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Drone shots by Dmitri Valencia provide breath-taking views of the AlbaySorsogon Connector Road (above), and the Camalig Bypass Road, two of the major infrastructure projects in Bicol undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the Build, Build, Build program. Story on A5.

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THE QUICK BROWN FOX REVENUE SURGE TRIMS JUMPS OVER THE LAZY BUDGET DEFICIT IN MAY www.businessmirror.com.ph www.businessmirror.com.ph

Wednesday, Wednesday,June June23, 23,2021 2021Vol. Vol.1616No. No.252 252

P25.00nationwide nationwide||22sections sections26 22pages pages||77DAYS daysAaWEEK week P25.00

THE QUICK BROWN 4-MO BANANA EXPORTS FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY50% DOG NEAR THE FALL ON SHIPPING, PRODUCTION WOES By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE country’s banana exports from January to April nosedived by 50 percent to 739,510.309 metric tons (MT) as the industry continued to reel from anemic domestic production worsened by global shipping

and logistical problems. The volume was 750,476.686 M T lo w e r t h a n t he 1.4 8 9 mi l lion MT recorded export volume dur ing the s a me fou r - mont h p e r io d of l a s t y e a r, l at e s t Ph i l ip p i ne St at i s t ic s A ut hor it y ( P S A ) d at a s ho w e d . See “Banana,” A2

See “Pasa,” A2

Commuters wearing face shields and face masks to protect themselves against the virus are seen on Edsa.

Wearing of face shields is mandatory both indoors and outdoors, Malacañang said on Monday, finally settling an issue that had caused confusion for days. Palace officials said there was no “flipflop” in policy, but that supervening events—after the country detected four more cases of the more contagious Delta Covid-19 variant—accounted for the declaration on mandatory face shields. NONOY LACZA By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE national government’s budget deficit in May slightly narrowed to P200.3 billion from P202.1 billion in the same month last year as state revenues surged along with expenditures. Continued on A2

us firms eyeing THE electronics QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS phl as an alternative OVER THE LAZY DOG NEARhub THE By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

M ER IC A N e lec t ron ic s firms are looking to set up shops in the Philippines as they seek alternative location in Asia, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said. DTI Undersecretary Ceferino

Rodolfo said at the Philippines-US Business Dialogue on Tuesday that US electronics manufacturers have been on the move to secure sustainable and resilient supply chains amid the uncertainties in pandemic. “[As such], there has been strong interest from highly innovative, See “Firms,” A2

Continued on A2 PESO exchange rates n US 48.6300

n japan 0.4410 n UK 67.7951 n HK 6.2628 n CHINA 7.5217 n singapore 36.2181 n australia 36.6573 n EU 57.9670 n SAUDI arabia 12.9677

Source: BSP (22 June 2021)

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 48.6580

n JAPAN 0.4470 n UK 67.8974 n HK 6.2658 n CHINA 7.4799 n SINGAPORE 36.3092 n AUSTRALIA 37.9338 n EU 58.2971 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.9755

Source: BSP (March 18, 2021)

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

BusinessMirror

Witness cooperation key in DOJ review of cop abuse in drug cases By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday said the cooperation of witnesses in drug cases where deaths occurred are vital in the ongoing review of such cases by the Department of Justice-led panel. Guevarra made the statement in response to the speech made by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet during the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), where she stressed that the reinvestigation of cases by the

panel should produce “meaningful results.” Without the cooperation of the witnesses and families of those who were allegedly summarily executed during anti-illegal drug operations, it would be difficult for the panel to bring the involved

police officers before the courts. At present, Guevarra said the panel has been given access by the Philippine National Police to records of 52 cases investigated by the PNPInternal Affairs Service (IAS). These cases involve findings of administrative liability against hundreds of police personnel for alleged misconduct in the course of anti-illegal drug operations. The panel has also received 107 case files from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for review. While it is reviewing these records, the panel is also monitoring the preliminary investigation and prosecution of 87 criminal cases lodged against more than a hundred law enforcers for alleged wrongful conduct during anti-illegal drug operations. “The DOJ review panel will go

where the evidence available will lead it,” Guevarra said. “But, the cooperation of the victims’ families and their witnesses is crucial. Unless they come forward and testify, it would be extremely difficult for our investigating agencies to build up cases against erring law enforcers,” he added. However, Guevarra clarified that families of victims are free to file their complaints directly with the DOJ or the Ombudsman without waiting for the results of the panel review. “The DOJ will provide witness protection, if deemed necessary,” he said. He added that the panel is ready to seek out witnesses once it is established that there is sufficient ground to proceed to a criminal investigation in any of the cases under review by the panel.

REVENUE SURGE TRIMS BUDGET DEFICIT IN MAY Continued from A1

Gover nment revenues i n May ju mped by 69.26 percent yea r - on-yea r wh i le e x pend it u res c l imbed by 29.15 percent, d at a f rom t he Bu reau of t he Treasu r y showed. While revenues and expenditures both posted double-digit growth, the level of expenditures still exceeded state revenues, resulting in the P200.3-billion

budget shortfall for the month. However, t h is wa s on ly a 0.91-percent dip from the fiscal gap in May last year. Revenues in the same month soared to P256.4 billion from last year’s P151.5 billion on the back of higher tax collections. T he Bureau of Inter na l Revenue (BIR) notc hed a double d ig it g row t h of 60. 54 percent, lead ing to a net col lect ion of P183.7 billion in May this year.

T h is is h igher t ha n l ast yea r’s P114.4 bi l l ion. For its part, the Bureau of Customs raised P48.6 billion, a 58.05-percent growth from P30.8 billion a year ago. Non-tax revenues from the Bureau of the Treasury surged to P12.4 billion, a five-fold increase from only P2.4 billion in 2020 due to higher dividend remittances on shares of stocks and income from Bond Sinking Fund investment. Other offices also contributed P9.7 billion in May, nearly thrice the P3.6 billion recorded in the same month last year. The Treasury traced the improvement to the low base effect from limited operations of government collecting offices caused by strict quarantine protocols last year. On the other hand, state expenditures in May this year rose to P456.7 billion compared to P353.6 billion a year ago. The Treasur y attributed the increase to disbursements for the capital outlay projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways; banner education and hea lth programs of the Department of Education and the Department of Health, respect ively, and releases to the PhilHealth for the health insurance premiums of senior citizens, and to Local Government Units for the Barangay Development Program. Meanwhile, primary spending (net of interest payments) during the month swelled to P427.8 billion, improving by 27.59 percent from P335.3 billion in May 2020. Interest payments in the same period also leaped by 57.64 percent year-on-year to P28.9 billion from P18.4 billion. From Januar y to May this year, the national government’s cumulative budget shortfall has hit P566.2 billion, slightly up from P562.2 billion in the same five-month period in 2020. Year-to-date government revenues also grew 12.92 percent to P1.24 trillion from last year’s P1.1 trillion.

Likewise, expenditures from Januar y to May this year increased by 8.8 percent yearon-year to P1.81 trillion from P1.66 trillion. The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee recently raised its projection for the country’s budget deficit-toGDP ratio this year to 9.3 percent or P1.86 trillion, from 8.9 percent or P1.78 trillion previously. R iza l Commercia l Bank ing Corporation (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael Ricafort told the BusinessMirror that the budget deficit in May was the widest in five months amid the increase in government spending partly due to recent lockdowns. “ The tighter quarantine restrictions/lockdowns since late March, with the 2-week ECQ fol lowed by 1-mont h MECQ , could have fundamentally reduced business/economic activities, as well as ta x revenue collections, thereby leading to wider budget deficits recently,” R icafort said. “Thus, wider budget deficits could lead to more government borrowings and higher outstanding debt,” he said. In the coming months, Ricafort sees the ramp-up in government spending for various projects and infrastructure to continue, especially up until the period before the May 2022 elections. “Increased government spending for Covid-19 vaccines, which could be recurring in nature, as well as on related preparations/ logistics including for testing, qu a ra nt ine fac i l it ies, a mong others would also lead to wider budget deficits and higher government borrowings/debt, going forward,” he said. UnionBank Chief Economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion said it is interesting that revenue acceleration kept pace with spending levels in May. Moving forward, Asuncion sees continued improvement in revenues as well as expenditures amid the prolonged pandemic. “Revenue collection is seen to improve further in the coming months as the economy is unshackled from the recent rest r ict ions. On the expenditure side, government is expected to aggressively cont inue t he f isc a l spending to help support 2021 economic growth,” he said.

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Banana. . .

Continued from A1

PSA data showed that export receipts from banana shipments during the reference period plunged by 46.9 percent to $329.271 million from last year’s $620.626 million. Japan remained as the country’s top destination for banana exports, accounting for 40 percent of the total shipments during the four-month period. Philippine banana ex ports to Japan, however, declined by 45.35 percent to 277,300.010 MT from 507,447.809 MT last year, based on PSA data. In terms of value, banana shipments to Japan during the fourmonth period reached $138.634 million, 44.4 percent lower than last year’s $249.545 million. The country’s banana exports to China also suffered a doubledigit contraction rate. Volume wise, banana exports to China declined by 37.23 percent to 263,399.572 MT while value of shipments fell by 35.9 percent to $110.771 million. PSA data showed that banana exports to South Korea declined by 53.58 percent to 88,801.342 MT while shipments to Saudi Arabia declined by 48.29 percent to 33,253.714 MT. PSA data also showed that banana exports to Iran declined by 93 percent to 10,083.964 MT from last year’s 145,896.833 MT. The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the anemic domestic output due to the worsening Panama disease situation is the major culprit for the decline in the country’s banana exports. (Related story:https://businessmirror.com.ph /2021/03/22/ phl-banana-exports-plunge-by51-in-jan/)

Firms. . .

Continued from A1

labor-intensive companies in the electronics sector, trying to look at the Philippines as an alternative or a complementary location for their factories here in Asia,” he added. The US is among the top export destinations of the local electronics industry, which include Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Japan. Electronics comprise bulk or 62 percent of Manila’s total exports. Among the US electronics firms currently operating in the country are ON Semiconductors and Texas Instruments Inc. Rodolfo said the recently passed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act has sparked interest from US investors. “This [CREATE] is one of the reform efforts that the private sector has been waiting for,” he explained. Following the enactment of CREATE, the CIT rate is reduced to 20 percent from 30 percent for domestic corporations with net taxable income of P5 million and below, and have total assets of P100 million and below effective July 1, 2020. All other local firms and resident foreign companies are imposed a 25-percent income tax. “In terms of private sector interest from US companies, we have seen strong interest coming mainly from...infrastructure-related companies,” Rodolfo noted. “For example, there were already registrations that have applied for third-party telco towers.” Moreover, Lopez said, they have gotten as well many inquiries from innovated-driven companies engaged in artificial intelligence (AI) regarding the investment opportunities in the Philippines. “In addition, we have also been getting a lot of queries when it comes to hyperscale data centers,” Rodolfo said. In May, the DTI launched its AI road map with the goal of making big data processing the next sunny sector in the Philippines after the businessprocess outsourcing industry.

‘Important’ partner

Meanwhile, Trade Secretary

This was worsened by Covid19-related mobility restrictions as well as the ongoing global shipping problems that have driven shipping costs to unprecedented levels. The rise in shipping costs has also cut the profit of the banana industry by double-digit rates. For example, the cost of shipping a container of bananas to Saudi Arabia has increased to $3,000 in April from the usual $2,600 quotation. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/05/ costs-delays-cut-phl-banana-exporters-profit/) “ Yo u c a n a s s u m e b y t h e same amount of the increase in shipping costs—about 15 percent reduc t ion ,” P i l ipi no Banana Growers and Exporters Association Chairman A lberto F. Bacani, who is also the President & CEO of Unifrutti Tropical Philippines Inc., told the BusinessMirror in April. The increase in freight costs and falling domestic production have put the Philippines in a tighter corner against its rising Vietnamese and Cambodian competitors in securing market share in the growing Chinese market. Trade map data of the multilateral International Trade Centre analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that the Philippines’s market share for bananas in China, Japan, and South Korea has been shrinking in recent years, as domestic ex por ters have warned. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2021/05/04/phl-bananaslosing-out-in-asia-to-lat inamerica-asean-producers/) B a n a n a e x p or t s l a st ye a r declined by almost a fifth to a 2-year low of 3.595 million MT as shipments across all key markets contracted due to weak domestic production.

Ramon Lopez stressed that Washington is an “important” partner in trading and investment source in several areas including electronics, transport and storage, administrative and support services, manufacturing, real estate and information technology-business process management. “But more than the figures, the nature and quality of investments from American companies and the business partnerships being formed with local companies have helped move the Philippines up the value chain,” Lopez said. “The Philippines aims to be both a valuable contributor to your global business’ growth, as well as a strong partner of the US in building back towards a better, brighter post-pandemic future.” Currently, the Philippines is awaiting the US Congress’s renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The GSP deal is a unilateral preferential trade arrangement by the US to 122 beneficiary developing countries and least developed beneficiary countries, including the Philippines. It aims to promote economic growth, development and trade by providing duty-free market access to about 5,000 products into the US. While the GSP is a big boost for the country, Lopez said that the US-Philippine economic ties can be strengthened with a free trade agreement (FTA). “But we hope to strengthen our relationship beyond the GSP and graduate towards an FTA that would provide a long-term rules-based, and predictable trade environment for our two nations,” he said. The total trade between Manila and Washington fell by nearly 14 percent to $16.9 billion last year from $19.6 billion in 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Broken down, Philippine exports to the US fell by about 14 percent to $10 billion while imports from Washington slid by almost 15 percent to $6.9 billion year-on-year. Investment pledges from the US grew by more than two-fold to P24.28 billion last year from P11.51 billion in 2019, data from the Board of Investment and Philippine Economic Zone Authority showed.

Nation BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Guevarra: Refusing Covid vaccination is not a crime

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573 & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra downplayed on Tuesday President Duterte’s threat to arrest those who may refuse to be vaccinated, saying that the President’s statement was merely intended to send a strong message to the public to avail of antiCovid-19 shots. In a text message to reporters, Guevarra also stressed that as a lawyer, the President knows that not getting vaccinated is a legal choice. “I believe that the President merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible,” the DOJ secretary said. He added that a law is needed before the government can compel the entire population to get vaccinated. President Duterte on late Monday threatened to jail and use “pig

vaccine” on people who refuse to be inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine, calling them a threat to others. He issued the statement as he expressed exasperation over reports of people who are still refusing to be inoculated despite the availability of vaccine supplies. The President said he would tap barangay officials to identify those who are unvaccinated in their respective jurisdictions so they could face possible sanctions. “Don’t force my hand...no one

wants that,” President Duterte said. Aside from jail time, he threatened to use the anti-parasitic drug, Ivermectin, to threaten unvaccinated people. “I will inject you with Ivermectin, which is meant to be used for pigs,” Duterte said. Although allowed only as a prescription drug for humans, Ivermectin has in recent months gained popularity among people who believe in its prophylactic strength against Covid, taken either as capsules or tablets every two weeks. There are no injectables. Currently, the Department of Science of Technology (DOST) is conducting a study to test the efficacy of Ivermectin for Covid-19 treatment upon the instruction of Duterte after some lawmakers and doctors insisted on using it for infected patients. “There is no law as yet that compels vaccination against Covid-19, much less criminalizes it, as presently available vaccines are still in their trial phases,” the justice secretary added. When asked if the President consulted him before making such statements, Guevarra replied: “He seeks my legal opinion only when he finds it really necessary.”

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 A3

PHL partners with Australian institute to enhance Natl Cybersecurity Plan By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

he Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is working with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute to make certain amendments to the National Cybersecurity Plan. Jose Carlo Reyes, director of the DICT’s Cybersecurity Bureau, said the Philippine government and Australia are working to further improve the cyber-security plan of the Philippines and update it to meet the demands of the time.

“We have been working with Australian Strategic Policy Institute for us to amend our National Cybersecurity Plan,” he said during the Cybersecurity in a Covid-19 Era Forum organized by the Australian Embassy. Reyes did not elaborate on which portions of the said blueprint needs amending. He noted that aside from this, the two governments are working on capacity building programs to train workers with cyber-security skills. “ We have been request ing that we need an immersion. The

ambassador has committed to having this exchange of experts hopefully in the coming months,” Reyes said. For his part Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology Tobias Feakin said there is a need for countries to reinforce their cyber-security infrastr ucture, say ing c ybercriminals are targeting critical industries like healthcare amid the pandemic. “We welcome and encourage the Philippines’s continued engagement in regional fora on cyber related issues,” he said.

Single-dose Sputnik V Covid vaccine may soon be available in PHL, FDA chief says

single dose novel coron av i r u s d isea se (Covid-19) vaccine of Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology may soon become locally available, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During the public address of President Rodrigo R. Duterte late Monday, FDA chief Eric Domingo disclosed the Russian pharmaceutical firm had informed them it is considering registering its

Sputnik V vaccine as a single dose jab. “We are waiting for the data to support this if it will be acceptable [to us],” Domingo said. The Sputnik V currently makes use of two separate adenoviral jab to raise the resistance of a person against Covid-19. The government has secured 10 million doses of Sputnik V jabs. Of which 180,000 doses have already arrived in the country.

Domingo said Gamaleya is now also considering amending its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of its Sputnik V to extend its inter val time for a person to get his or her first and second dose of the said jab to 12 weeks. If approved by FDA the interval time for getting the separate Sputnik V shots, which will now make it similar to the Covid-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca. Samuel P. Medenilla

A4 Wednesday, June 23, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug A4

Economy BusinessMirror

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Solons red flag ‘slow spending’ of ₧5.58-B fund for PUV Service Contracting Program

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

ouse Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Joey Salceda on Tuesday asked the Department of Transportation and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to release around P4.6 billion that the government owes to service contractors such as bus and jeepney operators under the transport service contracting program funded by Bayanihan 2, which is set to expire on June 30.

Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, also pressed DOTr and LTFRB to fast-track the implementation of the P5.58-billion

Service Contracting Program under the Bayanihan 2 law, which is set to expire on June 30. As confirmed by the LTFRB in a June 17 briefing, Salceda said only

P1 billion of P5.5 billion allotted for the program has been distributed to service contractors. “The service has already been obligated. Filipino workers are clearly in need of more public transport options. The funds are available, although expiring soon. We have to release these funds without delay,” Salceda said. He added that safe, efficient public transport options through service contracting would help prevent overcrowding among commuters. “From the very start of this pandemic, I already asserted that the only way to prevent overcrowding in public transport is through more public transport supply, not bans on public transport routes. Now, that was acknowledged through service contracting programs. But if we’re not paying contractors for services they already rendered, how will we keep this program running?” he asked. “The P5.5 billion is already a gov-

ernment payable. The least we can do is actually pay them,” Salceda said.

Looming complication

Salceda also warned of what he called a “looming complication” in paying service contractors due to the expiry of Bayanihan 2, which authorized the program. “Bayanihan 2 is expiring on June 30. We have to reauthorize the appropriations under the package, or else, we won’t be authorized by any law to pay the service contractors.” “That’s a complication, and a humiliating one. Parang nag-1-2-3 sa jeep ang gobyerno kung mag-expire ang Bayanihan 2 pero hindi natin babayaran ang service contractors,” he added. “There is 3 billion in the 2021 General Appropriations Act for transport service contracting, but that is just half of what we have under Bayanihan 2. That will not be enough, especially as more face-to-face work resumes,” Salceda warned. Salceda earlier called for an extension of Bayanihan 2 through a memorandum for the House leadership, which the House tax panel chair says the leadership is actively exploring. Sarmiento, for his part, said

only 11 percent was utilized on the P5.58-billion Bayanihan 2 funding since its implementation in October last year. Sarmiento also urged the LTFRB for a balanced disbursement of the P5.58-billion Bayanihan 2 subsidy on the said program for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation has asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTFRB to fast-track the implementation of the P5.58-billion Service Contracting Program under the Bayanihan 2 law, which is set to expire on June 30. Following his committee hearing last Monday, Samar Rep. Edgardo. The lawmaker said the program is intended to mitigate the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s transport sector. However, its implementation under the law is set to expire on June 30, 2021. Sarmiento also recommended to raise the manpower and the number of public-utility vehicles (PUVs) based on the demand during peak hours to fully utilize and accelerate its implementation. He also appealed to the LTFRB for the immediate release of de-

layed payments to the PUVs that are under the service contracting program. The DOTr and LTFRB launched the Service Contracting Program, in which the PUVs are being paid by the government based on the kilometers traveled for a sustainable source of income amid the pandemic. It has a total funding of P8.58 billion coming from the P5.580-billion Bayanihan 2 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act subsidy and another P3 billion from the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The implementation plan of the Service Contracting Program was initially focused on Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao. But LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III said the agency’s technical working group opted to execute the program nationwide due to the slow on-boarding of PUV drivers in the program, as well as to fast-track its implementation and funding utilization. “When we did the revision on the program implementation to cover all regions in the country, our focus was not on the budget reallocation but rather on the allocation on the number of drivers per region,” Delgra said.

POEA may soon resume deployment of OFWs to Oman–POEA chief

he Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) may soon lift the temporary deployment suspension for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) bound for Oman. This after the Omani government agreed last week that it would once again be allowing the entry of OFWs in Oman. “We had an undertaking, wherein the Omani government said they will lift the travel restrictions for OFWs. In exchange, secretary

[Silvestre H.] Bello III instructed the lifting of the temporary deployment suspension,” POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said in a television interview last Tuesday. He said they are now just waiting for the Omani government to implement its end on the agreed upon undertaking before they could start sending OFWs to Oman again. Last Friday, the POEA governing board led by Bello imposed a temporary deployment suspension in Oman to protest against the

“unfair” travel restriction from the Omani government. On the same day, representatives from the Oman Embassy met with labor officials to address the matter, which resulted into the undertaking. Olalia said they have yet to determine the exact number of OFWs, who were affected by the temporary deployment suspension. But he said POEA previously registered about 1,000 deployed OFWs to Oman per month. Samuel P. Medenilla

Study cites ‘flaw’ in Solid Waste Management law By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

he failure of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Act to identify a working body and subnational waste committees has been a major hurdle for the enforcement of the solid waste management law 20 years after it was passed, according to a study released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In a webinar recently organized by PIDS, Senior Research Fellow Sonny Domingo, who co-wrote the study with Research Analyst Arvie Joy Manejar, presented the findings of their research that analyzed the country’s SWM regulatory policies. RA 9003 has been institutionalized both at the national and subnational levels with the implementation largely devolved to local government units (LGUs). “Despite the implementation of RA 9003 for more than two decades now, Domingo noted that the country is still grappling with manage-

ment issues,” PIDS said in a news statement. Under the law, Domingo said, barangays are in charge of segregating and collecting residential solid wastes while cities/municipalities handle special and hazardous wastes. It also mandates the forced closure of existing open dumpsites and the transition to sanitary landfills and requires the creation of SWM boards at each LGU to oversee the implementation of SWM plans. However, Domingo said “much of the implementation burden falls on focal persons from various bodies and task forces.” This despite the crucial role played by local chief executives in prioritizing SWM. “Communities are passive while barangays are heavily dependent on cities and municipal governments. We have local populations that are not contributing in terms of local discourse, decision making, participation, and compliance in activities on solid waste management,” Domingo pointed out.

To address the issue, Domingo said the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) recommended the immediate institutionalization of municipal and city environment and natural resources offices. However, it was not sufficient since the NSWMC failed to create safety nets and alternative livelihood programs for those working in the informal sector displaced by these facilities. Meanwhile, Domingo emphasized the need to harmonize policy and institutional direction. He also proposed that technology options and interventions need to be developed and institutionalized for easy adaptation within localities. “State-of-the-art solid waste management facility design with vertical linkage to markets for sustainability has to be packaged. This is doable. Technology designs are there. We just have to package everything and come up with a local version that is applicable to our local government units,” he said.

Bill seeks institutionalization of OHCC

he chairman of the House Committee on Health has filed a bill that seeks to institutionalize the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) and strengthen the country’s national patient navigation and referral system. Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, M.D., panel chairman, said her House Bill 9633 aims to strengthen the provision of health-care delivery system. Tan said the bill also seeks to institutionalize and broaden the scope

of the One Hospital Command System through the establishment of the National Patient Navigation and Referral System (NPNRS) to navigate patients through different levels of the health system. She said the move will strengthen and expand the existing OHCC by establishing a National Patient Navigation and Referral Center (NPNRC) that will provide a link with the Malasakit Centers across different health facilities to ensure financial risk protection, par-

ticularly for the indigent and financially incapacitated patients. “The NPNRS is designed to support, strengthen, and facilitate the provision of health services of primary care providers acting as the navigator, coordinator, and initial and continuing point of contact in the health care delivery system pursuant to Republic Act 11223 or Universal Health Care Act. This important legislation serves as a complementary measure to the UHC law,” Tan said. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

PHL to get 800K to 1M US-donated vaccines next month, envoy reveals By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

he country will get bet ween 8 0 0,0 0 0 and a million doses of don ated nove l coron av i r u s (C o vid-19) vaccine from the United States government next month. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romual-

dez said the vaccines will come from the 80 million doses of Covid-19 jabs, which will be distributed by the US government to its close allies. “It will be either Moderna or AstraZeneca and [would] come from their stockpile which is expected to be given to us by next month,” Romualdez said in an online news briefing on Tuesday. He said the country would also

receiving 500 million additional doses to be also donated by US to other countries. “So we’re getting quite a substantial amount of doses or vaccines coming from the United States aside from what we’ve a lready negotiated,” Romua ldez said. The government already secured a supply agreement with US-based pharmaceutical firms

Moderna and Pfizer for 60 million doses of Covid-19 jabs. Romualdez said the government was also able to get a commitment from Moderna for 50 million doses of the “ booster shots” it is developing for Covid-19, which may be available next year. “So we are in good shape as far as our vaccines are concerned,” Romualdez said.

MMDA reopens Dario Bridge U-turn slot in QC By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

o help ease traffic congestion on the nor thbound lanes of Edsa, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has reopened the Dario Bridge U-turn slot in Quezon City on Tuesday. “This would benefit the motorists because they can make a U-turn easily with a shorter route,” said MMDA Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. during the reopening of U-turn slot at Dario Bridge. He said that the U-turn slot will not only help decongest traffic but reduce motorists’ travel time in the area. Abalos added that he had al-

ready coordinated with the private contractor of the Common Station connecting the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit, a project of the Department of Transportation, which is located between SM North Edsa and Trinoma in Quezon City. “I have requested BF Corporation to move back their fences at their work area to open more lanes for passing motorists and filled it with gravel so traffic obstruction could be avoided,” Abalos stressed. Abalos said the U-turn slot was previously closed to give way to the Edsa Bus Carousel. However, traffic studies showed that opening the slot would improve traffic flow in the area. Abalos assured the agency is in

constant coordination with concerned government agencies to improve mobility and keep traffic flow moving in the Metropolis amid the increase in the number of vehicles on the road. “The next big thing in the next two years is the widening of the Balintawak area, one of the traffic-prone areas, that would widen the area to five lanes. The Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] shall work on the project for a period of one to two years,” said Abalos. He revealed that there is also a proposal to widen the stretch near Camps Aguinaldo and Crame also in Quezon City. To open more alternate routes,

the agency shall also intensify its road clearing operations on Mabuhay lanes, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units. “We shall intensify the clearing of Mabuhay lanes so they can be accessible, free from illegal obstructions,” the MMDA chief said. Abalos added he believes that mass transportation and ongoing infrastructure projects are the additional solutions to reduce the volume of traffic in the Metropolis. The number of vehicles on the road, he noted, is beginning to increase with the gradual return to normal of public activities in Metro Manila.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 A5

Gatchalian backs Duterte option nixing F to F classes amid Covid contagion By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

enator Sherwin Gatcha l i a n bac k e d P res ide nt Duterte’s option thumbing down education officials’ recommendation to allow face-to-face (F to F) classes in limited situations, sharing the Chief Executive's concern both students and teachers would still be at risk of being hit by the deadly Covid-19 virus. At the same time, the senator saw “no need” to craft a remedial legislation addressing major changes in the education sector given the impact of the virus to both students and teachers, apart from disrupting the school calendar. “No need for a new law,” Gatchalian said in an interview with DWIZ, even as he stressed the need to assess the lessons learned from the virus and its impact on education. He added in Filipino: “There is no need legislate a new law. But what we have to ponder on the lessons we learned amid the devastation of the virus and its impact on education. We have witnessed that this contagion is potent enough to put to stop the education of our youth.” Sen. Gatchalian acknowledged

that one of the lessons learned involved the use of Internet for education. “One of the more notable lessons we learned is the critical role of the Internet in education. There’s big difference in private and public situations, he said. For instance, the senator noted “in private schools, we saw students continuing their education because they have gadgets with access to the Internet. But in public schools, it is not like that.” Gatchalian recalled to DWIZ that last January, it appeared there was an improvement in the Covid situation. In March, however, the situation has shifted with a surge in Covid cases and the subsequent tightening of pandemic curbs. Gatchalian said this was why he was in agreement with President Duterte “ because of this Delta variant”t that penetrated the country. “It appears the Delta variant has broken through our borders and it’s for our best interest to keep this deadlier, more transmissible virus mutation under control, specially now that we have seen a marked improvement in the situation in Metro Manila, even as cases have been reported to be rising in the Visayas and Mindanao areas,” the senator said.

BBB across Luzon: Going south doesn’t always spell trouble By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HEN things go south, you know you’re headed for trouble. But for Bicolanos, going south means family and togetherness because when the road leads south, they know they are coming home. Bicolanos will also tend to agree that the best way to travel home from Metro Manila or any point North of Luzon is via “Southroad.” It offers scenic views: miles and miles of greenery, churches, historical sites, and of course, a unique view of the three majestic volcanoes of the Bicol region—Bulusan, Isarog and Mayon. The volcanoes can usually be seen at daybreak if you leave Manila in the afternoon the day before. But for many travelers, the long— and often winding road—leading to Bicol can eat away so much time that could have been better spent reuniting with family and friends or lounging on a secluded beach. This is what the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) hopes to change under the current administration. One particular project, the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, aims to make Southroad a shorter option for those who like to see the sights but in less time. The 1,101-kilometer Luzon Spine Expressway Network will shorten the travel time to Bicol from Ilocos to only nine hours from 20 hours. Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said this network is composed of high-speed expressways, such as the Skyway, TPLEx, CLEx, and Nlex Harbor Link, among others. “This [length of road built] is over three times what it was when the Duterte administration came in,” Villar beamed in a recent Build, Build, Build briefing. Traveling to Bicol is just part of the improvements made by the Duterte administration, however. According to Villar, traveling and living in Bicol has also been improved through better roads, bridges, and classrooms. The DPWH reported that for Bicol region, a total of 1,670 kilometers of roads; 295 bridges; 706 floodmitigation structures; and 8,437

classrooms were built under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program. In all, the BBB program has accounted for these projects spread nationwide that, while focused on infrastructure, are nonetheless geared toward promoting human development: 26,494 kms of roads; 5,555 bridges; 10, 376 flood-mitigation structures; 144,925 classrooms and 187 evacuation centers.

Sorsogon, Camalig Bypass Roads

The most recently opened to the public was the Camalig Bypass Road, a 3.5-kilometer stretch that diverts traffic in Camalig, Albay and showcases a panoramic view of Mayon Volcano. Secretary Villar led the opening on June 15, 2021. “A new b y pa ss road complete w it h shoulder, drainage, solar lighting, and road safety markings and signages will provide the people of Albay not only a faster, safer route than the congested Camalig town proper road, but also a scenic view of the majestic Mayon. Villar said, “This new road is seen to assist in the income-generation of small-scale establishments and farmers in the area” by decongesting Camalig's commercial district and facilitating the transport of goods and services. T h i s s e e n to re duce t he

DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar (center) leads an inspection of one of the infrastructure projects under the Build, Build, Build. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

15-minute travel time to Barangay Libod from Barangay Salugan to just five minutes. Costing P237.44 million, work on the bypass road began in July 2018 and was implemented by the DPWH Albay 2nd District Engineering Office. “The completion of Camalig Bypass Road is another proof that we are committed to accomplish our

major projects across the country before President Duterte steps down in 2022,” noted Villar. Earlier inaugurated, in August 2020, was the 5.52-kilometer Sorsogon City Coastal Bypass Road. The four-lane road traverses three barangays, Sirangan, Sampaloc, and Balogo. The road leads to barangays such as Pangpang, Tugos, Cambulaga and Talisay in Sorsogon City.

Villar said the road improvements in Bicol will also include the PasacaoBalatan Tourism Coastal Highway in Camarines Sur. Build, Build, Build (BBB) Committee Chairperson Anna Mae Lamentillo earlier described this as a 40.69-kilometer coastal expressway traversing the municipalities of Pasacao, San Fernando, Minalabac, Bula, and Balatan in Camarines Sur.

It will be an alternate route to Daang Maharlik a, traversing 15 barangays and ser ving 8,000 motorists a day. Other BBB projects completed in Bicol by the current administration include:Imelda Boulevard in Catanduanes, San Fernando-San Jacinto-Monrea l Road in Masbate, Esperanza-Place r R oad le ad i ng to Pasiagon beach front i n M a sb ate, C a m a rines Sur Expressway Project, Legazpi City Coastal Road, AlbaySorsogon Connector, Cagraray Island Circumferential Road in A lbay, and MatnogSta. Magdalena-Bulusan Road. With these new infrastructure projects completed, the whole of Bicolandia becomes more open to the rest of the Philippines and, hopefully, the world. And so, when the roads lead south, it doesn’t always mean trouble ahead. It could spel l reunions, new friends and great, uplifting sights.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

The World BusinessMirror

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

US hits encouraging milestones on Covid-19 fatalities and shots

ovid-19 deaths in the US have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms hit another encouraging milestone on Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated.

The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the US in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But now, as the outbreak loosens its grip, it has fallen down the list of the biggest killers.

CDC d ata sug gests t hat more Americans are dying every day from accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes or Alzheimer’s disease than from Covid-19. The US death toll stands at more than 600,000, while the worldwide count is close to 3.9

million, though the real figures in both cases are believed to be markedly higher. About 45 percent of the US population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Over 53 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine. But US demand for

shots has slumped, to the disappointment of public health experts. Dr. Ana Diez Roux, dean of Drexel University’s school of public health, said the dropping rates of infections and deaths are cause for celebration. But she cautioned that the virus still has a chance to spread and mutate given the low vaccination rates in some states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Wyoming and Idaho. “So far it looks like the vaccines we have are effective against the variants that are circulating,” Diez Roux said. “But the more time the virus is jumping from person to person, the more time there is for variants to develop, and some of those could be more dangerous.” New cases are running at about 11,400 a day on average, down from over a quarter-million per day in early January. Average deaths per day are down to about 293, according to Johns Hopkins University, after topping out at over 3,400 in mid-January. In New York, which suffered mightily in the spring of 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted on Monday that the state had 10 new deaths. At the height of the outbreak in the state, nearly 800 people a day were dying from the coronavirus. Some states are faring worse than

others. Missouri leads the nation in per-capita Covid-19 cases and is fourth behind California, Florida and Texas in the number of new cases per day over the past week despite its significantly smaller population. The surge is being driven by new cases in a farming region in the northern part of the state and in the southwest corner, which includes the towns of Branson and Springfield. Covid-19 hospitalizations in southwest Missouri have risen 72 percent since the beginning of the month as of Friday. The fall will bring new waves of infection, but they will be less severe and concentrated more in places with low vaccination rates, said Amber D’Souza, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “So much depends on what happens over the summer and what happens with children,” D’Souza said. “Anyone who is not vaccinated can become infected and transmit the virus.” Meanwhile, because of regulatory hurdles and other factors, President Joe Biden is expected to fall short of his commitment to share 80 million vaccine doses with the rest of the world by the end of June, officials said Monday. AP

Min Min Soe, a lawyer assigned by the National League for Democracy party to represent deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, meet journalists in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on June 21. As the trial for ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi entered its second week, her lawyers said prosecution witnesses testified about charges that she had illegally imported and used walkie-talkies for her bodyguards, and along with Win Myint, president in her government, had flouted laws on public gatherings that were meant to combat the spread of Covid-19. AP

Suu Kyi says testimony against her is wrong

ANGKOK—Lawyers for Myanmar’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said Monday she told them some of the testimony against her was wrong in her trial on criminal charges that could send her to prison and end her political career. In the trial, now in its second week, Suu Kyi is charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards’ use, unlicensed use of the radios, spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, and violating Covid-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign. Critics of the ruling military junta say the case is meant to discredit her and legitimize its seizure of power. The charges in the trial are relatively minor, but if she is convicted could keep her from contesting a new election promised by the military within two years of its takeover. Even if Suu Kyi is acquitted, there are two more serious charges against her that have yet to go to trial: violating a state secrets act, a holdover from British colonial law that is punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment, and accepting bribes, which carries a maximum 15year prison sentence. Suu Kyi “listened with interest during the entire court hearing process and told us which testimony is wrong, which one should be cross-examined,” one of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, said after Monday’s court session in the capital, Naypyitaw. She did not cite any examples. Another of her lawyers, Kyi Win, said Monday’s testimony by police and a local official involved the charges of violating pandemic control regulations, and the unregistered import and use of the walkie-talkies. Ky i Win sa id t he a r my capt a in who test if ied about impor t ing t he rad ios prov ided few det a i ls when he quest ioned h im.

“All he could say was that the telecommunications equipment had been handed over to him. And he doesn’t know the rest,” Kyi Win said. The army seized power in February, preventing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from beginning a second five-year term after a landslide election victory in the November election. She and President Win Myint and other senior members of her government and party were arrested, and the country is now under harsh military rule. The military ruled Myanmar for 50 years after a coup in 1962 and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988 popular uprising. On Friday, a UN General Assembly resolution with broad support called on the ruling junta to restore the country’s democratic transition, condemned its “excessive and lethal violence” since the takeover and called on all countries “to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar.” The resolution also called on the junta to immediately and unconditionally release Suu Kyi, Win Myint and other officials and politicians detained after the takeover, as well as “all those who have been arbitrarily detained, charged or arrested.” Suu Kyi turned 76 on Saturday, and lawyer Min Min Soe said that during her half-hour meeting with the defense team before Monday’s proceedings, she expressed gratitude to the people who prayed for her on her birthday. Her lawyers are seeking a longer period of time to be allowed to confer with her. “She gave us four chocolates each for her birthday celebration. She also told the people to be united,” Min Min Soe said. Opposition against military rule remains strong nationwide and has become increasingly violent. However, to celebrate Suu Kyi’s birthday, flowerthemed peaceful protests were held. AP

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Wednesday, June 23 2021

Vaccine technology transfer center to open in South Africa J

O H A N N E S B U R G —T h e Wo r l d Health Organization is in talks to create the first-ever technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa, a move to boost supply to the continent that’s desperately in need of Covid-19 shots, the head of the UN agency announced. The new consortium will include drugmakers Biovac and Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, a network of universities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. They will develop training facilities for other vaccine makers to make shots that use a genetic code of the spike protein, known as mRNA vaccines. “We are now in discussions with several companies that have indicated interest in providing their mRNA technology,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus at a virtual press briefing on Monday. That technology is used in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Africa will soon be able to “take responsibility for the health of our people,” as a result of the new WHO-backed technology transfer hub, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in the press briefing. It is “just not equitable and not fair” that some people are denied access to Covid-19 vaccines because of where they live, Ramaphosa said. Poor countries in Africa and elsewhere are facing dire shortages of Covid-19 jabs despite some countries having the ability to produce vaccines, lamented Lara Dovifat, a campaign and advocacy adviser for Doctors Without Borders. “The faster companies share the know-how, the faster we can put an end to this pandemic,” she said in a statement. Numerous factories in Canada, Bangladesh, Denmark and elsewhere have previously called for companies to immediately share their technology, saying their idle production lines could be churning out millions of doses if they weren’t hampered by intellectual property and other restrictions. More than 1 billion coronavirus vaccines have been administered globally, but less than 1 percent have been in poor countries. South Africa accounts for nearly 40 percent of Africa’s total recorded Covid-19 infections and is currently suffering a rapid surge, but vaccine rollout has been slow, marked by delayed deliveries among other factors. South Africa currently does not manufacture any Covid-19 vaccines from

scratch, but its Aspen Pharmacare assembles the Johnson & Johnson shot by blending large batches of the ingredients sent by J&J and then putting the product in vials and packaging them, a process known as fill and finish. Earlier this month the company had to discard 2 million doses because they had ingredients produced in the US in a factory under suspect conditions. South Africa’s current wave of infections threatens to overwhelm the country’s hospitals. “The climb in new cases has been extraordinarily rapid and steep over the past few weeks,” Ramaphosa said Monday in his weekly letter to the nation. “The number of daily new cases jumped from below 800 in early April to more than 13,000 in the past week. In other words, it increased more than 15-fold from the last low point.” Gauteng province, the country’s most populous with the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the worst affected by the current surge with 60 percent of the new cases. All public and private hospitals are full, yet the numbers of new confirmed cases continue to rise, the province’s deputy premier, David Makhura, said Monday. “I don’t want to send a message saying everything is okay,” said Makhura. “I want to say to the people of the province: The house is on fire.” WHO officials said that while their new vaccine transfer technology will hopefully increase future supplies, it won’t address the immediate crisis, since it will take months for any new factories to start producing shots. With dozens of countries desperately waiting for more doses after the COVAX initiative, a UN-backed plan to distribute vaccines to poor countries faltered in recent months, the WHO has been trying to persuade rich countries to donate vaccines once their most vulnerable populations are immunized. But Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief, acknowledged that countries have mostly declined to share vaccines immediately. “When you ask countries (to donate), they say, ‘Well, we’re going to vaccinate according to our priorities and our priorities are our own citizens,’” Ryan said. He added that while transferring vaccine technology will help in the medium to long term, it won’t help stem the current spike in infections. “We have not used the vaccines available globally to provide protection to the most vulnerable,” he said. “And the fact that we haven’t... is a catastrophic moral failure.” AP

EU, US, UK, Canada join forces to slap sanctions on Belarus

RUSSELS—The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month. Asset freezes and travel bans were also imposed on a number of officials linked to the security crackdown that continues to rock the country some 10 months after President Alexander Lukashenko was returned to power in elections branded by the EU and others as “fraudulent.” “We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regime’s continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law,” the four said in a joint statement. “We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and we stand together to impose costs on the regime

for its blatant disregard of international commitments,” they said. The EU hit seven people and one entity over the “forced and unlawful” landing of the Ryanair plane, which was traveling from Greece to Lithuania when it was ordered to stop in Minsk, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was one of the passengers. The four called on Minsk to cooperate with an international probe into the incident, immediately release all political prisoners, and “enter into a comprehensive and genuine political dialogue” with the democratic opposition and civil society. Among those targeted by the United States were close Lukashenko associates, those accused of helping to violently suppress peaceful protests since last year and others alleged to have orchestrated fraud during the elections. Continued on A8

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

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Hungary’s immunity cards allow packed stands, raise concerns H

Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam defends Apple Daily arrests

UDAPEST, Hungary—Tens of thousands of soccer fans packed the Puskas Arena in Budapest last week to attend Euro 2020 matches. It was the first full-house international soccer event in Europe in more than a year—made possible largely by Hungary’s adoption of governmentissued immunity cards.

The only one of the tournament’s 10 host countries to allow full crowds in stadiums, Hungary has conducted one of Europe’s most successful Covid-19 vaccination drives. The immunity cards attest that their bearers have received at least one vaccine dose or recovered from Covid-19, and allow them access to sports events as well as to services and venues such as hotels, spas, concerts, theaters and indoor restaurant dining. Yet while the cards have allowed many to regain many aspects of pre-pandemic life, others worry that their use could impact fundamental rights. “There was a lot of anxiety in society on potential discrimination,” said David Vig, director of rights group Amnesty International Hungary. “(The government) said, ‘There will be a distinction between people: Those who have the vaccination card, and those who do not.’” Hungar y’s procurement of vaccines from Russia and China, as well as through the European Union, quickly gave it the second highest vaccination rate in the 27-member bloc after Malta. More than 66% of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, ac-

cording to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. But in recent weeks, as most of those willing to be vaccinated have already got a jab, the pace of vaccination has slowed dramatically. Government figures show that some 2 million people still do not have an immunity card, which restricts them from many opportunities available to cardholders. These continued restrictions for the unvaccinated underlie the government’s strategy of providing incentives for inoculation, Vig said. “The vaccination card and the strategy behind it was good from the government’s perspective. That is, it kind of pushed people towards vaccination,” he said. But in a statement in April, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union argued that the cards discriminate against those who “due to their state of health, cannot be vaccinated temporarily or permanently,” such as women in certain stages of pregnancy, or those with chronic conditions that make vaccination inadvisable. Those people, and others who could not complete the mandatory online vaccine registration for lack of Internet access, face discrimina-

In this June 15, file photo, Hungarian fans wait for the start of the Euro 2020 soccer championship group F match between Hungary and Portugal at the Ferenc Puskas stadium in Budapest, Hungary. Tens of thousands of soccer fans packed the Puskas Arena in Budapest last week to attend Euro 2020 matches. It was the first full-house international soccer event in Europe in more than a year—made possible largely by Hungary’s adoption of governmentissued immunity cards. AP/Laszlo Balogh

tion, the group argued. While more than 60,000 fans were permitted into the Puskas Arena last week for Euro 2020 matches, Hungary’s government has continued to limit other public events such as protests for those without immunity cards, citing pandemic concerns. In early June, several thousand people rallied in Budapest a ga i n st pl a n s by r ig ht -w i ng Prime Minister Viktor Orban to host a Chinese university in the capital. Protest organizers, in an effort to skirt rules capping outdoor events at 500 people for non-cardholders, split the march into several smaller groups. It is instances like these, Vig said, that demonstrate that the government has used the pandemic and immunity cards to curtail fundamental rights despite dramatically improving pandemic indicators in recent weeks. “More than 50%-55% of society was already vaccinated, (but) demonstrations were still impossible. ... That is a very clear violation of international human rights standards,” Vig said, adding, however, that such limits on protests were

later repealed. “The government has some power to restrict these rights for a certain amount of time if it is necessary and if the restrictions are proportionate with... the aim that they want to achieve, but not for a prolonged or an unlimited time,” he said. Akos Sipos, 45, a Budapest web analyst, said he is uncomfortable showing his personal identification alongside his immunity card when entering public venues, granting access to his personal information to those checking the card. “I don’t feel that it’s a good thing if I have to show my identity card to a security guard if I want to eat a pizza somewhere,” Sipos told The Associated Press. “They have no business knowing when I was born” or other personal data, he said. Still, he accepted that such measures are required to keep the pandemic under control. “I understood this whole card thing as a necessary evil,” he said. “Those who have been vaccinated definitely have to be tracked somehow.” AP

Palestinians, Jewish settlers clash in tense Jerusalem neighborhood

E RU S A L E M — Pa l e s t i n i a n s and Jewish settlers hurled stones, chairs and fireworks at each other overnight in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood where settler groups are tr ying to evict several Palestinian families, officials said Tuesday. The threatened evictions fueled protests and clashes in the runup to last month’s 11-day Gaza war and pose a test for Israel’s new governing coalition, which includes three pro-settler parties but is hoping to sideline the Palestinian issue to avoid internal divisions. Israeli police and border officials said they arrested four suspects in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It was unclear who started the brawl. One woman was reportedly injured when she was hit in the back by a stone,

police said. The Red Crescent emergency service said its crews treated 20 Palestinians, including 16 suffering from pepper spray and tear gas and others wounded by rubber-coated bullets. Two other people were wounded, including an elderly man who was hit in the head, it said. The Red Crescent said settlers threw stones at one of its ambulances and Israeli forces sprayed skunk water on a second ambulance belonging to the service. The eruption of violence is the latest friction in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of unrest captured international attention ahead of the 11-day Israel-Hamas war last month. The cease-fire took effect on May 21, but the longrunning campaign by Jew ish

settlers to evict dozens of Palestinian families continues. And so the cycle of tension endures, in a stark early test for Israel’s new coalition government, which is just over a week old. At the helm under a rotation agreement is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the rightwing Yamina party. In two years, he’ll be replaced by Yair Lapid, leader of centrist Yesh Atid. And leading the opposition is Likud leader Benja m in Net a nya hu, ousted from the premiership after holding the post for 12 years. An inter vention by Israel ’s attorney general at the height of the unrest has put the most imminent ev ictions on hold. But rights groups say evictions could still proceed in the coming months as international attention wanes, potentially igniting another round of bloodshed.

The settlers have been waging a decades-long campaign to evict the families from densely populated Palestinian neighborhoods in the so-called Holy Basin just outside the walls of the Old City, in one of the most sensitive parts of east Jerusalem. Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel views the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The settlers say the homes are built on land that was owned by Jews prior to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim such property, a right denied to Palestinians who lost lands and homes in the same conflict. AP

ong Kong’s top official defended last week’s arrests of senior editors at the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, and said the sweeping national security law China imposed a year ago should act as a deterrent to other media outlets. Police would’ve collected “sufficient evidence” before moving last week to arrest executives and editors at the newspaper, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday at a regular press briefing. She defended the city’s police from accusations they were undermining press freedom, saying the raid was not related to “normal journalistic work” and that the paper’s editors couldn’t hide behind their profession. “You can’t say that just because the suspected organization is a newspaper organization and suspected people are executives from a newspaper organization that our actions undermine press freedom,” Lam said. “The national security law in Hong Kong will have to be enforced seriously. There is also a preventative and deterrent effect. It has to have a deterrent effect if it is to achieve its objective.” Hong Kong police used the national security law imposed last year to arrest the five most senior figures at Apple Daily, which is owned by imprisoned media tycoon and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai. The paper has said it may have to close this week because authorities used the security law to freeze company assets and block access to its accounts, preventing it from

paying staff or doing business with suppliers. Some of the paper’s journalists have already quit as the political and financial pressure increases. On Tuesday, the paper said the English-language website would no longer be updated. “This concludes the updates from Apple Daily English,” the paper said. “Thank you for your support.” The arrests of the paper’s top editors and executives for publishing articles that allegedly violated the national security law prompted criticism from the US and human rights groups, who said the move was undermining freedoms in the former British colony. The city’s top officials, including Secretary for Security John Lee, have defended the arrests and said they were not undermining press freedoms in Hong Kong, which is home to the regional headquarters of numerous international news organizations. Lee and Lam have both said the arrests targeted alleged breaches of the national security law, not media companies doing ordinary journalism. When asked how she would define that term on Tuesday, Lam would only specify that it was reporting that did not break any laws. “What is normal journalistic work? I think you are in a better position to answer that question,” she said. “I can only say what is breaching the law based on the advice from my enforcement authorities as well as the Department of Justice. Journalists should be in a position to judge whether one is breaching the law.” Bloomberg News

EU, US, UK, Canada join forces to slap sanctions on Belarus Continued from A7

At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers also prepared a series of economic measures that are aimed at hitting Lukashenko and his allies. EU leaders are expected to endorse them at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. The EU has gradually ratcheted up sanctions since Lukashenko—dubbed the last dictator in Europe—won a sixth term last August. But the 27-nation bloc has taken a harder approach since the Ryanair incident, and over the country’s alleged use of migrants to pressure neighboring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenko’s most vocal critics. Among their actions Monday, the ministers imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 78 Belarus officials and froze the assets of 8 “entities,” which are usually companies, banks, or associations. It means that a total of 166 people and 15 entities are now under EU restrictive measures. “This decision was made in view of the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists,” a statement said. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting, said the economic sanctions “are going to hurt... the economy of Belarus heavily.” The measures are likely to include action against the export of potash—a common fertilizer ingredient—tobacco industr y exports and petroleum products, among others. “We will no longer just sanction individuals. We will now also im-

pose sectoral sanctions—meaning that we will now get to work on the economic areas that are of particular significance for Belarus and for the regime’s income,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. “We want to make very, very clear to Lukashenko that there is no going back,” Maas said. Maas said the 27 EU countries stand united on sanctions “We are really very, very determined not to budge, not just today—nothing about this will change in the coming weeks and months,” he said. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said EU countries had thought only a month ago that it still might be possible to reason with Lukashenko but that “the mood is different now.” Landsbergis accused Minsk of “weaponizing” migration flows. He said around 500 people are sheltering in Lithuania, most from Iraq, and that Belarus border guards brought 30 refugees to the border in recent days. He said Lithuania has limited capacity for them and is building a tent camp. Sv iat lana Tsi k hanousk aya, the main opposition challenger who f led Belarus after the vote, welcomed the new measures, saying that “the EU and the entire civilized world have set a goal to stop Lukashenko and the escalation of violence.” “The EU sanctions would raise not only external, but also internal pressure on Lukashenko... and will make it more costly for his main sponsor, the Kremlin, to maintain the Belarusian regime,” she said. Tsikhanouskaya said the Ryanair incident shows that “Lukashenko’s regime has become a threat not only to citizens of Belarus but also to international security.” AP

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

8 BACUS INC. Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

ONG YISHENG Singaporean It Consultant 1.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for maintaining and improving computer systems for organization and its client

Basic Qualification: IT or Computer Science graduate. With critical thinking ability, strong solving problem capacity, knowledge of data modelling and data visualization tools Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SUN, SHIPENG Chinese IT Support Specialist 14.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor degree

Brief Job Description: Oversees daily management of cash and debt

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

15.

Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

16.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing day-to-day admin and operational functions of BPI/MS

KOMATSU, TAIZO President And Chief Executive Officer 5.

Brief Job Description: Responsible in making major corporate decisions and managing overall operations

Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: 5 years or more experience in related field preferably in Japanese firm

17.

Basic Qualification: 5 years or more experience in related field preferably in Japanese firm

18.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT support specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware FENG, XIAOWEN Chinese IT Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware JIANG, CHUNTAO Chinese IT Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware LI, HUAN Chinese IT Support Specialist

10.

11.

12.

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware LIU, JIAN Chinese IT Support Specialist

13.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT support specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking)

19.

LU, DAOQIANG Mandarin Structural Erector Analyst 20.

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

21.

22.

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s chinese client

TAN, BINNENG Customer Service Representative 23.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s chinese client

YAO, YAPING Customer Service Representative 24.

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

No.

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking)

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

27.

KIM, SAEROM Talent Acquisition Consultant Brief Job Description: Recruiters for Koreans

LIU, HAO Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 28.

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

WU, QIZHENG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 29.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

HU, JIAHUI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With good oral and communication skills specifically English and Mandarin language must be familiar in field and construction works. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s Chinese client

Basic Qualification: can read mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien and English writing language

30.

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

31.

Brief Job Description: Enters customer and account data and keeping and maintaining information confidential

LI, SHUJIAN Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: To provide mandarin customer service

QIU, LIANGQING Customer Relation Officer-Chinese Speaking 32.

Brief Job Description: Strong negotiation skills, excellent written and oral communication.

WANG, XI President And CEO 25.

Brief Job Description: Use foreign language as necessarily in assisting foreign language speaking clients, Leading the development of the company’s short and long term strategy, creating and implementing the company’s vision and mission.

WANG, RUILIN Customer Relation Officer-Chinese Speaking 33.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related fields, excellent leadership, interpersonal, oral and written communication skills especially Mandarin and English. Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

SU, YONGBIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative 26.

Brief Job Description: Delivering excellent customer service and managing the needs of customer through phone calls and emails

Brief Job Description: Strong negotiation skills, excellent written and oral communication.

LIN, YUBO Chinese Assistant Business Manager 34.

Brief Job Description: Supporting in financial planning and meeting revenue goals for the company ZHANG, PAN Chinese Assistant Financial Manager

35.

Brief Job Description: Detail oriented and organized; strong planning and periodization abilities

LIAN, CHUNLIN Chinese Assistant Manager 36.

Brief Job Description: Maintaining an overall management style that follows company best practice

LI, ZHUO Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 37.

Brief Job Description: Making design decisions based on analytical data and user testing results

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Strong Analytical, Diagnostic and ProblemSolving Skills, Excellent in Mandarin verbal communication Skils Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledge in managing incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Handling the concern of the customer who will buy our product to improve the organization. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Handling the concern of the customer who will buy our products and improve the organization. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Strong leadership and initiative Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Ensuring that cash flow are adequate to allow business units to operate effectively Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be self-motivated and possess the desire for selfdevelopment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in both English and Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KENDAWYNN CORPORATION 77 Cristobal St. Paco Manila, 071 Bgy 662 Ermita Manila CHEN, GUOQIANG Assistant Marketing Manager

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

Basic Qualification: Strong Analytical, Diagnostic and ProblemSolving Skills, Excellent in Mandarin verbal communication Skills

INFOVINE INC. 9/f Y Tower, Moa Complex Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Brgy. 076 Pasay City

DAXIFA CORPORATION Mpire Center 93 West Avenue Project 7 Bungad 1 Quezon City Basic Qualification: Ability to communicate fluently in Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with customers

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

FUJIAN ELECTRIC POWER ENGINEERING COMPANY 5 West Lawin Phil-am 1 Quezon City

Basic Qualification: can read mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien and English writing language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Strong Analytical, Diagnostic and ProblemSolving Skills, Excellent in Mandarin verbal communication Skills

FIXST MOBILE PHONE SERVICE CORP. Tfw02 3/f Good Earth Plaza Bustos St., 029 Bgy. 303 Santa Cruz Manila

Basic Qualification: can read mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien and English writing language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

FIRST GREAT COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES INC. Lot 5 Sta. Agueda Cor. Queensway Pagcor Drive Sto. Niño Parañaque City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: can read mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien and English writing language

Basic Qualification: Korean, Recruitment Experience

DYNA BINARY HOLDINGS INC. 18/f Tower 2 The Enterprise Center, 6766 Ayala Ave., Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

DUPONT SPECIALTY PRODUCTS PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 801/802/806 8/f 12 The Podium Adb Avenue Cor. Ortigas Brgy. Wack Wack Mandaluyong City

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

CYBER EVOLUTION SERVICES INC. 37f Lkg Tower 6801 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s chinese client

DU, ZHIMING Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Read and interpret schematics design to determine what type of support is required. Prepare materials and calibrate machinery prior to performing erector works.

DO AI LIEN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking)

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

COLDSTREAM MARKETING SOLUTION INC. 603-4 Eastfield Ctr. Moa Comp. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

CHN-PHL HUAIYUAN INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware ONG LEE KING IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in chinese language (Writing and speaking)

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

CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg. Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City CHEN, HUI Chinese IT Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware ZHAO, RUIDONG Chinese IT Support Specialist

BPI/MS INSURANCE CORP. 11/f Ayala Life Fgu Center 6811 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City MATSUBARA, HIROAKI Chief Operating Officer & Assistant To The President

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware ZHANG, FAN Chinese IT Support Specialist

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

CHEN, XIAOHONG Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware YU, JIE Chinese IT Support Specialist

BETUR, INC. (COINS.PH) 30/f Union Bank Plaza Meralco Ave. Cor. Onyx Road, Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City IRSYAD KAUTZAR STAMBOEL Treasury Supervisor

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 A9

38.

Brief Job Description: To collaborate with marketing manager to initiate new consumer promotion campaigns and to develop consumer engagement plans

Basic Qualification: fluent in english and mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KONGANBUDDIES MARKETING INC. 48/f Lower Ground Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City

BusinessMirror

A10 Wednesday, June 23, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

DANIEL YEREMIA MULJADI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 39.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

DEWI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 40.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

HELENA SUSANTI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 41.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

SHENDY Indonesian Customer Service Representative 42.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

STEVEN PRASETIO Indonesian Customer Service Representative 43.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

SUMOKO Indonesian Customer Service Representative 44.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

YUUKA HARIYONO Indonesian Customer Service Representative 45.

46.

Brief Job Description: Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction

TAT KIM PHAT Mandarin Speaking Quality Support Brief Job Description: Identify and diagnose issue and problem

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and write fluently Taiwanese and English Mandarin Multi-Lingual Language

No.

56.

57.

58.

59.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and write fluently Taiwanese and English Mandarin Multi-Lingual Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and write fluently Taiwanese and English Mandarin Multi-Lingual Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and write fluently Taiwanese and English Mandarin Multi-Lingual Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and write fluently Taiwanese and English Mandarin Multi-Lingual Language

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in English, mandarin and any other multi-lingual language

47.

Brief Job Description: Project Managers are accountable for organizing telecom systems installation projects.

Basic Qualification: Willing to travel and to be assigned anywhere in country where the company has ongoing project. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

DUAN, JINGFA Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

HAN, RUYUE Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

HOANG THI DUNG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

HY MY LINH Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

LI, KAI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

MA, ZHAOWEI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

NG KHEN CHONG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

65.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

REU, JAESANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

WANG, RUI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

WANG, SHILIN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

XU, SHU Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

ZHANG, GANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

ZHANG, MINGYANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

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

Brief Job Description: Enters customer and account data and keeping and maintaining information confidential

JEFFERY CHEN JIA CHENG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 66.

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

FANG, YUAN Mandarin It Support Staff 67.

Brief Job Description: Design and implement software solutions that can be enable the business to operate.

WANG, CHIA-YI Mandarin It Support Staff 68.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

ZHANG, CUNYU Mandarin It Support Staff 69.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Design and implement software solutions that can be enable the business to operate.

ZHAO, LIN Mandarin It Support Staff 70.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

No.

74.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

75.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

76.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

77.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

78.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

79.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

80.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

81.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products, excellent Mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products, excellent Mandarin communication skills

82.

83.

84.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products excellent mandarin communication sills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

85.

86.

SKYLUSTER TECHNOLOGY, INC. 10/f The Enterprise Center Tower 2 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City 26/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City 11/f The Enterprise Center Tower 2 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

Brief Job Description: Design and implement software solutions that can be enable the business to operate.

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SKYEAST VISA CONSULTANCY INC. 3f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

PHU CA LINH Chinese Customer Service Representative

WANG, BOTAO Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk

NOCMAKATI, INC. 8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18 & 19 Floors Century Diamond Center Kalayaan Ave. Cor. Salamanca St. Poblacion Makati City CHU TIEN THINH Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

LIAO, ZHIYONG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative

NOBLEVISION SERVICES INC. Unit 308 Bldg M Oasis Hub B One Oasis Condominium, Ortigas Ave. Ext. Sta. Lucia Pasig City

PAN, XIANGYANG Project Manager

NGUYEN THI NGOC THU Chinese Customer Service Representative

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

71.

72.

73.

Brief Job Description: Design and implement software solutions that can be enable the business to operate.

CONG, PENG Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

FENG, SHA Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

GUO, TIANTIAN Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer’s account information

Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

87.

Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in Mandarin.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

TANG, YIXIN Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

TIAN, GUODA Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

TU, YUN Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

WANG, XIAOYAN Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

WU, KAIYANG Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

XI, YABO Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

ZHANG, HUACHENG Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin

ZHAO, SIYI Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak, read and type Mandarin.

ZHU, QIANG Mandarin Customer Service Agent Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer’s account information.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

CHAN YONG TAUR Mandarin Finance Staff Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

CHO, LIANG-TA Mandarin Finance Staff Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

LY HAO KIET Mandarin Finance Staff Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

NGUYEN VINH KIEN Mandarin Finance Staff Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

QIN, SIXI Mandarin Finance Staff Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable

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

KOSEKI, TOMOHIRO Secretary-general 88.

Basic Qualification: At least 3 years of work experience.

Brief Job Description: To act and serve as the administrative officer and manager of the Chamber.

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

VISA VALOR CONSULTANCY INCORPORATED Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg. 191 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak, read and type Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

THE JAPANESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. 22/f Trident Tower 312 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave. Bel-air Makati City

Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

CHEN, YULING Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 89.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer questions about services/ excellent Mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

*Date Generated: Jun 22, 2021 In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on June 19, 2021, the position of GAO, MINGFEI under TANZILA TRADING INC., should have been read as FINANCIAL SERVICES CONSULTANT and not as published. Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE-NCR Regional Office located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication. Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

News BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 A11

AFP-NOLCOM marks PHL territories in ‘northern frontier’

By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

t least 13 sovereign markers have been installed in important and strategic maritime waters in the northern part of the country as the Philippines assert and fortify its ownership of those territories, the military said on Tuesday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command (AFPNOLCOM) commander Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos made the disclosure during his visit to the detachment of the Navy in Itbayat, Batanes on Monday wherein he prodded the soldiers to keep up their maritime security operations in the country’s “northern frontier.”

The sovereign markers were installed in uninhabited islands located in Cagayan, Batanes and Babuyan Channel, which along with the important waters of Scarborough Shoal, Philippine Rise and the whole Batanes Strait, falls within the operational jurisdiction of the NOLCOM. The installation of the markers,

PHL eyes realty tax collection hike of 31% to P113B by end-’24 Continued from A14 Alvina said LGRP will also develop and roll out a Real Property Valuation Information System (RPVIS), and implement and operationalize computer-assisted valuation, billing and collection tools for real property taxes in 20 participating LGUs. Updating the property assessment records of participating LGUs; assisting LGUs in updating their SMVs; and capacitating them on tax compliance are also among the expected outputs of the project. In July last year, the Philippines and the ADB signed a US$26.53-million loan agreement to implement the LGRP. The government’s counterpart funding for the project is US$4.96 million. The IGB will have Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko of the DOF-Revenue Operations Group (ROG) as alternate chairperson. During the meeting, the following officials were also named as IGB members: Director General Karl Kendrick Chua of the National Economic and Development Authority, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Marlo Iringan, Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Jose Arturo de Castro, Budget and Management Undersecretary Herman Jumilla, Alvina, and Bureau of Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Celia King. Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco Jr., the national president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines; Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines; and Barcelona, Sorsogon Mayor Cynthia Falcotelo-Fortes, secretary-general of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, were also named IGB members.

which clearly assert the country’s ownership of those waters, were reinforced the conduct of regular patrols in those areas. “As the AFP’s stronghold in the North, the routine maritime patrols of the AFP that are regularly conducted in its three maritime areas were further intensified this year in order to ensure our maritime security,” Burgos, who is also the head of the Area Task Force-North (ATF-North), said. “I commend all the efforts of our soldiers who selflessly perform their duties and responsibilities in upholding our sovereign rights and territorial integrity,” he added, before conveying his Father’s Day message to the members of the Itbayat Littoral Monitoring Detachment. Itbayat Mayor Ronald V. Gutierrez, who welcomed Burgos during his visit, acknowledged that the frequent patrol operations of NOLCOM’s assets has prevented the presence of foreign vessels “in

‘Green infrastructure,’ new tourism products may boost inbound arrivals, domestic trips By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

S the local tourism industry continues to grapple with global and local travel restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has drawn up new strategies and tourism products to achieve its revised arrivals and income targets for 2021 and 2022. Under its Reformulated Nationa l Tour ism Development Plan (RNTDP) for 2021-2022, the DOT’s key strategic directions now include: “Ensuring responsive and timely policies in support of safe and fun tourism, Cultivating convergence to develop and promote sustainable domestic tourism; and Enhancing capacity among tourism workers to ensure employability and productivity.” In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said, “While we continue to sustain our engagements in our key, strategic and opportunity markets, the Department is also preparing and recalibrating its tourism products, adapting them to new market preferences in the postpandemic era, where more sustainable, greener, and immersive tourism experiences are expected to be in high demand.”

The DOT will also “develop and/or improve the tour quality and experience in the priority tourism circuits that match market preferences for safe travels in open spaces/outdoors, naturebased, curated, sensorial, and inclusive products.” Aside from the usual outdoor activities now preferred by consumers, Romulo Puyat added, “We also see the potential in motorbiking and biking. This is the low-density, but high-value kind of tourism experience. This influenced the department’s thrust to further develop Adventure Tourism.” She noted, the “Wellness Workation Program is also one of the strong areas that the industry can pivot to. The DOT is likewise reaching out to niche markets like divers, and foresees the interest of Balikbayans [homecoming Filipinos] to return to the country to visit friends and relatives.”

Innovations in marketing, promotions

Another innovative marketing and promotions program under the RNTDP 2021-2022 is the “collaboration with the private sector and specific institutions in designing and promoting educational trips particularly for the schools and youth organizations hand in hand with collegial reunions and nostalgic holidays.” The DOT also wants to speed

DEATHS IN ’20 POSSIBLY UNDER-REPORTED–PSA The data showed that except for March and April, the number of registered deaths from January to December 2020 exceeded their corresponding monthly averages in the last five years. The biggest increase was recorded in August when the number of deaths exceeded the five-year average by as much as 6,227 deaths. The PSA noted, however, that the number of registered March and April deaths remain relatively low despite catch up in registration. “For 2020, the data may have been due to effects of Covid-19, both on deaths and registration. However, we do not have a definite explanation for this yet as to what caused

‘Unfair’ appropriation of BARMM funds scored Continued from A14 Under the General Appropriations Act (GA A) of 2020, the BARMM was allocated an annual appropriation of P7 billion, an Annual Block Grant of P63.6 billion, and a Special Development Fund of P5 billion. Under the 2021 GAA, the BARMM also got an annual appropriation of P8.6 billion, an Annual Block Grant of P71.6 billion, and a Special Development Fund of P5 billion.

our maritime areas,” and appealed to the commander to regularly visit their island. Gutierrez also asked the military’s help in demolishing the hazardous boulders and cliffs that were heavily impacted during the earthquake in 2019. Gutierrez said the boulders have hindered road access and have prevented completion of construction of their pier. In return, the military’s blasting operations has been organized with two teams from the Naval Special Operations Unit 2, supported by the BRP Conrado Yap, Naval Intelligence Security Group, Northern Luzon and Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 already on their way to Itbayat. At the headquarters of the Air Force’s 5th Fighter Wing in Basa Air Base, Pampanga, General Cirilito Sobejana assured the military would continue to beef up its air capability by continuing to equip the Air Force with modern assets and equipment. “We will pursue the acquisition

up safe and green travel infrastructure and facilitation initiatives, such as “[improving] access and destination management infrastructure in the areas of sanitation, engineered landfill, health-care facilities and emergency response system, among others.” All these will be reflected as the agency prepares the annual tourism infrastructure program for 2022, and the next development plan for 2022-2028. Among these green initiatives include “uniform safe travel protocols to facilitate domestic mobility and conduct rapid assessment on readiness for international initiatives.” These include online visa application, adoption of the International Air Transport Association’s Travel Pass, and an “immunity/green/ safe passport.” The agency will develop “Green Corridors” as a strategy to reopen borders utilizing more gateway airports like Clark, Cebu, Davao, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, among others, for direct flights. Under the RNTDP 2021-2022, the DOT is targeting inbound arrivals to reach 5 million tourists by 2022, under a mild scenario, while domestic trips will be anywhere from 18.8 million (severe scenario) to 100 million (mild) in 2022. (See, “DOT forecasts 2 million to 5 million foreign tourists by 2022,” in the BusinessMirror, June 9, 2021.)

Meanwhile, the National Capital Region (NCR) posted 84,331 deaths from January to December 2020, or a 7.3 percent increase from the 78,604 deaths registered in the same period in 2019.

PSA said increases were recorded in 15 out of 17 of its cities/municipalities, with the highest increase in the City of San Juan at 18.2 percent. Meanwhile, declines in the registered deaths during the period were recorded in the City of Navotas which contracted 8.2 percent and City of Mandaluyong, 0.7 percent. Quezon City had the highest number of registered deaths in the NCR from January to December 2020 at 18,447 or 21.9 percent of the total registered deaths in the region. The city similarly had the high-

est share in 2019, with 17,320 or 22 percent of the total deaths during the same period. Meanwhile, Manila recorded the second highest with 12,807 registered deaths (15.2 percent); Caloocan came in third with 10,172 (12.1 percent) of the total registered deaths in NCR, maintaining their respective ranks in 2019. These three cities comprised nearly half of the total registered deaths in NCR in 2019 (49.5 percent) and 2020 (49.1 percent). The data showed Pateros still had the lowest number of deaths registered in NCR with 457 deaths or 0.5 percent of the total registered deaths during the same period.

“Prior to the establishment of t he B A R MM, t he Autono mous Region in Muslim Mindanao [AR MM] was allocated an annual appropriation of P32.4 billion and Adjustments of P7.2 billion with Total Available Appropriations of P39.7 billion,” Marcos said. “ T hus, as compared to the A R MM appropr iation of on ly P39.7 billion, the total BARMM allocation was higher, amounting to at least double the amount of the budget allocated to the ARMM,” Marcos said. “Despite these allocated appropriations,

there is too little progress and change in the BARMM.” “With the huge appropriations made in the GAA for 2020 and 2021, it is imperative for Congress to determine the status of the projects implemented especially since the Bangsamoro Government is still in its transition stage,” Marcos added. “It is also important for Congress to be informed on the progress of the transition process, implementation of programs and the proper utilization of funds, as well as the reasons for delay which are not attributable to the dire effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and to

determine other legislative measures, if necessary, to be legislated by Congress in order to promote the long-term vision of meaningful growth in the Bangsamoro Region.” The BARMM law (RA 11054) was signed on July 26, 2018 by President Duterte. Meanwhile, in a recent news conference, BARMM interior minister lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo clarified that fiscal transactions of the region are “transparent, above-board, legal, and with no irregularities.” “We are open to audit anytime,” Sinarimbo told reporters.

spikes in those months,” PSA said in the e-mail. “Actually, there is no exact pattern; based on previous data [average from 2015-2019], a high number of deaths also occurred in January, August, and December,” it added.

NCR deaths

Continued from A14

of more modern assets such as the multi-role fighters to beef-up our air defense capability. These shall boost the morale and welfare of our troops because after all, our personnel are our greatest and most valuable asset,” the chief of staff of the Armed Forces said. “The experience that I have for the past 45 minutes up in the air on our Philippine Air Force’ FA-50PH made me feel the significance of our air assets in our campaign against the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Bangsamoro [Islamic] Freedom Fighters and other terrorists groups that we are fighting against,” he said. Meanwhile, the United States through the officials of the Joint

United States Military Assistance Group-Philippines (JUSMAG-P) delivered 183 million ($3.8 million) worth of weapons and equipment to the military. According to a statement from the US Embassy in Manila, the delivery of the armaments at Clark in Pampanga on Monday, was made possible by both through a US grant assistance and counterpart funding from the Philippines. Among the weapons that were delivered included nine M3P .50 caliber heavy machine guns, 10 mortar tubes and other equipment. “The delivery is intended to enhance the AFP’s counterterrorism and maritime security capabilities,” US Embassy said.

A12 Wednesday, June 23, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

Cutting emissions and helping farmers

he Philippines has committed to reduce its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 75 percent under the Paris climate accord it ratified in 2017. This despite the fact that the country emitted an average of 1.98 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita in 2020, which was way below the global average of 4 MT per capita. Manila’s commitment was embodied in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which it communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in April. Of its GHG emission reduction target, the government said 2.71 percent is unconditional while 72.29 percent is conditional. “Unconditional,” according to the NDC, refers to policies and measures that can be undertaken using nationally mobilized resources, while “conditional” refers to the policies and measures that require support or the means of implementation under the Paris Agreement. The Philippines hopes to achieve its target by focusing on the sectors of agriculture, wastes, industry, transport and energy. Of all the sectors that generate greenhouse gas, transport is considered the largest source of air pollution, accounting for 34 percent of total GHG emissions, according to the German Agency for International Cooperation or GIZ, which is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal Government operating in many fields across more than 130 countries. Road transport is considered the largest contributor, as it is responsible for 80 percent of the sector’s total GHG emissions. GIZ also noted that under the business as usual scenario, emissions from road transport could increase to 87 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, nearly triple the 28.4 MtCO2e recorded in 2015. Government must therefore fast-track efforts to reduce the GHG emissions of this sector if it wants to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. In particular, government’s plan to raise the coconut methyl ester (CME) blend in diesel (See, “PHL mulls over hiking biodiesel blend to 4%,” in the BusinessMirror, June 21, 2021) should be pushed given its potential to help the country reduce GHG emissions from millions of vehicles. This measure is long overdue, as this should have been done six years ago as mandated by the Biofuels Act of 2006. Data from the Land Transportation Office indicated that the country has a total of 11.85 million motor vehicles as of December 2020. While the figure is nearly 7 percent lower than the 12.72 million motor vehicles registered in 2019 due to the pandemic, the number of cars, buses, trucks, and sports utility vehicles spewing pollutants remains substantial. The use of biodiesel, particularly one that contains a higher CME content, would go a long way in reducing GHG emissions and improving the country’s air quality. A study conducted by the University of the Philippines-Los Baños indicated that the current 2-percent CME blend has already resulted in a GHG reduction of 1.3 percent. Raising the CME content in biodiesel will not only protect the environment but also enable millions of local coconut farmers to benefit from the initiative. Demand for copra and coconut oil will increase and help stabilize the prices of the two commodities and other coconut-based products, which will then allow farmers to earn more from their crop. Since 2005

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Retirement benefit claim application made easier Aurora C. Ignacio

All About Social Security

very working Filipino’s dream is to retire and relax after 20 to 30 years of demanding work. Those who have reached the peak of their careers and are already financially stable often find themselves talking about retirement. The children have all grown up and finished with their studies. Others are already enjoying time playing with grandchildren and telling them stories of places and events before the pandemic. There is a misconception that filing for SSS retirement benefit is a tedious process, particularly now with the current limitations brought about by the health precautionary measures imposed by the government, and the lengthy period of waiting resulting from alternative work arrangements of government offices. Thank goodness for technological advancements. We can now spend quality time with family and the people we love while transacting with SSS at the comfort of our own homes or offices. Now, filing for retirement has never been

My father is a hoarder and a collector

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Dennis Gorecho

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easier. Since July 2020, SSS expanded its implementation of the online retirement benefit claim application for its members and made it mandatory, in line with the institution’s efforts on the digitalization of all benefits and loan processes. How does one go about applying for SSS retirement benefits online? The online retirement application covers all SSS employeemembers who are at least 60 to 64 years old and are separated from employment, except for racehorse jockeys and underground/surface

mineworkers. All land-based overseas Filipino workers and voluntary members are also covered as long as they are 60 years old upon the date of submission of the Retirement Claim Application as well as those who are at least 65 years old upon the date of online filing of their claim. To qualify for the online retirement application, one must meet the following conditions: n Has at least 120 contributions prior to the semester of the month of submission of the RCA (or the month of contingency) for monthly pension, and at least one contribution for lump sum benefit; n Has an active SS Number; n Has no outstanding Stock Investment Loan Program (SILP)/ Privatization Loan Program/Vocational Technology loan balance. n Has no dependent child/children; n Not a racehorse jockey or an underground/ surface mineworker; and n Not a self-employed member below 65 years old. Filing for retirement claim online is as easy as 1, 2, 3 by following these steps: 1. Register to the My.SSS Member Portal (https://member.sss.gov.

am the son of a hoarder and a collector. People wonder why we have several stuff in our house that my father did not want to dispose, especially the shoes.

Papa justified this by saying that while he was growing up, he never had the luxury of owning new ones since both he and my mother came from a family with very modest means. He tried to instill in us the value of small blessings. Long before ukay-ukay became famous, we were already wearing second-hand clothes and shoes, sleeping on beds, sitting on chairs and sofas that Papa bought from the shops in Bangkal, Makati. Bangkal is known for the rows of dusty segunda mano shops selling hundreds of cast-offs—a wild mix of furniture, artworks, home décor, dinnerware, glassware, antiques, and anything under the sun, many of them vintage and all pre-owned. Seldom did we wear brand-new clothes, except maybe during Christ-

mas when our aunties bought us clothing on an installment basis— one Tita would buy us pants while another took care of the shirts. The shoes were usually sourced from Bangkal. We became the real-life models for ukay-ukay in the 1970s until 1990s. The term ukay-ukay is derived from the Cebuano verb ukay, which means “to dig” or “to sift through” respectively. It is synonymous with the verb wagwag, an act of dusting off a piece of clothing by taking hold of one end and snapping it in the air, and shaking the item to dust it off. All throughout their more than 30 years of marriage, we never saw our parents engage in physical fights. Although we were accustomed to Mama’s mataray lines, we knew

that was just how she expressed her emotions: only through words and eye contact. Papa will always say that before Mama would be mad at him, he already forgave her. Papa would just step back. He would not overreact to the emotions of Mama. They had a reverse role: Mama took care of the financial well-being of the family while Papa was in charge of the spiritual and emotional needs of the children. Mama was the breadwinner and Papa was the family caretaker. He would tell us stories of life, how proud he was of us, his children. He often stressed that he had nothing to give to us but our future. Two of his sons entered the priesthood, Fr. Philip Welthy and Fr. Stephen Melvin. Upon the death of Mama on May 17, 2002, Papa chose to seclude himself from the outside world and just stayed home. He would just linger in our library and arrange several items according to their commonalities (like old toothbrushes, pencils, tools, toys, office supplies, and other house stuffs) and put them inside plastics or cartons, and either hang them or put one on top of the other inside the library. One year and six months later, when my father died on November 16, 2003, we spent a lot of time sort-

ph) and then log in to enroll your disbursement accounts/s in the Disbursement Account Enrollment Module (DAEM) under the E-services menu of the web portal. 2. Once you have approved DAEM-enrolled account/s, file your retirement claim online also under the E-services menu of the My.SSS portal. 3. Once claim is approved, receive your retirement benefit through your preferred disbursement account in DAEM and reap the rewards of your hard-earned SSS retirement benefit that you saved throughout your career. I am encouraging all soon-to-be retirees to file their SSS retirement applications online. From January to April 2021, there are already 23,040 members who filed their claims using this system. This is our way of serving our members through our brand campaign, ExpreSSS—mas pinadali, mas pinasimple at mas pinabilis. Happy workweek to all! Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer. We welcome your questions and insights on the topics that we discuss. E-mail mediaaffairs@sss. gov.ph for topics that you might want us to discuss.

ing out the humungous stuff inside the library and the disposal of the unnecessary ones. Some may call it a hoarding disorder, which studies identified as a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs. Perhaps my father is both a hoarder and a collector. My father was also fond of collecting valuable items like vinyl records, lamps, figurines, phonographs, books, and cameras, which may be considered vintage items today. He was also fond of saving our memoirs growing up, like toys and photos. Both hoarding and collecting involve assigning special value to possessions, often value that goes beyond the physical characteristics of the object. In general, collectors have a sense of pride about their possessions and they experience joy in displaying the items to others who appreciate them. They usually keep their collection organized, feel satisfaction when adding to it, and budget their time and money. See “Gorecho,” A13

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The enigma of fear

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 A13

Almost lost my Mom due to the vaccine… and I still believe in it

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza

MAKE SENSE

In this time of the pandemic, many people can’t help but live in fear, which is a basic survival mechanism triggered by the threat of Covid infection. I yield my space today to my loving wife, Evelyn Dumaguin Arranza, who discusses the enigma of fear. By Evelyn Dumaguin Arranza

eople have their weaknesses, but the most dreadful of all emotions I think is fear. Fear is a symptom of what is there to come that we dread, the anticipated trauma. Trauma means having crossed the line of sanity to the unknown, which could mean crazy, regret or death. Fear should be rationalized and understood in order for us to be ready and not succumb to it. As fear is an intense feeling, it just takes seconds to react to it—flee, be stunned and face daringly or die. mankind, which, to me, is ridiculous. We have so many earthly problems that needed the money to solve them. Or it is the other way around, the scientists fear they are not being included in the budget of such big nations, so they invent absurdities. Such ideas are cankerous to our faith in God, the creator of the universe and everything in it. God planned everything the way He wants it done, and if man goes beyond his own sphere and tinkers against God’s designs, then it is time to be afraid. The Covid-19 virus and its variants are unexplainable and worrisome. The natural elements in violent weather conditions are ready to destroy, like they have living minds of their own. If you believe in UFOs, the question is who and what are they? There are people born with exceptional and extraordinary talents, as well as people born abnormal and lamentable. There are beliefs that are turning upside down and inside out and traditional beliefs are dying and new notions come to the fore and take over, like people of same sex marrying and mouth kissing openly in public and condoned by the supposedly respectable elite. Then what’s next? Maybe, marrying one’s pet? I presume the pet should be injected with human cells to conform to humanity’s cells, so we will expect the existence of half person, half animal in the future. Just thinking of it gives me the shudders.

Dr. Carl E. Balita

Entrepreneurs’ Footprints

almost lost my mother to what two neurologists believe is vaccine-induced severe and life-threatening adverse effect. My extended family, especially those in their senior years, are reluctant to get their second dose. But I, as a person educated in the sciences, still make a stand and advocates that everyone needs to get vaccinated. I am sure, even my mother who had a near-death experience, could be convinced to have her second dose once her doctors recommend it. On May 20, 2021, my 73-year-old mother, along with my 75-year-old father had their first dose of Astra Zeneca in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. Everything seemed normal, except for my father’s observation that my mother was not doing her usual morning garden routines. Thirteen days after, at early morning, I got a call from her, complaining that she is experiencing numbness and couldn’t feel the soles of her feet. I referred her to my elementary classmate, internationally trained and UP-PGH-educated neurologist Dr. Zernan Labaguiz who made an initial diagnosis of Guillain Barre Syndrome secondary to Covid-19 vaccine. She was advised hospitalization and the family decided to bring her to Manila, in no time, as both my wife, a pediatrician, and I knew the life-threatening risks she is facing.

Kerali, India where about 1.2 million people were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Four cases are reported from Nottingham, England, in an area in which about 700,000 people received the same vaccine. A ll 11 cases were among people who had received that vaccine 10 to 22 days earlier. The frequency of GuillainBarre Syndrome in these areas was estimated at about 4-10 times greater than expected baseline frequency. The accompanying Editorial reports an additional similar case seen in Boston in a patient who had received the Johnson & Johnson SARS-Cov2 vaccine. They note that 5 of 8 cases of GBS in the US were reported in people who had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which, like the AstraZeneca vaccine, is adenovirus-based. (the AstraZeneca vaccine is not available in the US); only three cases were seen in the much larger number of patients who had received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. According to the American Neurological Association, these observations suggest that, like the thrombocytopenic thrombosis associated with these two adenovirus-based vaccines, Guillain-Barre Syndrome with bilateral facial weakness may be a rare, but specific complication. In an article written by Professor Nathan Bartlett of the University of Newcastle on May 14, 2021 at The Conversation, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration reported that there were six cases of GBS out of the 1.8 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines administered in Australia so far. “This means the syndrome has affected about one in 300,000, which is less than the rate at which it occurs in the population normally; in adults, we see about two to three cases per 100,000 people every year,” according to him.

Indeed, at this stage, there isn’t cause for serious concern. Dr. Lulu Bravo, the president of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, shares the same conclusion. And the evidence-based professional in me agrees.

The Mother’s GBS Ordeal

The family’s decision to admit my mother to the University of the East—Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center, where my pediatrician wife graduated medicine, was based on good reputation of the hospital in the management of neurological cases. My mother tested negative for Covid-19 but was admitted in a Covid-19 ward because her x-ray showed pneumonia. Surprisingly, the Covid-19 facility of UERMMC seemed to be safer compared with the usual private rooms—given the isolation precautions strictly enforced in the unit. Under the care of probably the best Neurologist Dr. Erman Fandialan, who permitted the publication of this article, and Neuro-surgeon Dr. Elmer Jose Meceda, my mother went through the symptoms of the GBS. Aside from excruciating pains of the lower extremities up to the waist, she also manifested acute hallucinations and delusions. She had every symptom written in medical books. Many laboratory tests were performed including the lumbar puncture to extract her spinal fluids to determine various confirmatory information about her GBS, including her being negative of Covid-19. Her paralysis ascended to her respiratory muscles leading to her intubation and her breathing support through a mechanical ventilator for four days. She was managed effectively and efficiently with the combination of the intravenous immunoglobulin and the plasma exchange. The treatment involved a surgery through her neck, performed by Surgeon Dr. Rafael Azares, accessing her larger vein to intermittently drain her blood into a machine and return it back as a cleansed blood carrying less of the immune bodies that destroy her own nerves. The plasma exchange treatments were supervised by Hematologist Dr. Alma Calavera. Her respiratory functions were monitored by Pulmonologist Dr. Randy Castillo and her infection through Drs. Mario Panaligan and Claro Antonio. Her special nutritional intake through the naso-gastric tube was through Internal Medicine—Nutrition Specialist Dr. Frances Turalba and her urinary functions through

The threat of harm or a loss, real or imagined, leads to fear, especially in losing what is thought to be happy, satisfactory and contented state of being, for there is no such thing as a continuously perfect life—often life is a perfidy and change is imminent. The feeling of love equates to happiness, which is not only directed to people but to things, places and situations as well. And when that feeling of happiness has failed, the person becomes disconnected and off-course too, like the person who lost the job that he loves very much; he feels inadequate being rejected. There is that old adage “there is nothing to fear but fear itself,” which is not true. Maybe if we are talking about phobias, there are times some of us can overcome it by being gradually exposed to the source of our phobia, but fear as an alarm is a reason for us to be prepared and ready. Shame leads to fear like the legend about Oedipus. Let me refresh: His father, the King of Teves consulted the oracle who foretold that he will be killed by his own son. Convinced, he wanted his son killed; but the son was surreptitiously given away to another kingdom. He grew up and became an admired soldier assigned to fight an enemy kingdom, unknowingly that of his father’s. Oedipus killed him and, finding the queen beautiful, he married her. He later found out about his true circumstances and to his shame, punished himself by pulling out his eyeballs. Many people face their fear by preparation, which is oftentimes costly, like the scientists who claim that the Earth is weakening and likely to blow up in such and such a time, so they think of exploring Mars or Venus as an option for

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

Gorecho. . .

Iran’s election unsettles Biden’s hope for a nuclear deal

continued from A12

In most hoarding cases, like my father’s, they save items that they feel they may need in the future, are valuable or have sentimental value. Some may also feel safer surrounded by the things they save. While hoarders often save things that others would consider trash, they save useful or valuable things in excess as well. I also have my set of collections of frog items, which have been featured in some shows (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=NzptUkzRPH4) I have currently more than a thousand of them, which I started collecting in December 2001. They are scattered all over my house and office, a frog memorabilia museum of sort: toys, toiletries, plates, pillows, vases, incense holders, candles, mugs, keychains, wood crafts, figurines, jars, socks, chimes, and several others made out of varied materials such as terracotas, wood, glass, clay, cement, plastic, and ceramics. What’s trash to others may be a valuable collectible item to someone else. Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786.

Understanding Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buhRAY) Syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. Weakness and tingling in the extremities are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing the whole body in an ascending manner. The danger is the paralysis reaching the respiratory muscles, making its severe form a medical emergency. The exact cause of Guillain-Barre Syndrome is unknown.

Incidence of GBS after Covid Vaccine

The web site of the American Neurological Association cited two new Annals, one from India and one from England, both reporting clusters of an unusual variant of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Seven cases are reported from a regional medical center in

By Matthew Lee | AP Diplomatic Writer

ASHINGTON—Biden administration officials are insisting that the election of a hard-liner as Iran’s president won’t affect prospects for reviving the faltering 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. But there are already signs that their goal of locking in a deal just got tougher.

Optimism that a deal was imminent faded as the latest talks ended Sunday without tangible indications of significant progress. And on Monday, in his first public comments since the vote, incoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi rejected a key Biden goal of expanding on the nuclear deal if negotiators are able to salvage the old one. At the same time, Raisi is likely to raise Iran’s demands for sanctions relief in return for Iranian compliance with the deal, as he himself is already subject to US human rights penalties. “I don’t envy the Biden team,” said Karim Sadjapour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has advised multiple US administrations on Iran. “I think the administration now has a heightened sense of urgency to revise the deal before Raisi and a new hard-line team is inaugurated.” President Joe Biden and his team have made a US to return to the deal

one of their top foreign policy priorities. The deal was one of President Barack Obama’s signature achievements; one that aides now serving in the Biden administration had helped negotiate and that Donald Trump repudiated and tried to dismantle as president. Despite Raisi’s impending presidency, Biden administration officials insist prospects for reaching an agreement are unaltered. They argue that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who signed off on the 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, will make any final decisions regardless of who is president. “The president’s view and our view is that the decision leader is the supreme leader,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. “That was the case before the election; it’s the case today; it will be the case probably moving forward.” “Iran will have, we expect, the

same supreme leader in August as it will have today, as it had before the elections, as it had in 2015 when the JCPOA was consummated for the first time,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. But hopes for substantial progress fizzled last week ahead of the Iranian election amid a flurry of speculation about the impact of the vote on the indirect talks between Iran and the US in Vienna. Diplomats and others familiar with the talks had thought the last round, the sixth, could produce at least a tangible result even if it fell short of a full deal. Now, that round has ended and a seventh round has yet to be scheduled as Raisi, Iran’s conservative judiciary chief, brandished an absolute rejection of anything more than Iran’s bare minimum compliance with the 2015 agreement in exchange for a lifting all of US sanctions. In his public comments Monday, Raisi brushed aside US calls for Iran to agree to follow-on discussions on expanding the initial nuclear deal to include its ballistic missile program and its support for regional groups that the US designates terrorist organizations. “It’s nonnegotiable,” Raisi said. Iran experts agree it will be a tough, if not impossible, for Biden

to get Iran to go beyond the nuclear agreement. “I’m very skeptical that once we’ve lifted the sanctions to get them to return they’ll feel any incentive to come back and negotiate more concessions,” Sadjapour said. “And, if we coerce them with sanctions to come back to the table, they’ll argue that we’ve abrogated our end of the nuclear deal. Again.” Critics of the nuclear deal maintain that the administration has already given away too much in exchange for too little by signaling its desire to repudiate Trump’s repudiation of the nuclear deal. And, they say that even if Iran agrees to some sort of additional talks, the pledge will be meaningless. “It was pretty obvious that the Iranians were never gong to negotiate in good faith beyond the JCPOA,” said Rich Goldberg, a Trump administration National Security Council official who has espoused a hard line on Iran. “But now, even if the administration gets some sort of face-saving language from the Iranians about future talks, Raisi has already said they’re not interested. The jig is up,” he said. “You can’t come back to a skeptical Congress, allies and deal opponents and say the promise means anything it means when Raisi has already said

Nephrologist Dr. Meinard Nepomuceno. Her preventive rehabilitation was started immediately by Rehabilitation Specialist Dr. Josephine Bundoc. The nursing service headed by Chief Nurse Yolanda Zamora, 3 North 1 Charge Nurse Catherine Pinera, 4 South Head Nurse Renato Tumaning, along with nurses and professionals in the Respiratory Therapy, Dietary and Laboratory departments where synergistic in making sure that my mother’s needs are well attended to, with the help of our bedside caregiver Carlita Temblor. The pivotal role belongs to my wife Dr. Lyne who juggled from being a consultant, clearing house of all information, financial auditor of her bills and purchaser of her needs. Imagine the hospital bills considering her three weeks of hospitalization. But the life of the family’s matriarch has no value, of course. And by the way, PhilHealth enlists GBS as fifth in the Adverse Events of Special Interests and puts a maximum cap of only P100,000 in hospitalization claim. This hardly can afford a complete dose of Intravenous immunoglobulin. As of this writing, my mother is thankfully due for discharge, still for home rehabilitation, and is ready to learn how to walk again, similar to how GBS patients recover. Her recovery is remarkable considering her age. “For the books,” according to Dr. Fandialan. The family is ready to show her all the love she needs in the same way she was able to give her care and love to all—her husband, children, in-laws, grandchildren, family and friends. The happiest, for sure, is my father who was in the early stage never tough enough to hide his tears to some members of the family, regretful that he couldn’t be by her side through the tough time. The greatest tool for her recovery remains to be what the grandchildren believed was the best reason why she survived and recovered well and fast—their nightly rosaries and prayers, virtually together. The family’s horrifying and painful experience is not reason enough to doubt that humanity’s best hope to end the pandemic remains to be the vaccine. But it’s still vanishingly rare, and this risk of GBS, and other probable adverse effects—if indeed there is a link—doesn’t come close to outweighing the benefit of the vaccine.

For feedback, please send e-mail to drcarlbalita@ yahoo.com.

it doesn’t.” But administration officials are adamant that as good as the nuclear deal is, it is insufficient and must be improved on. “We do see a return to compliance as necessary but insufficient, but we also do see a return to compliance as enabling us to take on those other issues diplomatically,” Price said, adding that the point had been made clear to the Iranians “in no uncertain terms.” An additional complication is that Raisi will become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the US government even before entering office, in part over his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary—a situation that could complicate state visits and speeches at international forums such as the United Nations. Psaki and Price both said that the US will continue to hold Raisi accountable for human rights violations for which he was sanctioned by the Trump administration. Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and set about a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that included re-instating all the sanctions eased under the agreement along with adding a host of new ones.

A14 Wednesday, June 23, 2021

DEATHS IN ’20 POSSIBLY UNDER-REPORTED–PSA By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

ORE Filipinos may have died last year given the projected underreporting that occurred due to the pandemic, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). PSA data showed that the preliminary number of registered deaths from January to December 2020 reached 613,267, lower than the total registered deaths of 620,414 in the same period in 2019. In an e-mail to BusinessMirror, the PSA Vital Statistics Division (VSD) said the decline may have been due to underreporting, given the lockdowns which prevented many from registering deaths through Offices of the City/Municipal Registrars throughout the country. “There is the possibility of under-registration in some areas due to the pandemic, and some deaths may not have been registered yet in the Local Civil Registrar. This may also include those who died in remote areas that are far from the Local Civil Registry Offices,” PSA VSD said. The PSA data also showed an increase in late registration. Data showed late registrations of deaths occurred in March 2020, numbering at 6,765, more than

six times the 1,067 in March 2019 late registrations. PSA data also showed that the April 2020 late registration of 6,263 was five times the recorded 1,249 in April 2019. The data also showed that in terms of share of late registered deaths since January, about 24.8 percent were March deaths while 23 percent were April deaths, the majority of which were registered in June. “Relative to their cor responding months in 2019, the increase in late registrations, or those whose deaths were registered beyond 30 days after the occurrence, remained highest for March and April 2020,” the PSA said. “This high number of late registrations may be due to the quarantine measures implemented during these months.” The PSA said deaths that occurred in August, July, and October were the highest at 56,792 deaths, 54,385 deaths, and 54,117 deaths in 2020, respectively. March and April, when the government placed the country under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ ), recorded the least number of deaths at 44,711 deaths and 45,941 deaths, respectively. Continued on A11

CREATE IRR, framework for SIPP now finalized, says DTI

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

HE Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) has finalized the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who is cochairman of the FIRB, confirmed the status of the CREATE’s IRR on Tuesday at a virtual event. “The framework for the SIPP [Strategic Investment Priorities Plan] has been passed by the [FIRB] and the [IRR] have just been finalized,” he said.

Asked for further information, Lopez told the BusinessMirror that an “update on IRR will be announced.” The DTI and the Department of Finance, under the CREATE’s mandate, are provided 90 days from its effectivity—or until July 11—to sign the IRR. The new tax reform law took effect on April 11.

The IRR will cover the new menu of tax incentives for the investors and the additional functions of the FIRB. The FIRB has consulted various stakeholders in crafting the CREATE IRR. The Philippine Economic Zone Authority, for example, earlier told this newspaper that it wants to highlight the tax incentives granted to company locators and ecozone development in the IRR. While only the framework for the SIPP has been approved, the FIRB is using the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) for now. SIPP is the list of investment sectors that may apply for fiscal incentives under CREATE. Lopez earlier identified the following as critical industries under SIPP: electrical and electronics; chemical and pharmaceuticals; machinery and transport; agriculture and agribusiness; information technology-business process management; research and development; and artificial

PHL eyes realty tax collection hike of 31% to ₧113B by end-’24 By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Philippines targets to ramp up the real property tax collection of local government units (LGUs) by 30.85 percent to P113.4 billion by the end of 2024. Revenue collection of LGUs from real property tax is seen to rise by P26.7 billion from what they collected in 2017 following the four-year implementation of Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Local Governance Reform Project (LGRP), which aims to adopt digital tools in strengthening local property valuation and tax collection nationwide. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, who chairs the Interagency Governing Board (IGB) tasked to implement the project, stressed the importance of the LGRP in boosting revenue-raising capacities of LGUs. “This project is quite important. We should put our attention to it because in the end it will help the local governments improve their capacity to raise their own finances,” Dominguez told the IGB board during its first virtual meeting on May 18. The IGB is now set to meet every two months until LGRP gets off the ground. This, after Dominguez increased the frequency of the meeting from the recommended schedule of twice a year. It is set to meet again on July 19. Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) Executive Director Niño Raymond Alvina said during the meeting that they target to have 1,372 LGUs, or at least 80 percent of the total number of LGUs, achieve 100-percent efficiency in real property tax collection and valuation by 2024, triggering a 30-percent increase in LGUs’ total own-source revenues. The share of real property taxes to local tax revenues has been decreasing since the enactment of the Local Government Code, Alvina said, adding that real property taxes currently contribute 9 percent to the total LGUs aggregate income, lower than the 13-percent share of business tax collections. As of 2019, around 98 out of 146 cities and 46 out of 81 provinces

in the country are noncompliant with the requirement to revalue properties in their respective jurisdictions once every three years, he said. Sixty-four percent of LGUs have outdated property valuations, while the real property tax collection efficiency of provinces and municipalities are at only 68 percent and 71 percent, respectively. Compared to its Asian peers, the Philippines lags behind in terms of share of real property tax collections to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to Alvina. The Philippines’s property taxto-GDP ratio has been decreasing since 2003, settling at only 0.5 percent as of 2019, which is the same as Thailand’s, and way lower than the 2-percent average set by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Singapore’s property taxto-GDP ratio is at 2 percent, while Japan is at 2.5 percent and South Korea at 3 percent.

intelligence, automation, robotics, and digital technologies. Prior to the enactment of CREATE, IPP was already in place after it was signed by President Duterte in December last year. It identifies economic activities which may be entitled to incentives, including investments generating job opportunities outside of congested urban areas, commercialization of uncommercialized patents on products and services and export business, among others. “Yes, the IPP is still being used as the transitional SIPP and the framework of both are very similar,” Lopez told the BusinessMirror. Under CREATE, the corporate income tax rate is reduced to 20 percent from 30 percent for domestic corporations with net taxable income of P5 million and below and have total assets of P100 million and below effective July 1, 2020. All other local firms and resident foreign companies are imposed a 25-percent income tax.

‘Unfair’ appropriation of BARMM funds scored

Alvina said the LGRP aims to correct the following infirmities in the property valuation system of LGUs: absence of an integrated and reliable property information and valuation database for transactions to capture the true market value of real properties; poor record keeping and outdated reporting systems; weak capacity of local valuation staff; and political considerations in approving and implementing updated Schedule of Market Values (SMVs). Under the LGRP, a Property Valuation Office will also be established this year in the BLGF. Apart from updating the existing real property tax guidelines with international valua t i o n s t a n d a r d s , Va l u a t i o n Training Centers and training hubs will be set up to improve the competency and professional skills of local assessors. At least 858 or 50 percent of the country’s 1,715 local assessors will also be trained on the use of learning management systems and develop formal valuation education programs with partner academic institutions.

GOOD gover nance group seeking total transparency on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has reiterated its call for concerned agencies and the Senate Finance committee to investigate BARMM’s “unfair” appropriations of funds. Malayang Lipunan Movement Mindanao Director Jhannah Villegas said BARRM has a combined P160 billion budget for fiscal year 2020 and 2021, but a substantial amount was allocated to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) that includes, but not limited to, Supplies and Materials while forgetting more important ones. The group’s petition for a Senate inquiry came on the heels of a request by three lawmakers of BARMM who jointly filed a bill seeking an additional P50-million fund for the region’s response against Covid-19 in addition to the P380 million the ministry of health earlier allocated. The bill was authored by BARMM Parliament Deputy Speakers ZiaurRahman Adiong and Nabil Tan, and Ubaida Pacasem. “BARMM has so much money but is unfairly and unjustly distributed or appropriated,” Villegas said. “For instance, prudent dictates that a P6billion budget for supplies for a year is highly questionable, unconscionable, extravagant and highly immoral.” Records show that in 2020, the total Supplies and Materials of BARMM Government was P2,717,741,060 and it ballooned to more than P6 billion for 2021, a 120.20-percent increase. In an official statement for media earlier sent, Villegas said, “it is worth noting that the BARMM Government is still in the process of recruitment such that various field offices in the five provinces are still not in its full capacity.” Before the Senate went on recess, Sen. Imee Marcos filed Senate Resolution No. 729 on May 24, 2021, directing the Senate Committee on Finance to conduct an inquiry into the expenses on rehabilitation, development projects of conflictaffected community in the region, saying “there is too little progress and change in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).”

Continued on A11

System weakness

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Wednesday, June 23 , 2021

Del Monte PHL net income surges by 33% in FY 2021 By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ruit canner Del Monte Philippines Inc., an indirect Philippine unit of Campos-led listed firm Del Monte Pacific Ltd., on Tuesday said its net income for fiscal year (FY) 2021 ending April rose 33 percent to P4.6 billion from last year’s P3.5 billion.

Del Monte attributed the increase to improved sales, lower costs and expenses and greater efficiency. The company said sales during its fiscal year, which starts in May, were up 8 percent to P34.5 billion from last year’s P31.9 billion. About two-thirds of the company’s sales came from the Philippines, while the international market accounted for the rest. “In the year of our 95th anniversary, I am pleased with the strong

performance delivered by the company, demonstrating the resilience of our business and the strategy we have in place,” Joselito D. Campos Jr., the company’s CEO, said. “During FY2021, we focused on adapting to consumer trends through product innovation and digital marketing, while, at the same time, strengthening our operations and maximizing efficiencies. These initiatives translated into sales growth in both our Philippines and

international markets. This gives us confidence as we are well positioned to take full advantage of our market leadership and further accelerate our strategy across the region.” The company’s local sales grew by 10 percent to P19.2 billion, as strong retail sales more than offset the decline in food service sales due to the quarantine. Sales volume rose in its convenience cooking and dessert, and healthy beverages and snacks segments. The company’s spaghetti sauce, pasta, ketchup and packaged fruit products performed well as a result of an increase in home cooking, anchored on quality and nutrition, and communications targeting specific use recipes and occasions. Beverage sales also improved, with Del Monte’s equity associated with healthy and immunity-boosting products, it said. The company entered into the fast-growing ready-to-drink milk and biscuits categories with the launch of its two new products, which generated incremental revenue and profit for the company with no can-

nibalization on core categories, while expanding the brand footprint into daily snacking as a new consumption occasion. The company said its sales volume in premium fresh fruit also increased, but the strengthening of the peso against the United States dollar trimmed the revenue growth to 1 percent for this segment. The company said its export sales of packaged fruit and beverages rose 15 percent with better sales across the Americas, North Asia and Southeast Asia. The US market was the main driver of sales. Del Monte Philippines in April has revived its plan to go public as it resubmitted its registration papers for its initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hoping to raise as much as P44 billion. Documents it submitted to the agency showed that the company will sell some 699.33 million in secondary common shares and an overallotment option of 104.89 million common shares at P54.80 per share.

ACEN opens solar plant in Laguna By Lenie Lectura @llectura

he country’s second largest solar plant in the country has started exporting renewable energy (RE) into the grid. AC Energy Corp.’s (ACEN) 120 MW GigaSol Alaminos solar plant in Laguna is the company’s second solar power project to start operations this year. It can power approximately 80,000 homes. “We are pleased to add much needed capacity to the grid as electricity supply remains tight. AC Energy has already added 183 MW of solar capacity to the grid earlier this year, and we also expect to start the operations of the 150 MW Ingrid Power quick response thermal plant in Pililla, Rizal in the next few weeks,” said AC Energy President and CEO Eric Francia. “We have another 276 MW of renewables capacity under construc-

ERC begins audit of NGCP facilities

HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it started the virtual inspection of the transmission facilities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) last June 10. “The ongoing inspections will cover NGCP’s Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao transmission facilities and the activities that will be undertaken are threefold: document verification of relevant documents on site; ocular inspections of the various systems, assets, and procedures; and probing questions or discussions with the concerned NGCP staff,” ERC Chairperson and CEO Agnes VST Devanadera said in a statement Tuesday. The inspections are part of the compliance review being undertaken by the ERC’s technical staff together with its appointed consultant, Navarro, Amper & Co. The inspections will determine NGCP’s compliance with the governing rules and regulations; sufficiency of the infrastructure used by the system operator in carrying out its functions and responsibilities; accuracy, reliability, and availability of data or information gathered from power plants, substations, and other power utilities; and capacitate the ERC personnel on compliance review. Lenie Lectura

tion in the Philippines, with plans to double this capacity before the end of the year.” The company has also carried out the construction of various RE projects including the 4MW Bataan RE Tech Hub, the 40 MW Alaminos Battery Storage in Laguna, the 72 MW Arayat-Mexico Solar in Pampanga, and the 160 MW GigaWind in Ilocos Norte. These RE projects, the company said, are critical additions to the energy space as a disruptive power shortage persists. “In further augmenting our generating capacity amidst the pandemic, we were able to build a solid platform from which we can continue our rapid renewables acceleration in the region, while also helping the country to ‘build back better’,” said Jose Maria Zabaleta, AC Energy’s Chief Development Officer. “We were able to create jobs and help build economic resilience while playing a significant

role in aiding the country’s energy security.” The company has integrated a circular approach in the solar farm’s construction site, with 32,540 kilograms of plastic waste already upcycled into eco-bricks and utilized in building the solar plant facilities. GigaSol Alaminos also features a Tree Nursery, with a target to produce 120,000 seedlings in three years and is also surrounded by Ayala Land’s Carbon Forest, a woodland reserve that acts as a carbon trap and home to biodiversity. Plans to develop an Eco-Learning Facility where students and other visitors can gain knowledge about renewable energy and sustainability are underway. AC Energy envisions to recreate this pilot Sustainability Hub to fulfill its goal of protecting the environment, creating jobs to reignite the economy, and engaging its host communities meaningfully while creating clean energy.

“AC Energy’s robust line up of projects allows it to play an integral role in the green-led recovery, which is especially critical as the economy gradually reopens and demand for power picks up. AC Energy is in an excellent position to attain its vision of reaching 5,000 MW of renewables by 2025 and realize its aspiration of becoming the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia,” added Francia. T he compa ny recent ly a nnounced its divestment from biomass power companies in Negros to focus on solar and wind power projects. ACEN’s joint venture with the Zabaleta group, Negros Island Biomass Holdings Inc., signed agreements to divest its shareholdings in three biomass-fired power plants in Visayas. NIBH will sell its equity stake to its partner, Singapore-based ThomasLloyd CTI Asia Holdings Pte Ltd.

PAL lowers price of RT-PCR test

hilippine Airlines (PAL) passengers departing from Manila may avail of an RTPCR test for P2,599 and get the results in 24 hours, the airline said. The price of the test has been reduced by 21 percent. It is available in all PAL testing facilities at the Philippine Airlines Learning Center (PLC) in Ermita, Manila and at PAL Gate 3 along Andrews Avenue in Pasay City. It was This makes PAL—in partnership with DOH-accredited Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics L aborator y—t he a irl ine t hat offers the lowest-priced 24-hour Covid test for travel, starting June 21. The PAL testing centers at PLC Manila and PAL Gate 3 Pasay City also offer antigen tests at P700 with results released in 30 minutes. RT-PCR and Antigen Testing at the PLC center are available via drive-through or walk-in daily, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the PAL Gate 3 Testing Facility along Andrews Avenue is open to serve passengers via walk-in or in-car service.

BusinessMirror file photo

The airline said the testing services are part of PAL’s continuing commitment to promote safety and convenience in traveling, as the flag carrier continues the gradual increase of flights and routes as travel demand recovers with the easing of travel restrictions. Upon entering both facilities, passengers must present their ID, PAL ticket, payment confirmation (if prepaid), and QR code indicating successful registration to the PAL Passenger Profile and Health Declaration Form. They will also be asked to fill out a Health Assessment Check-

list in compliance with Department of Health requirements on entering public places. In compliance with Philippine regulations, PAL said non-Filipinos undergoing a Covid-19 test must ensure to bring a photocopy of their passport and proof of accommodation or residence in the Philippines. Passengers may pay in cash (pesos only), card (debit or credit), GCash, PayPal™, WeChat Pay, or Alipay on the day of their test. For RT-PCR tests, senior citizen and PWD discounts will apply. Passengers can pre-pay for their Covid-19 tests online. Recto L. Mercene

Globe deploys KonekTayo in local resettlement sites

Globe President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest Cu By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

lobe Telecom Inc. has partnered with the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to deploy its KonekTayo WiFi service in more than 100 resettlement sites nationwide. Through the partnership, Globe said it will be able to provide 40,000 housing beneficiaries with affordable prepaid Internet services, which they can purchase according to their need. “We are grateful for this partnership with the NHA and will work with them to fulfill their core mission to promote decent, livable, and resilient homes for all Filipinos, through lowcost and reliable internet connectivity,” Globe President Ernest Cu said. He said the KonekTayo service will benefit those who are working or studying from home. Marcelino Escalada, Jr., General Manager of NHA, noted that the Internet has become, just like a home, a need rather than a privilege. “We are grateful for this partnership with Globe that allows us to better serve our constituents by helping them with their digital needs. We look forward to continued partnership and collaboration with Globe,” he said. KonekTayo WiFi is available in the following NHA communities:

Disiplina Village I-Ugong, Disiplina Village II-Bignay, Valenzuela; Paradise Heights and Vitas LRB in Tondo, Manila; Malabon Homes in Malabon; Lanit River Plains in Iloilo; Greendale Residences, Guadalupe Heights, St. Francis Village and North Hill Arbours in Tacloban, Leyte; and Paraiso Heights in Sagay, Negros Occidental. And soon, KonekTayo WiFi will be available in other selected NHA communities nationwide. Cu said Globe is also committing to conduct ambassadorship training for the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) for communities and implement the eWaste Zero Program in various NHA areas where KonekTayo is available. The program aims to educate the youth on digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology through workshops and modules while eWaste Zero is a recovery and recycling program that teaches and ensures proper disposal of electronic wastes. “With more affordable connectivity, NHA beneficiaries are now empowered to get equal access to information and the modern economy, equal opportunities for education, and equal chances for productivity and livelihood,” Cu said. He noted that through this initiative, Globe is helping bridge the socalled digital divide, which is prevalent in the Philippines, according to the World Bank.

Companies BusinessMirror

Wednesday, June 23 , 2021

Jollibee, Yoshinoya complete formation of joint venture

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) on Tuesday said it has completed the incorporation of Yoshinoya Jollibee Foods Inc., its joint venture with Yoshinoya which will serve as the Japanese company’s vehicle for its expansion in the Philippines.

The joint venture is 50 percent owned by Jollibee while the remaining half will be owned by Yoshinoya International Philippines Inc., which has secured approval as a foreign retailer from the Board of Investments on May 5. Yoshinoya is Jollibee’s first Japanese food chain. The said JV company will initially have an authorized capital stock of

P130 million and will have its own management, with Jollibee providing support. The Yoshinoya brand will be a strong addition to the foreign franchised brands currently being operated by Jollibee in the Philippines, the company said. The others are Burger King, with 98 stores; PHO 24; and Panda Express. “These brands contribute 3.5 per-

cent to the Philippine business’ system wide sales. Yoshinoya’s contribution to JFC’s system wide sales will not be significant yet as it has very limited number of stores, but it has huge opportunity to increase sales by taking advantage of the strong demand for food delivery. Yoshinoya’s food, particularly its signature Gyudon beef bowl holds very well for delivery,” the company said. Jollibee earlier said it plans to expand the Yoshinoya brand to about 50 stores from the current handful of branches. Yoshinoya is a beef bowl fast-food business based in Japan and one of the largest and most recognized Japanese restaurant brands globally, with over 2,000 stores worldwide. Yoshinoya Philippines is a unit subsidiary of Asia Yoshinoya International SDN BHD and Yoshinoya Holdings Co. Ltd., the trademark owner of the Yoshinoya System. It currently operates three Yoshinoya stores in the Philippines. JFC operates the largest food service and restaurant company in the Philippines with 5 wholly-owned

brands—Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon and Mang Inasal. Jollibee said it aims to become the leading market developer of foreign restaurant brands in the country. In the long-term, the company said it plans to have close to 400 stores for its foreign franchised brands in the Philippines. “JFC sees high potential for broad acceptance across the country for these foreign franchised brands as it expects expansion of the upper middle class in the country in the long-term. This will create demand for a wider variety of food products including those from foreign brands,” it said. “The goal of these foreign franchised brands is to contribute to the sustainable growth of the domestic business by successfully building the brands and growing each brand to be the leader in its market segment. These foreign franchised brands also create benefits such as economies of scale, synergies in organization and supply chain allowing them to be profitable in a short period of time.”

GrowSari raises $30M to support expansion

OMEGROWN e-commerce company GrowSari has closed its Series B Funding with more than $30 million in total funding from marquee investors worldwide, which it intends to use to expand its network of community stores nationwide. “GrowSari aims to empower and significantly increase the earnings of sari-sari stores in the Philippines by providing direct access to a wide assortment of affordable products, ebusinesses, and financial assistance,” said GrowSari Cofounder Reymund Rollan. “With the fresh funds, we aim to more than double GrowSari’s existing coverage and service more than 300,000 sari-sari stores, including those in Visayas and Mindanao. This will also help us broaden our supplier marketplace with new third party partners and scale our financial service pilots.”

This round had participation from Pavilion Capital, China’s Tencent, International Finance Corp., ICCP SBI Venture Partners, and Singaporebased growth fund Saison Capital, along with existing investors, such as Gokongwei-led Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. and JG Digital Equity Ventures, as well as Singapore-based Wavemaker Partners. Mom-and-pop retail establishments in the neighborhood, or more popularly known locally as sari-sari stores, are considered the backbone of the Philippine retail sector and are an integral part of the economy, with an estimated retail sales value of $100 billion. Based on statistics, around 84 percent of Filipinos buy essential goods at the over 1.1 million stores across the country, with 60 percent of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) shopper spending happening in them. Roderick L. Abad

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

June 22, 2021

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

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

43.5 114.4 86.5 24.85 9.69 48.5 22.35 55.65 17.46 120.4 77 1.25 4.11 3 0.7 199 2,400 0.96

44 114.5 87.15 24.9 9.7 49.1 22.4 55.9 17.88 120.5 77.45 1.3 4.18 3.01 0.72 200 2,500 1

43.5 114.4 87.2 24.5 9.73 48.5 22.4 55.9 17.5 121.5 76.5 1.24 4.18 3.01 0.72 198.5 2,400 0.97

43.5 115.7 87.8 24.9 9.73 49.4 22.55 55.9 17.9 121.5 77 1.29 4.2 3.01 0.72 199 2,400 0.97

43.5 113.6 86.5 24.5 9.7 48.5 22.2 55.6 17.42 120.4 76.5 1.24 4.11 3.01 0.72 198.1 2,400 0.96

43.5 114.4 86.5 24.85 9.7 48.5 22.4 55.65 17.9 120.5 77 1.29 4.11 3.01 0.72 199 2,400 0.96

600 2,174,860 627,120 17,100 130,400 2,292,900 544,500 6,120 112,700 498,530 8,580 38,000 185,000 35,000 7,000 1,560 10 13,000

26,100 248,957,751 54,487,522 423,130 1,266,254 112,220,550 12,142,390 340,799 1,970,178 60,177,630 660,343.50 48,200 774,610 105,350 5,040 309,957 24,000 12,590

64,256,016 -3,058,469.50 -593,509 55,504,050 -723,915 -1,063,558 -8,302,760 596,683.50 3,600 109,175 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 8.5 8.51 8.45 8.54 8.4 8.5 20,751,100 175,807,285 ALSONS CONS 1.36 1.37 1.36 1.38 1.36 1.36 141,000 192,320 ABOITIZ POWER 24.85 24.9 24.3 24.9 24.3 24.9 4,302,800 106,527,345 BASIC ENERGY 0.8 0.81 0.81 0.82 0.79 0.81 20,681,000 16,621,900 FIRST GEN 30.9 30.95 30.5 31.05 30.5 30.95 531,100 16,413,440 FIRST PHIL HLDG 75.1 75.9 75.25 76.2 74 75.1 918,990 68,507,307 MERALCO 276 278 278 278.2 275.8 276 148,340 41,124,010 MANILA WATER 17.06 17.1 16.74 17.24 16.74 17.06 2,164,400 36,906,272 PETRON 3.35 3.36 3.29 3.38 3.27 3.35 1,784,000 5,977,510 PETROENERGY 4.03 4.13 4.03 4.03 4.02 4.02 20,000 80,500 PHX PETROLEUM 12.58 13.02 12.5 13.04 12.5 13.02 36,400 471,598 PILIPINAS SHELL 20.85 20.9 20.75 21.1 20.75 20.85 316,400 6,596,405 SPC POWER 11.86 11.9 11.58 11.86 11.56 11.86 169,900 1,982,786 VIVANT 15.06 16 15.1 15.5 15 15.06 13,200 201,704 AGRINURTURE 6.22 6.3 6.31 6.33 6.18 6.3 3,538,200 22,293,900 AXELUM 2.91 2.98 2.9 2.98 2.9 2.98 338,000 1,004,380 CNTRL AZUCARERA 13.02 14.3 14.34 14.34 13.8 13.8 1,100 15,234 CENTURY FOOD 22.75 22.9 22.4 22.9 22.4 22.9 1,001,600 22,848,355 15.76 15.8 14.96 16 14.96 15.78 428,900 6,690,366 DEL MONTE DNL INDUS 8.3 8.33 8.1 8.35 8.05 8.33 5,978,200 49,376,199 EMPERADOR 10.94 10.96 10.7 10.96 10.6 10.94 4,332,100 47,020,192 SMC FOODANDBEV 71.6 72 70.95 72.8 70.1 72 270,000 19,394,759 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.63 0.64 0.62 0.64 0.61 0.64 941,000 579,460 FRUITAS HLDG 1.39 1.4 1.38 1.43 1.38 1.4 6,628,000 9,300,610 GINEBRA 94.95 95 92.5 95 88 95 137,430 12,801,389 JOLLIBEE 206.4 208.6 202.2 209 201.6 206.4 647,710 132,750,760 MAXS GROUP 6.53 6.54 6.51 6.57 6.37 6.53 364,700 2,348,770 MG HLDG 0.295 0.305 0.295 0.315 0.29 0.295 5,160,000 1,554,000 14.54 14.58 14.48 14.58 14.32 14.58 10,730,600 155,515,888 MONDE NISSIN SHAKEYS PIZZA 7.84 7.85 7.88 7.88 7.81 7.88 40,000 313,650 ROXAS AND CO 1.06 1.07 1.06 1.09 1.05 1.07 677,000 718,100 RFM CORP 4.49 4.59 4.5 4.51 4.49 4.51 49,000 220,800 ROXAS HLDG 1.44 1.48 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.47 6,000 8,820 SWIFT FOODS 0.166 0.167 0.139 0.166 0.139 0.166 206,170,000 32,035,480 139.1 140 139 140.7 139 139.1 494,000 69,033,618 UNIV ROBINA VITARICH 0.86 0.87 0.87 0.87 0.85 0.87 545,000 470,930 VICTORIAS 2.34 2.53 2.39 2.39 2.39 2.39 3,000 7,170 CONCRETE A 52.1 52.2 52.1 52.2 52.05 52.2 360 18,776.50 CONCRETE B 60 61 60 60 60 60 100 6,000 CEMEX HLDG 1.3 1.31 1.28 1.31 1.28 1.31 2,187,000 2,843,230 DAVINCI CAPITAL 3.19 3.2 2.95 3.19 2.95 3.19 4,630,000 14,376,960 EAGLE CEMENT 14.5 14.58 14.22 14.56 14.22 14.5 393,800 5,707,858 7.61 7.7 7.6 7.6 7.5 7.6 66,600 500,671 EEI CORP HOLCIM 6.33 6.38 6.4 6.5 6.38 6.38 86,000 549,885 6.65 6.7 6.77 6.85 6.59 6.67 1,849,100 12,271,827 MEGAWIDE PHINMA 12.78 12.8 12.8 12.8 12.76 12.78 38,200 487,952 TKC METALS 1.03 1.04 1.04 1.06 1.03 1.03 615,000 635,350 VULCAN INDL 2.08 2.09 2.13 2.15 2.08 2.08 3,330,000 6,968,420 CROWN ASIA 1.78 1.79 1.77 1.79 1.77 1.78 86,000 153,720 EUROMED 1.9 1.93 1.89 1.93 1.89 1.93 71,000 134,950 4.29 4.94 4.3 4.3 4.23 4.29 55,000 233,450 LMG CORP MABUHAY VINYL 5.3 5.33 5.35 5.35 5.33 5.33 1,800 9,628 5.46 5.48 5.48 5.48 5.46 5.48 73,100 400,077 PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION 21.35 21.8 21.3 21.95 21.1 21.3 4,200 89,455 GREENERGY 4.17 4.18 4.22 4.25 4.05 4.18 15,121,000 62,978,010 INTEGRATED MICR 10.26 10.3 10.32 10.42 10.1 10.3 1,186,900 12,128,830 IONICS 1.16 1.17 1.14 1.17 1.12 1.16 1,002,000 1,149,910 PANASONIC 5.8 5.83 5.84 5.84 5.83 5.83 8,000 46,670 SFA SEMICON 1.36 1.4 1.37 1.4 1.33 1.4 736,000 1,019,120 CIRTEK HLDG 6.7 6.72 6.37 6.8 6.3 6.7 5,001,700 32,859,209

2,048,713 -13,600 27,388,600 41,640 8,546,450 -16,538,811.50 -19,359,100 -3,417,124.00 372,490 -167,872 -3,115,695 16,936 -9,240 -5,493,130 -298,000 -3,823,490 -461,490 10,129,918 -3,400,064 -16,327,093 60,990 -625,630.50 21,493,024 19,330 40,883,918 -39,969 -42,200 180,910 -16,428,282 229,960 -249,850 -6,798,063 -166,000 1,030 21,100 284,970 -1,095,226 -9,120 -43,400 -2,314,682

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG MJC INVESTMENTS METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

1.12 7.27 809 42.5 10.22 3.99 6.8 0.88 0.71 5.42 6.27 8.06 0.28 614.5 3.75 60 5.51 1 3.36 12.94 0.56 1.55 4.01 3.75 3.05 1.22 1,000 114.2 0.73 128.5 0.28 0.226

1.13 7.4 810 42.8 10.24 4 6.95 0.89 0.72 5.43 6.28 8.15 0.285 615 3.9 60.15 5.93 1.01 3.37 13 0.57 1.58 4.04 3.8 3.06 1.23 1,002 114.5 0.74 134 0.285 0.233

1.1 7.38 800 42.2 10.06 4 6.95 0.89 0.73 5.35 6.26 8.07 0.285 596 3.9 60.85 6 0.95 3.36 13.16 0.59 1.53 4 3.75 2.95 1.22 985 115.5 0.73 134 0.295 0.225

1.15 7.4 812 42.95 10.24 4.05 6.95 0.92 0.73 5.45 6.29 8.15 0.29 619.5 3.9 61.95 6 1.01 3.36 13.16 0.64 1.53 4.08 3.75 3.06 1.23 1,007 115.5 0.74 134 0.295 0.235

1.09 7.25 795 42.2 10.06 3.9 6.8 0.86 0.71 5.35 6.25 8.07 0.27 596 3.9 60 5.1 0.94 3.36 12.92 0.54 1.53 4 3.75 2.9 1.22 985 114 0.73 128.3 0.27 0.225

1.13 7.4 810 42.5 10.22 4 6.8 0.88 0.71 5.42 6.27 8.15 0.29 614.5 3.9 60 5.93 1 3.36 12.94 0.57 1.53 4.04 3.75 3.05 1.23 1,000 114.2 0.74 134 0.28 0.226

18,291,000 1,000 85,310 1,215,200 5,264,600 11,436,000 2,200 8,843,000 1,090,000 1,034,000 4,479,600 18,900 610,000 198,590 24,000 2,466,540 31,800 3,411,000 50,000 2,672,700 2,870,000 2,000 5,605,000 6,000 2,039,000 22,000 141,510 201,490 18,000 320,270 4,920,000 2,150,000

20,612,150 7,304 68,697,290 51,686,790 53,420,210 45,689,280 15,125 7,714,410 783,870 5,594,929 28,114,904 153,065 170,850 120,784,870 93,600 149,815,361.50 176,367 3,381,420 168,000 34,668,812 1,701,160 3,060 22,651,040 22,500 6,043,710 26,940 141,305,075 23,048,045 13,150 42,916,123 1,390,000 491,430

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.62 0.63 0.62 0.63 0.61 0.63 579,000 356,830 ANCHOR LAND 7.34 7.74 7.75 7.75 7.3 7.3 20,300 148,908 AYALA LAND 36.85 36.9 36.5 37.25 36.45 36.85 6,567,900 241,356,210 ARANETA PROP 1.18 1.22 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 2,000 2,400 AREIT RT 36.35 36.4 36.05 36.35 36.05 36.35 313,600 11,378,905 BELLE CORP 1.53 1.54 1.5 1.54 1.49 1.54 186,000 283,100 A BROWN 0.99 1.01 1 1.01 0.99 0.99 1,360,000 1,356,810 CITYLAND DEVT 1 1.03 1.08 1.08 0.99 1 4,419,000 4,502,120 CROWN EQUITIES 0.127 0.128 0.127 0.129 0.126 0.128 2,380,000 303,260 CEBU HLDG 6.72 6.8 6.72 6.72 6.72 6.72 5,000 33,600 CEB LANDMASTERS 3.76 3.78 3.71 3.82 3.65 3.76 1,240,000 4,611,660 CENTURY PROP 0.47 0.48 0.47 0.48 0.465 0.48 24,030,000 11,384,100 DOUBLEDRAGON 12.02 12.06 12.08 12.12 11.98 12.06 400,500 4,831,504 DDMP RT 2.05 2.06 2.06 2.07 2.04 2.06 3,793,000 7,790,140 DM WENCESLAO 7 7.15 6.92 7 6.9 7 9,400 65,147 EMPIRE EAST 0.295 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 2,520,000 756,000 EVER GOTESCO 0.46 0.465 0.47 0.54 0.46 0.46 531,230,000 261,852,350 FILINVEST LAND 1.11 1.13 1.12 1.13 1.11 1.13 9,535,000 10,684,980 GLOBAL ESTATE 0.88 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.88 0.88 338,000 299,960 8990 HLDG 7.3 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 2,100 15,540 PHIL INFRADEV 1.45 1.47 1.46 1.49 1.44 1.47 2,744,000 4,014,750 CITY AND LAND 1.93 1.94 1.98 1.98 1.88 1.93 2,114,000 4,067,470 MEGAWORLD 3.12 3.13 3.11 3.15 3.1 3.12 18,897,000 58,943,600 MRC ALLIED 0.395 0.4 0.39 0.405 0.385 0.4 14,400,000 5,734,250 PHIL ESTATES 0.72 0.73 0.77 0.79 0.7 0.72 178,331,000 132,735,190 PRIMEX CORP 3.63 3.64 3.59 3.65 3.55 3.63 891,000 3,205,900 ROBINSONS LAND 17.66 17.7 17.72 17.72 17.58 17.7 659,200 11,651,746 PHIL REALTY 0.242 0.247 0.243 0.247 0.243 0.247 190,000 46,530 ROCKWELL 1.51 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.51 1.55 638,000 965,570 SHANG PROP 2.64 2.69 2.68 2.68 2.68 2.68 3,000 8,040 STA LUCIA LAND 3.34 3.35 3 3.5 3 3.35 5,017,000 16,501,760 SM PRIME HLDG 36.65 36.9 36.5 37.4 36.1 36.65 5,828,000 214,083,640 VISTAMALLS 3.77 3.88 3.73 3.88 3.73 3.88 54,000 203,210 SUNTRUST HOME 1.78 1.79 1.76 1.81 1.76 1.79 1,221,000 2,182,750 VISTA LAND 3.63 3.67 3.67 3.69 3.62 3.67 4,697,000 17,108,970 SERVICES ABS CBN 11.44 11.6 11.42 11.8 11.4 11.6 86,500 1,003,228 13.78 13.8 12.7 13.94 12.7 13.8 10,447,400 141,106,848 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.425 0.46 0.46 0.46 0.46 0.46 20,000 9,200 9.76 10.5 9.79 9.79 9.76 9.76 13,200 128,841 MLA BRDCASTING GLOBE TELECOM 1,819 1,828 1,830 1,831 1,815 1,819 76,390 138,977,745 PLDT 1,285 1,290 1,278 1,297 1,271 1,290 120,000 154,298,390 0.183 0.184 0.184 0.186 0.182 0.184 95,710,000 17,577,180 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 22 22.15 22 22.45 21.8 22 4,651,900 102,719,675 DFNN INC 4.06 4.09 4.05 4.14 4.01 4.06 183,000 742,960 DITO CME HLDG 9.34 9.35 9.35 9.41 9.3 9.35 4,397,600 41,215,251 IMPERIAL 1.64 1.72 1.76 1.76 1.76 1.76 3,000 5,280 NOW CORP 2.4 2.44 2.46 2.48 2.38 2.4 1,506,000 3,629,710 0.47 0.475 0.46 0.5 0.45 0.47 134,750,000 64,711,250 TRANSPACIFIC BR 2.49 2.5 2.5 2.52 2.48 2.49 718,000 1,793,610 PHILWEB 8.48 8.56 8.56 8.6 8.45 8.56 21,500 183,445 2GO GROUP CHELSEA 3.19 3.2 3.26 3.3 3.19 3.2 884,000 2,855,850 CEBU AIR 52.35 53.2 51.7 53.2 51.6 53.2 1,052,200 55,117,511.50 156.6 156.9 157.6 158.6 156 156.6 984,300 154,473,640 INTL CONTAINER 18 18.06 18 18 18 18 2,800 50,400 LBC EXPRESS 5.68 5.7 5.73 5.8 5.6 5.7 1,058,700 6,032,061 MACROASIA 2.22 2.25 2.22 2.27 2.2 2.25 206,000 457,540 METROALLIANCE A HARBOR STAR 1.19 1.2 1.19 1.23 1.19 1.19 662,000 789,610 ACESITE HOTEL 1.77 1.83 1.88 1.88 1.76 1.83 228,000 406,610 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.114 0.115 0.114 0.118 0.111 0.115 201,410,000 23,149,500 DISCOVERY WORLD 3.01 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 102,000 316,200 WATERFRONT 0.58 0.6 0.62 0.62 0.57 0.6 6,835,000 4,019,910 CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.53 6.74 6.51 6.6 6.51 6.6 5,100 33,471 IPEOPLE 7.14 7.5 7.11 7.5 7.11 7.5 700 5,094 STI HLDG 0.38 0.385 0.375 0.385 0.375 0.38 7,380,000 2,804,250 BERJAYA 5.2 5.3 5.2 5.35 5.2 5.3 8,600 45,455 BLOOMBERRY 6.68 6.7 6.65 6.9 6.65 6.7 3,397,600 23,021,703 2.06 2.1 2.11 2.11 2.11 2.11 20,000 42,200 PACIFIC ONLINE LEISURE AND RES 1.62 1.66 1.61 1.67 1.61 1.66 96,000 156,570 PH RESORTS GRP 2.14 2.15 2.06 2.19 2.02 2.15 6,056,000 12,911,340 0.43 0.435 0.42 0.435 0.42 0.435 2,050,000 885,000 PREMIUM LEISURE ALLHOME 7.89 8 7.95 8.09 7.88 8 3,069,900 24,531,729 METRO RETAIL 1.34 1.36 1.35 1.38 1.34 1.37 599,000 815,160 PUREGOLD 40.3 40.35 40.05 40.5 40.05 40.3 1,076,300 43,370,940 ROBINSONS RTL 52.5 52.55 51 52.75 50.9 52.5 1,078,120 56,431,859 PHIL SEVEN CORP 100.9 101.1 101.7 101.7 101 101 9,660 975,803 SSI GROUP 1.23 1.24 1.24 1.25 1.22 1.23 1,832,000 2,261,670 18.7 18.8 18.6 18.88 18.6 18.8 1,650,000 31,012,816 WILCON DEPOT 0.38 0.385 0.385 0.39 0.385 0.385 1,110,000 431,150 APC GROUP EASYCALL 6 6.14 6.1 6.15 6 6.14 8,100 49,184 GOLDEN MV 411 438.6 425.2 438.6 425.2 438.6 800 350,004 PRMIERE HORIZON 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.67 1.64 1.65 7,716,000 12,737,470 4.12 4.34 4.11 4.25 4.11 4.25 92,000 384,850 SBS PHIL CORP

94,900 9,302,345 -22,220,090 -13,557,108 34,121,970 87,000 -1,061,862 5,669,010 -2,916,110 -89,700 -9,086,747 -12,006 -297,000 -14,862,172 -6,490,300 81,060 -34,846,940 -4,701,248 -26,743 -9,315,210 -1,250,800 -15,170 -907,970 8,820 39,630 -20,900 629,522 -1,156,250 -9,000 -64,000 1,041,800.00 -3,700 4,470 37,820 -13,814,250 192,000 487,860 413,830 274,466 -6,800 -1,435,680 109,040 1,016,520 -13,469,140 -55,460,680 -2,990,535 -723,030 -8,813,180 -384,780 -3,315,398 -1,030,190 -4,400 -932,610 64,900 -7,750,493.50 29,164,592 -280,413 -9,540 752,900 -12,400 -58,000.00 -19,000 -7,608,362 69,230 -222,540 26,300 -3,588,027 326,100 10,916,470.00 -7,206,741 -64,692 -947,980 -2,067,870 -3,770 -

MINING & OIL ATOK 9.07 9.08 9 9.18 9 9.08 60,500 548,536 76,036.00 APEX MINING 1.64 1.65 1.62 1.65 1.62 1.65 864,000 1,419,580 52,480 ATLAS MINING 6.34 6.4 6.48 6.48 6.22 6.34 1,213,100 7,645,751 -593,618 BENGUET A 5.06 5.15 4.85 5.2 4.85 5.06 345,000 1,739,420 BENGUET B 4.8 4.99 5 5 4.95 4.97 114,000 567,440 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.31 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.31 0.32 190,000 60,500 CENTURY PEAK 2.87 2.88 2.88 2.88 2.87 2.88 64,000 184,250 28,770 6.66 6.89 6.88 6.9 6.85 6.9 14,500 99,761 -8,280 DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL 2.43 2.44 2.43 2.46 2.42 2.43 1,418,000 3,450,570 134,430 GEOGRACE 0.325 0.335 0.325 0.335 0.32 0.335 420,000 137,700 LEPANTO A 0.154 0.155 0.153 0.155 0.153 0.154 10,860,000 1,673,910 LEPANTO B 0.156 0.163 0.155 0.155 0.155 0.155 210,000 32,550 MANILA MINING A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 296,800,000 3,359,300 MANILA MINING B 0.013 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.013 0.014 8,500,000 118,700 MARCVENTURES 1.2 1.21 1.16 1.22 1.16 1.21 324,000 387,890 1.44 1.49 1.42 1.49 1.42 1.49 86,000 126,800 2,980 NIHAO 5.15 5.16 5.18 5.19 5.1 5.15 1,832,000 9,438,953 -1,142,329 NICKEL ASIA OMICO CORP 0.405 0.41 0.405 0.405 0.4 0.405 210,000 84,800 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.97 0.98 0.97 0.98 0.95 0.98 838,000 802,790 PX MINING 6.5 6.54 6.6 6.61 6.5 6.5 3,025,800 19,787,169 -926,982 SEMIRARA MINING 14.26 14.3 14.2 14.32 14.18 14.26 1,303,800 18,601,508 -5,169,484 UNITED PARAGON 0.0091 0.0092 0.0093 0.0093 0.009 0.0091 196,000,000 1,778,900 ACE ENEXOR 20.05 20.4 18.94 21 18.6 20.4 1,112,700 21,954,229 -220,010 ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.013 0.011 0.012 77,000,000 925,000 ORNTL PETROL B 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 37,800,000 453,500 60,000 PHILODRILL 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.013 0.011 0.012 136,800,000 1,592,700 PXP ENERGY 8.09 8.18 8.07 8.26 8.07 8.18 94,100 766,037 -13,136.00 PREFFERED ALCO PREF B 101.5 103 102.5 102.5 102.5 102.5 2,100 215,250 CEB PREF 51.5 51.95 49.85 51.5 49.85 51.5 89,120 4,492,672 -289,626 CPG PREF A 103.5 104 104 104 104 104 2,000 208,000 DD PREF 102.2 102.5 102.5 102.5 102.5 102.5 240 24,600 GTCAP PREF B 1,036 1,049 1,049 1,049 1,049 1,049 10 10,490 MWIDE PREF 100.6 101 101 101 101 101 20 2,020 MWIDE PREF 2B 101 101.8 101.8 101.8 101.7 101.7 7,810 794,327 PNX PREF 4 1,005 1,009 1,005 1,005 1,005 1,005 1,315 1,321,575 15,075 PCOR PREF 2B 1,035 1,049 1,037 1,037 1,030 1,037 490 507,070 PCOR PREF 3A 1,115 1,118 1,115 1,115 1,115 1,115 38,000 42,370,000 SFI PREF 1.62 2 1.87 1.87 1.87 1.87 13,000 24,310 SMC PREF 2C 79.1 79.8 79 79 79 79 100 7,900 SMC PREF 2E 76 77.85 77.85 77.85 77.85 77.85 31,000 2,413,350 SMC PREF 2F 78.7 79.35 79.4 79.4 79.4 79.4 15,000 1,191,000 SMC PREF 2H 77.05 78 78 78 78 78 12,820 999,960 SMC PREF 2J 75.4 76.95 77 77 76.9 76.95 853,400 65,669,560 SMC PREF 2K 75.6 76.9 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 1,500 113,250 - PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 11.2 11.5 11.46 11.5 11.46 11.5 26,000 298,736 GMA HLDG PDR 12.2 12.28 11.4 12.38 11.12 12.2 987,600 11,982,782 -6,117,184 WARRANTS LR WARRANT 1.92 1.93 1.9 2 1.85 1.93 2,848,000 5,495,170 133,400 SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ALTUS PROP 17.74 18 18.1 18.1 18 18 95,600 1,725,864 ITALPINAS 2.49 2.5 2.48 2.5 2.46 2.49 409,000 1,016,880 KEPWEALTH 5.27 5.35 5.3 5.3 5.26 5.26 3,500 18,414 MERRYMART 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.34 4.26 4.26 4,119,000 17,660,650 -21,760 EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF 104.2 104.4 103.8 104.7 103.8 104.4 8,940 932,750 -17

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DTI warns public anew vs online pyramid scheme

he Department of Trade and Industry-Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (DTI-FTEB) has warned the public anew against so-called chain distribution plans (CDP) or pyramid sales schemes (PSS) that are circulating online and are now heavily marketed or promoted on various social-media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. As of April 2021, DTI-FTEB already received a total of 28 complaints regarding CDP and PSS from consumers and investors. This number increased more than two-fold compared to just 12 reported complaints received last year. Based on investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), companies that practice and offer CDP and PSS tend to focus more on the recruitment of new potential members rather than encouraging its members and franchisees to actually sell products and services to consumers accompanied with the promise of high returns of investment in a short period of time. Further, they claim that this business structure is pandemic proof to make it more enticing and promising to interested investors. Article 53 of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines clearly provides that CDP and PSS such as deriving profits primarily or mainly from recruitment of participating members and not from the marketing and sales of products and services shall not be employed in the sale of consumer products. “Victims of these fraudulent acts have the right to seek redress from the SEC or the DTI; our doors are always open to assist and guide them in addressing their complaints,” said DTIConsumer Protection Group Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo. “Those companies taking advantage of consumers by disguising their pyramid sales scheme as a legitimate business opportunity in the form of multi-level marketing have to be investigated, charged, and penalized if warranted,” DTI Assistant Secretary Ronnel O. Abrenica added. Consumers are encouraged to report businesses that offer Chain Distribution Plans or Pyramid Sales Schemes by calling the 1-DTI (1-384) Hotline or by sending an e-mail to consumercare@dti.gov.ph.

BusinessMirror

Pandemic inspires Dubai-based Pinoy tech experts to pioneer OFW news app By Erica Torres

ith close to 10 million Filipinos living and working abroad, any bit of news and information about friends and loved ones back home really matter, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Young Filipino professionals in Dubai have developed a news aggregator app called “News in Bullets,” which makes news relatively easy to access. It also provides ease in reading accurate and relevant news and information, filtering fake news in the congested digital space. News in Bullets is a personalized news aggregator app that filters the news headlines based on preferred topics, and publication sources. The app gathers the stories that are of interest to subscribers, thus, saving them time in web browsing as news and information are presented in digestible bullet points.

‘Fruit of desperation’

The concept of the app was developed by a team of young talents in

Dubai, mostly Filipinos when they were stranded away from home because of the pandemic. These Pinoy professionals felt desperate to get any bit of news about their loved ones back home, and how they were coping with the pandemic. “Being almost 10 hours away from home—with a four hour difference in our time zones—is hard enough as it is as an overseas Filipino worker,” said RJ David, chief innovation officer of News in Bullets. “Through this innovation, we hope to bring news about home closer, when home is needed the most.” He said the search for specific topics can be stressful when switching tabs and apps, and most of the time fake news proliferate in the digital space. “So we thought, how useful

would it be for everyone, especially for OFWs [overseas Filipino workers], if we have an app where all the news items that matter are in one tab,” said David. The news app, rated highly by Google Play and App Store, supports readers’ fast-paced needs to get relevant and accurate information in more than 65 languages, from Azerbajani to Zulu. News in Bullets company brings together highly skilled and passionate editors who sift through news sources and weed out potential misinformation so the subscribers will not fall into the fake news trap. “It’s amazing how Filipinos abroad can perfectly collaborate with diverse talents from other cultures in order to bring our common goal of delivering quality service for readers and publishers alike,” said Clarence Ancheta, chief technology officer. “Acts of service is my love language to the world. And serving the global community with honesty and faith is what guides me to trust the process and our colleagues. This is the foundation of how I serve in News in Bullets.” Alleda de los Reyes, chief Human Resources officer, said. News publications can partner with News in Bullets to increase their traffic in the digital platform, and

raise the number of readers. Publishing firms can profit directly from the increased readers, and share in the advertisement revenues. So far, News in Bullets have reached a total of 22,627 active app units for both iOS and Android, and has been ranked No. 1 in News apps for Android and number 3 on iOS. Filtering news and information also improve the mental health of readers as they are spared from reading topics that are stressful, including Covid-19. “There are some users who feel that they would be better if they don’t read news regarding Covid or other topics they deem too stressful for them. Because of that, we are building a fully customizable environment to care for their mental well-being while also keeping them up to date with the news that matters,” said Ancheta. He said the company woold soon open its platform to the public so they can generate content in the News in Bullets App. “This means that if you have a profile in our App, and agree to comply with our community guidelines, you will be free to post your own news content and potentially earn from the traffic you generate.” Through its Newsreels section,

News in Bullets also targets youth who are highly engaged in the social media. The section allows the subscriber to view and upload their video content similar to the famous apps TikTok and IG. Harold Diolazo, head of the Partnerships & Business Development division, said the app caters to everyone who deserves quality, timely and relevant news and information. “We believe that it would be limiting if we focus our energy and creativity on a specific audience type. Hence, we aim to be accessible and enjoyable for absolutely anyone,” said Diolazo. Diolazo said the the News in Bullets app showcases the world-class talent of Filipinos working abroad who were inspired to create digital innovations to serve their fellow overseas Filipino workers and other nationalities. He expressed hopes that by presenting news and information in bullet points, the app can improve the reading habits of people. “It does not take as much time to read news of preferred topics, and there’s literally more information to take in just a few lines. I hope that our app can positively impact readership in the Philippines, as we made this app with our kabayans in mind,” said Ancheta.

Democratizing electronics

How a home-grown company is helping product creators turn ideas into reality

SB Corporation’s newest Board member

Small Business Corp. Chairman and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez virtually swears into office SB Corp.’s new Board Director Voltaire B. Magpayo, as national government representative. A seasoned entrepreneur, a Go Negosyo mentor and a Certified Franchise Executive, Mr. Magpayo is a graduate of San Beda University and a holder of master’s degree from the University of Asia and the Pacific. Beside him is his spouse, Mrs. Cholly M. Magpayo. Contributed photo

SWAT Mobility bets on manufacturing sector to grow transport business in PHL

WAT Mobility, a Singaporebased smart mobility solution company that handles employee transportation, said it is looking at the manufacturing sector to grow its business in the Philippines. Jarrold Ong, SWAT Mobility cofounder, said these sectors have huge logistics requirements that should be done efficiently, safely and conveniently. “Manufacturing companies have always required transportation, even before the pandemic, because of the number of people that goes in and out of the facility, and transporting people has to be done efficiently because delays can mean production losses for the companies,” he said. “Our technology allows us to see who are in the vehicles at any given time which makes it easier for us to track the fleet and the passengers,”

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, June 23, 2021 B3

SWAT Mobility co-founder Jarrold Ong Contributed photo

Ong explained. According to Ong, the pandemic has highlighted the need for an ef-

ficient transport solution and companies are now seeing the benefits of having a transport solution partner like SWAT Mobility. “Once our clients have experienced how we do things, it is difficult to go back to the old manual planning of routes which are ultimately more costly, more time consuming, and more inefficient,” he said. Ong said SWAT Mobility’s level of efficiency in planning routes, fleet management, and tracking is immensely difficult to achieve if done manually. “At the scale that we are doing it, it is impossible for humans to do it as fast and as efficient as our algorithms,” Ong said. SWAT Mobility is the first to run high-capacity vehicle pooling services in Asia with various operations in ASEAN countries, including Japan and Australia.

ilipinos are naturally creative but one thing holds them back from competing in the global electronics and product development arena: their fear of experimenting with and damaging the actual electronics as these are usually expensive and unavailable in the country. “Cost and availability are barriers to creativity. Creators and even engineering instructors are afraid of touching and breaking electronics because the parts are expensive,” said Mike Jassen Sy, founder of Makerlab Electronics. “We learn from making mistakes, and yet they are penalized for exploring things.” With this in mind, Sy, a mechanical engineer, teamed up in 2013 with a classmate from De La Salle University. They started selling electronics by posting them on the buy-and-sell web sites Sulit and OLX and meeting up personally with their customers. At that time, the Philippine electronics development sector was only made up of a very small niche of creators. “The whole ecosystem was still very underdeveloped. When my partner and I entered the scene, there was no Lalamove yet at that time. So we used to meet up with the creators and we got to learn about the products that they are looking for,” Sy said. In 2016, the duo formally established Makerlab Electronics. Its goal: to provide affordable components and spare parts to help Filipino creators, designers, and hobbyists bring their ideas to life. “Eventually, the business grew to where it is now. We now have our own web site, then we entered the e-commerce market to make it even more accessible to all. The growth momentum is continuous, and the use of our products is now becoming more common,” Sy said. Makerlab sources its products mainly from Shenzhen, dubbed as the “Silicon Valley of China.” It is engaged in 3D printing, robotics, and Internet of Things. It also offers lowpriced microcontrollers, breakout boards, electrical enclosures, liquidcrystal displays, Raspberry Pi computers, prototyping, relays, sensors, soldering, and wireless technology.

geographical presence and is seeing a surge in demand even outside Metro Manila. “Thankfully, due to Lazada and Shopee and the ecommerce boom, we are able to reach the whole Philippines,” Sy said. “In the past, the suppliers were exclusively found in Raon so it is limited to Metro Manila, but now, there are people in Visayas and Mindanao who are starting to learn robotics as well.”

Mike Jassen Sy, founder and CEO of Makerlab Electronics Contributed photo

Makerlab’s 3D printers, which are available for as low as P10,000, benefit a wide variety of industries, including medicine, food, fashion and jewelry, agriculture and toys. “The Philippine market is price sensitive. One of the reasons we source from China is because of the cost and their proximity to us, because if you get it from other countries, the price is almost triple,” Sy said.

Empowering a new generation of creators

IN the past, Makerlab’s target customers were only college students doing their theses, as well as engineering professors. “But now, we encounter even elementary students looking for sensors for their projects,” he said. Makerlab aims to be the go-to partner of creators as they start their journey from a young age—from a student entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) track, when he takes up engineering science in college, and even as he pursues higher education. “Our objective is to provide all students with the opportunity to compete in this landscape, without being hindered by their economic standing. We want to squash the notion that electronics or robotics are only for the rich. No, there are affordable options,” Sy said. Their vision is to equip students to have their own mini laboratories at home. Makerlab is also expanding its

Small beginnings and growing pains

From a two-person team eight years ago, Makerlab is now made up of around 15 employees, mostly engineers. But Sy recalled that they were not spared from the usual challenges faced by fledgling start-ups in the Philippines, especially the difficulty in accessing funding. He also noted the lack of support for the Philippine start-up ecosystem and the prohibitive regulations for businesses. “When you are just starting small, you are on your own. If you survive and grow after five years, that’s the only time that they will support you,” Sy said. This is in contrast to start-ups in other countries, which enjoy generous funding that allows them to flourish. “Even if they stumble, they are not eliminated in the market,” he said. “But for us Filipino start-ups, we’re afraid of dying out. We have the tendency to not take risks. We’re more careful with our decisions and we’re wise in using our funds.” With this, Makerlab formed a carefully balanced strategy offering affordable products while generating reasonable profits to allow it to continue its expansion. By democratizing the electronics industry, Filipino creators can now experiment and make mistakes. “We want to tell them, don’t be afraid. Even if problems arise, the replacement parts can be delivered quickly and won’t break the bank,” Sy said. “With Makerlab, the only limitation is you.”

Banking&Finance

‘Bank account provision must be in Natl ID law’ By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

EN. Sherwin T. Gatchalian expects an enabling law in place by January 1, 2023, requiring all Filipinos registered in the national identification (ID) system to own a bank account enabling access to government’s financial services. This was the proposal laid down by Gatchalian in filing Senate Bill 2251, to be known as the “One Filipino, One Bank Account Act” once signed into law. Gatchalian’s bill aims to enable all Filipinos to own a personal bank account, as provided in the proposed law. “Lahat ng walang bank account ay siguradong magkakaroon na, basta may national ID,” he said [Everyone without a bank account will definitely have one, as long as they have a national ID.] “Hindi na nila kailangang pumila pa para makakuha ng ayuda mula sa gobyerno dahil ilalagak na lamang sa naturang bank account ang ayuda at iba pang tulong pinansyal ng ating pamahalaan.” [They no longer have to line up to get aid from the government because the aid and other financial assistance of our government will only be deposited in such a bank account.] Gatchalian said the enabling legislation provides that both LandBank and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) shall “automatically open and maintain” a bank account for Filipino citizens

who have successfully registered with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) upon presentation of the national ID or PhilID. The Senator suggests that those who have yet to register with PhilSys by January 1, 2023, may proceed to the nearest LandBank or DBP branch to secure a bank account by presenting other proper and acceptable government-issued IDs. Gatchalian said the bank account shall be automatically linked with the PhilSys upon successful registration of the Filipino citizen. Moreover, the Gatchalian bill provides that for minors or those who are incapacitated to give consent under Article 1327 of the New Civil Code, their bank accounts shall be opened and linked with the accounts of their parents, legal guardians or persons exercising substitute parental authority, as the case may be, Gatchalian said. “Just like the way the salaries of employees are deposited in their ATMs [automated teller machines],” the Senator said, adding it will include government’s financial assistance, as well as allowances of State scholars, among others. (Katulad ng sweldo ng mga empleyado na inilalagay sa ATM, ganito na rin ang mangyayari sa hinaharap sa pamimigay ng tulong pinansyal ng gobyerno kasama na ang mga allowance ng mga iskolar at iba pa. Mabilis, seamless at makakasiguro pa ang ating gobyerno na sa mga tamang kamay mapupunta ang mga tulong pinansyal.)

Reforming bank secrecy and public service laws

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 • Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

HE Philippines is the last country in the world to have a restrictive bank secrecy law, according to 26 business organizations led by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex). Thus, they have banded together to push for the amendment of Republic Act (RA) 1405, otherwise known as the “Secrecy of Bank Deposits” law. In a joint statement last month, the business groups said RA 1405 weakens the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in the exercise of its mandate to maintain a sound and stable banking system while constraining BSP’s supervisory activities especially in cases involving unsafe and unsound banking practices. BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno also called for urgent reforms in bank deposit secrecy measures. He said that the Philippines needs to change its current framework in order to keep up with international standards on transparency as well as to help combat both global and local tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes. At the House of Representatives, the BSP’s version of the amended bank secrecy law has been filed as House Bill 8991, which was passed on second reading at the plenary before Congress went on recess this month. Businessmen are concerned that RA 1405 “allows politicians and other government officials to hide unexplained wealth, constraining citizens’ ability to exercise their public duty to elect honest officials.” As a result, the Philippines scores low on the Economic Freedom Index, they lamented. Another law that needs to be revised is the archaic Public Service Act (PSA) of 1936, which was enacted as Commonwealth Act 146 during the American colonial period. Finex and a dozen major business organizations are strongly supporting the proposed Senate Bill 2094 that seeks to open the public services sector of the domestic economy to majority foreign equity ownership. This amendatory bill aims to differentiate some public utilities from other forms of public services that are currently commingled under

Finex free enterprise Joseph Araneta Gamboa the 85-year-old PSA. They believe “it has adversely impacted on our country’s ability to attract foreign investments” and resulted in the Philippines paling in comparison with our Asean neighbors. However, they are also calling on the senators to review two provisions in SB 2094: the reciprocity clause, “which requires a similar treatment by the home country of the foreign investor before it can be allowed to own more than 40 percent of the capital of public services engaged in critical infrastructure” and the provision governing investments by foreign state-owned enterprises, which “can be interpreted as prohibiting sovereign wealth funds from investing in public services classified as critical infrastructure.” SB 2094 is one of three economic bills certified urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte. The other two are proposing amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Foreign Investments Act. The joint statement of the business institutions describes SB 2094 as “a low-hanging fruit in the legislative tree to attract foreign investments instead of amending the Constitution, which is highly controversial and ill-timed under the present circumstances.” When the 18th Congress resumes its sessions after Duterte’s sixth and final State of the Nation Address on July 26, the two legislative chambers should prioritize the passage of these crucial bills that will make our economy at par with its peers in the community of nations. Joseph Gamboa is the co-chairman of the Finex Annual Conferences for 2020-2021, chairman of the Finex Business Columns Subcommittee, and director of Noble Asia Industrial Corp. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Govt set to borrow ₧235B in July; to exploit liquidity

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of the Treasury is set to borrow P235 billion from the local debt market in July, slightly higher than the P215 billion it programmed in June. The Treasury is aiming to raise the amount next month through auctioning off P60 billion in Treasury Bills (T-bills) and P175 billion in Treasury Bonds (T-bonds). National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon told the BusinessMirror they are “taking advantage of very liquid market with RTB [Retail Treasury

Bond] redemption.” The Treasury still plans to sell P50 billion in government securities every week. It has maintained its previous schedule of holding weekly auctions for T-bills and Tbonds. For T-bills, the Treasury is set to offer P15 billion in 91-day, 182-day

and 364-day T-bills for each of the four Mondays of July. Apart from this, the Treasury will be selling P35 billion in T-bonds on June 29 and all four Tuesdays of July. If government declares July 20 (Tuesday) a holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha, the auctions would be moved to July 21, Wednesday. Last Tuesday, the Treasury fully awarded P35 billion in reissued 10year T-bonds as investors continue to search for higher yields. The auction was almost twice oversubscribed as total submitted bids hit P65 billion. The security also fetched an average rate of 3.185 percent, down by 54.7 basis points from the previous yield of 3.732 percent when it was last reissued in March this year. With a remaining life of 5 years

and 10 months, the debt paper is set to mature on May 4, 2027. De Leon said she still expects to see strong investor appetite in the following auctions. “[Investors] recycling funds from redemptions. Markets looking at yield pick-up; so looking at longer tenors,” she said. On top of the primary auction, De Leon said they also decided to offer an additional P5-billion in reissued 10-year T-bonds via tap facility. For this year, the national government has set a P3.03-trillion gross borrowing program, roughly the same amount it borrowed in 2020. Eighty percent of the amount is programmed to be raised through domestic sources while the remaining 20 percent is expected to come from foreign sources.

Makati gets ‘highest audit’ rating from COA for 4th yr

OR four straight year, the Makati City government has obtained the “highest audit” rating from the Commission on Audit (COA) for its consistent compliance with auditing rules and procedures. “This latest achievement is immensely gratifying, and does justice to all the efforts of the city government to keep transactions and spending above board at the height of the pandemic,” said Mayor Marlen Abigail “Abby” S. Binay who was heartened by the news after receiving the “unmodified opinion” from COA. In a letter to the mayor dated June 16, 2021, COA director Omar S. Roque affirmed that “the Auditor rendered an unmodified opinion on the fairness of presentation of the financial statements of the City.” Based on the attached Independent Auditor’s Report, Makati’s 2020 financial statements were “in accordance with the Interna-

EastWest extends free offer

ast West Banking Corp. announced last Tuesday the extension of its free InstaPay service until the end of July. “As the country strives to make progress with the health crisis, one of the behaviors that developed into a beneficial new norm is digital transactions. Most purchases and fund transfers can be accomplished online, which is why universal bank EastWest plays its part in making the process as seamless and costefficient as possible for its customers,” the bank said. With InstaPay, customers can transfer up to P50,000 per transaction, which will be credited instantly to the recipient’s account in any local bank. “Our customers’ convenience and safety are always at the core of every service we provide, especially during these challenging times,” EastWest Senior Vice President-Regional Banking Group Ivy B. Uy said. “We hope that our extended free InstaPay and PESONet services will go a long way in helping our customers send money to their loved ones or beneficiaries hassle-free.” Earlier this month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that financial transactions through the country’s two automated clearing houses—PESONet and InstaPay— were higher by 276 percent in volume and 127 percent in value in April, compared to the figures recorded during the same month in 2020. Bianca Cuaresma

tional Public Sector Accounting Standards [PSAS].” “We made sure that even our emergency purchases for Covid-19 response were done by the book. We also prioritized our fund allocations to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable sectors severely affected by the crisis,” Binay said of the “unprecedented” highest COA rating. It also meant that Makati has set a new record among local government units for having obtained the highest audit rating from the state auditor. Binay called the award as “fair and impartial” evaluation of the city’s financial statements since she came on board in June of 2016. The city earned the first “unqualified opinion” of COA for 2017, the first full year of Binay in office. The term has since been changed to “unmodified opinion”. Since June 2016, the administration of Binay has been implementing reforms and innovations to promote transparency and

efficiency in its operations. These included a Business OneStop Shop (BOSS) established at the ground floor of Makati City Hall Building II, which has served as a common site to process applications and payments and issue licenses, clearances and permits. It also continues to pursue a ‘nocontact’ policy to eliminate fixers and curtail corruption, particularly in the processing of business permits. Currently being developed is an enhanced business permit and licensing system or eBPLS, a computerized system that will provide easy access to business permits through different platforms. Other notable achievements under the current city leadership include posting a two-digit increase in revenue collections in 2017 for the first time after 12 years of one-digit gains. The city has

also consistently surpassed its revenue targets for the past four years. After several years, Makati reclaimed its title as the country’s richest local government unit after its assets reached P196.57 billion in 2017. The Department of the Interior and Local Government confirmed Makati as the first LGU to breach the P100-billion mark. As of 2019, Makati remained the richest locality with assets valued at P233.78 billion in COA’s annual financial report. Claudeth Mocon Ciriaco

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Image BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Wednesday, June 23, 2021

SAFE MALL BEGINNING with the local government of Mandaluyong’s awarding of its first Safety Seal to SM Megamall on May 12, local governments around the Metro soon followed suit in citing the SM Supermalls’ implementation of minimum health standards and safety protocols in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. SM City North Edsa in Quezon City and SM City Sucat in Parañaque were the first to receive the Safety Seals in their cities; followed by SM Aura Premier, SM City BF Parañaque, SM City Bicutan, SM City Manila, and SM City San Lazaro. More SM malls in the Metro are lined up for Safety Seals. With this, SM malls can be considered Safe Malls. The Safety Seal Certification is granted to buildings and establishments that are compliant with the Minimum Public Health Standards, such as proper wearing of face shield and face mask, disinfection, and use of accredited contact tracing app such as Mandatrack for Mandaluyong City and StaySafe.ph application. The Safety Seal is an inter-agency safety program by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, and Department of Labor and Employment.

Return-to-work considerations O

NE of the effects of the pandemic is the accelerated developments in remote working tools and applications, resulting in the fast-tracked digitalization of the work force. Some organizations who were hesitant to allow remote working consider it now a necessity to maintain their operations. And while technology now offers multiple possibilities for the work force, postpandemic realities have presented several challenges for the work force. Foremost is for employers to provide a safe working environment for their employees. At the onset of the pandemic, some organizations even installed acrylic partitions between employees and even minimized work force attendance to curb the increase in Covid-19 cases. Health monitoring devices were also installed before an employee stepped into the office, and to sign the daily health declaration to screen out potentially sick employees. These might be retained until the end of the year depending on whether we have reached herd immunity. Organizations also need measures for monitoring, reporting and providing health care to their employees. A few organizations implemented teleconsulting facilities and even developed applications for employees to schedule a consultation with their company doctors. Others included a section for health declaration when employees logged in and even followed through when an employee declared symptoms not necessarily related to Covid-19. When a significant number of employees work from home, teleconsulting will become a need and organizations need to factor this in when they evaluate compensation and benefits for employees.

Even with all these measures in place, it still begs the question regarding those who have yet to be vaccinated. Local government units have started inoculating their communities, and several organizations have made arrangements for their respective vaccination programs. However, not everyone can be compelled to have their vaccine shots especially if they have personal and valid reasons. Organizations need to make careful consideration of when to allow unvaccinated employees return to work without jeopardizing their coworkers and their customers. One consideration that organizations need to incorporate in their employees’ pay are for those in frontline capacities, or those who regularly interact with many people. There are multiple organizations that provided additional pay for employees who were required to report physically to work to keep operations going even in the midst of a pandemic. Aside from the additional pay, they were also given other benefits as a way of helping them cope with the hazards of going to work, e.g. additional allowances. Organizations also need to look at their total compensation and benefits to include pandemicrelated costs and expenses. When an employee gets sick because of Covid-19, some organizations leave it to their health-care provider to deal with their employees. Or, worse, they do not provide financial support to their employees at all. Organizations need to factor these in and the additional cost of vaccines later when it becomes mandatory to be vaccinated annually. Curiously, there were issues surrounding the use of leaves during the pandemic. Some organizations, in their bid to cut costs, required people to use up their leaves or used a portion of their employees’ leaves for when employees could not report to work because they could not do so either because of community quarantine restrictions, there was no available public transportation, or any other reason beyond the employees’ control. In these cases, organizations need to provide clear guidelines on the use of leaves and provide alternative ways to work when an employee wants to work and does not want to use their leaves. Even before the pandemic, employee engagement was already challenging. But with the need to

PHOTO BY KATE TRIFO ON UNSPLASH

configure remote working conditions and virtual teams, Human Resources faces the challenge of maintaining and improving employee engagement when half of their teams work virtually, and the other half are on-site. The increasing use of virtual platforms also means the blurring of work and home activities which has already upset work-life balance. Employees now want to work in a physical office so there is a clear boundary between work and their personal life. Human Resources needs to look at what works for their organization and complement it with programs to promote that work-life balance. The biggest challenge facing organizations today is to identify when to require their employees to report to work. There are people who have resigned and joined other companies because they allow for workplace flexibility and provide their employees the option to work from home or report on site. Depending on their products and services, organizations need to carefully deliberate which of their processes needs to be on-site and which ones can be done remotely. With the realization that people can work remotely, more and more employees are resigning and looking for organizations which allow them work flexibility. Organizations also need to look at the mental well-being of their employees and provide support when needed. Employees have been subjected to more than a year of isolation and limited activities which could result in mental issues which might affect their productivity and efficiency. There are several options available for organizations to develop a program for taking care of their employees’ mental health. Understanding the issues most of their employees go through will help organizations provide a targeted approach to dealing with their mental health, and prevent issues from becoming worse. The pandemic has highlighted the fact that while technological improvements have made work better and lighter, people are still the most important resource any organization can have. By placing employees first and listening to what they need, organizations are assured that their investment in people will yield to strengthened loyalty, increased discretionary effort, and improved collaboration with others. ■

AT SM City North Edsa: The Quezon City Local Government together with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Tourism and Department of Health awarded SM City North Edsa the first Safety Seal in a Quezon City mall. Hon. Mayor Joy Belmonte and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez lead the ceremony.

AT SM City Sucat: Parañaque Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez award the city’s first Safety Seal to SM City Sucat, certifying the mall’s compliance with health standards.

Airbnb plans for travel rebound with flexible search BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ IN revealing plans to welcome back travelers to its stays, travel company Airbnb rolls out a number of updates that acknowledge the challenges the travel industry continues to face in the Covid-19 era. These updates include flexible ways to plan trips and search for accommodations. Some of the new features allow users to forgo putting in exact dates and destinations when they look to book for accomodations on the platform. It also offers a wider selection of listing results when guests search for a place to stay by surfacing homes just outside of their search parameters. “You can say that you want to travel for one week over the next three months, or perhaps one weekend in the month of August,” said Airbnb cofounder and chief strategy officer Nate Blecharczyk in a recent media event. “Instead of specifying exactly where you want to go, you can say that you want to find an island to stay on. Or you want a boat, and it will show you places in the region that meet that criteria,” he added, noting that not only does this give guests more options to browse, but it should also increase exposure for hosts. Alongside flexible search updates is the improved host flow on the platform, where

computer vision deep-learning models automatically arrange photos based on guest appeal, while smart text suggestions help hosts craft the best title and description for their listing. In fact, Airbnb revealed that for new listings that were activated and booked within the first quarter of the year, 50 percent received a reservation request within four days of activation. “There is incredible demand, and we expect that to only grow as travel rebounds,” Blecharczyk said. Airbnb is also making upgrades to its community support department, doubling the number of support agents available and expanding support coverage from 11 to 42 languages. It has also redesigned the Help Center, with easier navigation, for both hosts and guests. In the Philippines, the company has launched seven Host Clubs across the country, based in Cebu, Baguio, Metro Manila, Rizal, Western Visayas, Lapu Lapu and Quezon. Host Clubs are where hosts, guests, small business owners and community leaders collaborate and share their best tourism practices. “There’s light now at the end of the tunnel. Vaccinations are rolling out, restrictions are loosening, and so we expect all of travel to rebound and we expect that pattern to be true in the Philippines as well,” said Blecharczyk.

The executive likewise said that much of Airbnb’s key updates were informed by its 2021 trend report, supported with data from analytics firm YouGov, which revealed that Filipinos are turning to Airbnb for affordable and family friendly domestic travel, as well as hosting to support themselves and their local communities during the pandemic. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, in a pre-recorded speech, lauded the company for its efforts in helping revive the local tourism industry. “From the earliest days of the pandemic, we have stated that our recovery will be driven by reviving domestic tourism. Fortunately for the Philippines, we have had a historically robust domestic travel industry,” she said. “In 2019, we recorded 110 million domestic trips and, significantly, revenues generated from domestic tourism accounted for the lion’s share of 10.8 percent of tourism’s 12.7 percent contribution to the country’s gross domestic product,” she added. “To bring back the demand for local tourism, we must prioritize the issues of health and safety.” “Airbnb, alongside the Philippine host community, is making sure that when people are ready to travel again, they will be welcomed with open arms,” said Blecharczyk.

AIRBNB cofounder Nate Blecharczyk

B6 Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Statement on the Ombudsman Decision

Foodsphere receives Safety Seal certification from DOLE

HE Ombudsman ruling on the cases filed by some PhilHealth officers against 11 other former and present senior officers for Violations of Section 3a and e of RA 3019, and for grave misconduct, Oppression and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service was served individually to the concerned complainants and respondents, PhilHealth being not a party to the said cases. In any case, the said decision by the Ombudsman should be respected by everyone in the interest of justice and the

110-million members who deserve nothing less but a strong PhilHealth. We assure the Filipino people that all PhilHealth officers and employees nationwide are imbued with a strong sense of duty and commitment to the National Health Insurance Program. We all remain united in providing all Filipinos with the needed financial support and protection when health contingencies arise. Let us all move forward. (Sgd.) Atty. Dante A. Gierran, CPA President and CEO

Sarsaya Liquid Seasoning is set to make mealtimes more special and delicious

DOLE begins rollout of Safety Seals for companies, awarding the first one to Foodsphere Inc. in Valenzuela City. Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III personally attached the safety seal, along with CDO President & CEO Jerome D. Ong.

OOD Company, Foodsphere Inc. becomes the first manufacturing company in the country to receive the Safety Seal certification from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). This was personally awarded by Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III last June 18 at the company's office in Brgy. Paso de Blas, Valenzuela City. The Safety Seal is included in the Joint Memorandum Circular 21-01 between DOLE, DTI, DOH, DOT and DILG and is an initiative that certifies that an establishment is compliant in the guidelines set by the agencies to ensure the safety and health of the general public to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their premises. This includes having a working contact tracing process such as StaySafe.PH thus encouraging the safe opening of the economy. "More than being compliant to the minimum health standards and having an active process for contact tracing, Foodsphere has been consistently compliant with labor laws and guidelines

in the past three years. It has maintained industrial peace and has looked after the welfare of its employees," said DOLE Secretary Bello. The placing of the Safety Seal at the main entrance of the company was witnessed by the officers of the Department of Labor & Employment Central and regional offices as well as Paso de Blas Barangay Captain Lucy Nolasco. Also present are CDO Foodsphere President and CEO Jerome D. Ong, Sr. Vice President Dra. Charmaine OngCastro and Vice President Jason D. Ong. “We are grateful to be the very first manufacturing company to receive the Safety Seal from the Department of Labor and Employment and to have the privilege of having Secretary Bello himself to award this to us,” said Jerome Ong. “This is an affirmation and an encouragement to our employees on our joint efforts to keep our workplace safe for all of them. For over a year since the community quarantines started in March 2020 we have proactively and

continuously adapted to the evolving guidelines and protocols. It paid off since we have very little cases in the organization and the cases did not originate from our facilities.” Foodsphere is one of the essential businesses during the pandemic and has over 5000 workers who worked endlessly to meet the food supply requirements. Despite the challenges of lockdowns and travel restrictions, the company has adapted measures that helped its employees to keep their jobs and to perform them. The awarding of the Safety Seal coincides with the company’s 46th anniversary this June 2021. The company is now one of the largest food manufacturing companies in the country today and owns some of the biggest and most well-loved brands in the market such as San Marino, Highlands, Danes Cheese and the CDO brand. The company also bagged the 2020 ASEAN Business Award distinction for Large Family Business Category last year.

Leo Burnett Manila is 2021 Agency of the Year

T the pioneer award show that honors brands that do good and do well, the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards jury declared Leo Burnett Manila the Agency of the Year in a virtual awards ceremony on June 4, 2021. The Tambuli Awards honors brand campaigns that celebrate humanity, inspire purpose, and deliver results. Some of the world’s top advertising and marketing professionals evaluated numerous entries in rigorous judging sessions. Leo Burnett Manila racked up metals for its “McClassroom” campaign which turned idle McDonald’s party rooms into quiet, sanitized spaces for teachers to conduct virtual classes at the height of the Philippines’ COVID

lockdown. McClassroom won 2 two Golds for the Education & Lifelong Learning (Humanity and Culture) and Brand Experience (Creative) categories and a Silver in the Brand Experience & Activation (Media) category. The agency also won a Bronze for its “A Frontliner’s Sacrifice” online film for P&G in the Brand Storytelling (Creative) category. Another film project of the agency, McDonald’s “Story of Us” was also shortlisted across multiple categories. The winning campaigns are products of Leo Burnett Manila’s seamless collaboration with Blackpencil and Prodigious Philippines as creative and production agencies of Publicis Groupe Philippines. Another Publicis Groupe

agency, Publicis Jimenez Basic, also garnered shortlists for its work for Lazada and Unilab. All these accounted for Publicis Groupe rising to the Top 3 of the Network of the Year Award. Mark Tutssel, Overall Executive Jury Chairman of the 2021 Tambuli Awards said, “This award shines a light on creativity as a force for good in the world. It galvanizes the broader industry to take action. Highlighting solutions that harness creativity and seek to positively impact the world.” The Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards began in 2005 and is organized by the University of Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with industry partners worldwide.

T is always a challenge for moms and homecooks to cook perfectly delicious dishes that their family will love. Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) is helping solve that with the new Sarsaya® Liquid Seasoning, an affordable, easy to use, and tasty kitchen partner that is sure to hit the bullseye in cooking perfect dishes every time! This new pantry staple is available in a sachet format, which makes it affordable at P8 only. “The new Sarsaya® Liquid Seasoning is made to upgrade ordinary dishes into special meals that families will love. Now that everyone takes almost all of their meals at home, we were encouraged to introduce a new product that can make each dining experience more special but still within the budget,” says Roann Co, APC Marketing and Public Relations General Manager. Sarsaya® Liquid Seasoning balances the overall taste of any dish with a flavorful

savoriness and an appetizing aroma. As compared to soy sauce, the liquid seasoning gives a mouthwatering and well-rounded profile that blends notes of saltiness, sweetness, and savoriness. It can be enjoyed in many ways, either as a tabletop seasoning for fried dishes or an ingredient when marinating or cooking. The new liquid seasoning comes in 250 ml PET bottles and 25 ml sachets. The P8-sachet provides homecooks a more affordable and easy-to-use option. Each pack has been designed for one-time use to enhance a dish made for family serving. Busy moms and beginners in the kitchen can simply open the sachet and pour the liquid seasoning directly as they cook, no need to stress on estimating quantities. As the new product aims to help more moms in the kitchen, Ajinomoto welcomes their new celebrity endorser, Gladys Reyes. As a celebrity, entrepreneur, and mother of four children, Gladys is no stranger when it comes to cooking but like any busy mom, she also needs a reliable partner in the kitchen. She uses the product to create a delicious and savory taste when cooking, especially with bangus steak and pancit bihon. Just one sachet is enough to make mealtimes more special. “Producing quality and thoughtful products such as Sarsaya® Liquid Seasoning is part of our Eat Well, Live Well promise. We hope that through our new product, we can empower moms and homecooks to bring deliciousness and happiness on their dining tables,” shares Co. To know more about Sarsaya® Liquid Seasoning and learn more recipes, visit ajinomoto.com.ph/.

Satisfy your subs cravings with the New Chicken Mosaic in Spicy BBQ Sauce and Chipotle Cheesesteak

OR a limited time offer up to August 31, 2021, Subway's Flavorful Delights, the New Chicken Mosaic in Spicy BBQ Sauce and Chipotle Cheesesteak will surely bring a whole range of color and excitement for your daily Subway cravings! For only Php 145 in 6-inch ala carte, enjoy our New Chicken Mosaic in Spicy BBQ Sauce! If you love a bit of heat to bite the back of your throat and a tinge of sweetness to go with the flavor, then this sub is just for you! Also available in footlong for only Php280 and in other carriers like the wrap for Php155. For only Php 165 in 6-inch ala carte, there's also the delicious mouthwatering steak and cheese sandwich with our Chipotle Cheesesteak. Like any other standard subs which contain American cheese, crisp lettuce, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, red onions

and jalapeños, this flavorful sub is dressed with a smoky Chipotle Southwest sauce on top of a freshly baked crunch bread. It’s full-filling as a sandwich. Also available in footlong for only Php320 and in other carriers like the wrap for Php175. And to make it a meal with a 16oz drink and a cookie, enjoy the New Chicken Mosaic in Spicy BBQ sauce and the Chipotle Cheesesteak for an add-on price of Php70 in all sizes and wraps. Stay safe at home and enjoy your favorite subs and the new Flavorful Delights through FB Messenger ordering for delivery. Delight yourself and your friends & family with Subway’s delicious and freshly made subs and wraps at the safety and comfort of your homes through delivery via FB Messenger “Botty”. Also available in other delivery platforms via GrabFood & FoodPanda.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 B7

Vital cogs in the local real-estate industry By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

ROPERTY consultants and fullagent services are vital cogs of their respective companies especially during this time of the pandemic. Real-estate consultancy firm L ob ie n R e a lt y Group ( L RG) stressed property consultants ensure a safe interaction between buyers and sellers. As a representative of the seller/land owner or the buyer/tenant, property consultants are able to travel to places where their clients would not be able to and interact with various key persons involved in a particular transaction and work on behalf of a client’s best interest. “More than the know-how on the proper health protocols, property consultants have devoted their talents to researching and learning everything there is to know about the industry, gathering valuable market data, developing contacts and expanding their network, keeping up-

By Roderick L. Abad

The Lobien Realty Group relationship with a client does not end in a transaction as it aims to make the property consultancy business more personal.

Ohmyhome provides full-agent services that can help make the process simple, efficient and enjoyable for them.

to-date with current trends,” LRG said. Thus, LRG pointed out property consultants guide clients toward their goals; act as representatives of their clients in dealing with various personalities, teach their clients the compliance processes involved with different government agencies, and help clients understand the legal conditions of their realty endeavor. For proptech company Ohmyhome, full-agent services have an important role in efficiently assisting clients, offering services that include market research on estimated valuation, database matching of potential buyers, hosting of virtual property viewings, and more. Cr ist y Ajero, Ohmyhome’s sales head, affirmed the platform’s agent assistance suits the needs of Filipino clients.

on board, buyer and seller are assured of a win-win situation. P roper t y con su lt a nt s mea nwhile, guide clients to selecting the options that will give them the greatest benefits while also being spared from the cost of making wrong decisions. “An experienced professional property consultant leads its clients towards achieving their returnon-investment targets easier and faster,” LRG said. Moreover, LRG believes relationships with a client do not end in a transaction as it aims to make the property consultancy business more personal, and in the Covid-19 era, this may just be something clients want as well. To achieve this goal, LRG said it works very closely with clients, keeps transparency, and give clients impartial advice so they can make a decision which

“First, we don’t promote just one real-estate brand for interested homeow ners. Being an accredited partner of multiple real-estate developers, our database includes various properties within different price and location ranges. We carefully assess our clients’ needs and give them the best property options that fit their resources and preferences,” Ajero said. “Oh my home a l s o c ho o s e s which real-estate brands to accredit themselves with. Believing in the Filipino dream of owning a home, we only partner with reputable property developers that build high-quality and costefficient homes.” Hir ing a proper t y consu lt a nt w i l l e n a ble re a l - e st ate companies to get their money’s worth, according to LRG. With a top notch property consultant

will afford them the most fruitful returns. Ju lian Sison, Ohmyhome’s marketing manager, cited up the proptech company is passionate about customer services. “Our team of highly professional sales and customer agents personalize services according to the customers’ needs,” he pointed out. “We guide them in every step of the process—with no hidden charges.” Ajero explained that Ohmyhome in-house agents employ a unique process that results in the right property matches for sellers and buyers. “Ohmyhome’s Relationship Managers acquire and evaluate every client’s information and needs before they are assisted by a professional property agent. This ensures that we get all the right details and provide the best options to our customers.”

DDC Land launches very first socialized housing project

D C L a n d I n c . (w w w. ddcland.com), i n aug urates Tanza, Cavite project; eyes more socialized housing developments—DDC Land, one of the country’s fastest-rising propert y developers, inaug urates its latest socialized housing development south of Manila, which is located in Tanza in the province of Cavite, in the presence of the company’s top officials, including local and national government leaders, and members of the diplomatic corps. Participants during the inau-

Martin Georg Sutter (from left); Hon. Mayor Yuri Pacumio; Hon. Secretary Gen. Eduardo del Rosario; Engr. Edna Sutter; Acmad Rizaldy Moti; Hon. Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla Jr.; His Excellency Alain Gashen; and Alexander Hilario G. Aguilar

guration are Martin Georg Sutter, chairman of DDC Land Inc.; Hon. Mayor Yuri Pacumio of Tanza, Cavite; Hon. Secretary Gen. Eduardo del Rosario of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD); Engr. Edna Sutter, president of DDC Land, Inc.; Acmad Rizaldy Moti, chief executive officer of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-Ibig Fund; Hon. Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla Jr., governor of Cavite; His Excellency Alain Gashen, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Philippines,

not shown in this picture is DCEO from Pag-ibig-Member Services Cluster Mr. Alexander Hilario G. Aguilar. The company said it is also eyeing more socialized housing developments in the countr y, particularly in the north Luzon area, as part of its expansion plans even while the country is still in the middle of a pandemic. With a lifestyle community that is cost efficient and brings value to everyone’s hard-earned savings that all Filipinos will get to experience. Reni Salvador

put into a real-estate investment trust (REIT) portfolio. Subject to regulatory approval, CPI will be renamed into Filinvest REIT Corp., according to the Registration Statement CPI filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Based on the registration statement filed by CPI, of the occupied gross leasable area, 88.4 percent is occupied by prime multinational BPO companies with 8.8 percent occupied by traditional and retail tenants while POGO tenants account for only 2.8 percent, as of March 31, 2021. The portfolio also includes LEED Gold-certified buildings

awarded by the US Green Building Council which FLI believes is among the sustainability features sought after by multinational BPOs today. The cooling system of Filinvest REIT Corp.’s buildings in Northgate Cyberzone was totally replaced five years ago and turned into the country’s largest district cooling system that reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption—a result of Filinvest’s partnership with Engie, a world leader in developing sustainable technology solutions. For more information on CPI and its IPO, please visit http:// www.cyberzoneproperties.com for a copy of the preliminary REIT Plan.

Turning Silicon Valley dreams into REIT

he Gotianun fami ly of Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) would take annual treks to California in the 90s and the vast residential and commercial real estate landscape in Silicon Valley made them dream of a worldclass office complex to serve as the choice address for technology companies back home. Today, this dream lives on in Northgate Cyberzone in Filinvest City, Alabang—one of the first Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) accredited IT Parks in the Philippines. FLI subsidiary Cyberzone Properties Inc. (CPI) manages the 18.7-hectare property and is the biggest provider of office spaces in South Metro Manila. “Northgate was patterned after the sprawling campus offices of many start-ups and global technology firms. From my trips, I saw the large f loor plate and side core office buildings which we introduced to the Philippines and has since become the industry standard,” said FLI President

Valenzuela grants tax relief for disclosure of real estate

Josephine Gotianun-Yap. North Cyberzone is now a thriving community of business-process outsourcing (BPO) companies and technology providers. Thanks to the family’s foresight, FLI made a deliberate strategy to focus on the office segment of the property market. “We are one of the pioneers in this segment, and we grew with the BPO industry since its infancy. It’s an industry that has brought employment to over a million Filipinos and a key driver to our country’s GDP,” said Gotianun-Yap.

Pioneer in providing homes to BPOs

One of the first built-to-suit (BTS) commercial properties in the Philippines was completed for a BPO of a multinational bank with 18,000 sq m of space, the largest BTS at the time. The strategy has so far served FLI well. Amid the Covid-19 global pandemic, CPI’s revenues still climbed 8 percent to P3.12 billion

in 2020 versus the previous year, thanks to the resilience of the country’s IT-BPO sector. In the last decade, revenues from this market segment have steadily given CPI a steady cashf low, with a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent.

Sharing the dream

To share the success of the Gotianuns’ Silicon Valley dream and unlock the value of the property for potential investors, FLI selected 16 office buildings clustered in Northgate Cyberzone, and one office tower in Cebu Cyberzone located in the gateway to Cebu IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City, to be

HE City Government o f Va l e n z u e l a h a s offered tax relief to those who will voluntarily disclose their previously undeclared or underdeclared real property from June to December 2021. This initiative is aimed at easing the burden of real property taxpayers, and encourage owners and administrators to declare their buildings and other structures properly and accurately. District 1 Councilor Rovin Andrew Feliciano made this possible via Ordinance 882, Series of 2021, or the “Voluntary Disclosure and Declaration of Real Properties,” which he authored. By law, all real property owners and administrators in Valenzuela are obliged to prepare and submit a sworn st atement “ dec l a r ing t he true value of their property, whether previously declared or undeclared, taxable or exempt” to the City Assessor’s Office (CAO). Besides giving the current and fair market worth of the property as determined by its owner or administrator, the declaration must also contain a detailed description of the property for assessment purposes. Real Property Tax (RPT) Declaration will be issued upon completion of the following requirements: Application form of Intent to Avail of Voluntary Disclosure; notarized Sworn Declaration of Real Property; perspective and floor plan; colored photos of the real property to be declared, and Proof of Ownership for real properties, if property is not in the name of the lot or land owner. A ssessments a nd reassessments made under this directive will be effective on Januar y 1, 2021 only. This covers real properties declared for the first time as these should have already been assessed for taxes for the time period they should have been charged. The amnesty for real proper t y t a x payers, howe ver, does not apply to delinquent real properties due for public auction sale by the city government, real estates that are subject of pending cases and/ or litigation, and all properties awaiting expropriation. Once the owner or administrator receives the notice of assessment, payment must be made on or prior to the end of the quarter following the date of the said notice. No interest penalty will be charged for delinquent payments until December 2021. However, beginning January 2022, RPT will be subject to a monthly interest rate of 2 percent or a fraction thereof, from January 2021 until the taxes are fully settled. Tax Mapping Operations and Geographical Information Discoveries will be temporarily suspended while the Ordinance is in effect. For submission of declaration documents and other inquiries, contact the CAO at 8352-10 0 0 loca l 1367. Taxpayers can pay via the 3S Plus Valenzuela City Online Services or “Paspas Permit” at https://online.valenzuela. gov.ph/.

Sports

COMMISSIONER Ramon Fernandez says the Philippine Sports Commission is not awash with cash.

BusinessMirror

| Wednesday, June 23, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

JUVIC’S OFFICIALLY IN By Josef Ramos

UVIC PAGUNSAN made the cut in men’s golf at the Tokyo Olympics, making him the country’s 13th official entry in the games that open in a month’s time. The 43-year-old Pagunsan, a regular campaign in the rich Japanese Tour, wound up No. 51 in Tuesday’s cutoff set by the International Golf Federation (IGF). The top 60 men in the rankings will play in the golf competition set from July 29 to August 1 at the East Course of the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama. The official announcement for the women’s qualifiers—US Open women’s champion Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan are considered shoo-ins—will be on June 29, according to National Golf Association of the Philippines Secretary General Bones Floro. “We are very happy that we officially have our first golfer to qualify in the Tokyo Olympics,” Floro told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. Pagunsan joined the growing roster of Filipino Olympians that include pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, rower Cris Nievarez, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, skateboarder Margie Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ando and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam. Floro has earlier said the country’s top top two golfers are virtually qualified with Saso

currently No. 8 and Pagdanganan No. 42. Also the top 60 in women’s golf are going to Tokyo. “Even if Yuka and Bianca are shoo-in already, we still have to wait a few more days for the official announcement,” Floro said. “It’s a sense of pride or the feeling of pride for all of us Filipinos to be represented in the Olympics.” Women’s golf in Tokyo will be played from August 4 to 7 on the same Kasumigaseki course. Miguel Tabuena represented the Philippines when golf made its return to the Olympics in Rio 2016. He finished 53rd in a field of 60. Pagunsan won the Mizuno Open championship last May 30 for his first Japan Golf Tour title at the Setonaikai Golf Club in Okayama, strengthening his bid for an Olympic berth.

LOCAL FANS ALLOWED, BUT….

A SHARPLY limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics, organizers announced as they tried to save some of the spirit of the Games

With AP

IVEN a gift horse in the mouth when the Camarines Soaring Eagles lost both matches last Saturday, the Cordova Dutchess Dagami Warriors blinked. Just like that, they fell from the pole position of the Southern Division standings of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines Wesley So Cup to second place. After Camarines lost both its matches and Cordova won both its games last Saturday, the Warriors regained the top spot with a 15-2 won-lost record. The Soaring Eagles tumbled to second spot with a 15-4 card. But at the resumption of matches on Monday, Cordova lost to the Manila Indios Bravos, 12.5-8.5, and the Laguna Heroes, 12.5-8.5. With Camarines regaining its bearing with triumphs in their Monday tussles against Isabela, 16-5, and Cavite, 14-7, the Soaring Eagles switched places with Cordova with a 17-4 slate with the latter dropping into second, 15-4. Last Monday evening, Cordova

couldn’t make any headway against Manila’s Indonesia International Master Yosef Taher in blitz. Merben Roque could only draw with John Marvin Miciano on Board 2 although lady player Bernadette Galas won Board 3 to give Cordova something to cheer about. Manila’s Cris Ramayrat Jr. had his Cordova counterpart Mario Mangubat’s number in restoring Manila’s advantage. If Cordova needed to pull a rabbit out of its hat, the homegrown cadre needed maximum points in both blitz and rapid—except Manila took a 2-1 advantage in the lower boards for a 4.5-2.5 lead heading into rapid. In rapid play, both teams were even on the top three boards with three points apiece, but, it went down to the senior board and the homegrown players—the Indios Bravos’ 5-3 advantage gave them an 8-6 win for a total of 12.5-8.5. In the final battle of the Monday double header that was a make-up match for the postponed games due to a typhoon that hit the south a couple of weeks ago, the Warriors were up against the Laguna Heroes

that seemed to have shed their early tournament woes. Galas was once more Cordova’s rock as she held her own while the top two boards faltered. This time the bottom of the order did not wilt as they drew level from the senior to the homegrown boards, 3.5-all, after blitz play. Come rapid play, Laguna’s senior and homegrown boards wrested the crucial two points each and added to the superb work from their top two boards. Laguna took a 9-5 win for an overall 12.5-8.5 win. With a day to regain their bearings, the Dutchess Dagami Warriors will have their work cut out for them as they face Isabela and Cavite this Wednesday, June 23, at the resumption of interdivision play. The Isabela Knight Raiders are in seventh spot of the northern standings with a 12-9 record that if they maintain or improve on will send them to the play-offs of the Wesley So Cup. Cavite on the other hand is on the outside looking in at ninth spot with a sub-par 7-14 record.

It may not be Olympic-class, if we mean Gilas is ready to win the bronze medal in the Tokyo Games next month. Just to be in the OQT (Olympic Qualifying Tournament) is more than enough pride and glory to boast of for this cage-crazed republic. Now, how about this? Gilas Pilipinas being worthy of Fiba Asia Cup contention? That’s more like it, fellas. Suddenly, that’s become achievable, especially if we use as barometer our three-game sweep of our assignment in the Fiba Asia Cup window last week at Clark. Are we that close to the

summit now? A bit, I guess. Indonesia was beatable, yes, but South Korea? We didn’t only beat the more experienced Koreans once but twice. And, yes, decisively at that. Both times. When the Korean coach derisively described our first win (81-78) as the result of a lucky three-point shot by deadshot artist SJ Belangel at the buzzer, it only goaded the Gilas boys to play more inspired basketball in producing an 82-77 victory in Game Two. Even as the rematch was nobearing as Gilas’ Game One win

clinched the squad’s ticket to the Fiba Asia Cup proper in August in Indonesia, our youth-laden crew still gave it their all if only to spite the Korean coach. But the real impact of Gilas’ three rousing wins was they were carved with big help from our two giants debuting on the international stage. Seven-foot-3 Kai Sotto, 19, released temporarily by his Adelaide team in Australia, and 6-foot-10 Ange Kouame, 23, the naturalized Filipino from the Ivory Coast, both looked impressive as they showed a lot of promise. Now we got some bigs. The future is here?

THAT’S IT With Alex Eala recently securing the French Open tennis junior doubles crown, she and her Russian partner are halfway through the coveted Grand Slam as they also prevailed in the Australian Open last January. There’s only the Wimbledon and the US Open left to conquer to complete their appointment with history. Cheers!...The Lexus-sponsored US Open ended yesterday with Spain’s Jon Rahm, 26, winning it with two big birdies in his last two holes to beat South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (71) by one shot at the par-71 Torrey Pines, San Diego, California.

JUVIC PAGUNSAN becomes the 13th Filipino to qualify for the Olympics. AP

returns from a year’s absence through the efforts of Manila Tondo Rep. Manny Lopez. “This is the biggest way to celebrate Araw ng Maynila,” Lopez said. “This historic event is for the ‘Bayang Karerista’ and every Manileño.” “I look forward to seeing all our bayang karerista in the Araw ng Maynila Racing Festival and I would like to greet all kareristas, happy racing,” Lopez added. The festival is part of the celebration of the City of Manila’s

450th foundation day. “Next year, with all your help and support, I look forward to seeing the return of the Gran Copa de Manila and a stronger horse racing industry,” Lopez said.

Camarines rises, Cordova falters in Wesley So Cup By Rick Olivares

Alemania (6.200). Reymundo Calamba III and Jian Alden Jose Arceo gave San Beda silver medals in the flyweight and heavyweight division, respectively, while welterweight Seth Nathaniel Go and featherweight Marlex Mercado settled with bronze for the Taytay-based school. CSB-LSGH finished second behind San Beda with two gold medals courtesy of welterweight Victor Emmanuel Rodriguez and middleweight Raphael Ongkiko, while light middleweight Javier Dexter Macasaet provided the Greenies’ a bronze medal. Letran’s Luke Morel (featherweight), LPU’s John Patrick Moneda (flyweight) and Arellano University’s Joshua Lyndon Dionio (heavyweight) also won gold medals. Speed kicking competition in the seniors’ category will begin Tuesday with the men’s division, while the women’s section will be played from June 30 to July 5.

Gilas five gives us glimpse of future AL MENDOZA | alsol47@yahoo.com

THAT’S ALL WHO said the new Gilas Pilipinas basketball team isn’t qualityladen? Think again, fellas. It is now awash with class. It may not be world-class, if we mean it is ready to win the Fiba World Cup. That’d be

HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) reiterated its call to national sports associations (NSAs) to look for other ways and means as they prepare for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi in November. PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez, chef de mission of Team Philippines to the November 21 to December 2 games, said the sports agency already received the proposed training budget of the NSAs vying in 39 of 40 sports in this year’s SEA Games. “I almost fell off my seat,”

said Fernandez upon seeing the amount of P184 million which only covers 28 NSAs. The Philippines won the overall title as SEA Games host in 2019 and intends to field 626 athletes to Hanoi in its bid for a strong podium finish despite the pandemic. “Twenty-eight NSAs submitted their budget for bubble training and it already amounted to P184 million,” Fernandez told the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. “The PSC only has a budget of P200 million for the SEA Games,” Fernandez said. “The PSC cannot finance all this. One NSA asked for P5 million and we have 39 NSAs. We need the NSAs to step up also and look for godfathers to help them with facilities, billeting and food.” “Some have done it [godfather system], while others are still looking. Less than 20 NSAs already have their local government unit partners,” he said. “The PSC cannot handle all the financial requirements during the pandemic,” the former basketball superstar told the Smart-powered session which has Upstream Media as official webcast partner. Ormoc City adopted fencing and modern heptathlon, Dumaguete has archery, Zamboanga took in weightlifting, Baguio City and Benguet adopted muay and kickboxing, respectively, while Taguig City got volleyball and table tennis and Tagaytay City cycling and chess. Bohol, Cebu and Sta. Rosa in Laguna are also heeding the call. Fernandez said he’s keeping his fingers crossed that the Hanoi SEA Games pushes through as planned and scheduled. He said the agency is awaiting the final word from the SEA Games Federation following reports that the Vietnamese government is considering moving the event to July next year due to the pandemic. “We will cross the bridge when we get there,” Fernandez said. “But just the same, we are ready.”

HE Araw ng Maynila Racing Festival returns to the Manila Jockey Club (San Lazaro) in Carmona in Cavite on Thursday with nine trophy races that will have added cash prizes and trophies to the winning horse owner and medals to the victorious jockeys and trainers. Araw ng Maynila races, historically the most anticipated and most exciting racing day in the annual racing calendar of the local horse racing industry,

BEDANS RULE SPEED KICKING

risk not just at the venues but will also lead to more circulation on commuter trains, in restaurants and other public spaces. It’s already become clear that these Olympics Games will be unlike any others, but organizers have said they are determined to hold them and billions of dollars in broadcast rights and ticket sales are at stake. Still, much of the fanfare that surrounds them—people from around the world rubbing elbows, a celebratory atmosphere in the host city and the showcasing of the host country’s culture—will be off the table or far more muted this year. Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, called the decision “the last piece for the Olympics” to proceed on July 23.

Araw ng Maynila races up

LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT Louell Mamaclay leads the Red Cubs’ charge.

AN BEDA ruled taekwondo’s speed kicking competition after pocketing three juniors division gold medals at the end of the four-day tournament on Monday in the 96th National Collegiate Athletic Association. Light middleweight Louell Mamaclay won the gold with 6.500 points, while Emilio Aguinaldo College’s (EAC) John Cris Samson took the silver with 6.458 points and College of Saint Benilde-La Salle Greenhills’s (CSB-LSGH) Javier Dexter Macasaet settled for the bronze with 6.383 points. Lightweight Philip Joshua Lee pocketed the gold with 7.083 points, beating EAC’s duo of Leigh Cyril Aslarona (6.108) and Aubrey Gacilos (5.942). Bantamweight Ignatius Vicente Lorenzo Pinera scored 6.750 points to capture the gold over Lyceum of the Philippines University’s Dirk Ranque (6.483) and Letran’s LeBron James

where even cheering has been banned. Organizers set a limit of 50 percent capacity—up to a maximum of 10,000 fans, all of whom must be Japanese residents—for each Olympic venue, regardless of whether it is indoors or outdoors. Officials said that if coronavirus cases rise again the rules could be changed and fans could still be barred all together. Spectators from abroad were banned several months ago, and now some local fans who have tickets will be forced to give them up. The decision comes as opposition among Japanese to holding the Games in July remains high, though may be softening, and as new infections in Tokyo have begun to subside. Still, health officials fear that in a country where the vast majority of people have yet to be vaccinated, crowds at the Olympics could drive cases up. The country’s top medical adviser, Dr. Shigeru Omi, recommended last week that the safest way to hold the Olympics would be without fans. Allowing fans presents a

Comm Mon to NSAs: Seek LGU godfathers

downright wishful thinking, as in saying Manny Pacquiao can be a presidential winner outright because he is a boxing world champion. Far from that. We only talk of realities here. Hearsay stuff is taboo.