automation will a l low citizen developers and employees with limited coding experience to build their own automation solutions.” “This could not only transform the way organizations automate and digitally transform, but it could change the way automation is perceived by employees themselves,” Loo said. UiPath have recently launched UiPath Apps, a web-based, drag and drop business application studio that enables citizen developers to build and deploy enterprise grade applications that deliver automation solutions. This allows the users themselves to start conceptualizing, designing and building solutions that will automate tasks that they have to perform in their working lives. By making this solution userfriendly and easy to use—with a drag-and-drop functionality—automation is now accessible by the employee who can build automation himself or herself. Previously, automation would be a “top down” initiative with senior management leading the charge and often deciding what should and shouldn’t be automated. “Now, I foresee employees taking the lead and driving change from the bottom up.”

Efficiency driver

LOO believes that in the near future, automation technologies such as RPA will be a significant growth driver for the Philippine economy. “If handled well, automation will help continue and even accelerate its economic growth.” He emphasized this is because RPA has relevance across almost any industry, from finance and manufacturing to contact centers and aviation and can be tailored to different processes and functions. RPA can help banks process and approve loan applications f a ster, reduc i ng t he cost of loans and making credit more accessible to more small and medium-scale enter prises and entrepreneurs, he said. Loo added that RPA, working alongside AI, can help make call centers more efficient and effective, “further expanding the Philippines’s market leadership position in this sector.” “We have seen consumers go online over the past year and RPA can help retailers process orders and enable chatbots to process customer requests and questions,” he told the BusinessMirror. “As low code, appbased solutions become more w ide ly u sed , t he power w i l l be placed in the hands of the

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Thursday, June 10, 2021

blocks one step at a time Filipino employee who will be able to leverage automation to improve his/her job prospects.” “A u t o m a t i o n u l t i m a t e l y c re ates e ve n more jobs a nd or g a n i z at ion s t h at e m br a c e t h i s tec h nolog y w i l l become more compet it ive a nd be able to e x pa nd qu ic ker.”

Filipino consumers

ANOTHER component of DE is electronic commerce (e-Commerce). According to San Juan, the country’s e-Commerce stood at $1 billion in 2016, with a growth forecast of 16 percent year-onyear. In 2017, the actual figure was at $1.23 billion, growing over 22 percent and beating projections. Following the trend, it was forecasted to grow further to $2.055 billion. “By 2020, we crossed over to $4 billion, again beating expectations by 100 percent in e-Commerce alone,” San Juan wrote. “And when you take all online transactions into account, the Philippine digital economy actually grew to $7.5 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV).” San Juan broke down the GMV into the $4 billion in e-Commerce GMV—a 55-percent increase from the previous year and a 400-percent increase against 2016—and the $800 million in food and transportation. “Food accounted for a huge portion of this given the contraction in transportation transactions from the ride-sharing economy.” The e-Commerce GMV is also composed of $700 million in travel and hospitality, a 66-percent decline from $2 billion the previous year, and the $2.1 billion in online media, which is a 27-percent increase from the previous year. “Taking the country’s adoption to online content, it’s not surprising how quickly Filipinos adapted to online transactions,” San Juan said.

Increasing online

ACCORDING to San Juan, the year 2020 saw 37 percent of Internet users in the country transition to e-commerce for the first time, with 41 percent of this first-time e-commerce users coming from Metro Manila and 59 percent from outside the National Capital Region. And the Filipino digital behavior is not expected to change postpandemic. In its recently released “e-Conomy SEA 2020” report, Google, Temasek and Bain & Co. estimates that the adopted behavior will persist among 95 percent of all new adopters post Covid-19. T he same is tr ue of the whole Sout heast A si a reg ion, Sa n Ju a n sa id. He noted that in 2018, e-Commerce volume in Southeast Asia was forecasted to sit at $22 billion for 2020. “In 2020, it closed at a glowing $62 billion, almost triple the forecast from 2018 and a 63-percent increase versus the previous year.” San Juan noted that the 2019 Southeast Asia e-Commerce volume closed at $38 billion, “a figure the region was not expected to cross until 2022.” Ho we ve r, Nie l s e n IQ h a s warned of the “end of the beginning of e-commerce in Asia.” “Online sales for FMCG [fastmoving consumer goods] did not stem from increased spending by existing online buyers but from the rising numbers of households buying online and from increased frequency in buying and spend,”

NielsenIQ, a global measurement company, said in March.

Technological advancements

VAUGHAN Ryan, Nielsen IQ’s Consumer Intelligence managing director in Asia, was quoted in a statement as saying: “We have entered the end of the beginning of e-commerce in Asia and those who rest now will sleep through the most formative time of growth for e-commerce.” “The technological advancements and creativity of the last decade have made the retail world more advanced—leading to an environment where trust is solidified, where it is more than logistics but more about pushing the envelope on personalized discovery and curation, where there is exploration of new categories, and seamless omnichannel integration,” Ryan added. According to NielsenIQ, while e-commerce has been v iewed to transform retail, Covid-19 accelerated its trajectory to its readiness to transition to the next phase. It noted that the growth in the Philippines is the most dramatic due to stricter movement controls in 2020, recording more than a 325-percent increase in households shopping online. Nielsen IQ further noted that 67 percent of consumers who have purchased online plan to continue to buy online even after quarantine restrictions are removed. “This signals a more permanent transition towards a bricka nd- c l ic k shoppi ng beh av ior where both formats inf luence the final purchase decision,” Pauline Jill Uy-Yu, Nielsen IQ’s Consumer Intelligence head in the Philippines, said. “As consumer habits continue to evolve, it’s important for retailers to track performance versus competition or risk becoming obsolete to the omni-shopper.”

Seeing changes

SAN Juan agrees, saying consumer behavior is changing. “Our most recent marketing campaigns have forced us to abandon what we knew about our audiences,” he said citing their approach to e-mail marketing as example. San Juan explained that “historically, we send e-mails avoiding peak deletion hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and weekends; and expected the highest open rates between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.” “Today, however, we find our peak responsiveness before 7 in the morning and after 5 in the afternoon.” Another example he cited are brands that executed social media content targeting mothers. T hese bra nd s, accord ing to Sa n Ju a n, “used to commu nicate w it h t hem [moms] du r ing t ravel t ime to a nd f rom work ; t hat is, when people a re st uc k in t ra f f ic a nd have at tent ion to s pa re. T hen r ig ht before t he end of t heir d ay, usu a l ly bet ween t he hou rs of 9 a nd 11 at night.” “But since lockdown, people are no longer travelling to and from work,” San Juan wrote. “With everyone online and your optimum window now out the proverbial window, it’s deemed necessary to re-acquaint yourself with your ‘always on’ audience.” He added that “whatever you thought you knew about your target audience’s behavior—‘unknow’ them.” “Chances are, your audience has changed; so don’t be left behind.”

Thursday, June 10, 2021

The World BusinessMirror

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

US unlikely to meet Biden’s vax target of 70 percent on July 4 A

Beijing’s pressure drives alliance push by Australia at G-7 summit

ASHINGTON—For months, President Joe Biden has laid out goal after goal for taming the coronavirus pandemic and then exceeded his own benchmarks. Now, though, the US is unlikely to meet his target to have 70 percent of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4. The White House has launched a month-long blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and a lack of urgency to get shots, particularly in the South and Midwest, but it is increasingly resigned to missing the president’s vaccination target. The administration insists that even if the goal isn’t reached, it will have little effect on the overall US recovery, which is already ahead of where Biden said it would be months ago. About 15.5 million unvaccinated adults need to receive at least one dose in the next four weeks for Biden to meet his goal. But the pace of new vaccinations in the US has dropped below 400,000 people per day—down from a high of nearly 2 million per day two months ago. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that he still hopes the goal will be met “and if we don’t, we’re going to continue to keep pushing.” So far 14 states have reached 70 percent coverage among adults, with about a dozen more on pace to reach the milestone by July 4. But the state-to-state variation is stark. Fauci said the administration is “pleading” with states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, to step up their efforts in the coming months, though some of the states trailing behind are hardly sharing the urgency. On a conference call Tuesday, White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients delivered an impassioned call for governors to join the administration in “pulling out all the stops” on vaccinations this month. “We need your leadership on the ground—which is where it matters the most—more than ever,” he said. In Mississippi, which trails the nation with only about 34 percent of its population vaccinated,

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has called Biden’s goal “arbitrary, to say the least.” The vaccination rate in the state has dropped off so sharply that it would take the better part of a year for the state to reach the 70 percent target. Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Reeves said he encouraged residents to get vaccinated, but that the more important marker was the decline in cases in the state. That sentiment makes winning over people like University of Mississippi student Mary Crane all the more important to Biden meeting his goal. She hasn’t felt much urgency to get the Covid-19 vaccine because she’s already had the virus, and the family she’s living with during the summer break has been vaccinated. “Initially, it was to wait on everyone else to get it and not take a vaccine,” she said, explaining why she hasn’t been vaccinated. “But now that it’s available, there’s really not a reason I haven’t gotten it, other than I just haven’t gotten it.” Crane, 20, said she’s seen classmates who were eager to get the vaccine right away—there was a trend when the vaccine first came out of posting vaccination cards on social media sites like Instagram. But now that the vaccine has been available for a few months, Crane said she sees fewer young people talking about it. “Everything’s pretty much back to normal now,” she said. Fauci on Tuesday emphasized that increased vaccination was essential to stamping out potentially dangerous variants, including the so-called “Delta variant” first identified in India that is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom and is growing in the US. Vaccines have proven less effective against that vari-

President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 vaccination program, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on June 2, 2021, in Washington. AP/Evan Vucci

ant when people are not fully immunized, and evidence points to it being more transmissible and more deadly. In an attempt to drive up the vaccination rate, the White House has worked to encourage an array of incentives for people to get shots—from paid time off to the chance to win a million dollars. It’s partnered with community groups, businesses and health providers to make it easier than ever to get a shot. Those efforts have helped sustain some of the interest, but the trends point to Biden missing the target by several percentage points. In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine created a lottery offering $1 million prizes for vaccinated adults and full-ride college scholarships for children. Ohio’s lottery kicked off a wave of similar incentive lotteries nationally. DeWine’s May 12 announcement of the state’s Vax-a-Million program had the desired effect, leading to a 43 percent boost in state vaccination numbers over the previous week. But the impact was short-lived, with vaccinations falling again the following week. For some, the chance of winning $1 million isn’t enough to overcome skepticism about the need for the vaccine. Joanna Lawrence of Bethel in southwestern Ohio says the Covid-19 survivability rate is so high, and the experiences of people she knows who took the vaccine are so bad, that she sees no need to risk a shot for herself. She made it through her own bout of the coronavirus in August. “My life is not worth money,” said Lawrence, 51, who farms and

works in commercial real estate. “I can always get more money if I need to. I cannot get another life.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to make a prediction on whether the goal would be met but said the administration was using “ every tool at our disposal to get there.” “Regardless of where we are on July 4th, we’re not shutting down shop,” she said. “On July 5th, we’re going to continue to press to vaccinate more people across the country.” Husband and wife Keila Moore 41, and Willie Moore, 42, of Pearl, Mississippi, have disagreed on whether to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Willie said he knew he wanted to get it because he has high blood pressure and other preexisting conditions and is a frontline worker. “As soon as I had the chance to get it, I took it,” said Willie, who was vaccinated in February. But Keila, who doesn’t have preexisting conditions and works from home, has so far chosen not to be vaccinated. After her husband was vaccinated, she tested positive for the virus. She said it was a mild case, but that it was still a scary experience. She said she’s feeling more open to getting the vaccine, and is considering getting it this fall, if reports of side effects continue to be minimal. “I’m just still weighing the options and the time frame,” she said. “I’m a little bit more confident in it now as the time is going by because the time is going by and I’m not really seeing any side effects that are too worrisome.” AP

s worsening geopolitical tensions with China spill into trade reprisals, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is heading to the UK to meet global leaders this week with a message: There’s strength in numbers. “Patterns of cooperation within the liberal rules-based order that has benefited us for so long are under renewed strain,” Morrison said in a speech in Perth on Wednesday, before he heads overseas to attend the Group of Seven leaders’ summit. In order to support a “world order that favors freedom over autocracy and authoritarianism,” he urged “active cooperation among like-minded countries and liberal democracies not seen for 30 years.” Since Australia-China relations went into a tailspin after Morrison’s government last year called for Beijing to allow independent investigators to probe the origins of the pandemic, he’s become a vocal proponent of bolstering partnerships between what he calls “like-minded democracies.” Australia has pushed the Quad security relationship, which includes key ally the US as well as Japan and India, to act as a counter against what it sees as China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network has increasingly issued joint statements against Beijing’s alleged human rights abuses.

Indo-Pacific Focus

Morrison, who will be an invited guest of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson along with leaders of India, South Africa and South Korea, will be aiming for his message to resonate with the other attendees of the G-7, many of whom have had their own clashes with China in recent years. The trip will include Morrison’s first face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden. Morrison is set to welcome Biden’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region and offer strong support for his recent call to bolster and accelerate efforts to identify the origins of the pandemic. “Having led calls for an independent inquiry, it remains Australia’s firm view that understanding the cause of this pandemic has nothing to do with politics—it’s essential for preventing the next one,” Morrison said on Wednesday. Such language has repeatedly incensed China, which says it backs the World Health Organization’s efforts to find the virus origin. Since Morrison became

leader almost three years ago, Australia’s ties with its biggest trading partner have plummeted to the point where Beijing ministers refuse to answer phone calls from their counterparts in Canberra. Crippling tariffs have been placed on barley and wine, and coal imports have been blocked in China’s ports. Australian exporters are increasingly concerned that Morrison’s government is making public statements that seem to be stoking tensions with China. In Wednesday’s speech he omitted several statements from extracts sent earlier by his office. Those statements touched on how Australia wouldn’t be driven to unacceptable compromises, that its network vital global relationships continued to accelerate, and that it wouldn’t set “false deadlines” for phasing out fossil fuels.

‘Risk of miscalculation’

“The Indo-Pacific region—Australia’s region—is the epicenter of renewed strategic competition,” he said. “The risks of miscalculation and conflict are very present and growing. The technological edge enjoyed historically by Australia and our allies is under challenge.” He’s also calling for reform of the World Trade Organization by reinstalling its appellate body, saying the binding dispute system is needed because “where there are no consequences for coercive behavior, there is little incentive for restraint.” Before attending the G-7 in Cornwall, Morrison will meet with his counterpart in Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, on Thursday for economic and security discussions. After his visit to the UK, where he’s seeking to reach an initial agreement on a freetrade deal with Johnson’s government, his itinerary includes a visit to France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. Still, Morrison has one important policy stance that he knows won’t be popular with most of his counterparts in Cornwall: He’s a strong supporter of Australia’s position as one of the world’s biggest fossil-fuel exporters. While Australia’s dry continent makes it particularly exposed to the ravages of climate change, Morrison is refusing to commit to a date to reach net-zero emissions, instead saying it’s the nation’s ambition to get there by 2050. That’s even as Biden and some of Australia’s biggest fossil-fuel export markets—China, Japan and South Korea—commit to doing more to combat climate change. Bloomberg News

French leader Macron slapped in face on visit to small town P ARIS—French President Emmanuel Macron denounced “violence” and “stupidity” after he was slapped in the face Tuesday by a man during a visit to a small town in southeastern France. The incident prompted a wide show of support for the head of state from politicians across the ideological spectrum. Macron was greeting the public waiting for him behind barriers in the town of Tain-l’Hermitage after he visited a high school. Two videos show a man slapping Macron in the face and his bodyguards pushing the assaulter away as the French leader is quickly rushed from the scene. “I’m always going to meet people,” Macron told reporters on Tuesday evening, as he was greeting a crowd in the nearby city of Valence, accompanied this time by

his wife, Brigitte Macron. “Some people express anger, sometimes disarray... that’s legitimate anger, and we will continue to respond. Stupidity and violence, no, not in democracy,” he said. A few hours earlier, Macron had taken another 25-minute walk in the narrow streets of the city, posing for selfies with a small crowd and chatting with many people in a laid-back atmosphere. Macron described the incident as an “isolated act,” in an interview with local newspaper Le Dauphine Libere. “We must not let isolated acts, ultra-violent individuals, like there had been some also in (street) protests, dominate the public debate: they don’t deserve it,” he said. Macron said he didn’t have specific concerns after the assault. “I g reeted the people who were by the man’s side and made

pictures with them. I continued and will continue. Nothing will stop me,” he said. A bodyguard, who was standing right behind Macron, raised a hand in defense of the president, but was a fraction of a second too late to stop the slap. The bodyguard then put his arm around the president to protect him. Macron just managed to turn his face away as the aggressor’s right hand connected, making it appear that the president took more of a glancing blow than a direct slap. The man, who was wearing a mask, appears to have cried out “Montjoie! Saint Denis!” a centuries-old royalist war cry, before finishing with “A bas la Macronie,” or “Down with Macron.” Another video showed Macron immediately coming back after the incident, seemingly to face his

assailant, and then to say hello to other members of the crowd. Valence prosecutor Alex Perrin said in a statement that police have detained the man who slapped Macron and another man who was accompanying him. Their motives aren’t known at this stage, he said. They are both 28 and live in the region. They weren’t armed and not previously known to police. They are being detained on suspicion of “violence on a person in a position of public authority,” the statement said. In 2018, “Montjoie! Saint Denis!” was cried out by someone who threw a cream pie at far-left French lawmaker Eric Coquerel. At the time, the extreme-right, monarchist group Action Francaise took responsibility. Coquerel on Tuesday expressed his solidarity with Macron.

Speaking at the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, Prime Minister Jean Castex said “through the head of state, that’s democracy that has been targeted.” L aw m a k ers f rom ac ros s t he political spectrum got to their feet and applauded loudly in a show of support. “Democracy is about debate, dialogue, confrontation of ideas, expression of legitimate disagreements, of course, but in no case can it be violence, verbal assault and even less physical assault,” Castex said. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen firmly condemned on Twitter “the intolerable physical aggression targeting the president of the Republic.” Visibly fuming, she said later that while Macron is her top political adversary, the assault was

“deeply, deeply reprehensible.” Former President Francois Hollande of the Socialist Party tweeted that the slap was an “unbearable and intolerable blow against our institutions... The entire nation must show solidarity with the head of state.” Less than one year before France’s next presidential election, centrist Macron embarked last week on a political “tour de France,” saying he plans to visit French regions in the coming months to “feel the pulse of the country” as the government works to revive the nation’s pandemichit economy. Macron has said in an interview he wants to engage with people in a mass consultation with the French public aimed at “turning the page” of the pandemic—and preparing his possible campaign for a second term. AP

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The World

Senate passes bill to boost US tech industry, chip production

ASHINGTON—The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday that aims to boost US semiconductor production and the development of artificial intelligence and other technology in the face of growing international competition, most notably from China. The 68-32 vote for the bill demonstrates how confronting China economically is an issue that unites both parties in Congress. That’s a rarity in an era of division as pressure grows on Democrats to change Senate rules to push past Republican opposition and gridlock. The centerpiece of the bill is a $50 billion emergency allotment to the Commerce Department to stand up semiconductor development and manufacturing through research and incentive programs previously authorized by Congress. The bill’s overall cost would increase spending by about $250 billion with most of the spending occurring in the first five years. Supporters described it as the biggest investment in scientific research that the country has seen in decades. It comes as the nation’s share of semiconductor manufacturing globally has steadily eroded from 37 percent in 1990 to about 12 percent now, and as a chip shortage has exposed vulnerabilities in the US supply chain. “The premise is simple, if we want American workers and American companies to keep leading the world, the federal government must invest in science, basic research and innovation, just as we did decades after the Second World War,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Whoever wins the race to the technologies of the future is going to be the global economic leader with profound consequences for foreign policy and national security as well.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill was incomplete because it did not incorporate more Republican-sponsored amendments. He nonetheless supported it. “Needless to say, final passage of this legislation cannot be the Senate’s final word on our competition with China,” he said. “It certainly won’t be mine.” President Joe Biden applauded the bill’s passage in a statement Tuesday evening, saying: “As other countries continue to invest in their own research and development, we cannot risk falling behind. America must maintain its position as the most innovative and productive nation on Earth.” Senators slogged through days of debates and amendments leading up to Tuesday’s final vote. Schumer’s office said 18 Republican amendments will have received votes as part of passage of the bill. It also said the Senate this year has already held as many roll call votes on amendments than it did in the last Congress, when the Senate was under Republican control. While the bill enjoys bipartisan support, a core group of GOP senators has reservations about its costs. One of the bill’s provisions would create a new directorate focused on artificial intelligence and quantum science with the National Science Foundation. The bill would authorize up to $29 billion over five years for the new branch within the foundation with an additional $52 billion for its programs. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Congress should be cutting the foundation’s budget, not increasing it. He called the agency “the king of wasteful spending.” The agency finances about a quarter of all federally supported research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. “The bill is nothing more than a big government response that will make our country weaker, not stronger,” Paul said. But Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., noted that a greater federal investment in the physical sciences had been called for during the administration of President George W. Bush to ensure US economic competitiveness. “At the time, I’m pretty sure we thought we were in a track meet where our competitor was, oh, I don’t know, maybe half a lap behind us. I’m pretty sure now as the decade has moved on, we’re looking over our shoulder and realizing that the competition is gaining,” said Cantwell, the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The lead Republican on the committee also weighed in to support the bill. “This is an opportunity for the United States to strike a blow on behalf of answering the unfair competition that we are seeing from communist China,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. Senators have tried to strike a balance when calling attention to China’s growing influence. They want to avoid fanning divisive anti-Asian rhetoric when hate crimes against Asian Americans have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic. Other measures spell out national security concerns and target money-laundering schemes or cyberattacks by entities on behalf of the Chinese government. There are also “buy America” provisions for infrastructure projects in the US. Senators added provisions that reflect shifting attitudes toward China’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. One would prevent federal money for the Wuhan Institute of Virology as fresh investigations proceed into the origins of the virus and possible connections to the lab’s research. The city registered some of the first coronavirus cases. It’s unclear whether the measure will find support in the Democratic-led House, where the Science Committee is expected to soon consider that chamber’s version. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has been working with Schumer for two years on legislation that’s included in the bill, called it the biggest investment in science and technology since the Apollo spaceflight program a half century ago. “I’m quite certain we will get a really good product on the president’s desk,” Schumer said. Biden said he looked forward to working with the House on the legislation, “and I look forward to signing it into law as soon as possible.” AP

BusinessMirror

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Global glitch: Swaths of Internet go down after cloud computing outage

ONDON—Dozens of web sites went down briefly around the globe on Tuesday, including CNN, The New York Times and Britain’s government home page, after an outage at the cloud computing service Fastly, illustrating how vital a small number of behind-the-scenes companies have become to running the Internet.

The sites that could not be reached also included some Amazon pages, the Financial Times, Reddit, Twitch and The Guardian. San Francisco-based Fastly acknowledged a problem just before 6 a.m. Eastern. About an hour later, the company said: “The issue has been identified and a fix has been applied.” Most of the sites soon appeared to be back online. The company said in an emailed statement that it was a “technical issue” and “not related to a cyber attack.” Still, major futures markets in the US dipped sharply minutes after the outage, which came a month after hackers forced the shutdown of the biggest fuel pipeline in the US. Fastly is a content-delivery network, or CDN. It provides vital but

behind-the-scenes cloud computing “edge servers” to many of the web’s popular sites. These servers store, or “cache,” content such as images and video in places around the world so that it is closer to users, allowing them to fetch it more quickly and smoothly. Fastly says its services mean that a European user going to an American website can get the content 200 to 500 milliseconds faster. I nte r ne t t r a f f ic me a s u re ment by Kentik showed that Fastly began to recover from the outage roughly an hour after it struck at mid-morning European time, before most Americans were awake. “Looks like it is slowly coming back,” said Doug Madory, an Internet infrastructure expert

This January 17, 2001 file photo shows people entering CNN Center, the headquarters for CNN, in downtown Atlanta. Numerous web sites were unavailable on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, after an apparent widespread outage at cloud service company Fastly. Dozens of high-traffic web sites including the New York Times, CNN, Twitch and the UK government’s home page, could not be reached. AP/Ric Feld

at Kentik. He said “it is serious because Fastly is one of the world’s biggest CDNs and this was a global outage.” Brief Internet service outages are not uncommon and are only rarely the result of hacking or other mischief. Fastly stock jumped almost 11 percent on Tuesday as investors shrugged off the problem. Still, the incident highlighted the relative fragility of the Internet’s architecture given its heavy reliance on Big Tech companies— such as Amazon’s AWS cloud services—as opposed to a more decentralized array of companies. “Even the biggest and most so-

Martha White dies, sparked ’53 Louisiana capital bus boycott

ATON ROUGE, La.—Martha White, a Black woman whose actions helped launch the 1953 bus boycotts in Louisiana’s capital city, has died. She was 99. White died Saturday, her family and others confirmed. White, then 23, was working as a housekeeper in the capital city of Baton Rouge in 1953 when she took action. After a long day of walking to and from work while seeking to reach her bus stop, she decided to sit in one of the only bus seats available — one designated for white passengers. When the driver ordered her to get up, White refused and another Black woman sat beside her in solidarity. The bus driver threatened to have the women arrested. Ultimately police, the bus company manager and a civil rights activist, the Rev. T.J. Jemison, showed

up. Jemison informed the driver of a recently passed ordinance to desegregate buses in the city, meaning White wasn’t violating any rules. In response to the ordinance, bus drivers began a strike and the ordinance was later overturned. That prompted a boycott by the Black community in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome issued a statement Monday recognizing White’s contribution to the city’s civil rights movement. “Martha White undoubtedly shaped our community in Baton Rouge, and communities across our nation,” Broome said. “We honor her legacy today and every day.” That boycott later helped provide the framework for the famous effort sparked by Rosa Parks that led to a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.

Ted Jemison, the son of the Rev. T.J. Jemison, remembered White as being outspoken and unafraid to share her opinion. He told The Advocate of a conversation he had with her years ago about that day. He recalled her telling him she just wanted to sit in that bus seat because she was tired from being on her feet constantly that day. “’Can you imagine working on your feet all day and just wanting to sit down?’” Jemison recalled White as saying. “She was the same way from when she was young to when she was 90 years old. She knew that what she did was for the good of everyone in Baton Rouge.” “We really lost a true pioneer for civil rights,” said Jason Roberts, co-owner of the Baton Rouge African American Museum, speaking of White’s death, the newspaper reported. AP

Malaysia’s king summons leaders amid public anger

alaysia’s king is meeting politicians and royal leaders to discuss the Covid outbreak and ongoing emergency, amid public anger over the government’s handling of the pandemic. The members of the Conference of Rulers will convene on June 16, according to a statement from the palace. The meeting, to be chaired by King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad, will focus on the efforts to combat the pandemic and the measures taken throughout the emergency. It’s the second rulers’ meeting since the king ascended the throne last year and comes after he met opposition leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, and Mohamad Sabu separately on Wednesday.

The monarch is scheduled to meet former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday. “His Majesty is our hope right now because parliament is unable to convene,” Lim, leader of the Democratic Action Party, said after seeing the monarch. “There is no space for the people to express their problems.” Malaysia’s already elevated political risks have worsened due to “widespread and growing dissatisfaction” over how the government is managing the outbreak, Fitch Solutions wrote in a report Monday. Rising public anger will likely affect the government’s unity, and Malaysians may take to the streets if elections aren’t held in coming months, it said. Malaysia’s king could potentially put a stop to it. The monarch has the

ability to lift the ongoing state of emergency that he declared in January in order for the government to tackle the pandemic. The emergency state allowed embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to suspend parliament— where he faced growing dissent— and enact temporary laws without legislative approval. Still, the emergency didn’t help to contain the outbreak. Malaysia returned to a hard lockdown this month after daily infections topped a record 9,000 by end-May, straining the resources of the nation’s hospitals. The worsening outbreak has prompted calls for parliament to reconvene. Malaysia on Friday said it was studying the possibility of allowing lawmakers to participate online. Bloomberg News

phisticated companies experience outages. But they can also recover fairly quickly,” Madory said. When the outage hit, some visitors trying to access CNN.com got a message that said: “Fastly error: unknown domain: cnn.com.” Attempts to access the Financial Times website turned up a similar message, while visits to The New York Times and UK government’s gov.uk site returned an “Error 503 Service Unavailable” message, along with the line “Varnish cache server,” which is a technology that Fastly is built on. Down Detector, which tracks Internet outages, posted reports on dozens of sites going down. AP

El Salvador leader says nation adopts Bitcoin as legal tender

l Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said the nation has adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, a step he believes will create jobs and promote financial inclusion. Bukele, Latin America’s youngest president who’s known to break from the norms, said on Twitter lawmakers approved the legislation by a “supermajority.” The 39-year-old leader has previously said that Bitcoin could boost the economy, help counter El Salvador’s low banking penetration rate and facilitate faster transfers for $6 billion of remittances a year. The move to make the virtual coin legal tender is a rare slice of good news for the largest cryptocurrency, which is struggling to recover from a rout in May. El Salvador’s central bank President Douglas Rodriguez said in an interview with state TV on Tuesday that Bitcoin is already used in the country and “it’s not something people need to be afraid of,” while adding it won’t replace the US dollar. Bitcoin has roughly halved from a mid-April record of almost $65,000, hurt in part by billionaire Elon Musk ’s criticism of the amount of energy needed by the servers underpinning it. Harsher regulatory scrutiny in places such as China has also soured sentiment, and the idea that more mainstream investors will warm to it has taken a knock. But the Bitcoin faithful say these are temporary setbacks and that the virtual currency’s role will expand. Bitcoin climbed 2.5 percent to about $34,500 as of 8:05 a.m. in London on Wednesday, reversing earlier losses. The wider Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index increased about 3 percent.

Bloomberg News

A10 Thursday, June 10, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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Vaccines: ‘Our way out of this pandemic’

accine hesitancy is not a new problem. There have been some skeptics since the first jab—the smallpox vaccine—was created. In 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist, pioneered the concept of vaccines by demonstrating that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox virus that has been devastating mankind for centuries. Some people, however, started spreading rumors that cow heads would erupt from the bodies of people who received the vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy is a severe threat to global health, according to the World Health Organization. The term refers to the delay in acceptance or the refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of vaccination services. WHO said this brings serious risk to the people who are not getting vaccinated as well as the wider community because this will bring the community’s resistance level below the threshold needed for herd immunity. From the Wall Street Journal: “Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer Inc.’s and other Western vaccines, using online publications that have questioned the vaccines’ development and safety, US officials said. An official with the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which monitors foreign disinformation efforts, identified four publications that he said have served as fronts for Russian intelligence. The web sites played up the vaccines’ risk of side effects, questioned their efficacy, and said the US had rushed the Pfizer vaccine through the approval process, among other false or misleading claims.” Analysis by the British Medical Journal has directly linked deliberate “foreign disinformation” campaigns on social media to falling vaccination rates. With the WHO listing vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health, the spread of false information on social-media platforms is a legitimate and urgent cause for concern. An article in pharmaceutical-technology.com said media outlets aren’t the only platform being used to sow vaccine disinformation. “A number of French and German social-media influencers said they had been offered large sums of money by a supposedly UK-based PR agency to share false, disparaging claims about the safety of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.” Social-media companies earlier said they have taken measures to counter disinformation on their sites. Facebook said it will remove all posts containing debunked claims about Covid-19 and all vaccines, Twitter has placed labels on tweets containing misleading information about Covid vaccines and is removing outright misinformation, and YouTube has pledged to ban content containing false claims about Covid-19 vaccines. Is the global vaccination effort against Covid-19 succeeding? From the Associated Press: “For months, President Joe Biden has laid out goal after goal for taming the coronavirus pandemic and then exceeded his own benchmarks. Now, though, the US is unlikely to meet his target to have 70 percent of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4.” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 8 percent of the millions who have received the first dose of Covid jabs did not return to get the second shot they need. In the European Union, a study that covered seven EU members—France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine—found that only 36 percent of the respondents strongly agree with the statement that vaccines are safe. Moreover, a separate poll in France found that only 40 percent of French people want the Covid-19 vaccine. In the Philippines, the government has inoculated about 6 million people, of which 1.5 million have received their second dose, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. President Duterte on Monday urged Filipinos to make sure they’re taking the second dose of the vaccines, following reports that about half of those who had their first shot did not come back for the second jab. Galvez, however, said that based on government records, only 113,000 people have so far missed their second shot. Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies program, said on Monday that “high levels of vaccination coverage are the way out of this pandemic.” Campaigns to spread false or misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines are flourishing on social media. We have to help turn the tide against misinformation. It is every responsible citizen’s duty to help spread the word on the importance of vaccination.

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John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

avesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent in order to gather information, according to Wikipedia.

Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first US patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. The first commercial North American telephone exchange opened in New Haven, Connecticut in 1878. The first police telephone wiretap was in New York in 1895 when a former telephone worker who had joined the city police suggested that it might be a good idea to listen in on wires used by criminals. In 1968 Congress passed a law allowing wiretap evidence in federal courts, providing investigators with an essential weapon against organized crime. From The New Yorker magazine: “The late Dutch Schultz loathed wiretappers. “I hope your ears drop off,”

he’d say bitterly before he put up his telephone receiver. The Dutchman would never use names in telephone conversations. He taught his men to speak in cryptic phrases.” “Future New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, then a federal prosecutor, masterminded the indictment of 11 Mafia leaders, including the heads of New York’s five dominant crime families, in February 1985. The case against them relied on ‘bugs’ planted in strategic locations—such as the dashboard of a Jaguar owned by Lucchese family chief Anthony ‘Tony Ducks’ Corallo.” In the 21st century, it is not only known criminals that are subject to the numerous forms of eavesdrop-

ping. According to a 2010 article in the Washington Post, “Every day, collection systems at the National Security Agency intercept and store 1.7 billion e-mails, phone calls and other types of communications.” Trying to track the “bad guys” through 1.7 billion communications requires some brilliant algorithms and plenty of computing power. After all, criminals, actual and potential, have a wide variety of communication platforms to choose from to share information. It is not like they are going to decide to all sign up for one cellphone provider. Or maybe they will. From the BBC: “ANOM: Hundreds arrested in massive global crime sting using messaging app.” More than 800 suspected criminals have been arrested worldwide after being tricked into using an FBI-run encrypted messaging app, officials say. Drugs, weapons, luxury vehicles and cash were also seized in the operation, which was conducted across more than a dozen countries. This included eight tons of cocaine, 250 guns and more than $48 million in various worldwide currencies and cryptocurrencies.” The FBI created and began operating an encrypted device network called ANOM, which was only pro-

vided to criminal gangs and all the gangs wanted to be included. Roughly 12,000 encrypted devices were used in more than 100 countries. During the three years of operation, around 9,000 law enforcement officers were reading the real-time messages. No one bothered to hold anything back as it was a “secret and encrypted” network. Sweden’s head of police intelligence said the operation helped to prevent more than 10 planned murders in Sweden. In Australia, 224 people were arrested and police said they acted on 20 “threats to kill.” “You had to know a criminal to get hold of one of these customized phones. The phones couldn’t ring or e-mail. You could only communicate with someone on the same platform.” New York Mafia boss John Gotti once remarked, “Don’t ever say anything you don’t want played back to you someday.” Unfortunately for him, Gotti died in prison because of recorded conversations at his criminal headquarters, the Ravenite Social Club. E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

ProPublica: Many of the uber-rich pay next to no income tax

By PAUL WISEMAN & MARCY GORDON | AP Business Writers

ASHINGTON—The rich really are different from you and me: They’re better at dodging the tax collector. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011. Tesla founder Elon Musk’s income tax bill was zero in 2018. And financier George Soros went three straight years without paying federal income tax, according to a report Tuesday from the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica.

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Overall, the richest 25 Americans pay less in tax—an average of 15.8 percent of adjusted gross income— than many ordinary workers do, once you include taxes for Social Security and Medicare, ProPublica found. Its findings are likely to heighten a national debate over the vast and widening inequality between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else. An anonymous source delivered to ProPublica reams of Internal Revenue Service data on the country’s wealthiest people, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. ProPublica compared the tax data it received with information available from other sources. It reported that “in every instance we were able to check— involving tax filings by more than 50 separate people—the details provided to ProPublica matched the information from other sources.’’ Using perfectly legal tax strategies, many of the uber-rich are able to shrink their federal tax bills to nothing or close to it.

A spokesman for Soros, who has supported higher taxes on the rich, told ProPublica that the billionaire had lost money on his investments from 2016 to 2018 and so did not owe federal income tax for those years. Musk responded to ProPublica’s initial request for comment with a punctuation mark—“?’’—and did not answer detailed follow-up questions. The federal tax code is meant to be progressive—that is, the rich pay a steadily higher tax rate on their income as it rises. And ProPublica found, in fact, that people earning between $2 million and $5 million a year paid an average of 27.5 percent, the highest of any group of taxpayers. Above $5 million in income, though, tax rates fell: The top .001% of taxpayers—1,400 people who reported income above $69 million— paid 23 percent. And the 25 very richest people paid still less. The wealthy can reduce their tax bills through the use of charitable donations or by avoiding wage income (which can be taxed at up to 37 per-

Much of the gap comes from the use of overseas havens. The government loses between an estimated $40 billion and $120 billion a year from offshore tax evasion. Biden’s tax plan includes measures to stop corporations from stashing profits in countries with low tax rates.

cent) and benefiting instead mainly from investment income (usually taxed at 20 percent). President Joe Biden, in seeking revenue to finance his spending plans, has proposed higher taxes on the wealthy. Biden wants to raise the top tax rate to 39.6 percent for people earning $400,000 a year or more in taxable income, estimated to be fewer than 2 percent of US households. The top tax rate that workers pay on salaries and wages now is 37 percent. Biden is proposing to nearly double the tax rate that high-earning Americans pay on profits from stocks and other investments. In addition, under his proposals, inherited capital gains would no longer be tax-free. The president, whose proposals must be approved by Congress, would also raise taxes on corporations, which would affect wealthy investors who own corporate stocks. ProPublica reported that the tax bills of the rich are especially low

when compared with their soaring wealth—the value of their investment portfolios, real estate and other assets. People don’t have to pay tax on an increase in their wealth until they cash in and, say, sell their stock or home and realize the gains. Using calculations by Forbes magazine, ProPublica noted that the wealth of the 25 richest Americans collectively jumped by $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid $13.6 billion in federal income taxes over those years—equal to just 3.4 percent of the increase in their wealth. Chuck Marr, a senior director at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, suggested that Biden’s proposals, which face fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress and from businesses, are “modest” given how much the wealthy have benefited in recent years and how comparatively little tax many of them pay. “It always seems like the solutions are cast as radical when there’s less focus on the current situation being radical,’’ Marr said. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, among others, have proposed taxing the wealth of the richest Americans, not just their income. On Tuesday, Warren tweeted in response to the ProPublica report: “Our tax system is rigged for billionaires who don’t make their See “ProPublica,” A11

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Bridging science and ‘This IS INSANE’: Africa desperately short of Covid vaccine policy to protect oceans, life, and livelihoods C

By Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim

oday, on World Oceans Day, the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) joins the rest of the international community in celebrating oceans and recognizing their necessity to our everyday lives. This occasion with the theme Life and Livelihoods reminds us why these vast bodies of water must be protected and sustainably managed.

Humanity cannot exist without oceans. The Asean region has immensely rich and diverse marine resources, which comprise 30 percent of the world’s coral reefs, 35 percent of mangroves, and at least 18 percent of seagrass meadows. The region’s 173,000 kilometers of coastline serve as a vital resource base for key industries—fisheries, tourism, shipping—and for its population of 650 million people. Fish and marine products are among the most traded goods across the world. While oceans are heavily affected by climate change, these natural systems are our frontlines against climate change. For example, healthy mangroves, tidal flats, seagrass beds, and coral reefs act as natural barriers against strong winds and storm surges and contribute to our resilience to rising temperatures. There is no argument that oceans have gained much attention in recent years as the new frontier of sustainable development. The blue economy, or the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, has improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems. However, oceans are continuously under threat due to a host of factors, many of which are human-driven. The greater challenge rests on making this so-called blue economy “green” and ensuring that protecting marine biodiversity is a crosssectoral endeavor supported by available science and technology. The ACB has been working with partners to further improve the science-policy interface in safeguarding our marine ecosystems, including access to biodiversity data and sharing of information. Also, as the secretariat of the Asean Heritage Parks (AHP) that include nine marine protected areas, the Center supports species monitoring in AHPs, one of which in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. An ongoing project at the TRNP is a study of sharks and other big sea predators using underwater visual census. From March 2021 to date, 23 sharks and rays have been recorded in TRNP. With mandates on facilitating cooperation in mainstreaming biodiversity considerations across sectors, the ACB, with its partners, likewise continues to assist the Asean member-states to scale up our efforts in biodiversity conservation across sectors. Today, coinciding with World Oceans Day, the ACB and the United Kingdom Mission to the Asean are hosting the Asean-UK COP26: Framing the Future for Nature and

ProPublica. . . continued from A10

fortunes through income, like working families do. The evidence is abundantly clear: it is time for a #WealthTax in America to make the ultra-rich finally pay their fair share.” Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, who is a leading expert on financial inequality, says there are three ways to ensure that the wealthy pay more: Impose a direct tax on their wealth like the one Warren has proposed; tax the gains in their wealth, whether or not they cash in and realize a gain; or raise taxes on corporate profits.

The Asean is committed to further exchange best practices, flesh out opportunities, and concretize plans in raising ambition on nature-based solutions, climate, and biodiversity. As negotiations are underway, the ACB continues to pursue its mandate to support the member-states’ efforts to access science and technology, develop their capacities to implement the target effectively, and mobilize resources to achieve regional and national goals toward healthy oceans. Climate, an online event in preparation for two global events—15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled for this year. This year is critical for oceans as leaders of nations are set to agree on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, a landmark 10-year strategic plan to reverse the loss of marine and terrestrial biodiversity. The proposal of scientists and leaders to protect at least 30 percent of the planet, including oceans, by 2030, is backed by the best available science and can be an opportunity to empower countries to further advance their priorities for better ocean management. However, in order to achieve this, the support and involvement of everyone is paramount. The Asean is committed to further exchange best practices, flesh out opportunities, and concretize plans in raising ambition on nature-based solutions, climate, and biodiversity. As negotiations are underway, the ACB continues to pursue its mandate to support the memberstates’ efforts to access science and technology, develop their capacities to implement the target effectively, and mobilize resources to achieve regional and national goals toward healthy oceans. Healthy oceans that teem with an abundance of life are critical to humanity’s subsistence, livelihood, and well-being. Therefore, it is high time that we work together as we bridge science and policy to protect our marine ecosystems. I am optimistic that our collective efforts will make waves and benefit all, generations after generations. Happy World Oceans Day!

By Gerald Imray | Associated Press

APE TOWN, South Africa—In the global race to vaccinate people against Covid-19, Africa is tragically at the back of the pack.

In fact, it has barely gotten out of the starting blocks. In South Africa, which has the continent’s most robust economy and its biggest coronavirus caseload, just 0.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to a worldwide tracker kept by Johns Hopkins University. And hundreds of thousands of the country’s health workers, many of whom come face-to-face with the virus every day, are still waiting for their shots. In Nigeria, Africa’s biggest country with more than 200 million people, only 0.1 percent are fully protected. Kenya, with 50 million people, is even lower. Uganda has recalled doses from rural areas because it doesn’t have nearly enough to fight outbreaks in big cities. Chad didn’t administer its first vaccine shots until this past weekend. And there are at least five other countries in Africa where not one dose has been put into an arm, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization says the continent of 1.3 billion people is facing a severe shortage of vaccine at the same time a new wave of infections is rising across Africa. Vaccine shipments into Africa have ground to a “near halt,” WHO said last week. “It is extremely concerning and at times frustrating,” said Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong, a

Cameroonian virologist who is trying to ensure some of the world’s poorest nations get a fair share of vaccines in a marketplace where they can’t possibly compete. The United States and Britain, in contrast, have fully vaccinated more than 40 percent of their populations, with higher rates for adults and highrisk people. Countries in Europe are near or past 20 percent coverage, and their citizens are starting to think about where their vaccine certificates might take them on their summer vacations. The US, France and Germany are even offering shots to youngsters, who are at very low risk of serious illness from Covid-19. Poorer countries had warned as far back as last year of this impending vaccine inequality, fearful that rich nations would hoard doses. In an interview, Nkengasong called on the leaders of wealthy nations meeting this week at the G-7 summit to share spare vaccines— something the United States has already agreed to do—and avert a “moral catastrophe.” “I’d like to believe that the G-7 countries, most of them having kept excess doses of vaccines, want to be on the right side of history,” Nkengasong said. “Distribute those vaccines. We need to actually see these vaccines, not just...promises and goodwill.” Others are not so patient, nor so diplomatic.

“People are dying. Time is against us. This IS INSANE,” South African human rights lawyer Fatima Hasan, an activist for equal access to health care, wrote in a series of text messages. The Biden administration made its first major move to ease the crisis last week, announcing it would share an initial batch of 25 million spare doses with desperate countries in South and Central America, Asia and Africa. Nkengasong and his team were in contact with White House officials a day later, he said, with a list of countries where the 5 million doses earmarked for Africa could go to immediately. Still, the US offer is only a “trickle” of what’s needed, Hasan wrote. Africa alone is facing a shortfall of around 700 million doses, even after taking into account those secured through WHO’s vaccine program for poorer countries, COVAX, and a deal with Johnson & Johnson, which comes through in August, two long months away. Uganda just released a batch of 3,000 vaccine doses in the capital, Kampala—a minuscule amount for a city of 2 million—to keep its program barely alive. There and elsewhere, the fear is that the luck that somehow enabled parts of Africa to escape the worst of previous waves of Covid-19 infections and deaths might not hold this time. “The first Covid was a joke, but this one is for real. It kills,” said Danstan Nsamba, a taxi driver in Uganda who has lost numerous people he knew to the virus. In Zimbabwe, Chipo Dzimba

embarked on a quest for a vaccine after witnessing Covid-19 deaths in her community. She walked miles to a church mission hospital, where there were none, and miles again to a district hospital, where nurses also had nothing and told her to go to the region’s main government hospital. That was too far away. “I am giving up,” Dzimba said. “I don’t have the bus fare.” South African health workers faced similar disappointment when they crowded into a parking garage last month, hoping for vaccinations and ignoring in their desperation the social distancing protocols. Many came away without a shot. Femada Shamam, who is in charge of a group of old-age homes in the South African city of Durban, has seen only around half of the 1,600 elderly and frail people she looks after vaccinated. It is six months, almost to the day, since Britain began the global vaccination drive. “They do feel very despondent and they do feel let down,” Shamam said of her unvaccinated residents, who are experiencing “huge anxiety” as they hunker down in their sealed-off homes 18 months into the outbreak. Twenty-two of her residents have died of Covid-19. “It really highlights the biggest problem... the haves and the havenots,” Shamam said. As for whether wealthy countries with a surplus of vaccine have gotten the message, Nkengasong said: “I am hopeful, but not necessarily confident.”

AP writers around the world contributed to this report.

Global sting began by creating message service for crooks By Mike Corder, Nick Perry & Elliot Spagat | Associated Press

Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim is the Executive Director of the Asean Center for Biodiversity.

ANOM, a secure-messaging service built by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, launched in October 2019 and solidified its following after authorities took down another rival. Popularity spread by word of mouth. When ANOM was taken down Monday, authorities had collected more than 27 million messages from about 12,000 devices in 45 languages — a vast body of evidence that fueled a global sting operation. Authorities on Tuesday revealed the operation known as Trojan Shield and announced that it had dealt an “unprecedented blow” to organized crime around the world. “Each and every device in this case was used to further criminal activity,” said Suzanne Turner, the agent in charge of the FBI in San Diego, where the investigation began in 2016. Users were “upper-echelon, commandand-control” figures in more than 300 criminal organizations. Unbeknown to criminals, authorities were copied on every message sent on the FBI devices, much like blind recipients of an e-mail. “The very devices that criminals use to hide their crimes were actu-

ally a beacon for law enforcement,” Randy Grossman, the acting US attorney in San Diego, said at a news conference. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs seized, including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamines. Police also seized 250 guns, 55 luxury cars and more than $148 million in cash and cryptocurrencies. An indictment unsealed Tuesday in San Diego named 17 foreign distributors charged with racketeering conspiracy. The seeds of the sting were sown when law enforcement agencies took down a company called Phantom Secure that provided customized end-to-end encrypted devices to criminals, according to court papers. Unlike typical cellphones, the devices do not make phone calls or browse the Internet — but allow for secure messaging. As an outgrowth of the operation, the FBI recruited a collaborator who was developing a next-generation secure-messaging platform for the criminal underworld called ANOM. The collaborator engineered the system to give the agency access to any messages being sent.

ANOM didn’t take off immediately. But then other secure platforms used by criminals to organize drugtrafficking hits and money laundering were taken down by police, chiefly EncroChat and Sky ECC. That put gangs in the market for a new app, and the FBI’s platform was ready. Over the past 18 months, the agency provided phones via unsuspecting middlemen to gangs in more than 100 countries. The flow of intelligence “enabled us to prevent murders. It led to the seizure of drugs that led to the seizure of weapons. And it helped prevent a number of crimes,” Calvin Shivers, assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division, told a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands. The operation was led by the FBI with the involvement of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in several countries, said Dutch National Police Chief Constable Jannine van den Berg. Australian Federal Police Commander Jennifer Hearst called it “a watershed moment in global law enforcement history.” The ANOM app became popular in criminal circles as users told one another it was a safe platform. All the time, police were looking over their shoulders as they discussed hits, drug shipments and other crimes. Since October 2019, the FBI cata-

ProPublica’s data “reveals that the country’s wealthiest, who have profited immensely during the pandemic, have not been paying their fair share of taxes,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who leads the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, said at the start of a hearing Tuesday on the IRS’ budget with Commissioner Charles Rettig. Wyden has proposed legislation that would tighten enforcement of tax collection against wealthy individuals and corporations that use artifices and loopholes to skirt paying taxes. It also would eliminate the ability of high earners to defer paying taxes on capital gains until they are realized, so that wealth would be taxed the same way as wages.

For his part, Rettig said that the IRS is investigating the leak of the tax data to ProPublica and that any violations of law would be prosecuted. (ProPublica reported that it doesn’t know the identity of the source who provided the data.) “We will find out about the ProPublica article,” Rettig said. “We have turned it over to the appropriate investigators, both external and internal.” Now controlling the White House and Congress, Democrats are focusing on the tax gap—the hundreds of billions of dollars’ difference between what Americans owe the government in taxes and what they pay—and its connection to economic inequality. The top 10 percent of

earners have accounted for most of that gap, experts say, by underreporting their liabilities, intentionally or not, as tax avoidance or as outright evasion. The tax gap is under a spotlight as a potential source for recouping some revenue to help pay for Biden’s proposed spending on infrastructure, families and education. Democrats have been pushing the IRS to invigorate its enforcement of tax collection and make it fairer, by pursuing the big corporations and wealthy individuals who manage to game the system. At Tuesday’s hearing, Wyden told Rettig that it’s wrong “how the wealthy always seem to skip out on their obligations.” “You have a better chance of be-

ing struck by lightning than being audited if you’re a partner in a partnership,” Wyden said. Rettig responded, “We are outgunned.” Democrats have argued that the tax gap has widened mainly because big US corporations have parked revenue overseas and wealthy individuals have failed to pay their fair share. They assert that the IRS, long understaffed and underfunded, has tended to pursue taxpayers of modest means more aggressively than high-powered businesspeople and corporations. The agency’s funding has been slashed about 20 percent since 2010. Biden’s new spending proposals include an extra $80 billion over 10

AN DIEGO—When the FBI dismantled an encrypted messaging service based in Canada in 2018, agents noticed users moving to other networks. Instead of following their tracks to rivals, investigators decided on a new tactic: creating their own service.

loged more than 20 million messages from a total of 11,800 devices — with about 9,000 currently active, according to documents, which cited Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia and Serbia as the most active countries. They say the number of active ANOM users was only 3,000 until Sky, one of the platforms previously used by criminal gangs, was dismantled in March. While primarily focused on drug trafficking and money-laundering, the investigation also resulted in “high-level public corruption cases,” an FBI agent quoted in the documents said. A goal of Trojan Shield was to “shake the confidence in this entire industry because the FBI is willing and able to enter this space and monitor messages,” the agent said. Swedish police prevented a dozen planned killings and believe that they arrested several “leading actors in criminal networks,” according to a statement from Linda Staaf, the head of Sweden’s national criminal intelligence unit. Finnish police said Tuesday that nearly 100 people have been detained and more than 500 kilograms (half a ton) of drugs confiscated, along with dozens of guns and cash worth hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars). In Germany, the general prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt said that more than 70 people were arrested Monday and drugs, cash and weapons were also seized.

years to bolster IRS audits of upperincome individuals and corporations, with an eye toward recovering an estimated $700 billion. Much of the gap comes from the use of overseas havens. The government loses between an estimated $40 billion and $120 billion a year from offshore tax evasion. Biden’s tax plan includes measures to stop corporations from stashing profits in countries with low tax rates. Last weekend, the Group of Seven wealthy democracies, which includes the United States, agreed to support a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15 percent to deter multinational companies from avoiding taxes by stashing profits in low-rate countries.

A12 Thursday, June 10, 2021

DOH: DATA GOVERNANCE KEY IN COVID RESPONSE By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Correspondent

HE Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday underscored the need for strong data governance that will facilitate efficient management of Covid-19 cases, and strengthen linkages between the national and local government units in managing cases. Dr. Alethea De Guzman, Director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, also stressed that digital innovations and solutions, minimizing the “processing time of data, minimize errors” and electronic medical records can “provide data on vaccines, and the adverse events following immunization.” “W hatever data we release everyday, we stand by them, we don’t alter, we don’t manipulate,” De Guzman said at the launch of the BluePrint.PH Data Newsroom Series titled, “Data Governance: Innovations and Collaborations in Response to the Pandemic.”

Transparency, privacy

However, De Guzman said that data transparency works hand in hand with data privacy of individual patients. “Data transparency doesn’t mean we will reveal information on the identities of patients,” said De Guzman, adding that, “these are people we are talking about; each number represents someone, a family, a friend, a loved one and we don’t want to reveal very personal and sensitive information.” De Guzman, along with representatives of academe and private sector, have called for digital solutions to improve the country’s health-care system, and effectively manage Covid-19 cases, including information on the adverse impact of various vaccines. According to De Guzman, a unified data dashboard of the Covid-19 provides health experts more time to interpret data, and come up with timely and relevant analysis. Manelle Cousart-Suyat, Indus-

try Marketing Head for Healthcare of Globe Business, said public and private hospitals will benefit from the digital solutions and innovations by lowering cost of business and medical operations, and providing efficient and quality healthcare to patients at a lower cost. She said digital solutions will also provide ease of work for doctors, nurses and medical staff who often face stretched hours of duty dealing with manual paper processes that result to outdated records, missing files and unaccounted billings.“ “These digital tools will ease patients’ and staffs’ hospital processing journey by lessening the forms to fillout using integrated suite, for keeping medical records updated and secured through the Hospital Information System and cyber security, and digital payment availability,” said Suyat, who was also guest at the Data Newsroom Series of BluePrint.PH. Globe Business also offers a modular and digital system specifically made for hospitals that automates administrative, financial, and logistical processes through a secured platform. “This frees up so much resources, time or otherwise, to focus on providing quality care,” according to Dr. Erwin Alampay of UP-National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG). Alampay said open and big data analytics can provide real-time situation analysis, contact tracing, and early timely diagnosis for early containment. “Open and big data analytics in responding to Covid-19 can help secure public trust in government through better transparency and improved communication, and counter misinformation,” said Dr. Alampay, also one of the speakers at the Data Newsroom series. Big data analytics, he added, also provides support to the government in identifying and addressing special vulnerability and needs of vulnerable groups by gathering disaggregated data.

Global electronic sales down despite shift to digital–UN

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

ESPITE the accelerated shift to digital, electronic and electrical equipment sales during the first three quarters last year plunged—and the low- and middle-income countries suffered deeper cuts compared to high-income nations, a United Nations report revealed. In a study entitled, “The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Ewaste in the First Three Quarters of 2020,” UN noted that low- and middle-income countries saw their electronics sales slide by 30 percent while high-income countries booked a 5-percent decline for the period. With this, UN e-waste researchers see a decline of 4.9 million metric tons (MMT) in sales-related ewaste, which is about 6.4 percent less than the “business as usual” scenario. Sales of heavy electric appliances—refrigerators, washing

machines and ovens, among others—registered the steepest fall at 6 percent to 8 percent based on worldwide data. Small information technology and telecommunications equipment sales—such as laptops, cell phones and gaming equipment— were slashed by 1.4 percent globally. Broken down, the sales for this segment dipped in low- and middle-income countries while high-income countries saw an increase. Dr. Ruediger Kuehr, director at UN University’s Sustainable Cycles Program (SCYCLE), described the scenario as the “digital divide” in

the pandemic, noting that it has been increasing. “The ability to adapt to digitization and earn a living or simply to own and benefit from electronics is decreasing in some parts of the world,” he said. “Covid-19 also revealed a digital divide in high-come countries, where many poor are left behind.” Northern Africa, Western Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia saw the biggest decrease in electronics sales for the period, UN noted, adding these regions have many low- and middle-income countries. The UN report explained that electronics consumption declined in the first three quarters of 2020 in Northern Africa and Western Asia. The same is for Sub-Saharan Africa, but the think tank noted that the second quarter saw a further decline at 40 percent. While Central Asia saw an uptick in consumption during the third quarter, it has not yet reached prepandemic levels. Meanwhile, the UN noted that high-income countries—mostly in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand—were the least affected by the pandemic in terms of electronics sales. “Australia and New Zealand even show a boost in consumption in the first three quarters of 2020 of 4 percent in weight. However, all other high-income regions show

decreases between 2 percent [and] 6 percent,” it explained. UN University Senior Program Officer Kees Balde stressed that the global data on electronics sales was in contrast to prior forecasts. “Home offices and schooling, online hang-outs and shopping, movie streaming and other activities driven higher by Covid-19 lockdowns had many experts predicting a sizeable increase in electrical and electronic equipment consumption, as well as an increase in e-waste disposal as people went house-cleaning and shopping to replace near-broken electronic equipment,” the report noted. Across the globe, however, sales of screens and monitors, large equipment, temperature exchange equipment, small equipment and lamps declined by 6 percent to 8 percent, UN said. The large equipment category saw the largest decline in consumption by weight, which is down by 1.7 MMT. This is followed by small equipment and lamps. “So, in one respect, this can be interpreted as positive, as less ewaste is likely to be mismanaged, causing environmental and health effects,” the report said. “However, it should be noted that this effect is expected to be only temporary, and e-waste is still generated in the region and is still expected to grow in the coming years.”

Pacquiao disputes Duterte swipe over ‘shallow knowledge’ By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

RESIDENT Duterte dismissed Senator Manny Pacquiao's criticism of his handling of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue as a sign of the lawmaker's "shallow knowledge" on foreign policy, but the boxing icon replied with a respectful rebuke, saying, he is a “Filipino voicing out what needs to be said in defense of what has been adjudicated as rightfully ours.” In his recorded interview with Kingdom of Jesus Christ head Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, which was aired late Tuesday, Duterte took a swipe at Pacquiao's position that the government's policy in the WPS was lacking. "Well, if it’s about foreign policy, I would not want to degrade him but next time he should—you should study well first before discuss [such matters]," Duterte said. Pacquiao said Duterte was “misinformed” about his position on the government response on its territorial dispute with China in the WPS, which he said, only reflected the sentiment of majority of Filipinos. He insisted the President should adopt a stronger stance against China on the said issue, referencing criticism over what is seen as Duterte’s cozying up to China on

several issues, in exchange for economic support. "I respect the President's opinion, but humbly disagree with his assessment of my understanding of foreign policy. I am a Filipino voicing out what needs to be said in defense of what has been adjudicated as rightfully ours," Pacquiao said in a statement on Wednesday. The latest bout of contrasting pronouncements of Duterte and Pacquiao has once again sparked speculation of a growing rift between both leaders of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). Just last week, Pacquiao urged members of the PDP-Laban to boycott the meeting called by the party vice chairman, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. The lawmaker insisted that only Duterte, who is the incumbent chairman of PDP-Laban, has the power to call for such assembly. Duterte, however, later issued a statement saying he authorized the meeting, which pushed through and led to his nomination by the PDP-Laban to run as vice president in the 2022 polls. Despite the said developments, both Duterte and Pacquiao have yet to issue any statement that they are officially cutting political ties with one another.

Construction workers do road repairs in Parañaque City on Wednesday. Reports said that more Filipinos were out of work in April after a surge in Covid-19 cases forced government to tighten quarantine restrictions. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a national unemployment rate of 8.7 percent among residents aged 15 and up, worse than March's 7.1 percent. NONIE REYES

Select NCR, Davao areas flagged for Covid ‘high risk’

ELECT National Capital Region (NCR) areas and Davao City were among the places f lagged by the Department of Health (DOH) because of their “high risk ” case metrics, as well as their health care and intensive care unit (ICU) utilization rates that were tagged “high to critical risk.” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that with high-risk two-week growth rates or average daily attack rate recorded in select NCR areas and Davao City, “We do not compare counts alone as they are all of equal importance based on these metrics.” Vergeire also clarified that

Davao City is not currently the “epicenter” despite the increase in cases recorded. “Epicenter, in relation to epidemics, are interpreted by some to refer to an area as the source of the infection. It is also meant to connote the area as a hotspot for the infection. We discourage the use of the term “epicenter” in describing the rise of cases in an area,” she explained. She stressed, “These areas are not the origin of the Covid-19 virus. Moreover, using the term ‘epicenter’ detracts from other surrounding areas which may be equally or more affected by Covid-19.” Nonetheless, Vergeire clarified, “Considering this, no, Davao City

is not an epicenter. We continue to closely monitor the situation in Davao City due to increasing cases,” she added. On Tuesday, the OCTA Research noted a 44-percent increase in cases on the first week of June in Davao City. With this, OCTA said that Davao City has overtaken Quezon City when it comes to new cases recorded.

Covid cases

On Wednesday the DOH logged 5,462 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 1,286,217. There were also 7,854 recoveries and 126 deaths. Of the total number of cases, 4.2

percent (54,000) are active cases, 94.1 percent (1,210,027) have recovered, and 1.73 percent (22,190) have died. Eighteen duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, 14 are recoveries. Moreover, 70 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation. All laboratories were operational on June 7, 2021 but eight failed to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System. Based on data in the last 14 days, the eight non-reporting labs contribute, on average, 2.1 percent of samples tested and 2.7 percent of positive individuals. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

24/7 BUSINESS PROCESSING INC. 7/f Capella Bldg. L-3&4 B2, Asean Drive Filinvest Alabang Muntinlupa City Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese CUI, GUIFU fluently. Preferably 6 Customer Service Representative (chinese Accounts) months to 1 year customer 1. service experience. DetailBrief Job Description: oriented and has the ability Assists clients will all their concerns. to multi-task.

LEE SIEW LING Customer Service Representative (chinese Accounts) Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

LIU, YONGCHAO Customer Service Representative (chinese Accounts) Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

YING, XUEJUN Customer Service Representative (chinese Accounts) Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

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

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5/f To 10/f, Tower 4 Pitx #01 Kennedy Road Tambo Parañaque City HUANG, JINHUAN Basic Qualification: Mandarin Customer Service Representative Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written 5. Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support Salary Range: and problem resolution to inquiries and order status Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIN, KE Basic Qualification: Mandarin Customer Service Representative Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written 6. Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support Salary Range: and problem resolution to inquiries and order status Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SHI, ZHENGTAO Basic Qualification: Mandarin Customer Service Representative Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written 7. Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support Salary Range: and problem resolution to inquiries and order status Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SUN, MINGJING Basic Qualification: Mandarin Customer Service Representative Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written 8. Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support Salary Range: and problem resolution to inquiries and order status Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 AVANTICE CORPORATION 19/f Pbcom Tower Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City Basic Qualification: Diploma/certificate, college degree in any field, must be native Cambodian/ HUYNH NGOC ANH KHOA Vietnamese/ Chinese/ Operations Senior Executive Thai/ Indonesian/ Korean/ Taiwanese, fluent in English 9. Brief Job Description: and respective native Assist in responding to customer inquiries and resolving language with at least a issues or complaints year experience in similar field

No.

LIU, YINGYING Mandarin Customer Service 16.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. PAN, FUHUI Mandarin Customer Service

17.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. SUI, LIBIN Mandarin Customer Service

18.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. TIAN, RONGBIN Mandarin Customer Service

19.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. WANG, SONG Mandarin Customer Service

20.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. WU, CHUANG Mandarin Customer Service

21.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. XIU, NIAN Mandarin Customer Service

22.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. YAN, HONGDA Mandarin Customer Service

23.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. YOU, WANLIN Mandarin Customer Service

24.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. ZHANG, YAJUN Mandarin Customer Service

25.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. ZHANG, TAO Mandarin Customer Service

26.

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

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City 5f-13f, Jiaxing Tower Building Aseana Avenue, Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City Basic Qualification: CAI, CHONG At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 10. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN, YANG At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 11. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: KUANG, JIN At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 12. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: KUANG, CHUNJUAN At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 13. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LI, LIN At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 14. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LI, YAXING At least college level Mandarin Customer Service and able to speak, read write and type fluently in 15. Brief Job Description: Mandarin language. Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. ZHAO, YONGLIANG Mandarin Customer Service

27.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. CAO, XIJIA Mandarin Language Specialist

28.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems CHEN, TINGTING Mandarin Language Specialist

29.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems.

GAI, WEI Mandarin Language Specialist 30.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems.

GENG, CHAOCHAO Mandarin Language Specialist 31.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems

GUO, XIANGYUAN Mandarin Language Specialist 32.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems.

Thursday, June 10, 2021 A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral.

No.

LI, YANGSHUAI Mandarin Language Specialist 33.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems. LIANG, ZHENHUI Mandarin Language Specialist

34.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems LIAO, XIAOYAN Mandarin Language Specialist

35.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems LIAO, SUMING Mandarin Language Specialist

36.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems LIN, SHIJIA Mandarin Language Specialist

37.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems. LIU, GUANPENG Mandarin Language Specialist

38.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems LIU, YIFENG Mandarin Language Specialist

39.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems XIN, ZHIYANG Mandarin Language Specialist

40.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems ZHOU, YANQIN Mandarin Language Specialist

41.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems ZHUANG, JIAN Mandarin Language Specialist

42.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems. ZHUO, CHAOLUN Mandarin Language Specialist

43.

Brief Job Description: Perform quality audit and translations in technical and non-technical issues reported by users or systems

SCHLASBERG, HARALD RICHARD HENRIKSSON Commercial Vice President 44.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for defining strategies, guidelines, and commercial projects regarding the management of revenues (prices, promotions and discounts) which maximize profits and company contribution, achieving the objectives of profitability in each area.

GE, DONG Chinese Customer Support Representative 45.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickyly and efficiently.

GU, ZHIHONG Chinese Customer Support Representative 46.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral.

HUANG, WANYA Chinese Customer Support Representative 47.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree Holder with 10+ years’ experience Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

CROWN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th-7th Floor Alhi Corporate Center Aseana Avenue Tambo Parañaque City

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

COCA-COLA BEVERAGES PHILIPPINES, INC. 27/f Six / Neo Bldg. 5th Ave. Cor. 26th St. Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Mandarin language and has excellent communication skills both in written and oral.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

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

JI, CHAO Chinese Customer Support Representative 48.

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

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

BusinessMirror

A14 Thursday, June 10, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LI, PAN Chinese Customer Support Representative

49.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. LI, YANYAN Chinese Customer Support Representative

50.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. LIU, YAO Chinese Customer Support Representative

51.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. NI, ZIQI Chinese Customer Support Representative

52.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. PENG, XIAOYU Chinese Customer Support Representative

53.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. RONG, BIAO Chinese Customer Support Representative

54.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. SHANG, LIXIA Chinese Customer Support Representative

55.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. SONG, ZHUANG Chinese Customer Support Representative

56.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. WANG, JINGWEI Chinese Customer Support Representative

57.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. WANG, QIAN Chinese Customer Support Representative

58.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. WANG, FEI Chinese Customer Support Representative

59.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. WU, TONG Chinese Customer Support Representative

60.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. YANG, TIANYUAN Chinese Customer Support Representative

61.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. YANG, LIAN Chinese Customer Support Representative

62.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. YUAN, XIAOMEI Chinese Customer Support Representative

63.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. SAM DUNG THANH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

64.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. AU BOI HUYNH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

65.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. CHENH CA DECH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

66.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

CHONG HIEN PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative 67.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

DUONG HUE MAN Vietnamese Customer Support Representative 68.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin/Fukien and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience.

No.

GIP KHI TAC Vietnamese Customer Support Representative 69.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. HUYNH MY LIEN Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

70.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. LE HONG HA Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

71.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. LUU SUNG CANH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

72.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. MOC MY QUYNH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

73.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. NGUYEN THI ANH THI Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

74.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. NGUYEN THI TRUNG THU Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

75.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. SY DIN VA Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

76.

Brief Job Description: Experts at the product and their primary duty is to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. TAT XUYEN NGHI Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

77.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRAN CAM TAN Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

78.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRAN SY PHUOC Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

79.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRINH MINH PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

80.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRINH VI MINH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

81.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRUONG KIENG DIEU Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

82.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRUONG MINH DIEM Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

83.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TRUONG VI PHONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

84.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. TU MIEU THUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

85.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. VUONG LAP MUI Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

86.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St. Roxas Blvd. St. Barangay 003 Pasay City

87.

ZHAO, ZHIHUI Chinese Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience.

No.

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503 Nueva St Binondo Manila

CHEN, SHIDIAN Marketing And Sales Agent 89.

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

90.

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

91.

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

92.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 DAVID & GOLYAT MANAGEMENT INC. (DAVID & GOLYAT,SLING&STONE AND HARP & LYRE) 19/f Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas Manila,sapphire Road Ortigas Center, San Antonio Pasig City Basic Qualification: LEE, YE KWON Proficiency in business Digital Consulting Executive Korean and fluency in 88. colloquial Korean language Brief Job Description: Responsible for the management and coordination Salary Range: with Korean clients’ businesses in the Philippines Php 30,000 - Php 59,999