BusinessMirror March 13, 2023

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Philippines’s total borrowings last year declined by 16.12 percent on an annual basis to a threeyear low of P2.163 trillion as the national government had a hard time borrowing from the domestic debt market due to rising interest rates.

L atest Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) data showed the national government’s total borrowings last year was P415.732 billion higher than the P2.579 trillion recorded in 2021.

Furthermore, the national government’s borrowings last year was P47 billion below its P2.21-trillion target amount, based on government data.

T he target borrowings were anchored on a 75:25 mix, wherein three-fourths of the amount would come from the local debt market while the remaining quarter would be borrowed externally.

T reasury data showed that both the country’s domestic and foreign borrowings declined on a year-on-year basis, but it was the former that posted a doubledigit decline.

T he national government borrowed P1.643 trillion from the domestic debt market through the sale of Treasury bills and Treasury bonds, which was 18.26 percent lower than the P2.010 trillion it borrowed in 2021.

T he national government’s gross

domestic borrowings last year comprised P1.194 trillion worth of fixed rate (net) T-bonds, P834.479billion retail T-bonds (RTBs), and a net availment of T-bills amounting to P385.782 billion.

T he latter part of 2022 saw the national government finding a difficult time awarding the sale of T-bills and T-bonds as investors sought higher yield amid a higher interest rate environment.

From rates as low as 0.903 percent to a high of 1.473 percent in January 2022, the auction of T-bills had rates ranging between 4.089 percent and 5.102 percent by end of last year.

T he net availment of T-bills last year widened to P385.782 billion from P153.336 billion in 2021, indicating that the government had to pay more mature short-term debt papers than the amount it was able to borrow through the government security.

Net T-bonds issued by the Treasury last year, meanwhile, declined by 5.16 percent to P1.194 billion from P1.259 billion in 2021. See “’borrowings,” A2

Pinoy tech workers among those hit by mass layoffs

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

FILIPINO information and communication workers were not spared from the mass layoffs from technology firms which tried to cut down on expenses this year, according to a new report from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

I n its latest Job Displacement Report (JDR) obtained by BusinessMirror , DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment disclosed that the sector logged the highest increase in the number of permanently displaced workers in January, at 3,089.

T his was 87.4 percent higher compared to the 1,684 displaced workers who lost their information and communication-related jobs in the same period last year.  Several multinational tech firms such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon earlier announced their decision to lay off  thousands of workers due to uncertain economic conditions this year.   Displacement trends ASIDE from information and communication, other sectors with registered high increases in permanent labor displacement were the

SHORTER LIVES, WIDER GAPS FROM LOWER HEALTH, EDUCATION SPEND

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE decline in non-Covidrelated spending for health and education during the pandemic is expected to reduce life expectancy as well as increase inequality nationwide, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

I n a discussion paper, PIDS

Senior Research Fellows Michael R.M. Abrigo and Connie BayudanDacuycuy as well as President Aniceto C. Orbeta Jr. said non-Covid-

related human capital spending nationwide declined by at least P118 million between 2018 and 2020.

For households, the decline was higher for health at 15.2 percent compared with education at 0.1 percent due to falling incomes. Public sector spending, however, increased 9.4 percent for education and decreased by 9.2 percent for health.

The drop in per capita health expenditures in the early Covid-19 pandemic relative to the 2018 baseline is expected to lead

to a decline in life expectancy at birth, no change in average lifetime labor income, and a rise in income inequality. The impact on life expectancy may not be unexpected, given the significant drop in health expenditures in 2020,” the researchers said.

T he authors, Abrigo, Dacuycuy, and Orbeta, also stated that other factors will complicate the situation of the country.

T hey said that a decline in early-life mortality and fertility rate, which has reached below replacement rate, as well as the

reduction of life expectancy on the back of higher adult mortality, will “depress income per capita.”

T he PIDS researchers said the early or premature death of adults in their prime will slow the growth of the working-age population compared to the elderly and children in the population.

A brigo, Dacuycuy, and Orbeta also said that early deaths could prevent the country from maximizing the returns on its human capital investments.

‘ANILAG’ Participants

‘Poor-quality jobs still account for bulk of PHL employment’

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

I bon said 73 percent of total employment covering 34.5 million workers were in private establishments and are considered irregular workers—as such, are deemed informally employed.

T he local research group said informal work is made up of the selfemployed, those employed in small family farms or businesses, domestic help, and unpaid family workers.

The Marcos Jr administration should be less obsessed with constantly projecting a rosy picture of economic recovery and be more concerned with the harsh reality of poor-quality work, low incomes and high prices that millions of

ordinary Filipinos are faced with,” Ibon said.

I n January 2023, Ibon noted that 20 million or 42.2 percent of jobs were outright informal work as of January 2023. This is higher than the 16.8 percent in January 2020 or before the lockdowns were implemented.

The government should unleash its considerable funds and resources to ensure immediate relief measures such as ayuda, wage subsidies and support to small businesses and producers. These can really help distressed Filipinos cope and bring about genuine and sustained recovery,” Ibon said.

Shorter lives...

“ These compounding effects suggest that the country may fail to fully realize economic potentials brought about by demographic change, i.e., the so-called demographic divi -

dends,” the researchers said.

T he findings showed that life expectancy is seen to decline across almost all age groups. However, they noted that the drop from the pre-Co -

Ibon expressed concern that informality in the economy may be worsening given the decline in the average hours worked in January 2023.

T he research group said in terms of hours worked, the number of those working 40 hours fell by 1.8 million from 31.8 million in December 2022 to just 30 million in January 2023.

T his decrease in full-time workers, Ibon said, meant that regular and secure work has become scarce. The number of part-time workers also fell slightly by 167,000 to 16.5 million.

Further, by class of worker, the number of wage and salary workers declined by 714,000 to 29.5 million from 30.2 million. Ibon said this is due to the drop in the number of those working in private establishments – a decline of 576,000 from 23.6 million to 23 million.

T he number of self-employed also decreased by 746,000 to 12.8 million; unpaid family workers likewise dropped by 433,000 to 3.9 million.

“ However, this mainly reflects the volatility of self-employment and informal work falling to job -

vid-19 level is lower compared with lifetime exposure to COVID-19 human capital spending levels.

L ifetime labor income, meanwhile, is expected to decline among the young aged below 20 and to increase among younger prime-age cohorts, the researchers said. This

lessness; it is unlikely that they moved on to better work prospects considering the huge drop in fulltime work,” Ibon said.

O n Thursday, the number of underemployed persons reached 6.65 million in January 2023, an increase of 224,000 from the 6.43 million posted in January 2022.

Full story: https:// businessmirror .com.ph/2023/03/09/ employment-rises-by-4-09m-injanuary-psa/

B ased on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, a total of 712,000 Filipinos were added to the ranks of the visibly underemployed, swelling the number to 4.581 million compared to January’s 3.869 million.

Compared to December 2022, the January data showed that the visibly underemployed increased by 608,000 from the 3.973 million visibly underemployed.

Filipinos who are visibly underemployed are those working less than 40 hours in a week and have expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional jobs.

is driven by changes in education spending.

T he research also found that changes in education and health spending have “diverging effects on income inequality.” While per capita education spending was increased for older children in the early years of the pandemic, this will have no impact on improving inequality across populations.

T he decline in health spending per capita, meanwhile, is expected to increase income inequality among the young and younger prime-age adults.

“ Unfortunately, the decline in health spending during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to result in adverse long-term outcomes. This highlights the need to assess the health programs and other initiatives implemented for the young population during the pandemic,” the authors said.

“ While the sustained education spending during the early pandemic phase is expected to yield favorable future economic outcomes, strategic education investments are still needed to improve the productivity of younger cohorts,” they added.

T he National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) earlier said the Philippine economy will take a decade to go back to its prepandemic growth path due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the lockdowns.

Former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by the government are expected to cost the Philippine economy a total of P41.4 trillion in the next 40 years.

Neda estimated that in 2020, the economy lost P4.3 trillion and is expected to continue to lose another P37 trillion in the next 10 to 40 years.

(Full story: https:// businessmirror .com.ph/2021/09/25/nedapandemic-to-cost-phl-economyp41-4-trillion-in-total-lossesover-next-40-years/).

Borrowings...

Continued from A1

Treasury data showed that RTBs issued by the national government last year increased by 1.35 percent year-on-year to P834.479 billion from P823.347 billion.

I n terms of external borrowings, the national government borrowed a total of P520.091 billion, 8.54 percent lower than the P568.668 billion recorded in 2021, Treasury data showed.

L ast year’s external borrowings were composed of P234.259 billion global bond issuance, P120.676 billion project loan, P136.604 billion program loan, and P28.552 billion Samurai bonds.

financial and insurance activities (44.9 percent +367) and the mining and quarrying (98.5 percent or +131).

However, the sectors which still tallied the most number of permanently displaced workers in January was the construction industry with 11,383 followed by “other service activities” with 6,148.

M eanwhile, industries which recorded the “steepest decline” in the number of labor displacement were accommodation and food service activities (-93.2 percent or -5,388), wholesale and retail trade (-78.5 percent or -5,082) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (-88.4 percent or -1,767).

O verall, the JDR reported the number of permanently displaced workers in January dropped to 34,820 compared to 53,057 in the same period in 2022.

This can be attributed to the decrease in displacement due to retrenchment (-35.9 percent or -17,307) and permanent closure (-19.1 percent or -930),” BLE said.

Sustainable gains

THE data was consistent with those from the latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which showed a year-

We have to live with Covid, that’s why we urged our employees to take the booster vaccines.”

Speaking as assistant vice president-Boracay Resorts Operations of the Henann Group, Salazar stressed, “We are 100-percent vaccinated with first and second does, and 80 percent of our employees have already received two boosters. We took it upon ourselves to safeguard our health especially that tourists may not be fully vaccinated. Next week, we will also be lifting face masks for our staff, but only for those who had been administered with four doses. This is to keep our workforce safe to better serve the tourists.”

T he Hotel Sales and Marketing Association Inc. believes “the new safety protocols…also signifies the ‘normalizing’ of the market landscape which will encourage travelers/tourists to stay in hotels.”

T he group underscored, however, that hotels will “continue to observe minimum health standards in our daily operations as we consider best practices implemented during the pandemic. The health and safety of our guests and staff will always remain a priority and the new protocols will not

Even in a constituent assembly, he added, “there’s no congressman or senator who can be prevented from proposing federal government, proposing the abolition of the Senate, or a unicameral parliament.”

I f that happens, he projects there will really be trouble. “The people will get mad at us.” Thus, he counsels, “let us use what we have now, which is an effective constitution. Let us continue, anyway we have passed the economic measures that they wanted” when they were justifying amendments to the Constitution. We have enacted these into law.” He was referring mainly to the trio of liberalization measures passed in the 18th Congress: amendments to the. 80-plus-year-old Public Service Act, amended retail trade liberalization law and the Foreign Investments Act.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that, for the record “we have approved many key measures” in the 19th Congress, topped by the Regional Comprehen-

on-year decrease in the number of unemployed by 580,000 in January.

Unlike the LFS, which is based on the quarterly survey conducted by PSA in 51,000 households, the JDR relies on the regular displacement reports submitted by employers to DOLE’s regional offices.

To ensure that recent gains in the labor force will be sustainable, Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said they are now working to “raise the quality of human resources and ensure that the current and future workforce can adapt to the changing demands of the labor market.”

A mong the measures DOLE is now pushing for is further improving the labor market information system, the passage of the Apprenticeship Bill, strengthening the capacity of the Public Employment Service Offices, and enhancement of social protection programs for workers. “ These efforts shall achieve our desired outcomes in terms of employment and mobility, and better respond to economic opportunities, which includes prioritization of upskilling and reskilling of the workforce to equip them with higher competencies by expanding lifelong learning opportunities,” Laguesma said.

change our mindset and priority.”

HSMA president Loleth So noted that their staff at Belmont Hotel, for instance, are still masked. “For other hotels, it will depend on their respective management’s directive,” she added.

M emorandum Circular 20230002 signed by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, covers tourism enterprises such as “facilities, services, and other attractions involved in tourism, such as, but not limited to: travel and tour services; tourist transport services, whether for land, sea or air transportation; tour guides; adventure sports services involving such sports as mountaineering, spelunking, scuba diving, and other sports activities of significant tourism potential; convention organizers; accommodation establishments, including, but not limited to, hotels, resorts, apartelles, tourist inns, motels, pension houses, and home stay operators; tourism estate management services, restaurants, shops and department stores, sports and recreational centers, spas, museums and galleries, theme parks, parks, natural sites, historical landmarks, convention centers, and zoos.”

sive Economic Partnership (RCEP). For the first time in the history of the Senate, he added, the Senate President and the Senate President Pro Tempore defended a landmark measure  and opened themselves to interpellation.

“Usually the Senate President does not do that, but we did that just to speed up approval of RCEP.” S enators also passed the remedial legislation on  condonation on interest of loans for agrarian reform beneficiaries, as well as the  Armed Forces of the Philippines Attrition Law, and the  SIM Registration Act, as well as the postponement of Barangay Elections, the General Appropriations Act and then discussion on amendments to the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Law, Medical Reserve Corps, CDC law, creation of Virology Institute, as well as the Internet Transaction Act, Zubiri noted.

A ll are measures on LEDAC’s priority list of 10 items for passage by June, he added.

Nagkaisa maintained the legislation is no longer necessary if President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. wants to implement a genuine rightsizing scheme in the government to streamline its workforce. “The government, particularly President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, already holds enormous power to make the bureaucracy more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of the people

and does not need the Rightsizing Bill that prescribes mass retrenchment,” Nagkaisa said.

A side from amendments in the provisions of HB 7240, Nagkaisa also pushed for the passage of the Public Sector Labor Relations Bill, which aims to boost the constitutional rights of government employees to self-organization, collective organization and peaceful concerted activities. Samuel P. Medenilla

INFORMAL jobs that were considered of poor quality still account for the majority of employment in the Philippines, according to Ibon Foundation Inc.

The Nation

Solon wants Degamo

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday sought a congressional inquiry over the failure of several police escorts of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo to report for duty the day he was gunned down in his own house.

In a statement, Romualdez noted reports that five out of the six police escorts of Degamo did not show up for duty on March 4 when a group of gunmen attacked his house and killed him, along with eight other individuals, mostly civilians.

“Degamo had earlier reported to the police about the threats to his life so it stands to reason that his security detail should have implemented stricter measures to ensure his safety. That’s why it’s highly suspicious why these police escorts were missing on the day he was killed,” Romualdez noted in calling the House Committee on Public Order and Safety chaired by Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan S. Fernandez to investigate the matter.

“It appears that the perpetrators were aware of the fact that Degamo has practically no protection so they could easily accomplish their mission to assassinate him,” he added.

According to Romualdez, the congressional inquiry would seek not only to uncover the reason for the

To fight fake news, PCO sets digital

questionable actions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) security personnel assigned to Degamo but also to ensure that all government officials in danger are provided adequate protection.

“We want to find out why most of Degamo’s PNP security details went missing on that fateful day. We don’t want to blindly accuse anyone but the circumstances apparently point to collusion between some members of the PNP and the perpetrators of this dastardly crime,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez cited the striking parallels between the killing of Degamo and the 2019 assassination of Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe, who was then running for Mayor of Daraga, Albay.

Reports said that despite threats to his life, two of the three police escorts of Batocabe were pulled out days before he was fatally shot.

“If we find out in this congressional inquiry that some PNP personnel were in cahoots with the perpetrators to remove the security protection of Gov. Degamo, we will recommend the filing of appropriate criminal charges against everyone involved,” Romualdez warned.

The lawmaker has condemned the killing of Degamo and urged the PNP leadership to immediately act to bring the perpetrators to the bar of justice and restore peace and order in the province.

literacy drive for vulnerable groups

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

THE Presidential Communications Office (PCO) will hold a Digital Media Literacy campaign for vulnerable communities this year to combat fake news.

“ Backed by the budgetary support from the Philippine Congress and its confidence in the leadership of the PCO, we took the opportunity to develop mechanisms through which we can bring the online experiences of females of all ages into focus,” PCO Undersecretary Cherbett Karen Maralit said during the

CyberSafe Against Fake News: Being Smart, Being Safe and Staying Ahead! Ensuring Women and Girls a Safe Online Experience. The event happened at the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) at the UN headquarters in New York.

Maralit said their campaign will focus on providing digital literacy and critical thinking to vulnerable groups, including women and girls.

“Taking a context-based and factual grassroots approach, we intend to reach out to, and equip,

Week-long AFP

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

WEEK-LONG operations by various units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) across the country have resulted in the neutralization of 26 alleged members of the New People’s Army and 46 of their alleged supporters, as well as five alleged members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and 22 alleged Abu Sayyaf Group members.

T he AFP also recorded the surrender and seizure of 66 high-powered firearms, four anti-personnel mines and various explosives and ammunition from March 1 to 9.

Battalion in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. Government troops also came back with two M-16 rifles, two M-203 grenade launchers, two AK-47 rifles and a hand grenade.

In another operation on the same day, the Joint Task Force NCR and law enforcement operatives captured an alleged NPA leader using the alias ‘Magno’ in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. Authorities said the person they didn’t name has multiple arrest warrants and a P2.8-million bounty on his head.

these communities with knowledge and skills and tools that will enable them to be discerning of the truth as they engage in various social media channels and platforms,” the PCO official said.

In preparation for the campaign, PCO will come out with a study on how fake news is spread and how to prevent it.

“When we have gathered the results of this study, expectedly by the middle of this year, we will be implementing a nationwide media literacy campaign that will focus on the areas identified,” Maralit said.

seized in an operation conducted by 52th IB in Oras, Eastern Samar on March 1 while an arms cache was discovered by joint elements of the 7th Infantry Division and police operatives in Dinalupihan, Bataan on March 4, authorities said.

On March 9, troops from the 50th IB encountered around 15 alleged NPAs in Balbalan, Kalinga, which resulted in one killed and the seizure of M-653 and M-16 rifles.

The campaign will end with a Media Literacy Summit, to feature speakers from organizations such as Facebook, Google, and the Philippine Commission on Women, by the end of the year.

PCO will coordinate with the private sector, particularly the broadcast industry, to develop mechanisms against fake news.

Likewise, it is also backing the legislation to institutionalize the efforts of the Department of Education to include Media and Information Literacy (MIL) as a core subject in the current curriculum of basic and secondary education.

members

An alleged ranking NPA leader in Surigao del Sur surrendered to the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, yielding nine high-powered firearms. Authorities didn’t reveal the name of this person. The weapon seized brought to a total of 27 firearms turned over to government forces during the period.

TO reinforce border security while enhancing travel experience, a senior lawmaker wants the Department of Justice (DOJ) to draw up a biometric border security plan that would enable a modernized Bureau of Immigration (BI).

In a statement last Sunday, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny T. Pimentel said this biometric immigration screening is also needed to keep better track of foreigners coming in and going out of the country.

“The BI should start deploying biometric checks to verify the identities of foreign visitors and validate their entry or exit,” Pimentel, House good government and public accountability committee vice chairman, said.

The lawmaker added that the funding for the biometric border security plan can be included in the 2024 national budget.

“We would urge the DOJ to work closely with the Department of Budget and Management so that new appropriations for the BI’s biometric controls may be included in the 2024 national budget that Malacañang will submit to Congress in August,” Pimentel said.

Biometric technologies that provide automated facial, fingerprint, and/or iris recognition of foreign visitors would expedite immigration clearance and enhance travel experience, according to Pimentel, also House information and communications technology committee

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it is prioritizing senior citizens in its initiatives to comply with the SIM Registration Law.

In a statement, NTC Legal Branch Officer-in-Charge Andres D. Castelar Jr. said the agency recently mounted an assistance and information campaign that targets senior citizens to “educate and encourage subscribers to register their SIMs.”

vice chairman. The lawmaker said biometric facial comparison alone would reinforce border protection against imposter threats and prevent the entry or reentry of foreigners seeking to commit crimes in the country.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla himself, during his confirmation hearing, had pressed for the biometric tracking of foreign visitors, amid the involvement of several overstaying Chinese nationals in criminal activities such as human trafficking, prostitution and online gambling-related kidnapping.

Many of the overstaying Chinese nationals had arrived in the Philippines at the height of the so-called “pastillas” scam in 2019.

In exchange for bribes, the scam facilitated the entry of groups of Chinese nationals, including those with derogatory records in China, without undergoing standard immigration procedures.

Some of the Chinese nationals had previously fled China and entered the Philippines via Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries.

At least 45 immigration officers implicated in the scam have since been dismissed, and are now facing corruption charges before the Sandiganbayan.

The scam was named after the favorite Filipino milk-based candy because the bribe came in rolled money wrapped in white paper to look like the confectionery.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Castelar led the event dubbed Kwentuhan sa Simbahan at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Tugatog, Malabon.

He presented the key features of Republic Act 11934 (SIM Registration Act) to an audience of senior citizens in Malabon and Caloocan City.

Castelar assured the seniors of Malabon and Caloocan in attendance that their personal information is protected by the SIM Registration Law.

“The telecom providers are the custodians of the SIM Register and the law provides harsh penalties

On March 1, four alleged NPAs were killed in separate encounters with the 33rd Division Reconnaissance Company and 94th Infantry

This was followed by the combat operations of the 7th IB against more or less 10 alleged NPAs in Senator Ninoy Aquino town in Sultan Kudarat on March 2, which resulted in three alleged NPAs killed and the seizure of three M-16 rifles, an M-653 rifle and two hand grenades.

Three anti-personnel mines were

The AFP said it also recorded the surrender of 17 alleged NPA regulars facilitated by various AFP units that include the 28th IB in Mawab, Davao de Oro; 9th IB in Bacon, Sorsogon; 39th IB in Makilala, North Cotabato; 66th IB in Davao de Oro; 48th IB in Lupon, Davao Oriental; 83rd IB in Tigaon, Camarines Sur; and 43rd IB in Lope De Vega, Northern Samar.

Meanwhile, the 85th IB, in collaboration with local police units and the Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in General Luna and Catanauan, Quezon, said they facilitated the withdrawal of support from the CPP-NPA-NDF of 46 alleged mass base supporters. The AFP also neutralized five alleged members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), while 22 ASG alleged members surrendered to the 100th IB in Indanan, Sulu.

Sarangani crafts

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

GENERAL SANTOS CITY— Sarangani is crafting the policies and implementing parameters for the national government’s Universal Health Care (UHC) program, as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. said it was ready to provide the P200 million for the full medical and hospital services for the province’s constituents.

T he Local Health Board (LHB) has gathered its members to a meeting on March 8 to craft the policies and guidelines in implementing the UHC’s Konsulta + Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), or the “Konsulta + SDG.”

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Arvin C. Alejandro said Sarangani province, as with many other provincial local governments were unable to implement the program after it was enacted “because of lack of appropriate funding.”

for intentional disclosures of SIM registration data or breaches caused by negligence,” he said.

This initiative, according to Castelar, “complements the NTC’s continuing conduct of Facilitated SIM Registration in Remote Areas all over the country.”

To date, two hundred 222 remote areas within the country have been visited by NTC’s Facilitated SIM Registration caravan.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is “looking at the possibility” of extending the

deadline for the registration of SIM cards in the Philippines, as Filipinos are slow to comply with the new law.

ICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Y. Lamentillo said the agency is now reviewing its option to extend the registration deadline because as of March 7, only 24.54 percent of the 168 million subscribers nationwide or about 41.4 million have registered in the system.

“The DICT is looking at the possibility of an extension. The DICT has the prerogative to extend the SIM Registration process for

another 120 days. We are still deliberating on the matter. Now we’re focused on increasing the number of registrants before the April 26 deadline,” she said. Smart Communications Inc. reported a total of 21.12 million SIMs registered, representing 31.05 percent of its 68 million subscribers. Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 17.21 million registered SIMs or 19.58 percent of its 87.87 million subscribers. Dito Telecommunity Corp. reported a total of 3.15 million registered or 24.02 percent of its 13.11 million subscribers.

Through the “Konsulta + SDG,” Alejandro said the PhilHealth would “give us an advance payment even if we have not yet provided the services amounting to 40 percent of the P1,730.”

He said P1,730 is PhilHealth’s “payment” to the LGUs for providing healthcare to their constituents.

“If we are talking about some 300,000 individuals here in Sarangani as our beneficiaries, we are front-loading more than P200 million,” Alejandro said. The project is an implementation mechanism to achieve the objective of UHC, which seeks to provide comprehensive outpatient benefits and primary healthcare to its members, he said.

Monday, March 13, 2023

• Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

DTI allocates ₧20M to spark startups in creative industry

By Andrea San Juan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that a P20-million fund for 2023 was created to jumpstart startups in the creative industry.

“ We’re starting with P20 million; this is just for the year and the plan is just to jumpstart the whole process,” DTI Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Group Rafaelita M. Aldaba told reporters on the sidelines of the 2nd Philippine Creative Industries Summit in Pasay City last March 7.

Aldaba said the DTI assembled the fund together with the National Development Co. (NDC).

“We’ll just continue that program with NDC but, this time, the fund

Citem gears up for 16th international trade show

THE Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem) is banking on the 16th edition of IFEX Philippines, the country’s major international food trade show, to further help Philippine exporters expand markets overseas.

T he food trade event, which serves as the country’s “long-running” trade event and sourcing program for Philippine and global food and ingredients will be spearheaded by the Citem, the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The event would run from May 26 to May 28 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Pasay City.

Citem Executive Director Edward L. Ferreira said this year’s edition of IFEX Philippines will help Philippine exporters grow their network of buyers and expand their markets overseas.

Moreover, he said, “IFEX Philippines 2023 will highlight the idea of sharing, which is at the core of Filipino food culture.”

According to Citem, IFEX Philippines is expected to gather more than 500 exhibitors who will “showcase a wide and diverse range of products” including beverages, fine food and specialties, fruits and vegetables, biscuits and confectioneries, snacks and crispy savory food products, meat and poultry, dairy products, cereals, grains and starch, seafood and marine products, organic and natural products, raw materials and food ingredients, and equipment and services.

Fereira also noted that in its 16th year, the food trade event aims to position the Philippines as a “sourcing destination” that is not only capable of meeting global demands but also offers some of the “most distinct and innovative products on the market.”

The DTI’s export promotions arm claims this year’s IFEX Philippines has the “highest” regional food small and medium enterprises (SMEs) representation, with the DTI regional and provincial offices, as well as other local government units (LGUs), “doubling down on supporting top food exporters through subsidized participation.”

Citem said IFEX Philippines is expected to provide opportunities for networking and discussions about the latest trends and developments in the food export industry.

“The three-day event will hold business matching activities, seminars and talks, cooking demonstrations, product presentations, and other special events in addition to the exhibition,” Citem said.

Last year, the export promotions arm of DTI said IFEX Philippines attracted nearly 6,000 buyers and visitors from all over the world and generated $107.1 million in export sales. Andrea San Juan

is going to be dedicated to creative startups,” she added.

The Trade undersecretary said the initiative called “Creative Venture Fund” (CVF) can either be in the form of a “co-investment, partnership and some other forms of collaboration with other partners from the startup community.”

According to Aldaba, it’s the NDC, not the DTI, which has the mandate for the creation of the CVF.

In a separate chance interview, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said “the initial plan was to start with P500 million but we didn’t get the funding yet.”

Pascual said the funding will come from appropriation.

“It’s a one-time (allocation); mayroon initial. And then we have to

deploy the funds. If we need more, then we ask for additional funding,” the Trade chief added.

Access to capital

IN his speech during the summit, Pascual said that the CVF is consistent with the goals of Republic Act (RA) 11904 (Philippine Creative Industries Development Act) and “shall be used to co-finance the business expansion of creative enterprises and individuals.”

O n top of this venture fund, he said financial support in the form of grants and soft loans is also being planned.

Pascual added the initiative is based on government’s view that access to capital is “crucial” in sustaining and expanding the operations of

Davao de Oro to widen exports beyond banana

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Davao de Oro

creative enterprises. He believes RA 11904 will help address the “constraints” of the creative industries and launch the country’s creative enterprises and creative workers “on a higher growth path in the domestic and international markets.”

According to Pascual, among the initiatives of the Trade department in relation to the development of the creative industries is to measure its economic contributions “accurately.”

In doing so, he said the DTI will continue working with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to establish a “well-defined and reliable statistical system” through a “Creative Industries Satellite Account.”

Calabarzon set to launch tourism hubs for DOT program in August

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28

Contributor

REGION 4A, comprised of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon—collectively known as Calabarzon—will launch in August the complete set of local “must-visit” destinations for the Philippine Experience program of the Department of Tourism (DOT), according to a top tourism officer.

In an interview during the opening day of the weeklong Anilag Festival in Santa Cruz, Laguna last Saturday, DOT Calabarzon Regional Director Marites T. Castro told the BusinessMirror that each of the regions in the country will have their own kick off of this national initiative that aims to promote the country’s rich heritage, arts and culture.

Castro said they are finalizing the list of local sites to become part of this program of the DOT to help the industry recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and position the Philippines as a main travel destination in Asia.

“ We will have to coordinate what local government units [LGU] or provinces that will be included in our launch of the Philippine Experience,” she added.

Prior to this, Castro revealed they have already identified the LGUs that have adventure, cultural and gastronomic hubs for the tourism circuits of Calabarzon.

In Laguna, for instance, she cited that the city of San Pablo and munici-

palities of Nagcarlan, Rizal and Liliw were included in its initial establishment at the height of the ensuing health crisis in 2020.

She added that they have developed the second phase of the tourism circuits of the region, including Biñan, Calamba, San Pedro and Santa Rosa in Laguna, in early 2022, in coordination with the LGUs, travel agencies and tourism stakeholders.

Change

ACCORDING to Castro, the DOT 4A office has forged a partnership with the National Museum to include nine buildings or institutions found in the region that care for and display a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. For them to be included in the tourism circuits, Castro said there’s a need for evaluation and change in their ways of presentation to entice more visitors.

“We have to lobby, especially now that the Millennials do not go to museums more often, given the rise of digitalization,” she said.

“So my suggestion to them is that we have to change our delivery of the story or history in the museum. Since some find it to be boring, we have to present it more beautiful like the way comics did to make it more interesting not only among the youth. It’s better that they learn not only in the four corners of a classroom, but also get to actually experience what is being said in the book,” Castro explained.

She said local, regional and national initiatives will be of big help to achieve the DOT’s local and foreign tourist arrival targets.

Recovering

CASTRO said that based on reports submitted by tourism officers of Region 4A, overnight local tourists in Calabarzon reached 5.85 million while same-day or day-tour visitors hit 45.96 million last year.

“Our domestic travelers grew last year compared to 2020 and 2021. We all know that Calabarzon had a doublewhammy when it [came] to the pandemic and the Taal Volcano eruption in 2020,” she said. “So now we are recovering. Hence, we extend the waived accreditation fee to encourage renewal among the tourism establishments.”

Castro, likewise, cited that the DOT reported that foreign visitor arrivals increased to 2.6 million in 2022, and is targeted at 4,8 million in 2023.

Bullish on meeting this goal, she said that the agency, together with the Tourism Promotions Board and other attached departments, is “allout” in promotion and marketing to sustain such growth.

“We have programs already implemented, but our enemy is calamity,” she said, while referring to a massive oil spill brought about by the recent sinking of industrial tanker MT Princess Empress in the coast near the Mindoro island.

She is hoping that “more help will come,” like the deployment by Japan of experts to assist in clean-up efforts in the province.

Peza, Baguio City to work for greater transparency

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the local government unit (LGU) of Baguio City have signed a pledge, affirming commitment to uphold transparency and accountability such as prohibiting bribery in all activities under their control, among others.

Last March 4, the investment promotion agency said Peza Officer-inCharge Tereso O. Panga and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong signed an “Integrity Pledge” in Baguio City.

Prior to the signing of the pledge, Magalong divulged his campaign to encourage government officials to “shun temptations” of corruption and promote transparency in government dealings.

“This movement of good governance should spread like virus and infect the whole of government apparatus,” the Mayor of Baguio City told Peza officials.

For his part, Panga said, the pledge “sends a strong message

that corruption has no place in the country’s economic zones and that both the public and private sectors must work together to uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability.”

Among the commitments of the two signatories is to “avoid any conflicts of interest that may compromise our objectivity, impartiality, or independence, and disclose any such conflicts immediately to the appropriate authorities.”

In terms of bribery, Peza and the LGU of Baguio City also pledged to “prohibit bribery in any form in all activities under our control and ensure that our charitable and political contributions, business gifts, and sponsorships are transparent and will not be for the purpose of attempting to influence the recipient into an improper exercise of functions, duties, or judgment.”

On transparency, both parties also committed to maintain “appropriate financial reporting mechanisms that are accurate

province, one of the country’s richest province, is looking at free trade agreements the Philippines has with trading partners to tap the export market for its products.

T he province, which was carved out from the 11 municipalities of Davao del Norte, is mainly banking on its Cavendish banana for export. However, local officials said they would be looking at other export opportunities for its other agriculture and mineral products.

This week, the province would host the annual Exporter’s Forum at Café Noventa, Poblacion, Nabunturan. The forum on March 14 and titled “Exporter’s Forum: Doing Business in Free Trade Areas” would focus on expanding the current market of local producers and suppliers.

“It also intends to take a closer look at various free trade agreements in existing and new Free Trade Areas (FTA) as well as update existing and potential exporters on the various opportunities included in the free trade agreements that they could maximize,” said DTI Davao de Oro Provincial Director Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque.

“Being one of the emerging provinces in Region 11, Davao de Oro has been consistent in its placement as one of the highly competitive provinces in the Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index (CMCI). This has been manifested by the province’s growth in investments, the surge in new businesses despite the pandemic and the increase in jobs created,” Balleque, a lawyer, said.

He explained that the province

is a constant contributor to the net exports of the region. The report of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for the second semester of 2022 shows that Davao de Oro’s total export volume reached 65,119.73 metric tons (MT), valued at around $84.72 million.

The top commodity is fresh banana, he said, that is exported to the Middle East, the Asean region and countries like Japan, China and Korea.

“The presentation of the Philippines’ FTAs, specifically to Japan, Korea, China, Europe and other countries in Asean, will help us in DTI as well as our exporters in identifying potential market opportunities for the provincial products,” he said.

He said the exporter’s forum would be an avenue to convene and organize the export industry players in the province.

Balleque said there are 14 banana exporters from the province who wanted to expand the countries of destination for existing fresh banana products.

According to the DTI, the forum is eyeing $50 million in export sales as it would also assess at least ten new export products.

Aside from banana, the province also plants and exports coconut, coffee, abaca and rubber. It is also known for its mango, pineapple, durian, calamansi, mandarin and lanzones and vegetables as well as root crops and tubers.

But the province, formerly called Compostela Valley, is better known for its gold and copper deposits, with small scale mining activities being conducted in Diwalwal in Monkayo and Boringot in Pantukan in the 1990s.

In 2017, the Commission on Audit ranked the province the second-richest province in the Philippines with a record-high of P18.75 billion worth of assets, the largest in whole Mindanao.

Solon seeks ‘superbody’ on AI

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

ALAWMAKER is pushing for the passage of a bill seeking the creation of a “superbody” that would be responsible for the development and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

I n House Bill 7396, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers said this “superbody” shall maximize the benefits and minimize the negative impacts of the AI.

tional AI strategy. The AI strategy, Barbers said, will promote AI research and development, support the growth of AI-related industries and enhance the skills of the Filipino workforce in the AI field.

“AI is rapidly transforming the global economy, with its potential to enhance productivity, improve delivery of basic services and drive economic growth,” he said.

and transparent.” Meanwhile, Peza and the Baguio LGU also stressed that they shall hold themselves accountable for actions and decisions and shall take responsibility for and lapses in their judgment.

The two signatories also pledged to give employees and other stakeholders the channels by which they can raise “ethical concerns and report suspicious circumstances in confidence without risk of reprisal.”

To carry out their common vision of sustainable economic growth, the two parties have agreed to refrain engaging in business with parties who have demonstrated unethical practices and invite other agencies to join the cause in advocating for good governance practices. With these commitments, Panga said, “as with the aim of Baguio City to be a ‘smart city,’ Peza likewise has implemented pioneering programs and initiatives to transform public and private economic zones into ‘green ecozones.’” Andrea San Juan

According to Barbers, countries such as the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore, among others, have enacted laws or issued executive fiats to promote AI usage and, at the same time, protect their citizens from individuals adopting criminal schemes using AI.

“While the Philippines recognizes the importance of AI in the development of the country, the rapid phase of technological advancement in AI also poses risks and challenges that must be addressed to ensure that its benefits are maximized and its negative impacts are minimized, if not avoided,” he said.

Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said the bill (An Act Promoting the Development and Regulation of AI in the Philippines) seeks to address the potential risks and challenges by providing for a comprehensive framework for the development and regulation of AI in the country.

The measure seeks to establish an agency to be known as the AI Development Authority (AIDA), which would undertake the tasks, duties and responsibilities in the development and implementation of a na-

The solon from Mindanao said that while many Filipinos are looking at AI’s positive potential, there should be an agency that would act as a “watchdog” to guard against unscrupulous individuals that would take advantage of or use it for their selfish or criminal ends.

The proposed legislation defines AI as an umbrella term that encompasses various forms of technology, including machine learning, deep learning, neural works and natural language processing.

“It outlines the principles of responsible AI usage and development which include transparency, fairness, accountability and privacy. It likewise requires organizations that develop or deploy AI technologies to adhere to these principles and to conduct risk assessments and impact analyses before deploying their technologies,” he said.

Moreover, Barbers said, the bill includes provisions to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals to prevent discrimination and bias in AI technologies; ensure that AI systems are safe and secure; for organizations to be transparent about their use of AI and provide meaningful explanations for the decisions made by AI systems.

Agriculture/Commodities

‘BOC should probe undervalued rice imports’

By Raadee S. Sausa

THE Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) is urging the government to look into the undervaluation of rice imports which has resulted in foregone tariffs of as much as P7.7 billion in 2022.

C iting data from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), FFF National Manager Raul Montemayor said the country imported 3.85 million metric tons (MMT) of rice last year, the

highest since the rice tariffication law (RTL) was enacted in 2019.

Montemayor said over the weekend that the rice shipment values that were declared by importers in 2022 were 28 percent lower than the BOC’s reference prices on the average.

“Landed costs were declared as P16.94 per kilo in 2022. These should have been around P23.62 kilo on the average, based on BOC rates. If we apply the 35 percent tariff to these declared values, the importers in ef-

Govt allots more funds for program to revive salt industry

THE government has allotted another P100 million for a program that seeks to revive the Philippine salt industry.

T he Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said interventions under “Oplan Asin” will continue this year. The program now involves 7 regional fisheries offices (RFOs) of BFAR, from the previous 3.

T he agency attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA) said RFOs in Regions 3, 4A, 4B and 7 have been included in the program.

With Oplan Asin, we will prioritize intervention to our existing salt producers and revive the inactive ones by helping them comply with the market requirements,” BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto said during the launch of the Development of Salt Industry Project in Dasol, Pangasinan.

BFAR and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) started the implementation of “Oplan Asin” last year. It aims to increase local production of excellent quality salt through the enhancement of processes and improvement of practices on salt production, while balancing the requirement for food safety standards and industrial uses.

W ith a funding of P100 million in the first year of implementation, various production-related and research and development activities were implemented in select major salt-producing regions through the BFAR-RFOs 1, 6, and 9.

T he agency said it has al -

ready provided fishery on-farm equipment and post-harvest facilities, upgraded storage units and warehouse facilities, training and capacity building workshops, and technology demonstrations among the participating regions.

S en. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food said, “salt production is very economical and sustainable if given the chance to grow.”

T he Philippines used to produce salt in huge quantities until the 1990s. Citing a report published by Pacific Farms Inc., the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Region 4-B said provinces like Bulacan, Pangasinan, Occidental Mindoro and Cavite supplied almost 85 percent of the country’s salt requirement in 1990.

W hat doomed the local salt industry, the DOST said, is the seasonal pattern change due to climate change and producers’ reliance on age-old production methods. As challenges became insurmountable and made salt farming less attractive, large producers were forced to shut down their farms or convert their areas into other profitable ventures, such as fishponds, residential or commercial properties.

T he Philippines, which has the fifth largest shoreline in the world, imports around 80 percent of its salt requirements from countries like Australia and China.

Raadee S. Sausa

fect shortchanged the BOC by P2.34 for every kilo they brought into the country,” he said in a statement.

FFF claimed that the degree of undervaluation has been “consistently deteriorating” over the years, despite repeated assurances from the BOC that it would curtail the practice.

In 2019, the group said the average rate of undervaluation was only 15 percent. In the next two years, it averaged around 20 percent, before reaching its peak of 28 percent in 2022.

“ Importers are now becoming bolder and greedier, and it seems the BOC is condoning—if not turning a blind eye to—the practice of undervaluation. This is happening not only with rice, but also to most other commodities like meats and vegetables,” Montemayor said.

In particular, FFF claimed that rice shipments from Pakistan were “severely undervalued” by 37 percent, despite the fact that the government had already cut tariffs for non-Asean

countries to 35, purportedly to diversify the Philippines’s sources of rice.

Under the RTL, tariff collections from rice imports in excess of P10 billion in a given year will be earmarked for cash transfers to farmers adversely affected by imports.

T he FFF again called for a review of the RTL as retail prices have “hardly moved” despite the influx of cheap rice imports and the decline in farm-gate prices.

I n August 2022, Montemayor

asked the government to investigate the undervaluation of rice imports which was estimated at P3.84 billion in January to July last year.

He said data from BOC showed that from January to June 2022, 85 percent of the 2.28 MMT of imported rice were undervalued by an average of P5,664 per metric ton (MT).

T he group also noted that the BOC intercepted shipment of 38,400 MT of rice being unloaded at Iloilo port on suspicion of smuggling.

Pilmico donates equipment to Davao del Norte rabbit raisers

RABBIT raisers in Carmen Municipal Slaughterhouse in Davao del Norte received meat processing equipment from Pilmico and Gold Coin Group (Pilmico).

T he turn over of the equipment was led by Jefferson Abian, Pilmico assistant vice president for livestock in Mindanao.

Let us work together to promote rabbit meat consumption in the Municipality of Carmen, and soon in the rest of the region,” said Jerwin Pugoy, president of the Davao del Norte Quality Rabbit Meat Producers Association.

average farmgate price of the crop has declined to P30 per kilogram in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. NONOY LACZA

FAO finalizes update of toolkit for rural entrepreneurs

THE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has finalized the latest update of a toolkit that aims to revolutionize small and middle-sized rural entrepreneurship. R uralInvest, the methodology developed by the FAO Investment Centre, offers its users a path from theory to practice, to assist entrepreneurs in creating sustainable and bankable business plans. I n the absence of clear and effective business models, farmers and rural entrepreneurs find it

challenging to convince financial institutions and banks to invest, also given that agriculture is often considered a risky investment and its profitability difficult to gauge. Over 80 percent of the world’s food is produced by family farming, yet less than 10 percent of smallholders have access to finance.

T he idea at the heart of RuralInvest is to make small and mediumsized entrepreneurs thrive by empowering them, through specially trained intermediaries—that is, platform users—to translate their

Floods and old trees in Malaysia set to tighten palm oil market

years has also expanded, meaning a portion of the plantation will be less productive. Replanting has been slow due to high costs, and the top-producing state in Malaysia—Sabah—now has the country’s highest area of trees above that age, Tek said.

A tightening palm oil market raises concerns over the potential for higher food costs, just as central banks boost interest rates to curb inflation. Weather risks are also climbing, with a shift from La Nina to El Nino expected this year. The change in the weather cycle could parch plantations in Southeast Asia, where nearly all of the world’s palm is grown.

The last three years of La Nina have caused significant damage to oil palm root systems, which may take time to recover even as the application of rooting fertilizers are ongoing,” said Tek. As a result, fresh fruit bunches may be smaller in size and have lesser oil content, he added.

business ideas and vision into concrete plans that can attract investors.

B ased on the FAO team’s decades of experience in the field of rural investments, the methodology and its software have been constantly fine-tuned yielding impressive results. Over the past five years, RuralInvest has supported the growth of more than 1,000 agribusinesses in more than 15 countries, catalyzing an estimated $34 million in investment to date and supporting a new generation of rural enterprises worldwide.

Our gratitude goes to Mayor Leonidas Bahague of the Municipality of Carmen for supporting us in this endeavor. With your help, you can rely on us to continue being a partner for growth of our rabbit raisers.”

T he company said in a statement that the donation aligns with the government’s initiative to promote rabbit raising, which can serve as an alternative source of income for farmers.

Pilmico launched its rabbit feeds brand Kunemax in 2021 amid the rising demand for protein consumption. Pilmico Foods Corp. and Gold Coin Management Holdings are the integrated agribusiness and food companies of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. Gold Coin is now fully-managed and owned by Pilmico International and to date, it is the largest investment in the Asia-Pacific region in their shared history. Raadee S. Sausa

THE

palm oil market is expected to tighten this year as floods and older trees constrain production in the world’s secondbiggest supplier, according to a major Malaysian growers group.

Indonesia and Malaysia may only see a marginal increase in output this year of less than 3 percent, respectively, Joseph Tek, the chief executive of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, said in a statement. Heavy rainfall

and floods in parts of Malaysia will constrict production in the short term because of disruptions to harvesting and logistics, and result in poorer quality fruit, he added. T he number of trees older than 25

T he tight supply outlook may keep palm oil supported near 4,000 ringgit ($885) a ton in the near term, Tek said. Prices have traded above that level since early February. Other significant events include: China’s rebound after the end of Covid Zero, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, as well as Indonesia’s policies to restrict exports and ramp up its biodiesel mandate, he said.

T he MPOA is a growers group that represents about 40 percent of palm oil plantations by area in Malaysia.

global

CHEAPER ONIONS As planters continue to harvest onions, the Nueva Ecija Onion Farmers Association said the

A WORKER uses a motorized harvesting sickle to cut a palm oil fruit bunch from a tree at a plantation in Kapar, Selangor, Malaysia, on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

SAMSUL SAID/BLOOMBERG

Saudi deal with Iran worries Israel, shakes up Middle East

By Isabel Debre & Samy Magdy | The Associated Press

JERUSALEM—News of the rapprochement between long-time regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran sent shock waves through the Middle East on Saturday and dealt a symbolic blow to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made the threat posed by Tehran a public diplomacy priority and personal crusade.

The breakthrough—a culmination of more than a year of negotiations in Baghdad and more recent talks in China— also became ensnared in Israel’s internal politics, reflecting the country’s divisions at a moment of national turmoil.

The agreement, which gives Iran and Saudi Arabia two months to reopen their respective embassies and re-establish ties after seven years of rupture, more broadly represents one of the most striking shifts in Middle Eastern diplomacy over recent years. In countries like Yemen and Syria, long caught between the Sunni kingdom and the Shiite powerhouse, the announcement stirred cautious optimism.

In Israel, it caused disappointment—along with finger pointing.

One of Netanyahu’s greatest foreign policy triumphs remains Israel’s US-brokered normalization deals in 2020 with four Arab states, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. They were part of a wider push to isolate and oppose Iran in the region.

He has portrayed himself as the only politician capable of protecting Israel from Tehran’s rapidly accelerating nuclear program and regional proxies, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Iran have also waged a regional shadow war that has led to suspected Iranian drone strikes on Israelilinked ships ferrying goods in the Persian Gulf, among other attacks.

A normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, would fulfill Netanyahu’s prized goal, reshaping the region and boosting Israel’s standing in historic ways. Even as backdoor relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia have grown, the kingdom has said it won’t officially recognize Israel before a resolution to the decadeslong IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Since returning to office late last year, Netanyahu and his allies have hinted that a deal with the kingdom could be approaching. In a speech to American Jewish leaders last month, Netanyahu described a

peace agreement as “a goal that we are working on in parallel with the goal of stopping Iran.”

But experts say the SaudiIran deal that was announced Friday has thrown cold water on those ambitions. Saudi Arabia’s decision to engage with its regional rival has left Israel largely alone as it leads the charge for diplomatic isolation of Iran and threats of a unilateral military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The UAE also resumed formal relations with Iran last year.

“It’s a blow to Israel’s notion and efforts in recent years to try to form an anti-Iran bloc in the region,” said Yoel Guzansky, an expert on the Persian Gulf at the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli think tank. “If you see the Middle East as a zero-sum game, which Israel and Iran do, a diplomatic win for Iran is very bad news for Israel.”

Even Danny Danon, a Netanyahu ally and former Israeli ambassador to the UN who recently predicted a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia in 2023, seemed disconcerted.

“This is not supporting our efforts,” he said, when asked about whether the rapprochement hurt chances for the kingdom’s recognition of Israel.

In Yemen, where the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has played out with the most destructive consequences, both warring parties were guarded, but hopeful.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen’s conflict in 2015, months after the Iran-backed Houthi militias seized the capital of Sanaa in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The Houthi rebels welcomed the agreement as a modest but positive step.

“The region needs the return of normal relations between its countries, through which the Islamic society can regain security lost from foreign interventions,” said Houthi spokesman and chief negotiator Mohamed Abdulsalam.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government expressed some optimism—and caveats.

Continued on A8

In this photo released by Xinhua news Agency, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme national Security Council, at right, shakes hands with Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, at left, as Wang Yi, China’s most senior diplomat, looks on, at center, for a photo during a closed meeting held in Beijing on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions. The major diplomatic breakthrough negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals, both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua via aP

The World

UK: Russian advance in Bakhmut could come with heavy losses

By Karl Ritter | The Associated Press

t he UK Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment that paramilitary units from the Kremlin-controlled Wagner Group have seized most of eastern Bakhmut, with a river flowing through the city now marking the front line of the fighting.

t h e mining city is located in Donetsk province, one of four regions of Ukraine that r u ssian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last year. r ussia’s military opened the campaign to take control of Bakhmut in August, and both sides have experienced staggering casualties.

Ukrainian troops and supply lines remain vulnerable to “continued r u ssian attempts to outflank the defenders from the north and south” as the Wagner Group’s forces try to close in on them in a pincer movement, the UK ministry said.

h o wever, the ministry added, it will be “highly challenging” for Wagner’s soldiers to push ahead because Ukraine has destroyed key bridges over the river, while Ukrainian sniper fire from fortified buildings further west has made the thin strip of open ground in the city’s center “a killing zone.”

r u ssian military bloggers and other pro-Kremlin te legram accounts claimed Friday that r u ssian forces had entered a metal processing plant in northwestern Bakhmut. t h e i n stitute for the s t udy of War, a Washington-based think tank, also referenced geolocated footage show -

ing r u ssian forces within 800 meters of the AZOM plant, a heavily built-up and fortified complex. t h e institute reported in its Friday night assessment that Moscow’s apparent focus on capturing the plant, rather than opting for a “wider encirclement of western Bakhmut” by attempting to take nearby villages, was likely to bring a further wave of r ussian casualties.

Ukraine’s ground forces on s a turday signaled their intention to hold out in Bakhmut, announcing on Facebook that their top officer, Col. Oleksandr s y rskyi, was personally overseeing “the most important sectors of the front” to deny Moscow a long-awaited battlefield victory.

“Our military is standing. t h is is our fortress. And what they are doing now, we cannot even imagine how useful it will be for the country, for our army in the near future,” National s e curity and Defense Council s e cretary Oleksii Danilov said on Ukrainian state t V Quoting s y rskyi, he said the alleys and territory around Bakhmut were “littered with the corpses of r u ssians and ‘Wagnerians.’”

Elsewhere in Ukraine, repair work continued s a turday following a massive r u ssian missile and drone strike two days earlier that killed six people and left hundreds of thousands without heat or electricity.

Ukraine’s state grid operator said

power supply issues persisted across four provinces following the barrage, in which 80 r u ssian missiles and a smaller number of exploding drones hit residential buildings and critical infrastructure across the country.

i n a Facebook post, Ukrenergo said scheduled blackouts remain in place in Kharkiv and Zhytomyr, as well as parts of the Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions. t h e company added that the situation in Zhytomyr was especially challenging, with some customers still without power.

t h e General s t aff of the Ukrainian armed forces reported that r u ssia launched 34 attacks from multiple rocket launchers s a turday on various parts of the country. t h ey included southern Ukraine’s Kherson province, where three people “who simply went to a store to buy groceries” were killed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

r u ssian shelling between Friday morning and s a turday morning also killed at least five people and wounded another 19 across Kherson and Donetsk provinces, Ukrainian authorities reported.

Donetsk, where Bakhmut is located, has been the epicenter of the fighting in recent months, while Ukrainian-held parts of Kherson have seen daily shelling from r u ssian troops

stationed across the Dnieper r i ver.

On s a turday, r u ssian forces also launched 12 air strikes and two missile strikes on the city of Zaporizhzhia, the capital of the southeastern Ukrainian province of the same name, according to Ukraine’s military. A strike by an s - 300 missile hit a civilian infrastructure facility, but no casualties were reported.

Norwegian Defense Minister

Ukrainian defense chief Oleksiy r e znikov welcomed his Norwegian counterpart to Kyiv on s a turday. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram announced Norway’s decision to earmark $7.5 billion over the next five years for weapons and other aid for Ukraine.

According to a readout of the meeting published by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Gram said the arms Norway planned to send included missile launchers and ammunition for NAs A M s anti-aircraft systems.

r e znikov said that Ukrainian troops successfully operated some of the same weapons to shoot down the drones and missiles that r u ssia rained on Ukraine on t h ursday.

“We know for sure that every 10 uses of the NA s A M s system [...] mean downing 10 of the aggressor’s missiles, saving 10 buildings and infrastructure facilities, as well as hundreds of human lives,” he said.

Start-ups worried about paying employees after SVB collapse

By Hannah Miller, Katie Roof & Priya Anand

START- U P f ounders are beginning to worry about whether they’ll be able to keep paying employees following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank.

Payroll service provider Rippling notified customers on Friday that some processing had stalled because SVB helped handle its payments. The company, a start-up itself, switched to JPMorgan Chase, but not soon enough: Paychecks were already “in flight” with SVB and have yet to be paid out—and the firm is still trying to understand what the bank’s collapse on Friday will mean for them, Rippling Chief Executive Officer Parker Conrad said in a Twitter post.

Start-up founder Brad Hargreaves said some firms may not be able to make payroll next week. And because boards are incredibly sensitive to employing workers they can’t pay, he said, “Expect mass layoffs later today, Monday at latest.”

Sarika Bajaj, the CEO of early-stage start-

“The Yemeni government’s position depends on actions and practices not words and claims,” it said, adding it would proceed cautiously “until observing a true change in [Iranian] behavior.”

Analysts did not expect an immediate settlement to the conflict, but said direct talks and better relations could create momentum for a separate agreement that may offer both countries an exit from a disastrous war.

“The ball now is in the court of the Yemeni domestic warring parties to prioritize Yemen’s national interest in reaching a peace deal and be inspired by this initial positive step,” said Afrah Nasser, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Arab Center.

up Refiberd, said she had been a customer of Silicon Valley Bank for three years and kept most of the company’s funds there. Bajaj, who was at the Sand Hill Road branch of SVB in California on Friday, tried to make withdrawals but couldn’t and is growing concerned about payroll for her and her two team members. “ I’m sure there are lots of people here with lots and lots of employees,” she said. “It’s not our reality, but I know it’s going to be a lot of people’s realities.”

More than half of tech companies “keep the lion’s share of their cash at SVB,” said Greg Martin, founding partner of the investment firm Liquid Stock. “They all need to make payroll early next week.”

M artin said he believes the bank is healthier than people think. But the worstcase scenario, he said, is “tens of thousands of people” don’t get paid next week.

Some venture capitalists raced to assist in setting up temporary cash funds to help affected start-ups make payroll next week.

Spark Capital on Friday was steering portfo -

Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst with the International Crisis Group, said she believed the deal was tied to de-escalation in Yemen.

“It is difficult to imagine a Saudi-Iran agreement to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies within a two-month period without some assurances from Iran to more seriously support conflict resolution efforts in Yemen,” she said.

War-scarred Syria similarly welcomed the agreement as a move toward easing tensions that have exacerbated the country’s conflict.

Iran has been a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, while Saudi Arabia has supported opposition fighters trying to remove him from power.

lio companies in need of aid toward Liquidity Capital MC Ltd., which offers financing for start-ups and posted on LinkedIn that it would offer capital to those affected by Silicon Valley Bank’s failure within 24 hours, a person familiar with the matter said. Liquidity Capital is among Spark’s portfolio companies.

CEOs of some companies with funds trapped at Silicon Valley Bank are planning to use their personal wealth to cover their employees’ salaries amid payroll constraints caused by the bank’s failure, according to a person familiar with the matter.

At least one start-up was planning to do layoffs on Friday, but the Silicon Valley Bank situation forestalled those plans because the business, which banked with SVB, no longer had the capital to pay severance, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

C onversely, other start-ups were considering doing layoffs due to the SVB situation, because it’s illegal to have employees without paying them, this person said. Furloughing was also under consideration, as a

The Syrian Foreign Ministry called it an “important step that will lead to strengthening security and stability in the region.”

In Israel, bitterly divided and gripped by mass protests over plans by Netanyahu’s farright government to overhaul the judiciary, politicians seized on the rapprochement between the kingdom and Israel’s archenemy as an opportunity to criticize Netanyahu, accusing him of focusing on his personal agenda at the expense of Israel’s international relations.

Yair Lapid, the former prime minister and head of Israel’s opposition, denounced the agreement between Riyadh and Tehran as “a full and dangerous failure of the Israeli government’s foreign policy.”

potential way to bring employees back on the payroll when funds are received. Startups are frantically discussing their options with lawyers, the person added.

It was clear on Friday that the bank failure’s fallout for the start-up ecosystem could be profound. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers warned of “substantial consequences for Silicon Valley—and for the economy of the whole venture sector,” if the government doesn’t intervene.

O n Friday morning, at the SVB office on Silicon Valley’s famed Sand Hill Road, the location was technically closed. Still, a steady stream of clients, many of them start-up founders who had placed most of their company’s funds with SVB, knocked on the locked glass doors of the bank’s office and waited patiently for someone to come. Occasionally, a representative for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would emerge from the office and talk privately with customers either in small groups or one-on-one. Bloomberg News

“This is what happens when you deal with legal madness all day instead of doing the job with Iran and strengthening relations with the US,” he wrote on Twitter. Even Yuli Edelstein from Netanyahu’s Likud party blamed Israel’s “power struggles and head-butting” for distracting the country from its more pressing threats.

Another opposition lawmaker, Gideon Saar, mocked Netanyahu’s goal of formal ties with the kingdom. “Netanyahu promised peace with Saudi Arabia,” he wrote on social media. “In the end (Saudi Arabia) did it...with Iran.” Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report

By Kitty Donaldson

British Prime Minister r i shi

s u nak is heading to the U s on s u nday to meet President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as the three nations unveil the next phase of the AUKU s nuclear submarine program, a security partnership meant to counter China.   t h e decision on how to move ahead will be announced Monday when the three leaders meet in s a n Diego. t h e plan will take years to produce its first vessel, probably necessitating stopgap measures, according to people familiar with the discussions. t h e U s may base nuclear submarines in Australia or sell the country Virginia-class submarines in the interim.

Australia’s new fleet of nuclearpowered subs will be based on a modified British design with U s parts and upgrades, the people said. t h e new alliance in 2021 ended a French plan to build non-nuclear subs with Australia, angering leaders in Paris.

Ahead of the announcement, the UK is planning an update to its 2021 i ntegrated r e view of defense and security to set out its response to increased global volatility. t h e i ntegrated r e view r e fresh will address the grave risks from Vladimir Putin’s r u ssia alongside increasing aggression from Beijing, according to s u nak’s office.  i n turbulent times, the UK’s global alliances are our greatest source of strength and security,” s u nak said in a statement.

i am traveling to the United st ates today to launch the next stage of the AUKU s nuclear submarine program, a project which is binding ties to our closest allies and delivering security, new technology and economic advantage at home,” he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning criticized the plan on t h ursday, telling reporters in Beijing that the three countries should “do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.” Bloomberg News

Chi N A h as named a general sanctioned by the U s to be its new defense minister, setting up a potentially awkward encounter if he’s ever paired up with U s Defense s e cretary Lloyd Austin for a meeting.

General Li s h angfu is set to become Minister of National Defense and s t ate Councilor—China’s equivalent of a cabinet member—according to a list of names nominated at the National People’s Congress in Beijing on s unday.

t h e 65-year-old Li replaces outgoing defense chief Wei Fenghe, whose retirement was expected after he stepped down from the Central Military Commission at the Communist Party’s congress in October. Li joined the commission at the same session, becoming the first soldier on the body from the army’s s t rategic s u pport Force, the branch created in a 2015 restructuring to focus on space, cyber, political and electronic warfare.

t h e move could spell more difficulties ahead for U s - China ties—already strained over the shoot-down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon last month and tensions over ta iwan. i n early February, Beijing rebuffed a U s e ffort to arrange a call to address the balloon episode, and on February 28 the Pentagon said top U s and Chinese defense officials haven’t spoken since November.

Li was targeted by Washington in 2018 for violating U s sanctions by allegedly aiding in the transfer of s u35 combat aircraft and s - 400 missile system equipment from r u ssian arms seller r o soboronexport to China. At the time, Li was the director of the Equipment Development Department at the top military commission overseeing Chinese defense technology.   t h e U s s t ate Department leveled the wide-ranging sanctions at r u ssian entities, Li and his department in order to “impose costs on r u ssia in response to its interference in the United s t ates election process, its unacceptable behavior in eastern Ukraine, and other malign activities,” according to a statement.

t h e restrictions imposed on Li included a prohibition on foreign exchange transactions under U s juris -

diction, a prohibition on transactions with the U s financial system, blocking of all property within the U s , a nd a visa ban.  h i s ascension to the country’s top defense post also signals Beijing’s growing emphasis on aerospace defense technology. After graduating from the National University of Defense te chnology, Li held posts at the Xichang s a tellite Launch Center, where he oversaw the launch of China’s first lunar probe. During his time there, China also successfully launched its first anti-satellite missile.  Li also has previous experience working with Zhang Youxia, current vice-chair of China’s top military body and a family friend of President Xi Jinping. Li worked as the chief of staff and then deputy director at the General Armaments Department between 2013 and 2015, when Zhang was the director.

Li took over from Zhang and appeared at a civil-military fusion forum in 2017 as the head of the Equipment Development Department, after serving as the inaugural chief of staff and deputy commander of the army’s st rategic s u pport Force in 2016.

During a debate on the government’s work report delivered at the National People’s Congress last week, Li reiterated the need to improve integrated national strategies and capabilities—a reference to the muchscrutinized civil-military fusion effort bringing together companies and the armed forces.  t h e military should “carry out military-diplomacy work with a focus on serving the big picture of political diplomacy,” Li said on March 6. Bloomberg News

KYIV, Ukraine—Russian forces have made progress in their campaign to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the focus of the war’s longest ground battle, but their assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses, British military officials said Saturday.

Sunak visits US to unveil Australian nuclear-submarine plan with Biden

US-sanctioned aerospace expert named China’s defense minister

AUS t r AliA S new fleet of nuclear-powered subs will be based on a modified British design with US parts and upgrades. B LOOMBERG PHOTO

Ukr AiniAn paratroopers of 80 Air Assault brigade rest inside a dugout at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine on friday, March 10, 2023. AP P HOTO/ E VGENIY M A LOLET k A

The World

Oil giant Saudi Aramco reports profits of $161 billion in 2022

By Jon Gambrell The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emir -

ates—Oil giant Saudi Aramco reported Sunday its profits surged to $161 billion last year off higher crude prices, a record result for an energy firm crucial to the kingdom’s economy.

The firm, known formally as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said in its annual report that the profit represented “its highest annual profits as a listed company.” That came off the back of energy prices rising after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, with sanctions limiting the sale of Moscow’s oil and natural gas in Western markets.

Aramco also hopes to increase its production to take advantage of market demand, raising the billions needed to pay for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to develop futuristic cityscapes to pivot Saudi Arabia away from oil.

However, those plans come despite growing international concerns over the burning of fossil fuels accelerating climate change.

“Given that we anticipate oil and gas will remain essential for the foreseeable future, the risks of underinvestment in our industry are real—including contributing to higher energy prices,” Saudi Aramco CEO and President Amin H. Nasser said in a statement.

Profits rose 46.5% when compared to the company’s 2021 results of $110 billion. It earned $49 billion in 2020 when the world faced the worst of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, travel disruptions and oil prices briefly going negative.

Aramco put its crude production at around 11.5 million barrels a day in 2022 and said it hoped to reach 13 million barrels a day by 2027.

To boost that production, it plans to spend as much as $55 billion this year on capital projects.

Aramco also declared a dividend of $19.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022, to be paid in the first quarter of this year.

Benchmark Brent crude oil now trades around $82 a barrel, though prices had reached over $120 a barrel back in June. Aramco, whose fortunes hinge on global energy prices, announced a record $42.4 billion profit in the third quarter of 2022 off the back of that price spike.

Those high prices have further strained ties between the kingdom and the United States, traditionally a security guarantor among the Gulf Arab states amid tensions with Iran. Before the midterm elections in November, the kingdom said the Biden administration sought to delay a decision by Opec and allies including Russia to cut production that could have kept gasoline prices lower for voters—making public the typically behind-the-scenes negotiations common in the region.

President Joe Biden had warned the kingdom that “there’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done” in terms of oil prices. However, those consequences have yet to be seen as Saudi Arabia and Iran went to China to strike a diplomatic deal Friday. US gasoline prices now stand on average at $3.47 a gallon, down just about a dollar from last year.

For the kingdom, higher crude oil prices can help fuel the dreams

of Prince Mohammed, including his planned $500 billion futuristic desert city project called Neom. However, they also run against the fears of activists over climate change, particularly as the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks will begin this November in the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia has pledged to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, like China and Russia, though its plans to reach that goal remain unclear. Aramco’s earnings report noted it started a $1.5 billion Sustainability Fund in October and plans a carbon-capture-and-storage facility as well.

Saudi Arabia’s vast oil resources, located close to the surface of its desert expanse, make it one of the world’s least expensive places to produce crude. For every $10 rise in the price of a barrel of oil, Saudi Arabia stands to make an additional $40 billion a year, according to the Institute of International Finance.

Shares in Aramco stood at $8.74 on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange before it opened Sunday. That’s down from a high of $11.55 a share in the last year. However, that current price still gives Aramco a valuation of $1.9 trillion—making it the world’s second most valuable company behind only Apple. The Saudi government still owns the vast majority of the firm’s shares.

Italy’s coast guard, navy, bring hundreds of migrants ashore

By Frances D’emilio

The Associated Press

ROME—Italian coast guard and navy vessels on Saturday ferried hundreds of rescued migrants toward shore, while elsewhere in the Mediterranean Sea thousands of migrants overflowed from a shelter on a tiny tourist island.

The influx of sea arrivals came in the face of a crackdown by Italy’s right-wing government on people smugglers announced only two days earlier.

The coast guard said in a statement that overcrowding on two vessels and adverse sea and weather conditions had complicated rescue operations that began Friday in the Ionian Sea off Calabria.

A 94-meter (310-foot) -long coast guard vessel took 584 migrants aboard, while two smaller coast guard motorboats took on 379 and then transferred them to an Italian naval vessel, which was headed to Augusta, a port in eastern Sicily, as migrant shelters in Calabria quickly filled up.

Separately, a boat carrying 487 people, intercepted by Italian vessels some 60 nautical miles (112 kilometers) off Crotone in Calabria on Friday, was aided by two coast guard motorboats and a border police boat. The migrants disembarked in Crotone’s

North

By Hooyeon Kim

NORTH K orea said it’s taking “important and practical” measures to deter any acts of aggression by the US and South Korea as the two allies prepare to hold large-scale military drills through the next two weeks. Pyongyang discussed and adopted “steps for making more effective, powerful and offensive use of the country’s war deterrent in coping with the present situation,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News

port before dawn on Saturday.

A beach in Cutro, a town south of Crotone, is where survivors and bodies were found on Feb. 26 after a wooden boat, crowded with migrants who had set out from Turkey days earlier, broke apart on a sandbank.

The known death toll from the shipwreck climbed to 76 on Saturday after the bodies of two children and an adult were recovered, Italian news agency ANSA reported. Eighty passengers survived, but others were reported missing and presumed dead.

Italian prosecutors are investigating whether authorities should have swiftly launched a rescue operation after a patrol plane operated by Frontex, the European Union’s border protection agency, spotted the wooden boat, hours before it broke apart dozens of meters (yards) from the beach.

Some 5,000 people, walking behind a bearer of a cross fashioned from the boat’s wreckage, joined a procession to the beach in Cutro on Saturday, demanding increased efforts to save migrants at sea.

The UN migration agency estimates that some 300 people have died this year, or were missing and presumed dead, after attempting to cross the perilous central

Agency said Sunday. “War provocations” by the US and South Korea are reaching its red line, it said. The decision was made at a meeting of the Central Military Commission of North Korea’s Workers’ Party in which leader Kim Jong-un was present, according to KCNA.  The US and South Korea are planning to hold their “Freedom Shield” exercises March 13-23, aimed at bolstering their “joint defense posture in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” according to the militaries of the two countries. The

Mediterranean route.

The Turkish coast guard reported Saturday that its personnel rescued 11 migrants off the coast of Turkey’s Aydin province after their rubber dinghy burst and started to take water. The bodies of five people were recovered, while a search for other possible survivors and victims continued, the coast guard said in a statement.

Meanwhile, on Italy’s tiny Lampedusa island, an Italian fishing and tourist location south of Sicily, some 3,000 newly arrived migrants overflowed from a shelter meant to hold less than 350. Hundreds of migrants spent the night sleeping on mattresses on the fenced-off grounds of the shelter.

Plans to ease some of the overcrowding on Lampedusa by transferring hundreds of migrants aboard a ferry were complicated by high winds whipping the island, making it impossible for the ship to dock on Saturday morning. Italian media reported that some 140 migrants were then transferred from the island by air.

Authorities on Lampedusa said many of the migrants arriving on the island, which is closer to northern Africa than to the Italian mainland, had sailed from the port of Sfax, in Tunisia, a route increasingly used by smugglers.

drills are expected to be some of the largest the two have held in years.

North Korea, which for decades has decried such drills as a prelude to an invasion and nuclear war, has pledged an unprecedented response.

It has demanded that the US and South Korea halt hostile military actions, criticizing the US for deliberately increasing tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the broader region. Last week, Kim presided over live-fire drills where his military launched several suspected shortrange ballistic missiles. Bloomberg News

Korea says It’s adoptINg steps to deter ‘war provocatIoNs’

s torage tanks are seen at the North Jiddah bulk plant, an aramco oil facility, in Jiddah, saudi arabia, on March 21, 2021. oil giant saudi aramco said sunday, March 12, 2023, it earned a $161 billion profit last year, attributing its earnings to higher crude oil prices. AP P H OTO A M R N A b L

Angel R. Calso

Get rich; save the planet editorial

IN some if not many minds, the environmental movement “Save The Planet” started only in the last half of the 20th century. Concern over the welfare of the earth started long before that.

After becoming president in 1901, Teddy Roosevelt established 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, five national parks and 18 national monuments on nearly 100 million hectares of public land. As a result, wilderness areas were protected from exploitation and the national government took control through various government agencies.

In the 1970s great concerns were properly raised over air and water pollution and contrary to some thinking, these concerns have led to actions that have had major positive impacts where implemented.

But like many endeavors, even noble ones, it is big business.

Greenpeace is known for its direct actions and raising environmental issues to the public. Greenpeace activist leaders control what is estimated to be a $360 million global environmental empire. That is in light that many “environmentalists” blame “capitalistic greed” for the destruction of the environment.

Note that the whale was “saved” from extinction by the commercialization of both crude oil and electricity. Not from the goodness of the human heart and the warm fuzzy feelings we get contemplating the wondrous “Leviathans of the Deep.”

The Weyerhaeuser Company, founded in 1901, is an American timberland company that had an operating income in 2022 of $3.08 billion on revenues of $30 billion. Weyerhaeuser owns nearly 5 million hectares (50,000 square kilometers) of timberlands in the US and manages an additional 57,000 square kilometers of timberlands in Canada. Each year, Weyerhaeuser cuts only about 2 percent of their forests, and plants about 150 million tree seedlings to replace the cut. No trees, no profits.

Basic environmental degradation such as removing forests and ocean/ river pollution occur mainly in poor nations. While some environmentalists would prefer we all eat tree bark and insects, as usual, it is the poor who will suffer first and with the greatest harm.

However, if you want to save the planet, it is probably a good idea to make people rich.

The HumanProgress.org project published an article “True Environmentalists Should Prioritize Economic Prosperity.” “Some environmentalists have wondered about the feasibility of future ‘climate lockdowns to tackle a climate emergency.’” They appear to fail to account for the well-known correlation between economic prosperity and environmental quality. People can afford to care about the environment only when they have enough income to cover their basic needs. If their survival depends on killing an endangered animal or cutting down a rare tree, then so be it.”

During the Covid lockdowns, in Kenya, “The killing of giraffes skyrocketed. Given that a ton of giraffe meat is worth almost seven months of the average Kenyan salary, it is unsurprising that desperate locals have resorted to slaughtering the endangered animal. In Colombia, the poaching of endangered pumas and jaguars also rapidly increased. In India, tiger numbers were steady, as incomes have increased for the last two decades. But, since the lockdowns were imposed, various reports have highlighted an upsurge in tiger poaching and illegal hunting.”

“The environmental scientist Jesse H. Ausubel, for example, suggests that once a nation achieves a GDP per capita of $6,200 [in 2021 dollars], deforestation stops or afforestation occurs. In conclusion, poor people depend on Mother Nature to survive. Rich people, in contrast, can decouple themselves from the environment, protect wildlife for future generations, and return vast swathes of land to nature. Now, what environmentalist wouldn’t want that?”

Get rich and save the planet.

A call to use AI responsibly

RISING SUN

PerhaPS because of the movies we have seen and the dire predictions coming from various quarters—as well as the inadequate understanding of the matter at hand—plenty of people are afraid of artificial intelligence (aI). Sadly, this sometimes eclipses the fact that it can potentially deliver a lot of good to different areas of life like healthcare, climate change efforts, education, public works and development, retail and business, and so on.

Many of us also don’t realize that new technologies bring with them new challenges—this is an inevitable part of progress. Brilliant minds must therefore work together to overcome these challenges so our society can reap the benefits of modern technology.

People have said AI-powered machines commit a lot of errors. For example, ChatGPT generates incorrect information and assumptions, plagiarized content, and unsophisticated results. The I in AI is some kind

of a misnomer because rather than intelligence, it is technically prediction. This is according to Kay FirthButterfield, the Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum. It can’t be equated to human intelligence, Firth-Butterfield said. Therefore, the idea that it will replace human intelligence is unlikely. I believe that, at least for the time being. The technology is developing rapidly and nobody can actually say for certain what the machines will

What is clear at this point is that because the technology is new, everyone from huge corporations to individuals or the general public must exercise caution before using it. Experts advise that only responsibly designed/developed/ tested systems must be used. Otherwise, users face potential risks including legal ones. In the Philippines where guidelines have not yet been determined, the public and private sectors must work together to develop fair policies pertaining to the applications of AI.

be capable of doing in the months and years to come.

What is clear at this point is that because the technology is new, everyone from huge corporations to individuals or the general public must exercise caution before using it. Experts advise that only responsibly designed/developed/tested systems must be used. Otherwise, users face potential risks includ-

Pagcor fires auditor for fraud

LITO GAGNI

The termination of the consultancy contract of Global ComrCI for which it was mandated as third-party auditor of the Philippine amusement and Gaming Corporation for its licensed offshore gaming operations reveals a weak link in the vetting process for companies that deal with the gaming agency, which is the third biggest revenue earner for the country.

Revelations in the past Senate hearings on the said third-party auditor showed that Global ComRCI had the temerity to present a bogus certification from a global bank that allowed it to bag the said consultancy contract to the tune of P6 billion. It is a good thing that only P800 million had been released so far and that Pagcor Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco has vowed to collect back the money that was released.

It should be noted that no less than Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla certified that the purported bank certification on which hinged the third party auditing contract of Global ComRCI was fraudulent. Medalla wrote the Senate, confirming that the global bank was in no position to issue any certification on behalf of any local entity, as it had neither operations nor branch office in the Philippines.

Thus, the certification presented by Global ComRCI is fraudulent, according to a Pagcor statement.

Pagcor has now endorsed the matter to the Office of the Solicitor General “for the possible filing of administrative, civil and criminal cases against Global ComRCI and is now exploring legal remedies available for the restitution of more than P800 million out of the partial amount released to Global ComRCI prior to the assumption of the current administration as well as damages it has caused to the Corporation.”

It may take a while for Pagcor to get back the money but with the Bangko Sentral entering the picture, it will be a bit easier as the Anti-Money Laundering Council can come to the rescue of the gaming agency. After all, Pagcor contributes much for the government by way of remitting dividends from its earnings, espe-

We understand that since September 2022, the new Pagcor management has been conducting extensive reviews of the agency’s existing contracts, among which is with Global ComRCI contract—a point it repeatedly stressed in Senate hearings that looked into the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, for which Pagcor had contracted GlobalComRCI as third party auditor to ensure that it gets the proper sums pertaining to gross revenue receipts.

cially with the return to normal of business operations. In fact, it has just given cash incentives to an 84man Philippine contingent tasked to take part in the humanitarian response for the Turkey quake victims.

We understand that since September 2022, the new Pagcor management has been conducting extensive reviews of the agency’s existing contracts, among which is with Global ComRCI contract—a point it repeatedly stressed in Senate hearings that looked into the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, for which Pagcor had contracted GlobalComRCI as third party auditor to ensure that it gets the proper sums pertaining to gross revenue receipts.

Old hands at the gaming agency told us that Tengco has vowed to push

ing legal ones. In the Philippines where guidelines have not yet been determined, the public and private sectors must work together to develop fair policies pertaining to the applications of AI.

It is crucial that we learn what we possibly can about AI, and keep abreast of updates and the latest developments so that we can make good decisions on whether it is the best tool to address our specific issues or improve our existing system. Did you know, for example, that advanced computer systems use a tremendous amount of power to develop and operate? Studies show that “the carbon footprint of the whole information and communications technology ecosystem equals the aviation industry’s fuel emissions.” Sustainability is one of the foremost issues surrounding the development and use of AI, which again underlines the importance of responsible use.

Aside from that, decisions on what kind of system to adopt, how to use it responsibly, and how other countries/groups are using it can only be made soundly if we have adequate and accurate information.

for a transparent process in all the dealings of the agency with the outside world. In fact, the Pagcor head has vowed to initially let the agency take charge in the auditing process until a new third party auditor is named. In getting a new one, Tengco said there will be a transparent way in choosing a third party auditor.

In a sense, Tengco is crafting a China wall in business operations, so called to ensure that there is check and balance in the way Pagcor operates. By letting a third party auditor check on the offshore gaming operations, Tengco is making sure that the agency is assured of good governance since all that Pagcor undertakes passes through another party that Pagcor or its officials cannot influence.

It will be interesting to know how Global ComRCI has been able to surreptitiously undertake the presentation of a supposed bank certification that allowed it to bag the auditing contract. Without that bank document, now exposed as fraudulent, the company could not have been awarded the contract.

The other point is the release of the P800 million to Global ComRCI. How was the release made and for what reason since Pagcor has said that the promised gaming revenues were not achieved. If the promise of the “x” amount for offshore gaming operations was not met, then why was the amount released.

A Senate hearing on the matter seems in order.

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Happy 100th year, CPA Philippines

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

This week, the luminaries and the stakeholders of the Philippine accountancy profession troop to the Manila hotel to hold the grand celebration of the centennary, or 100 years, of the accountancy profession in the Philippines. on March 17, 1923, Republic Act 3105 was promulgated to create the Board of Accountancy, and the beginning of the professionalization of the profession with BoA tasked to administer the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) licensure examinations. The theme for the centenary celebration is “Celebrating the Past, Transforming the Present, shaping the Future.” This is a very apt message that the leaders and stakeholders of the profession should heed since a serious look at the present state of affairs and the imperatives of the future is a must to have a truly meaningful 100th-year celebration.

As part of the celebration, the BOA, together with the various professional accounting organizations, will confer on March 17, 2023, the “Accountancy Centenary Award of Excellence” to 100 CPAs who “have proven themselves worthy of honor and emulation.” According to the BOA, these individuals are “the Filipino CPAs who demonstrated unquestionable integrity, contributed immensely in the advancement of the accountancy profession, and participated remarkably in national development.” I was informed that 48 of these Filipino CPAs will be awarded posthumously, while 52 will join their fellow CPAs and loved ones in the conferment ceremonies in Manila Hotel.

I am one of the awardees. I am extremely thankful for this honor bestowed by my colleagues in the profession. This recognition by my peers is a tribute to their appreciation of my contribution to my profession. I have exerted all my efforts in making a difference in my various roles and engagements in the past. It is a blessing that I was and am still involved in the various sectors of the accountancy discipline, including government, commerce and industry, public professional practice, education, and even global engagements. My appreciation extends to our All Mighty, my family, mentors, and all of you out there who one way or another was a part of my journey in the accountancy landscape. A big thank you to all of you.

I will continue my advocacies to make CPA Philippines a recognized global brand. I have previously written in my columns of December 5 and 12, 2022 about this in my “A Meaningful Celebration” articles.

(https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/12/05/a-meaningful-celebration/ and https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/12/12/a-meaningfulcelebration-2/)

I reiterate my call for action. As a professional, the Filipino CPA should be concerned with the pressing needs of the times. These include, among others, the effective role of the various professional accounting organizations, the need for lifelong learning or continuing professional development and training, and the enhancement of accounting education and the evolution of the licensure examinations. These should also include the consolidation of small audit practices, the eradication of the “notarial CPAs,” the use of modern technology tools, and data analytics

The theme for the centenary celebration is “Celebrating the Past, Transforming the Present, Shaping the Future.” This is a very apt message that the leaders and stakeholders of the profession should heed since a serious look at the present state of affairs and the imperatives of the future is a must to have a truly meaningful 100th-year celebration.

in the profession. There should be attention to the full implementation of the Quality Review mandate and the continued improvement of the regulatory and business eco-system involving accountancy. There should be a focus on ESG and Sustainability Reporting, the amendment of the Accountancy Law that was long passed in 2004, and the not-so-talked-about nurturing of a prominent CPA Philippines brand. The last suggestion brings to mind the initiative of institutionalizing the professional title “Acct” for CPAs, which I started when I was the chairman of the BoA from 2014 to 2018.

I also think that the centennial period should be a good time to build an Accounting Museum that will gather important memorabilia and curated articles and information about the Philippine accounting profession and its many achievements and personalities.

Overall, the stakeholders and leaders of the profession must convene a summit to critically assess the imperatives for the accountancy profession today and moving forward. This is essential with the onset of radical technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, that may imperil the future of the Filipino CPA and the profession.

In the meantime, we can set these somber thoughts aside and have the grand centenary celebration that we all deserve.

Mabuhay and happy 100th year, CPA Philippines.

Joel L. Tan-Torres was the former Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. He is now back to his tax and consultancy practice and can be contacted at joeltantorress@yahoo.com and his firm JL2T Consultancy.

Wow not how?

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Bold leadership is nothing new but is not seen much these days, likely because of the culture where most leaders operate. Traditional companies have been led from the top down —meaning, directions come from the top and those below simply take orders and obey. That is how most Filipino companies and local government units are functionally wired, where initiative is suppressed if not discouraged since followers cannot outshine their leaders. Command and control take precedence over transparency and creativity. After all, these companies and government bureaucracies have thrived and flourished over the years by dictating what needs to be done and how to do them. Fortunately, some outliers have taken a different path.

Inspirational author Andy Stanley defines bold leadership as “clarity around an unreasonable commitment to do what should be.” These two components—laser light focus and stubbornness to do the right thing ultimately does not depend on one person alone but that one person can help others gravitate towards that stubborn mindset to achieve the next great thing!

Admittedly, some ideas can be so far out of this world, at the onset, like wind-powered trains. Yet, in Netherlands, all Dutch trains are 100 percent wind powered more than four years ago!

Another ingenious enterprise was co-founded by George Royeca whose mantra was to change the mindset of Filipinos when it comes to transportation needs. After a challenging fight with regulators, Angkas, the motorbike ride-sharing app was born by understanding the Philippine transportation landscape. George and his business partner from Singapore saw that traffic is horrendous in urban areas since roads are not many and wide enough to accommodate millions of cars. Further, motorcycles are affordable to a significant number of Filipinos and that the ratio between cars and motorcycles is a whopping 1:18. As such, the seemingly farfetched idea of a bike-sharing app is now a multimillion-peso enterprise, not to mention that it has generated jobs for

over 30,000 drivers in the country. These ideas were not stuck in the question “how,” but were driven by the “wow” question—what can be that impossible thing, that if done, can be a game changer?

Sometime in 1894, a certain flour miller, Franklin Baker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was confronted with this “wow not how” situation as he was dumbfounded as to how he can make use of a boatload of fresh coconuts that was paid to him in lieu of money. Instead of being fixated on the question of “how” to convert these coconuts into cash, Franklin Baker learned the “wow” of operating a coconut meat business. He eventually moved his trade to the Philippines whose coconut supply is simply unquenchable. Fast forward to the “now,” Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines (FBCOP), formerly known as Philippine Food Company and used to be part of General Foods Corporation, and eventually Kraft Foods, remains as a leading coconut desiccator in the country.

While the question “how” can still practically kill out-of-the-box ideas in some departments in FBCOP, Frederick de Leon, more known as Derrick, appears to have learned from Franklin Baker himself the principle of “wow not how.” This “stubborn” sales executive has been beating the drumbeat of radically changing the way FBCOP does business. Some of his critics claim that he should not be reinvent-

ing the wheel since FBCOP has been raking in revenues in the desiccated coconut market.

Amid the rising competition in the country with the likes of Axelum, where business magnate Manny V. Pangilinan recently acquired a significant number of shares, combined with the gradual increase in coconut supply from countries like Indonesia and Sri Lanka, Derrick remains unperturbed and continues to “wow” his colleagues in FBCOP. His stubbornness to enter new markets, going as far as trying Russia and China and developing new products such as coconut cream and coconut-based health/energy drinks is a classic example of what Andy Stanley calls as bold leadership.

Derrick has repeatedly echoed the business failure of Nokia due to complacency in his quest to influence other FBCOP leaders towards a radical change in doing business. Instead of waiting for orders for shipment from the usual candy confectionaries, Derrick has personally visited both current and potential customers even to the point of offering different business models such as joint venture and private label—an entirely different way of selling products in the 100-year history of FBCOP.

Similarly, the church has changed its ways to adapt to the ever-changing world, without compromising the fundamental core business of spreading God’s word. In church services, some Catholic priests have used power point presentations in their homilies the same way Christian pastors used an audio-video preaching, especially during online services. Graphics, music, and images from these business-like presentations adversely affect the solemnity of the church service, yet they serve as effective ways to make the message stick longer with the congregation. But the best example of bold leadership can be seen in the “wow not how” life of Jesus Christ. During His time on earth, Jesus was radically “stubborn” to change how people thought about faith, love, and His commandments. For instance, hardly anyone in those days would accept the teaching of loving your enemies as found in Matthew 5:44 of the Holy Book. His teaching went against all the man-made traditions

about forgiveness and love. Before Jesus, forgiveness can only come by way of a blood sacrifice and righteousness can only be achieved through obedience to certain rules. Before Jesus, those who do not follow rules are considered unredeemable and banished to live a life of despair. Before Jesus, some people were rejected from society by reason of social class.

But, when the boldest of all bold leaders came, He demonstrated that sins can be forgiven and that all lives matter and can be redeemed, even those that society considered as impossible to redeem. In the Bible, when the woman with the alabaster jar came and washed and poured oil on Jesus’ feet, a Pharisee was offended because Jesus allowed such a sinner to touch Him and waste an expensive perfume in the process. Jesus’ radical response was not just bold but was a game-changer in those days: “‘Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.’ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:47-48). I can only surmise the “wow not how” impact to those who were present during that gathering. Forgiving enemies and loving the unloved were outlawed during Jesus’ time. Yet his bold and servant leadership changed the way things are done.

In life, we are expected to abide by our cultural norms. Society expects certain rules of conduct in the same way companies expect certain processes to be followed to the letter.

But, for George of Angkas and Derrick of FBCOP, there are certain instances where stubbornness equating to boldness should not be seen negatively as non-conforming but positively as game-changing!

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission. For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

Will it take market crash for Congress to raise debt limit?

By Josh Boak & Christopher Rugaber The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—There’s one way to force President Joe Biden and Congress to solve the looming crisis over the debt limit: a financial market crash.

That’s a view held by several economists and a former White House official, mindful that Congress rarely acts unless an emergency forces lawmakers to.

“For that drama not ending in tragedy, key actors have to play their roles,” said Daleep Singh, who was Biden’s national security adviser for international economics and deputy director of the National Economic Council. “Market participants have a lead role of playing the victim. They have to produce pain. They have to produce a sea of red on their Bloomberg screens because politicians need to look at those screens.”

Republicans and Democrats have been dancing around each other about the need to raise the government’s legal borrowing authority. Biden tried to edge closer on Thursday by releas-

ing his budget plan that cuts deficits by $2.9 trillion over 10 years, an offer that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, quickly dismissed as woefully insufficient. Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus on Friday proposed their own demands, which the White House quickly rejected. This fandango could persist for several more months until the last possible moment, when the federal government would hit a currently unknown “Xdate”—possibly as early as June—and be unable to pay its bills, possibly setting off a default that would suddenly wash away millions of jobs.

It is a familiar ritual. But every other time before, Congress has found agreement on the debt limit. The question now, in a period of ever-increasing political polarization, is whether today is different.

“Every single major economic institution, conservative, liberal, says that will cause a massive recession, a massive recession, and put us in the hole for a long, long time,” Biden said of the possible default as he rolled out his budget in Philadelphia.

McCarthy has promised to put together his own budget plan, but he has little urgency for striking any kind of deal so long as the stock market stays relatively calm. He has said he wants an agreement to put the government on a path toward a balanced budget. But he has also ruled out tax increases or cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which would force deep and controversial reductions in federal spending that could divide House Republicans. Biden, who would reduce deficits largely through higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, has said he is ready to go through budget agreements “line by line” once McCarthy has his numbers.

But McCarthy’s leverage is greatest as the “X-date” approaches at some point this summer and markets are biding their time. So far this year, the S&P 500 stock index has been positive. It has largely swung based on moves by the Federal Reserve to lower inflation or with the collapse Friday of the Silicon Valley Bank, events that are separate from the debt ceiling.

There is a widening recognition that

The government does not fund the Philippine Red Cross

THIS is in regards to a published piece by Mr. John Mangun in the opinion page of BusinessMirror—“Outside the Box”—on February 21, 2023. In this opinion piece, Mr. Mangun stated: “Who ‘bought’ the more than ‘P455 million in humanitarian and development aid to Visayas and Mindanao that Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard J. Gordon reported?’ The Middle Class.”

The statement, if read with the entire opinion piece, implies that the middle class, through government-

collected taxes, paid for the Philippine Red Cross’s (PRC) humanitarian assistance to Visayas and Mindanao.

I am writing to clarify that the humanitarian and development aid worth more than P455 million, distributed in various PRC operations such as Typhoon Odette, Tropical Depression Agaton, and the Peace and Development Project in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were funded by our international partners, including the International Federation of the

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the German Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross, and the European Union.

For your additional information, in 2011, during the Liban v. Gordon case (GR 175352, January18, 2011), the Supreme Court ruled that the Philippine Red Cross is “sui generis,” which means that it is a class of its own. It is neither a government agency nor an ordinary charitable organization, foundation, or nongovernmental organization (NGO).

Having said this, the PRC does

not receive funding from the General Appropriations Act; that is, we are not funded by the government. Our strength as the foremost humanitarian organization in the country is that our funds are generated and sourced from our international partners and local donors.

We ask you to take the necessary action relative to the false statement published under your platform.

We hope that you will correct the false statement because the public may have been misinformed that

a massive sell-off tied to debt limit tensions would provide instant clarity and snap everyone out of their ideological stagnancy. No one is rooting for the markets to sink, but as Republican lawmakers weigh the possibility of prioritizing repayments to debt holders—a risky short-term fix—there is a sense that markets need to jolt Congress into action.

“Unfortunately, it will likely take a significant financial market event for Biden and the GOP to arrive at a compromise on the debt ceiling,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM US who said the standoff is already increasing the cost of borrowing for small and medium-sized companies.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley a few weeks ago concluded that the most likely “catalyst” to an agreement would be the markets expressing their “fear” of the political and economic “repercussions of default.”

When lawmakers realize they can step in with a deal and play the hero to salvage everyone’s retirement savings, they will have an incentive to come together, said Singh, who spoke at a New York City conference two weeks ago.

our operations are funded by taxpayers’ money.

We also invite Mr. John Mangun to visit our PRC National Headquarters to further discuss and share the PRC’s mission and vision, core values, service delivery programs, and interventions. Thank you and we hope for your swift response regarding this matter.

Dr. Gwendolyn T. Pang Secretary General Philippine Red Cross

Despite HOR ‘express,’ Migz says Senate won’t rush Cha-cha

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

A sked about the House of Representatives move endorsing on second reading a bill providing for the creation and funding of a Constitutional Convention, Zubiri said in a radio interview with DWIZ that the House’s fast-tracked speed notwithstanding, the upper chamber will take a more deliberate approach to the initiative.

He said this days after flatly calling “fake news” an online report that his peers were planning to oust him—in a move supposedly favored by Malacanang—for the allegedly slow pace at which administration bills were being approved in the Senate. Some colleagues had said the “float” about a Senate “coup”

could be tied to efforts to shake up the Senate and make it easier to pass a Charter-change measure. S haring the view of both majority and minority senators, Senate President  Zubiri  recalled Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III’s observation that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has nothing to do with amending the Constitution. “Sinabi niya na walang pakialam si Presidente sa pag-amyenda ng Constitution. Pero tama po sya diyan... without the support of the President, alam mo mahirap din itulak ito dahil syempre ang  budgeting nito manggagaling sa DBM,” Zubiri said, noting, “Ang pera at pondo manggagaling sa Executive.”

[He said the President has no part in Charter change. He is right there; without the President’s support, it’s hard to push it because the budget for the initiative will come from DBM. The money will come from the Executive].

Zubiri added, partly in Filipino: “Second, the truth is that we don’t have the numbers for Charter change. Even if I were to push it, a ¾ vote is needed in the Senate, which is 18 votes. Almost half of those I talked to are against Charter change. Why should we divide the Senate on the charter change issue, when there are many LEDAC measures we still have to tackle. We will only lose focus.”

H e was referring to the list of measures endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, which  the two chambers had promised to give priority to.

T he Senate leader said they would rather help the people asking for support, and spend time on measures that will help people rather than waste time “discussing Charter change . . .  and then at the end of the day there is no vote anyway.”

Zubiri said it made no sense

NO LABOR REP IN RIGHTSIZING PANEL? WORKERS CRYING FOUL

“wasting a lot of time and effort ...a lot of energy and funding discussing a measure for which we cannot muster the votes. So I said, it’s not a priority at this point in time.”

A pparently referring to his peers’ theory about Charter change being at the root of the “coup” report, he added:  “Kaya sabi ko nga baka nga binabanatan ako ngayon, iniintriga ako ngayon dahil sa stand nga sa [So I said to myself, maybe that’s why I’m being hit, I’m being intrigued against because of my stand on] Charter change.”

Still, he added, some members of the House assured him they only wanted to touch the Charter’s economic provisions, described by some as being too restrictive as to discourage investors. Despite their assurance, he noted that, “as a longtime legislator” he knows that “we cannot control the flow of discussions among Con-Con delegates” once it is set up.

I f delegates wish to review “Article 1 to the last article of the Constitution, they can do so, including the political provisions. Nothing can stop them if that’s what they want. That’s the real danger.”

THE coalition of the country’s largest labor group on Sunday slammed the lack of labor representation in the committee, which will implement the proposed government rightsizing.

T he Nagkaisa Labor Coalition expressed alarm over the composition of the Committee on Rightsizing the Executive Branch (CREB) under House Bill (HB) 7240 or the Rightsizing Bill.

Under Section 7, there is no workers’ representation nor mandated consultation [with labor groups],” Nagkaisa Chairman and Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Sonny Matula said in an SMS.

I n the current version of the HB 7240, the CREB will be chaired by the Executive Secretary and the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management and its members will include Socioeconomic Planning Secretary who is also the National Economic and Development Authority director general, the chairperson of the Civil Service Commission and the Director of the Anti-Red Tape Authority.

W ithout any labor representatives in the CREB, Nagkaisa said the rightsizing could result in the “emaciation of rank-and-file

workers, a bloated top, institutionalization of contractualization schemes, and the privatization of public services.”

We call on the government to ensure workers’ representation as it is crucial that the voices and concerns of the workers are heard and addressed throughout the process as the same is guaranteed by the Constitution,” said Romeo Silva, who chairs the United Workers of Duty-Free Philippines-FFW.

Matula also expressed concern on Section 13 of HB 7240 containing the provision of those who will be affected by the National Government Rightsizing Program.  “ Separation pay is inequitable and not sufficient as a safety net after separation from public service. Those who have less years of service have less separation pay,” Matula said.

N agkaisa issued the statement after HB 7240 hurdled Second Reading at the House of Representatives last week.

“

The coalition is calling on the House of Representatives [HoR] to exercise caution, avoid haste, and consult public sector workers before passing the bill on third reading and sending it to the Senate,” the coalition said.

Some tourist sites’ staff still masked despite Covid rule easing on guests

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

HOTELS and restaurants associations welcomed the easing of government’s Covid-19 directives covering their guests’ masking and presentation of vaccination cards, and installation of protective dividers. Some of their members though, may still require their respective staff to keep their masks on and still follow minimum public health standards.

Benito C. Bengzon Jr., managing director of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association told the BusinessMirror, “We welcome the decision of the Department of Tourism [DOT] to further ease restrictions on the masks and vaccination cards. We support measures that will help accelerate the normalization of operations in tourism.”

He added, “On the part of hotels, we will continue to ensure we provide safe and comfortable experience to our guests.” Since the DOT memorandum circular indicates that the wearing of masks in tourism enterprises will now be voluntary, said Bengzon, “It will be up to the individual hotels to decide on whether they will still require their staff to keep their masks on, while attending to guests.”

T he DOT on Sunday released a new memorandum circular allowing tourism enterprises to lift the requirement for guests and clients to show proof of full vaccination,  and the wearing of face masks. The DOT also said it no longer requires tourism establishments to install plastic, acrylic barriers and dividers in designated areas, and likewise ordered the removal of signages, visual cues, and other installations on mandatory protocols. (See, “DOT drops

mask, vaxx proof for tourism entities,” in the BusinessMirror , March 6, 2023.)

For Eric Teng, president of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines, “That move  [DOT issuance of memo circular] is most welcome. Restaurants are seeing their customers back and we must get back to our normal lives.”

He added, “While masks are no longer mandated for some time now, we still recommend for our staff to keep their masks on.”

A ccording to Boracay Foundation Inc. chairman Dindo Salazar, even before the DOT memo was issued, many tourism establishments on Boracay Island “have already eased some restrictions like removing the acrylic barriers, as we have already been receiving a lot of guests, that it has become hard to continue following it.

SENATORS are not likely to be stampeded into rushing approval of the House-endorsed move to amend the 1987 Constitution, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said at the weekend.

SUN, SALT, WATER Finnish desalination technology, running purely on solar power, will give customers of Marinduque Water District (MWD) uninterruptible access to potable water daily. The project is made possible with the recent signing of the contract between MWD and Pasig Citybased Peak Off-Grid, Innovations and Solutions Inc. for the setting up of modern facilities to deliver 29,200 cubic meters of drinkable water daily to meet the province’s demand for personal, household and irrigation purposes. Officials of both camps were led at the signing by Manuelito Marquez (left), Marinduque Water District general manager, and Jose Antonio Lorenzo Delgado, president of Peak Off-Grid. Also in photo (standing) are H.E Juha Markus Pyykko, ambassador of Finland, Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco. NONIE REYES

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Monday, March 13, 2023

Meralco seeks other power suppliers for SPPC capacity

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

With this, the utility firm has started soliciting offers from other power suppliers to replace the contract capacity from South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC).

“They did not offer to extend the ePSA with Meralco, but Meralco has sought other offers from other suppliers and this have been submitted to the DOe [Department of energy] for consideration and approval,” said Meralco utility economics head Lawrence Fernandez.

It can be recalled that Meralco signed a 300-MW baseload ePSA with GNPD to partially replace the 670MW power supply agreement (PSA) with San Miguel Corp.’s SPPC. The ePSA, which has a rate of P5.96 per kWh, took effect on December 15, 2022 and ended on January 25, 2023.

The ePSA was extended for another 30 days from January 26 to February 25. however, the rate for the second round of ePSA was much higher at P8.522 per kWh.

Last month, Meralco requested GNPD for an extension of the ePSA albeit at a much lower rate.

When asked why Meralco agreed to a much higher rate for the second eP SA, Meralco First Vice President Jose Ronald Valles explained that SPPC has no rate offer yet at that time and that the negotiations for an eP SA extension took place before the grant of the Writ of Preliminary Injunction (WPI) sought by SPPC.

“Our comparison is between GNPD and W eSM since there were no other suppliers willing to sup-

ply to Meralco for that period. Before we signed the ePSA extension with GNPD, our forecast of W eSM [Wholesale electricity Spot Market] price is higher than GNPD’s offered tariff… The rate of P8.50/kwh is just an indicative rate of GNPD considering fuel is full pass thru.

The actual rate implemented may be different depending on their actual fuel costs and foreign exchange in February supply month. Of course, actual W eSM price may change depending also on demand and availability of supply. What we did was to contract 300MW of GNPD at a rate we assumed was going to be lower than W e SM price to protect our customers against price volatility in W eSM. That rate is still subject to eRC approval,” he said.

The grant of WPI suspended the continued implementation of Meralco-SPPC PSA but does not terminate the same. The Court of Appeals directed the parties “to enter into good faith negotiations,” to allow them to negotiate the terms of the PSA. When asked if Meralco has commenced negotiations with SPPC following the issuance of the WPI, Valles said “a letter to negotiate for lower SPPC rate as directed by the CA” was already sent to SPPC.

Last week, Meralco announced an

DragonFi Securities gets PSE nod

The Philippine Stock e xc hange (PSe) has given its nod to the trading operations of DragonFi Securities Inc., the stock brokerage firm backed by businessmen edgar Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong.

The brokerage firm will start its operations on March 13.

“The achievement of this milestone brings DragonFi a step closer towards unveiling our best-in-class stock trading platform that will thrill professional and aspirational investors alike. The coming weeks will be devoted to beta testing in preparation for our full-scale launch by the end of April,” DragonFi CeO Jon Carlo Lim said.

“DragonFi is the perfect vehicle to uphold our shared belief in the primacy of investing towards long-term wealth creation,” Sia said.

DragonFi will be under BeeDragon Global Corp., a joint venture with honeystar holdings Corp., Injap Investments Inc. and the group of Lim. BeeDragon will be the corporate entity that will house the group’s fintech-related endeavors.

BeeDragon will be managed by Lim as president and CeO and Cathryn Ann Lao as director and chief technology officer.

honeystar holdings Corp. is the holding company headed by the Jollibee Foods Corp. founder Tan Caktiong, while Injap Investments, is the holding company headed by the Mang Inasal founder and MerryMart chairman Sia.

Both honeystar and Injap Investments are the principal shareholders of the listed company DoubleDragon Corporation.

“Tony Tan Caktiong and myself carefully select the specific business and industry we invest in, and we see this venture to have significant long-term growth potential, and as an important strategic addition to the ecosystem that we are building out for the past several years since our first partnership in Mang Inasal in 2010, and our succeeding partnership in DoubleDragon in 2012,” Sia, who is also chairman of BeeDragon, said.

“Over the long term, we also see the FinTech space to create synergic

gel that would enhance and bring benefits to the various other business units in our ecosystem.”

Lim, who is also BeeDragon’s president and CeO, received his MBA with concentration in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and has over 20 years of financial markets experience.

Lao, meanwhile, received her master of engineering in computer science from Cornell University. She worked in equities technology in New York for both Bank of America and Citigroup N.A.

“Currently, less than 2 percent of the Philippines’s working-age population has a stock brokerage account. By making investing convenient and effortless, we hope to broaden participation in the capital markets, one of the key builders of wealth,” Lim said.

“We aspire to democratize personal finance in a meaningful way by leveraging best-in-class investment technologies. It is our intention to provide wealth-building tools to effect the dispersion of economic prosperity to more Filipinos.” VG Cabuag

SteelAsia’s Calaca steel plant to use AI

STeeL A SIA Manufacturing Corp., the Philippines’s top steel producer, is equipping its sprawling green steel mill in Calaca, Batangas with German-developed artificial intelligence (AI) that will provide a more efficient way to boost output without increasing its carbon footprint.

SteelAsia signed an agreement –the e A F Performance Improvement Partnership for Calaca ( e P ICA) –with Germany’s SMS Group to equip its Calaca steel plant with the latest artificial intelligence system for process automation and digitalization. The latest combustion technology will be employed in the electric arc furnace or e A F as part of Project ePICA and the pollution control system will also be upgraded to support this project. engineers and technicians at the SteelAsia plant will be given extensive

B1

Strong beer demand lifts SMB ‘22 income

increase in power rates this month by P0.5453 per kilowatt hour (kWh), bringing overall rate for a typical household to P11.4348 per kWh from the previous month’s P10.8895 per kWh. The adjustment, Meralco said, is equivalent to an increase of around P109 in the total electricity bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh.

The rate increase for March was brought about by higher generation charge that went up by P0.4636 to P7.3790 from P6.9154 per kWh the previous month due to higher supply costs.

“This month’s generation charge increase would have been significantly higher, but we took the initiative to cushion the impact in the bills of our customers by coordinating with some of our suppliers to defer collection of portions of their generation costs,” Valles said.

Valles added that a total of around P1.1 billion deferred costs reduced this month’s generation rate by about P0.40 per kWh and will be billed on a staggered basis in April and May billing months.

SAN Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB), the beer company of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., said its income last year rose 6 percent to P21.8 billion from the previous P20.44 billion.

The company attributed the increase to its “greater focus on consumer needs through innovation, consumer engagement programs and increased marketing support in relevant channels backed by a favorable market environment.”

Sales revenue grew 17 percent to P136.2 billion from the previous year’s P116.28 billion and operating income rose 9 percent to P29.5 billion from the previous year’s P26.91 billion.

“This was attributed to significant volume growth, favorable brand mix, and implementation of cost efficiency initiatives, boosting its domestic and overseas volumes and profit,” the company said.

To further boost consumer demand, the company rolled out the San Mig Flavored Water in March, a refreshing unsweetened non-carbonated drink, and San Mig h a rd Seltzer made from sparkling water with a 5 percent alcohol content that contains

natural flavors with zero sugar and zero preservatives.

Last December, SMB launched its newest product, San Miguel Cerveza Blanca, a wheat beer positioned in the upscale market.

The company also implemented packaging innovations with the release of the San Mig Light Limited e d ition cans in July, the San Miguel Flavored Beer h a llyu Fun cans in September and the San Miguel Pale Pilsen Play cans in October.

San Miguel’s international operations likewise posted robust growth propelled by higher volumes, better operational efficiencies and prudent cost management. For its international markets, it leveraged its portfolio on specialty beers. Indonesia continued its volume growth and profit uptrend, while Thailand capitalized on the strength of SMB’s specialty beers and premium brands resulting in increasing sales.

Meanwhile, SMB’s exports operations posted its third consecutive year of higher volume and profit, particularly in markets like United Arab em irates, Qatar, USA, Bahrain as well as in new markets in Asia and Africa. VG Cabuag

training on the use of all AI-assisted technologies. With the leading technology expertise from SMS Group, SteelAsia’s Calaca Mill will have higher energy efficiency, allowing it to in-

crease its output and cut emissions as a result of the new AI and state-ofthe-art burner system.

Continued on B2

The MANILA electric Co. (Meralco) said over the weekend that it did not receive an offer from Aboitiz-led GNPower Dinginin Ltd. (GNPD) to extend their emergency power supply agreement (ePSA).

Davao City fetes top taxpayers, partners

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The city government feted top-paying corporations and individuals as it commemorated its 86th founding month.

Davao City officials invited individuals and representatives of more than a hundred organizations to the “Pasidungog: Garbo sa Davao” at the Acacia Hotel last Wednesday. Most of the entities are engaged in power, electronics, manufacturing and mining.

The city government named the top 10 taxpayers as: Davao Light and Power Co.; Therma South Inc.; Huawei Technologies Philippines, Inc.; PMFTC Inc; Samsung Electronics Philippines, Corp.; Holcim Philippines, Inc.; Mindanao Shopping Destination Corp- SM Davao Department Store; Philsaga Mining Corp.; Zuelig Pharma Corporation; and Honda Philippines Inc.

The top 10 real property taxpayers were Therma South Inc.; Davao Union Cement Corp.; Accendo Commercial Corp.; Southernpoint Properties Corp.; SM Prime Holdings, Inc.; DMCI Project Developers Inc.; Dynasty Management and Develop-

ment Corp.; Smart Communications Inc.; Megaworld Corp. and Filinvest Land Inc.

These companies were given a trophy, certificate of recognition and plaque of recognition.

Awards were also given to individuals and organizations who contributed to business development, cooperative development, public safety disaster and crisis response, social services, health, urban infrastructure and housing resettlement, education, animal health welfare and productivity, tourism, arts and economic development.

According to Acting City Administrator Francis Mark H. Layog, the Pasidungog aims to show the city government’s gratitude to these companies. Reading Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte’s speech, Layog said the success that Davao City has achieved in the past 86 years “is made possible with combined and coordinated efforts of all stakeholders in the city.”

“Today we give due recognition to these organizations and individuals who support the programs and initiatives of the local government in the past year that have enabled us to create a better and more livable city for all,” Layog quoted the mayor as saying.

The Pasidungog is on its fifth year.

Lending firm sees hike in SCF among MSMEs

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

DIGIDO Finance Corp. expects a rapid increase in use of supply chain finance (SCF) among Philippine micro-scale, smallscale and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), forecasting that this set of solutions will cover about 15 percent of the cost of the entire volume of goods and services produced by the sector by 2024.

The forecast follows the examination of the “Philippines Supply Chain Finance Market Development Report” by the International Finance Corp., which stated that the Philippine market is estimated to have over $20 billion in “readily available SCF assets to be taken up by banks and NDTLs (non-bank lending institutions that do not take deposits).”

Digido said that considering that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is about $394 billion (2021), and MSME accounts for about 40 percent of this indicator, SCF schemes are ready to take on about 13 percent of the annual MSME production, with a level of 15 percent (in terms of about 6 percent of GDP in 2021) as a very realistic benchmark for SCF companies for the next year, given

BIR to ‘educate’ social media influencers on tax obligations

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) seeks to hold a dialogue with social media and internet celebrities this year to “educate” them about their tax obligations as part of its measures to achieve its P2.6 trillion collection target this year.

BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui maintained that social media influencers, vloggers and content creators must be taxed since they are earning income from their respective platforms and contents.

Lumagui emphasized that some of these personalities may be just “unaware” of their tax obligations that is why they are not able to file the necessary income taxes.

Lumagui noted that perhaps there was something wrong with

the messaging of the previous tax officials that made social media stars “scared” of complying with their tax responsibilities. “Some influencers just don’t know their tax obligations. What we want is a dialogue with them that these are your obligations as social media influencers—you’re earning from whatever you’re doing, so this is your responsibility as income earners,” he told reporters in a recent interview.

“We want to be friendly with them, do not be scared. We will assist you,” he added.

The BIR plans to hold the dialogue within the first half of the year. Lumagui noted that dialogues are effective tools to encourage individuals and even groups to pay their taxes correctly.

For example, he cited the case with vape associations and lotto operators wherein the bureau conducted separate dialogues with them to clarify their tax duties.

Lumagui also disclosed that they see social media influencers as a vehicle to encourage more Filipinos to pay their taxes correctly and punctually given their reach.

“I think that one way of making people comply with tax obligations is to educate the people because tax is a very complicated topic and it is not easy to understand,” he said.

“That’s why what I want is to really explain, laymanize everything so they will understand the obligations and responsibilities so that when everything is simplified and

you are unable to comply, its most likely you have an intent to evade,” he added.

Lumagui also disclosed that they are doubling their efforts on improving tax collections from online businesses, especially those utilizing Lazada and Shoppee in the country.

“We’re in constant communication with platforms, because its a challenge to monitor. We’re thinking of ways to approach it because if you look at individual online sellers, it is quite difficult,” he said.

“It’s a challenge. Hopefully we can do a lot to address these new concepts, platforms and of course think of an efficient way of going about tax collection,” he added.

In 2021, the BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular 97-2021 regarding the taxation of any income earned by social media influencers. Pundits noted that the circular was reiteration of the BIR’s earlier Revenue Memorandum Circular 602020 that outlined the obligations of people earning through any forms of electronic media.

Pagcor-funded facilities in Cagayan inaugurated

the high demand for the service and the expected rapid growth in its supply in the local market.

“Supply chain financing is steadily growing its presence in the country as short-term loans have proven to be effective to support small and medium scale businesses, and we are dedicated to cover operational expenses while making it as accessible as possible to business owners,”

Digido’s Joana Saplan-Mateo was quoted in the statement as saying.

Digido, which operates online lending app UnaCash, claims to have “successfully addressed the disruption in supply chain turnover beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022, having secured a disbursement target of 64 percent (P44.9 million) during a very limited period.”

The 2-year-old firm said it identified the top industries in the local setting where SCF has penetrated its market distribution since the fourth quarter of 2022 to present: 29 percent for retail; 12.95 percent for construction; and, a growing number of 8.93 percent for import and export trading industry.

“This secured collective growth in terms of successfully supporting the business continuity of these MSMEs,” the firm said.

Perspectives

THREE municipalities in the province of Cagayan became the latest beneficiaries of the MultiPurpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) project of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) after the state-run gaming agency inaugurated the newly constructed facilities last March 10 and March 11.

The Pagcor-funded basketball-court type multi-purpose facilities worth P12.7 million each were formally unveiled in the towns of Amulung, Solana and Peñablanca, a statement from Pagcor read.

In the municipality of Solana, the evacuation facility built in the floodprone Barangay Malalam-Malacabibi, was already used as a temporary shelter last October 2022 after the gates of Magat dam were opened to release water, following the onslaught of Tropical Storm Paeng (international name Nalgae).

Solana municipality

ACCORDING to Solana Municipal Mayor Jennalyn P. Carag, despite being partially completed, the Pagcor-funded evacuation facility already provided safe refuge to 80 families from low-lying communities in their town.

Carag was quoted in the statement as saying in Tagalog that when TS Paeng, the water level in Magat Dam rose.

There were barangays in our town that have been isolated, such as Dasun, Bauan and Malalam-Malacabibi. Even when this evacuation center was

just being built, it has already helped, she added.

In the town of Peñablanca, Pagcor’s evacuation facility was built in the remote barangay of Minanga, which is almost two hours away from the town center and has no access to telecommunication. The community’s mountainous location and partly unpaved roads, make it challenging for the local government to deliver swift aid to locals whenever they are affected by natural disasters.

Peñablanca, Amulung

PEñA BLANCA Mayor Washington M. Taguinod was quoted in the statement as saying that with the completion of the Pagcor-funded evacuation center

in the far-flung Barangay Minanga, locals—including indigenous peoples living at the foot of Sierra Madre—will be assured of a safe shelter as well as a venue where the local government can download relief goods and other basic government services in times of disasters.

Meanwhile, Amulung Municipal Mayor Elpidio R. Rendon also expressed his gratitude to Pagcor for giving the vulnerable sectors of their community a secure evacuation shelter during calamities.

“In Amulung, we have identified typhoons, landslides, drought and flood as major hazards. The flood alone affects 17 of the 47 barangays. This situation pushes us to raise the adaptive capabili-

ties of our communities that are exposed to flooding. This evacuation center will be of great help to the vulnerable members of our community—such as the elderly, children and pregnant women—especially during the onslaught of natural disasters,” Rendon was quoted in the statement as saying.

Beneficiaries

PAGCOR Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen R. Villaflor, who graced the inauguration of the evacuation facilities in Cagayan, was quoted in the statement as saying that instead of constructing a two-storey building, the state-run gaming firm provided funding for four basketball-court type multi-purpose facilities in towns that are most vulnerable to flooding.

Besides Amulung, Solana and Peñablanca, the town of Iguig also received a basketball-court type evacuation facility. Final inspection of the project in Iguig was already conducted.

Meanwhile, apart from the province of Cagayan, Pagcor also recently inaugurated 2-storey multi-purpose evacuation centers worth P50 million each in the towns of Floridablanca and Candaba in Pampanga. Over 200,000 residents from said municipalities stand to benefit from the modern and spacious buildings.

To date, a total of 24 MPECs have been completely built and inaugurated nationwide while 53 are still undergoing construction.

Champions of change: How governments can lead healthcare transformation

WHILE virtually all countries have at times struggled with their response to Covid-19, the global pandemic and the public’s belief that their government should keep them safe has also provided governments with opportunities to show they can be agile, innovative and outcome-focused. Profound decisions— curfews, lockdowns, the imposition of public health practices such as wearing masks, and eventually the rollout of vaccine programs—have been made in response to real-time data.

Regulations have been changed or suspended to facilitate emergency-use authorizations for vaccines, allow staff to be retrained and redeployed, simplify data sharing, and support the introduction of new digital tools. Partnership with the private sector has enabled services to move online and the rapid development, trialing and manufacturing of vaccines.

The pandemic has forced governments to reconsider every aspect of their healthcare systems. This includes workforce size and shape, digital infrastructure, disease surveillance, research, supply chain speed and resilience, access to care, data use, regulation, and service integration. It has also re-ignited the debate about factors contributing to poor health such as overcrowded housing—which encourages the transmission of Covid-19— and conditions such as obesity which have significantly increased the risk of death from Covid-19.

What role should government play?

IN pursuit of a healthcare future that is digitally enabled and person-centric, governments will need to take the lead as enablers of innovation and partners in transformation. Regulatory flexibility, investments in technology and

people, and supporting the right public and private sector partners will allow governments to become transformation catalysts.

Digitally-enabled healthcare is by no means the preserve of wealthier countries. On the contrary, developing countries pursuing universal access to healthcare are increasingly looking to the reach and economies of scale offered by digital to provide services at a far lower cost than would have been possible without networked technology.

Since healthcare is a core political issue, there is a temptation for governments to create prescriptive plans for its structure and delivery. But the speed and complexity of changes in technology, attitudes and expectations mean that any rigid scheme faces rapid obsolescence.

Governments that do not have direct responsibility for providing

healthcare should:

n Set system values such as social solidarity and the right to affordable healthcare, quality standards, and goals such as expanding access or ensuring adequate mental health services.

n Establish rules on pricing and the confidentiality of patient records and create environments of innovation that ensure the supply of an agile, adaptable workforce.

Levels of government funding and its distribution have profound effects on the scale of healthcare and how systems behave. Traditional fee-for-service payment models incentivize the volume of care instead of quality, driving up costs and undermining productivity. In contrast, incentives to manage population health and focus on outcomes are more likely to support healthy behavior among the public and ensure value for money. Financial incentives can also be levers for new forms of care which

improve access or quality, such as virtual consultations, by adding them to reimbursement schedules and providing subsidies.

Regulations can likewise promote or inhibit quality improvements and care transformation. While setting professional practice limits helps ensure quality and safety, prescribing rigid boundaries between professions can prevent staff from making full use of their skills, perpetuate outdated ways of working, and inhibit multidisciplinary teamwork.

Beyond the healthcare system, governments must understand the impact of factors such as housing, education and employment on people’s physical and mental health. There is now a substantial body of international evidence that the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age are key determinants of their health. The social determinants of health are in

turn influenced by drivers such as the way the economy works, the distribution of power, gender equity and societal values.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://home. kpmg/ae/en/home/insights/2022/04/champions-of-change-how-governments-can-leadhealthcare-transformation.html

© 2023 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG Intl. Ltd., a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved.

For more information, you may reach out through ph-kpmgmla@kpmg.com, social media or visit www.home.kpmg/ph.

This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines.

When not used as an evacuation facility, the basketball-type evacuation facility funded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) in Amulung, Cagayan, will serve as a recreation or livelihood venue for locals. CREDIT: ThE PhIlIPPInE AmusEmEnT AnD GAm nG CoRP

What’s happening at Fukushima plant 12 years after meltdown?

sea sometime from spring 2023 to summer after required testing and dilution with large amounts of seawater. AP/M A r i YA MAguchi

sOIl and crops that university of tokyo radiologist Katsumi shozugawa collected in Fukushima prefecture are seen in a box at his laboratory in tokyo on Feb. 16, 2023. shozugawa said his analysis of groundwater in multiple locations in no-go zones near the plant has shown that tritium and other radioactive elements have been leaking into groundwater.

be

By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press

Japanese officials say the release is unavoidable and should start soon.

Dealing with the wastewater is less of a challenge than the daunting task of decommissioning the plant. That process has barely progressed, and the removal of melted nuclear fuel hasn’t even started.

The Associated Press recently visited the plant. Here’s an update on what’s happening.

How are water discharge preparations proceeding?

During their visit, AP journalists saw 30 giant tanks for sampling and analyzing the water for safety checks. A concrete facility for diluting the water after it is treated and tested is in the final stages of construction. From there, the water will be released via an undersea tunnel.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, aims to have the facilities ready by spring. TEPCO needs a safety approval from the nu clear r e gulation Authority.

The i nternational Atomic Energy Agency, collaborating with Japan to ensure the project meets international standards, will send a mission to Japan and issue a report before the discharge begins.

What is treated water?

A m Ag ni T u DE 9.0 quake on m a rch 11, 2011, triggered a massive tsunami that destroyed the plant’s power supply and cooling systems, causing reactors n o. 1, 2 and 3 to melt and spew large amounts of radiation.

Water used to cool the reactors' cores leaked into the basements of the reactor buildings and mixed with rainwater and groundwater. The 130 tons of contaminated water created daily is collected, treated and then stored in tanks, which now number about 1,000 and cover much of the plant’s grounds.

About 70% of the “ALPS-treated water,” named after the machines used to filter it, still contains Cesium and other radionuclides that exceed releasable limits. TEPCO says the radioactivity can

reduced to safe levels and it will ensure that insufficiently filtered water is treated until it meets the legal limit.

Tritium cannot be removed from the water but is unharmful in small amounts and is routinely released by any nuclear plant, officials say. it will also be diluted, along with other radioactive isotopes, they say. The water release will be gradual and tritium concentrations will not exceed the plant's pre-accident levels, TEPCO says.

Why release the water?

Fuku S H i m A D aiichi has struggled to handle the contaminated water since the 2011 disaster. The government and TEPCO say the tanks must make way for facilities to decommission the plant, such as storage space for melted fuel debris and other highly contaminated waste. The tanks are 96% full and expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in the fall.

They also want to release the water in a controlled, treated way to avoid the risk that contaminated water would leak in case of another major quake or tsunami. it w ill be sent through a pipe from the sampling tanks to a coastal pool to be diluted with seawater and released through an undersea tunnel to a point 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) offshore.

What are the safety concerns?

L OC AL f ishing communities say their businesses and livelihoods will suffer still more damage. ne ighboring countries such as China and South k o rea and Pacific i s land nations have raised safety concerns.

“ it w ould be best if the water isn't released, but it seems unavoidable,” said k a tsumasa Okawa, owner of a seafood store in iw aki, south of the plant, whose business is still recovering. Okawa said he hopes any further setbacks will be shortlived and that the releases might reassure people about eating fish from Fukushima.

i find those massive tanks more disturbing," Okawa said. "The next time the water leaks out by accident, Fukushima’s fishing will be finished.”

The government has earmarked ¥80 billion ($580 million) to support Fukushima fisheries and to address “reputation damage” from the release.

TEPCO has sought to reassure people by keeping hundreds of flounder and abalone in two groups—one in regular seawater and another in the diluted treated water. The experiment is “for people to visually confirm the treated water we deem safe to release won't adversely affect creatures in reality," said Tomohiko m a yuzumi, TEPCO's risk communicator.

r a dioactivity levels in the flounder and abalone rose while they were in the treated water but fell to normal levels within days after they were returned to regular seawater. That supports data showing a minimal effect on marine life from tritium, said n ob oru i s hizawa, a TEPCO official overseeing the experiment.

Officials say the impact of the water on humans, the environment and marine life will be minimal and will be monitored before, during and after the releases which will continue

unI v Er sIty of tokyo radiologist Katsumi shozugawa explains a machine to analyze contamination level in his laboratory at the university in tokyo on February 16, 2023. shozugawa said his analysis of groundwater in multiple locations in no-go zones near the plant has shown that tritium and other radioactive elements have been leaking into groundwater.

through the 30-40 year decommissioning process. Simulations show no increase in radioactivity beyond 3 kilometers (1.8 mile) from the coast.

Scientists say health impacts from consuming tritium and other radioisotopes through the food chain may be worse than from drinking it in water and further studies are needed.

Cross-checks are another concern: TEPCO says water samples are shared with i A EA and the government-funded Japan Atomic Energy Agency, but experts would like to see independent cross-checks.

u n iversity of Tokyo radiologist k a tsumi Shozugawa said his analysis of groundwater in multiple locations in no-go zones near the plant has shown that tritium and other radioactive elements have been leaking into groundwater.

i f h ighly radioactive water escapes and is dispersed into the sea it becomes impossible to trace, a concern not only for Japan but also for countries in the Pacific, he said. “There should be a continuous, science-based effort to show other countries that it's thoroughly handled, which i think is lacking the most."

Environmental groups including Friends of the Earth oppose the release. They have proposed long-term storage of the water by solidification, as used at the Savannah r i ver waste repository in the u S

Any progress with the melted reactors?

m ASS iv E a mounts of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside the reactors. r o botic probes

have provided some information but the status of the melted debris is largely unknown.

Akira Ono, who heads the cleanup as president of TEPCO’s decommissioning unit, says the work is “unconceivably difficult.”

Earlier this year, a remote-controlled underwater vehicle successfully collected a tiny sample from inside u n it 1's reactor—only a spoonful of about 880 tons of melted fuel debris in the three reactors. That's 10 times the amount of damaged fuel removed at the Three m i le i s land cleanup following its 1979 partial core melt.

Trial removal of melted debris will begin in u n it 2 later this year after a nearly two-year delay. Spent fuel removal from u n it 1 reactor’s cooling pool is to start in 2027 after a 10-year delay. Once all the spent fuel is removed the focus will turn in 2031 to taking melted debris out of the reactors.

Is a 2051 completion target realistic?

On O s ays the goal is a good “guidepost” but too little is known. The government has stuck to its initial 30-40 year target for completing the decommissioning, without defining what that means.

An overly ambitious schedule could result in unnecessary radiation exposures for plant workers and excess environmental damage, said r y o Omatsu, an expert on legal aspects of nuclear plant decommissioning.

Some experts say it would be impossible to remove all the melted fuel debris by 2051.

OKUMA, Japan—Twelve years after the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan is preparing to release a massive amount of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea.

K Atsum A sA O KAWA, a seafood store owner from Fukushima prefecture's Iwaki, bakes shellfish during the sakana & Japan Festival at a park in tokyo on February 22, 2023. Okawa said he expects a setback to his still recovering business but hopes it will be temporary and a safe progress would reassure people about Fukushima fish. AP/M A r i YA MAguchi

tHIs photo taken during a visit by Associated Press journalists shows some of about 1,000 huge tanks holding treated but still radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, operated by tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (tEPCO), in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, on February 22, 2023. treated radioactive wastewater is set to be released into

AP/Shuji K A ji YAMA

AP/Shuji K A ji YAMA

Versace reaches for the stars with glittery Hollywood show

By Jocelyn Noveck

The Associated Press

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California—

Decamping from her usual base in Milan to show her wares in Los Angeles—only three days before the Oscars—Donatella Versace says she was inspired by the energy, glamour and power of Hollywood. She had plenty of that, but she needed one more thing to make it all work: good weather.

And so, with rain expected on Friday, Versace was forced to move her show ahead by a day. It may have been chaotic, but it was the right move. Her starstudded runway show Thursday took place on a cool but gorgeous Los Angeles evening on a spectacular rooftop overlooking the snow-capped San Gabriel mountains, sleek downtown skyscrapers and the Hollywood hills.

Oh, and daylight ceded to darkness right as the show ended—just in time to turn on the floodlights, blast “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince and head to cocktails.

The sun was still out when the crowd began making its way up to the roof of the imposing Pacific Design Center on Melrose Avenue, with its distinctive blue glass exterior. Guests jostled to be photographed with the stunning view behind them, and staffers warned them not to step too far backward and fall off the building. As for the stars, they were on the runway and in the audience.

Naomi Campbell, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Irina Shayk strutted the catwalk, in front of a cross-section of notable names from music, film, fashion, sports and beyond.

Monday, March 13, 2023

STARLIGHT, STAR BRIGHT

the Versace 2023 fall-winter line’s color choices began with black and included caramel and chocolate, as well as apricot, turquoise and pink. PHOTOS FROM AP

star Dwyane Wade was there with Gabrielle Union. Jeff Bezos, Channing Tatum, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Lily James (who played Anderson in a Hulu series) were among other notable names. In creating her 2023 fall-winter line, Versace harked back to a 1995 collection of Atelier Versace,

jacket and knee-length pencil skirt, a sleek tailored look that gradually segued to more glittery ensembles (she reappeared later in a flowing gown with sheer bodice and sleeves). Campbell came later, in a

Ysabel Ortega sparkles with new endorsement

adaptation of the super robot animé Voltes V

Lovely as a rose with a smile that’s as bright as sunshine, Ysabel is also smart and articulate. She reminds me of what Cinderella’s late mother said,  “Have courage and be kind.”

Getting into showbiz wasn’t part of Ysabel’s original goals.

“I was very shy and I’m so grateful my mom encouraged me because I fell in love with the craft,” said the young actress.

Beautéderm Corp. president and CEO Rhea Anicoche-Tan celebrates five years of partnership with Sparkle GMA Artist Center with the contract renewal of five artists from the agency and the signing of five artists.

Sparkle artists Cassy Legaspi, Bianca Umali, Ruru Madrid, Rayver Cruz and Sanya Lopez renewed their contracts, while five new faces—Patricia Tumulak, Buboy Villar, Thia Thomalla, Ysabel Ortega, and EA Guzman—were signed on to solidify the Beautéderm x Sparkle partnership.

“Beautéderm is beyond grateful and beyond beautiful. We believe that these stars—Patricia, Buboy, Thia, Ysabel and EA—are perfect examples of what beyond beautiful means. We are dedicated to reaching more people all over the world, making sure they have quality products to rely on, from beauty to wellness products. And by expanding more, we are able to help more people, from elderly people to our scholars,” said Anicoche-Tan.

I got to interview Ysabel Ortega, the 24-yearold law student who will be soon seen on GMA’s

Mom to Ysabel is former That’s Entertainment star Michelle Ortega, who also raised her to be kind and respectful.

“She [Michelle] always told me to be kind and respectful, and it’s not something that should be forced because she told me to act that way. She also told me to always keep my feet on the ground,” said Ysabel.

Ysabel is very excited for Voltes V because sci-fi and action are new genres for her. Fans can expect to see a new side to her. Ysabel already has a gymnastics background and for Voltes V, she trained in muay thai, arnis, wushu, and stunts. That is how she spent a year during the pandemic.

Ysabel and her mom have a battalion of eight Shih Tzus but in total, they have six dogs in their La Union home and eight more in Quezon City.

I’m seriously looking forward to seeing Ysabel Ortega sparkle in more projects and bag more endorsements. I’ve always been impressed with her even before I met and interviewed her.

Ysabel, Cassy, Bianca, Ruru, Rayver, Sanya, Patricia, Buboy, Thia and EA are all endorsing Beautéderm’s Blanc Set, an effective and proven skin-

men, a sudden burst of bright pink surfaced, in a wool cropped jacket and miniskirt, then a minidress in a tangerine hue. More than halfway through the show came the luxurious, satiny printed dresses—often minis, and accompanied by those elbow-length gloves for added glamour.

Streetwear was nowhere to be seen—this was about luxury—and the long gloves seemed to evoke the Golden Age of Hollywood, which began in the mid-1920s and continued for several decades. Paired with the up-to-there minis, and often accessorized with big sunglasses, the effect was to create what Versace described as “energy from clashing Golden Age glamour with contemporary attitude, and confident power.”

How confident? The designer has called this collection a form of armor. As for Los Angeles, Versace has called it “a natural home for us”—a place that makes her feel free and close to nature.

Los Angeles is also, of course, a city of stars—and never more than during Oscar week. The moments before the show felt like a dry run for the Oscars red (or this year, champagne-colored) carpet, with celebrities reuniting or meeting for the first time.

Lipa was shown on social-media meeting and sitting next to Cher. Wade, in an orange suit, chatted with DeBose, who wore a see-through fishnet number. And one set of stars seemed particularly thrilled to be meeting Quan, of Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Hathaway, who each expressed their fandom for the other.

“I’m fainting!” Hathaway said when she laid eyes on Quan. “Everyone is so happy for you!”

Quan replied: “I love you so much.” n

care regimen that delivers visible results in as early as

A SHAMPOO REVIEW

SO I’ve been having treatments at Svenson for my dermatitis. For the most part, I use Svenson’s own shampoo. To alternate with that, I tried Cynos’ Dandruff Clear Shampoo.

The shampoo contains mild surfactants combined with ZPT to help provide relief for sensitive scalp. It also removes excess oil buildup and improves hair and scalp condition effectively. I like it because it’s mild. There’s no stinging when you use it and it also doesn’t dry the scalp. It’s not inexpensive at P800-plus but the 400ml bottle should last you for a long time.

Here are some tips for those who have dandruff:

Shampoo more often. Regular shampooing helps to remove the scales as they form and help smaller flakes to shed. Before I saw a trichologist, I was under the impression that shampooing often wasn’t good for those with dandruff. But everyday hair washing is heavily recommended. Not shampooing enough will make dandruff worse and it causes more oil and dead skin cells to accumulate on

It’s okay to oil your scalp. When I have bad flare-ups, I use marula oil or any pure oil on my scalp. When your scalp is flaky, though, it’s usually the result of too much oil rather than too little.

You can get dandruff in other parts of your

Here’s a TMI moment: For years, I wondered why and how my earwax reached the back of my ears. Well, guess what? After seeing a trichologist, I was told that it was, in fact, not earwax but dandruff.

Ysabel Ortega is everyone’s favorite girl-next-door. PHOTO FROM SPARKLE

Foundever™ donates over 8,000 books to Nationwide Library Program

Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Manila Galleria welcomes first female General Manager this Women’s Month

THIS Women’s Month, Crowne Plaza

Manila Galleria and Holiday Inn

Manila Galleria aptly welcomed Patria Puyat as its very first female General Manager. She brings with her over three decades of industry experience, most recently as the head matriarch of Crowne Plaza Vientiane in Laos.

“I am proud to have been with the InterContinental Hotels Group for over 20 years. The brand has been part of my childhood. And that’s where I started my career in hospitality as a Sales Coordinator at the InterContinental Hotel Manila,” she fondly recalls.

Puyat’s ingenuity, both from her innate creativity and Les Roches education, was demonstrated time and again as a young hotelier. She left the Philippines in 2001, and she always made sure to go back but in 2009 she decided to really see what a career overseas would take her.

FOUNDEVER™ showed its commitment in making education inclusive and accessible to every Filipino by raising 8,400 books via its Big MAX Book Drive for the Library Renewal Partnership (LRP), a nonprofit organization that aims to provide communities with a safe space where people can come together to learn, find livelihood, and support those in need.

The donated books, a mix of fiction and non-fiction covering a wide variety of topics, will benefit 100,000 learners in areas that include the National Capital Region, Baguio, Naga, and Puerto Princesa.

“Through our CSR (corporate social responsibility) Big MAX Book Drive, we help enable Filipinos to dream and

empower them to pursue it,” Foundever™

Senior Manager for HR Organization Development Hiroki Revereza said.

“It’s very important for us to give our employees a platform to achieve their personal goals while living out a higher purpose of bettering society. That’s what it means to be in Foundever™.”

Revereza added that the initiative also aims to create a reading culture in their organization and make their employees a force multiplier when it comes to providing value to customers and helping communities thrive.

Launched in 2009, the LRP creates various kinds of libraries anyone, regardless of their income level, gender, or religion, can use for free. The organization puts up mobile libraries,

town libraries, and prison libraries, among others, depending on what the community needs.

“I’m very happy that the books Foundever™ donated will go to communities that need them the most, including the Bangsamoro autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, TawiTawi, Basilan, and areas of conflict. The initiative will also help develop the country’s next managers and leaders,” Library Renewal Partnership founder Quintin Pastrana says.

“Foundever™ is not just focused on its growth but also on creating solutions for communities. We hope the 8,000 books is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re thankful to the company for making knowledge empower more Filipinos.”

Sun Life’s new health campaign ‘Wheel of Life’ aims to inspire Filipinos to live life on their own terms

learn bike safety, etiquette, and skills, among others, from Camp Director Coach Julian Valencia.

When she left the country to lead hospitality professionals in Vietnam, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Dubai played a pivotal role in Puyat’s journey to the top. She shares, “Being a Filipina leader among Middle Eastern men and European women meant I had to work harder than anyone in the room! But it all paid off when I finally broke the glass ceiling and became the Pre-Opening General Manager of Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City.”

Her contribution to the Filipino community did not go unnoticed. In 2017, she was recognized as Hospitality Professional of the Year by a premier award-giving body honoring Filipinos in the UAE who raised the bar in their respective fields.

Amidst various accolades and commendations, Puyat finds fulfillment in giving back. “Of all my years abroad, I can say that my time in Laos was closest to my heart. It was there where we made a difference to adolescent girls by teaching them livelihood

CROWNE Plaza and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria’s General Manager, Ms. Patria Puyat skills in the hopes of giving them the freedom to choose their own future,” she says beaming with pride for the empowered young women. Likewise, neither the pandemic nor the distance hindered her from imparting thirty years’ worth of knowledge and expertise to hospitality students in the Philippines. A nurturer and educator, Puyat taught at the Enderun Colleges as a lecturer. She came. She saw. She conquered. And now, she returns… with passion and energy that seemingly have not waned over the years. As she embarks on yet another chapter of her stellar career in IHG – this time coming home to the iconic hospitality properties in the heart of Ortigas Center, Puyat remarks that there are three guiding principles that she lives by: “Gratitude. Respect. Trust.”

Truly, it is through this brand of leadership that Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria shall conquer new heights with HER at the helm.

GOOD health is the key to living

life according to your own terms, whether you’re pursuing your dreams, caring for your family, or enjoying your wealth. This is the message that Sun Life Philippines wishes to send in its latest campaign, as it strives to inspire more Filipinos to pursue a healthy lifestyle while also availing of the benefits of a health insurance.

At the forefront of the campaign is a video called Wheel of Life, which depicts a game show where players get a preview of the financial impact caused by various illnesses, and how having health insurance can help mitigate this. The video stars Sun Life brand ambassador Piolo Pascual playing the role of a game show host.

“Critical illness can deplete one’s hardearned savings,” Sun Life Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer Carla Gonzalez-Chong said. “Through our new campaign, we wish to present Sun Life as a partner that can help Filipinos be well prepared against these uncertainties and live life on their own terms.”

New ambassador

TO further raise awareness, especially

among the younger generation, Sun Life has also introduced rising star Donny Pangilinan as its new Sun Life health ambassador. Donny, who is an athlete on top of his showbiz pursuits, will be at the forefront of the campaign’s digital activities and promo on TikTok. Participants can get a chance to win exciting prizes. Details will be announced on Sun Life’s Facebook page.

“Young Filipinos needing a role model in pursuing their health goals will surely relate to Donny, who has always been active in sports and outspoken in this advocacy,” Gonzalez-Chong said. “We’re delighted to have him join the Sun Life family.”

Sun Cycle PH, Wheel of Life Pop-Up Fair

MEANWHILE, in a bid to provide Filipinos more opportunities to be active and prioritize their health, Sun Life is bringing back Sun Life Cycle PH and holding the Wheel of Life Pop-up Fair.

Sun Life Cycle PH is happening on April 23 at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite. The event is open for all ages, fitness, and skill levels. To give younger participants the confidence to join, the Kids’ Bike Camp will also be held on April 16 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Participants will

As for the Wheels of Life Pop-up Fair 2023, it will feature various health activities including free consultations, health risk assessments, nutrition counseling, and mental health checkin courtesy of the Philippine Mental Health Association, as well as diabetes testing courtesy of Sun Life’s healthcare partners Dr. Anywhere and Institute for Studies on Diabetes Foundation Inc. There will also be game booths, free massages, a wellness corner, and other fun activities onsite. The fair will make stops in various locations on these dates: March 18 at Eton Centris, Quezon City; April 1 at Greenfield District, Mandaluyong; April 15 at Festival Mall, Alabang; April 16 at Quirino Grandstand, Manila; April 23 at Vermosa Sports Hub, Cavite; and April 29 at D’Mall, Boracay.

Making Waves in Boracay SUN Life also has a treat for those who will be at the island paradise of Boracay on April 9 and 29, as it will offer free massage and henna tattoo, a Partner for Life photo session, and an afternoon tea break. For an even more memorable summer, one may also participate in activities promoting the protection of the environment, including underwater and coastal clean-ups and, from April 27 to May 2, the Re-Imagine Exhibit and Repurposed Artworks Sale.

In all these events, the Sun Life ReCycle PH Machine will also be on hand so attendees may exchange their plastic trash for a prize.

“The pursuit of our health and wellness goals can be a fun and purposeful one, especially if we have the right partner, and this is what Sun Life aims to be,” Gonzalez-Chong said. “We are ready to help Filipinos protect their health, in spite of the surprises the wheel of life may have for them.”

Filipino-owned Cleanfuel seals partnership with LTFRB, to provide fuel needs for agency's fleet management

Cleanfuel Group of Companies President and CEO Atty. Jesus “Bong” Suntay expressed his appreciation for the established partnership where Cleanfuel will play a vital role in refueling the agency’s Central Office.

“We are pleased with the new partnership with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to provide fuel needs. The trust and confidence they gave us will allows to improve more and deliver the best quality fuel products in service to Filipino motorists.”

LAND Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board

CLEANFUEL , the purveyor of Quality fuel for Less, has sealed an agreement with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for the provisions of its fleet management services. The partnership was sealed in the presence of the LTFRB Chairman Atty. Teofilo Guadiz III, Cleanfuel Vice President Ralph Atienza and Cleanfuel Director Marco Atienza.

The chief executive also applauded the agency for sharing the same values in building economic growth for the nation. “As a company that is growing and continually focused on a sustainable future, we are delighted that we share the same values in providing the mobility needs and wider service to the public.”

The Filipino-owned company Cleanfuel will open stations in Luzon and Mindanao in 2023. The company remains committed to providing high-quality fuels—Auto LPG, Clean 91, Diesel, Premium 95, Race 97— and top-notch services. Aside from quality products, Cleanfuel has been recognized and known for its spacious and air-conditioned restrooms and facilities.

FROM left, Foundever Cebu and Manila general manager, John Sneed; APAC chief operating officer, Ravi Iyengar; Library Renewal Partnership founder, Quintin Pastrana; Foundever Philippines and China vice president for human resources, Pam Donato; and human resources director, Juicy Oliver.

PUREGOLD NAMED #1 MOST CHOSEN

(LTFRB) Chairman Atty. Teofilo Guadiz III with Cleanfuel Group of Companies Director Marco Atienza.

Leadership, Legacy and the passage of time

THERE are many definitions of what leadership is. But one thing is certain: that communication and leadership are inseparable. There are many ways to communicate on the job: through the official channels of internal communication, as well as through the omni channels of today that reach far and wide in real time.

PR Matters

One communication method that sometimes is self-effacing and overlooked, yet time and again remains as a potent force of and key to building trust and truth, lasting connection and sincere engagement is that of the personal communication style of the leader, the interpersonal skills to reach out to the other, regardless of station in life, rank or socioeconomic class.

Each leader would have his own style of pakikitungo, pakikipagkapwa tao. But like all communication, the messaging and efforts to build relationships become effective when the receiver accepts and understands, and ultimately trusts.

Every leader prides himself/ herself and is hailed on the achievements in his/her lifetime, be it an institution or business established, sustained, expanded over time; an innovation or breakthrough, a very viable and profitable company, a crisis well handled, an award, international or industry recognition, a foundation and its altruistic programs and more.

With the passage of time, people, leaders included, move on from an active career to a more sedate lifestyle, well earned from the days of a more hurried pace. Others still keep a hands-on touch but in time, become more legacy building in mindset, as the years go by.

Legacy, we oftentimes associate with tangible accomplishments such as business expansion, from a start-up to a conglomerate. There is, though, a type of legacy that I have been watching with great interest as the years have passed. And, this is what happens when a leader invests in the institution’s best asset, as most descriptions go, none other than, its people, in its truest sense.

I served for decades under a CEO who, while the company was thriving, had as his north star not only the business goals and targets, but most importantly believed that the best productivity, commitment, and esprit de corps

n Eastpak’s ‘Built to RE sist’ campaign By mutant takE s us to m aRtian tERR ain to pRovE its duR aBility

FLORIDA, USA—Lifestyle brand Eastpak has launched its 2023 global brand campaign which reinforces its iconic creative platform, “Built to Resist.”

For the 21st-century iteration of “Built to Resist,” independent creative agency Mutant created a multi-channel campaign that will run on social media, digital channels, in-store, and OOH. “Built to

Resist 2023” not only brings the Eastpak DNA of positivity and creative self-expression to life but also demonstrates and reinforces the iconic brand’s most prominent product benefit: durability. With every bag coming with a 30-year warranty, it’s entirely possible that an Eastpak could still be around when mankind is exploring new terrain on Mars.

Honoring the brand’s legacy in youth culture, Mutant combined the fun-loving, brave, venturous Eastpak mindset with a clear representation of the product’s durability in a futuristic setting. “Built to Resist 2023” fasts forward to the future where humankind is exploring the new terrain of life on Mars. The cinematic film visualizes a futuristic society where although we no longer inhabit planet Earth, our recreational pursuits remain the

can be accomplished even in difficult times, if its employees felt and knew that they were part of a corporate family, not just an institution. That each one had a stake in the success of the company, even in daily simple tasks that collectively would amount to a goal achieved, and would contribute his/her best especially in times of duress.

He would address employees by name, go to the gemba (In the Quality Movement, it is Japanese for shop floor), and would find time from his meetings and appointments to listen to what was concerning them. He believed that employees gave their best when they knew that their families were okay and provided for. He found time every Christmas to go around to each office, shake each one’s hand, ask them how they and their families were, and pause to take lots of photos with them. In times of duress, he was on site, monitoring personally the progress of the work and encouraging everyone. He was a humanitarian, as one physically challenged

same. Our new home permits our desire for playful adventure and supports our youthful energy of exploration and fun.

“Built to Resist 2023” is also a nostalgic nod to Eastpak’s iconic 1997 “Skeleton” campaign, and eagle-eyed viewers just might spot a very fleeting guest appearance from a bony friend.

Florence Blanckaert, Brand Marketing Manager at Eastpak, said, “Creating a brand campaign is something personal, especially to a heritage brand like Eastpak. It takes trust and partnership. Mutant was the perfect partner and extension of our team in envisioning the future and creative interpretation of our iconic Built to Resist. Pushing the boundaries and keeping us all on our toes. We can’t wait to unveil the result.”

employee said. He was concerned when employees or family members were sick. He was described by a female employee as being “one of and one with us.”

And as March is Women’s Month, I recall he, even way back then, championed the rights of women, charting out a career path in the corporate hierarchy, appointing the first female branch heads and top executives.

He was an approachable leader, a people person, and he lived and walked the company values especially of malasakit.

Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez passed away on January 12, 2023. Immediately, there was an outpouring of grief from employees, active and retired, here and abroad. Retirees came from the provinces and families came to pay their respects in person. Service personnel, union leaders, line and field personnel, and other employees and retirees took turns with top executives as they spoke and recounted the moments that they will not forget. Even as of this writing, employees continue to remember, recount,

Commenting on the partnership, Mutant Founder and Executive Creative Director Odin Saillée added, “There are few brands with such an iconic and timeless baseline as Eastpak. This is the kind of stuff you live for as an agency: attaching your creative interpretation to the thread and showing the world what Built to Resist means in our current cultural climate.”

The campaign will run in the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Finland, US, Canada, Cyprus, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Japan, Poland, Israel, Korea, Middle East, and Hungary.

Eastpak has been making longlasting products since 1952 when it started out as Eastern Canvas Products, making durable gear for the US

write about and search their photo albums for the times with him.

(Thank you to my colleagues for the photos in this column.)

He was of a prominent family, headed a top corporation in the country, chaired a group of companies, and later served our country as our ambassador. And yet, employees felt part of his own family. For him, it was important that the “employees are our best resources” statement was lived. He rallied everyone to rise to difficult times and to help each other, believing that everyone had a role to play and expertise to share. Time and again, employees would willingly find solutions to serve best. Volunteerism for a customer program or CSR project needed no prodding.

The proof of the pudding is not when one is still in power or position, but when one is no longer in that post.

Leadership and legacy live on in many generations of employees, retirees, and their families, here and abroad. His pakikitungo, pakikipagkapwa tao and his inter -

military. Since then, it has introduced a limited 30-year warranty to let the bags live up to their potential.

n nE w coffEE-taBlE Bo ok honoR s l atE sEnatoR tomas lluisma c aBili as champion of maRginalizEd filipinos

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—In honor of late Senator Tomas Lluisma Cabili’s (hailed by the Maranaos as “Sultan Dimasangkay ko Ranao”) memory, his family has published coffee-table book HRH Tomas Lluisma Cabili And The Royal House of Sultan A Dimasangkay Ko Ranao. Senator Cabili is best known for standing against the First National Assembly by refusing to sign the 1935 Constitution, believing its failure to provide adequate protection for Muslims.

The 60-page book features per -

personal communication skills were from the heart.

I served my nearly 30 years under his leadership and up to now, my colleagues here and abroad continue to be solidly bonded, raised with the same values. The passwords that will be his legacy: MML (his initials), and Malasakit.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of Ipra Philippines, the local chapter of the United Kingdombased International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world.

Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, APR, IABC

Fellow is a Consultant, Coach and Speaker on Business Communication and Strategic Public Relations with 43 years of experience in leading internal and external communication and PR in corporate, communities, academe and associations.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

sonal stories and tightly kept photographs from his childhood, his years as an assemblyman, senator, and sultan to his last moments as the most-revered successor of People’s President Ramon Magsaysay, before he and 23 others perished in a fateful plane crash in 1957.

Its glossy pages serve as a retrospective of his works, his political journey, and his growth as one of Mindanao’s great thought leaders. Most importantly, the book compels readers to contemplate what Mindanao and the Philippines could have been and reconnects with people his ideas that were forgotten.

In addition to this, the Tomas Cabili Peace Foundation is establishing its Tomas Cabili fellowship which will honor individuals who are championing peace efforts in Southeast Asia.

By Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo APR, IABC Fellow

alumni homEcoming of foRmER EmployEEs. Everyone just had to have a photo with our former ambassador and former cEo, that the photos had to be taken in several seemingly endless batches. From the FB page o F m ke Lopez and Lopez Link as excerpted F r

ph

thE chaRisma of authEntic lEadERship when employees sincerely seek you out.

Thai Galitsky rules

THAILAND’S Eila Galitsky

capped her breakthrough victory in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship (WAAP) in smashing fashion by birdying three of the last four holes in scorching heat to dash whatever hopes her chief rival Minsol Kim of Korea had for a comeback, closing out with a 68 and beating the Korean world No. 14 by five shots on a 14-under 274 total.

K im shot a 70 for second at 279 while compatriot Yeji Park also carded a two-under card to tie Hong Kong’s Sophie Han and Kiwi Fiona Xu, who matched 71s, and world No. 5 Yuna Araki from Japan, who matched par 72, at 282, at the Singapore Island Country Club’s The New Course.

R ianne Malixi’s WAAP campaign that gained tracks midway through the 72-hole championship ended in shambles with a late wave of bogeys as she fumbled with a 73 and wound up joint 13th at the Singapore Island Country Club here yesterday.

W hile Galitsky fell short by three to Yuka Yasuda’s record eight-stroke triumph over inaugural champion Atthaya Thitikul in the 2019 edition of the annual championship in Japan, Galitsky succeeded in foiling the Koreans’ bid to sweep two major events here following JinYoung Ko’s triumph in last week’s Women’s World Championship at Sentosa.

M ore importantly, the victory gave Galitsky’s promising career a big shot in the arm as she claimed spots in this year’s three Major championships on the LPGA Tour, including the Chevron Championship in Texas next month, the Evian Championship in France in July and the AIG Women’s Open in England in August.

It also netted her invites to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur later this month in Georgia, the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Women’s Australian Open.

The 16-year-old Galitsky also looks to gain much on her current world No. 193 ranking while expecting to get stronger and better when the blue-ribbon event returns to Thailand in Feb. 2024.

M alixi also gave herself a shot at the crown when she bounced back from an opening 74 with a second day 67 to move within five strokes off then leader Kim. But she struggled with her putting in the pivotal round and limped with another twoover card to all but bow out of the title chase in the region’s premier championship where she tied for third in Thailand last November.

T he International Container

Terminal Services Inc.-backed shotmaker actually mounted an early charge in the final round, birdying two of the first three holes that sparked hopes for a big windup that has marked her past overseas campaigns.

But after missing her chance on the par-five No. 4, her game went on a downswing, dropping a stroke on the fifth and settling for a run of pars before stumbling with another mishap on the 11th.

A fter two pars, she reeled farther back with back-to-back bogeys but birdied the closing par-5 hole to salvage a 73 for a share of 13th at even 288 with

Aussie Caitlin

Adamson U deals Ateneo another UAAP volleyball loss

ADAMSON University sent Ateneo de Manila University reeling to its third consecutive loss, 25-18, 2523, 25-19, in University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 women’s volleyball action at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday. The players were able to execute what we’ve been doing in practice,” Adamson University head coach Jerry Yee said.

HAUL IN BAKU

By Josef Ramos

CARLOS “CALOY” YULO ruled men’s vault on Sunday and adding his victory in the parallel bars on Saturday, went on a two-gold medal splurge at the International Gymnastics Federation Artistic World Cup Series third leg at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A fter crashing out of the floor exercise qualification round last Friday, Yulo made sure he won’t bomb out in the event that gave him a world championship gold medal.

He won his first gold with the bars Saturday to hike to three his gold medal haul in the four-leg qualifying series for the world championships in Antwerp in September.

THE Highlands Ladies Cup, put on hold the last three years due to Taal Volcano eruption and pandemic, gears up for an explosive return when it holds its 15th staging on April 29 at the wind-raked and challenging Tagaytay Midlands Golf Course in Tagaytay City.

T he organizing Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter has guaranteed the upcoming event— backed by Diamond sponsor W Group, Inc.—will surpass its previous editions in terms of participation and prizes with a

Yulo took the runway as if he owned it, went airborne for a 460-degree marked with grace and precision and landed perfectly for a gold medal-clinching 14.933 points.

B ritain’s Harry Hepworth could only settle with a silver with his 14.816 while Hong Kong’s Shek Wai Hung settled for the bronze with 14.176.

O n Saturday, the Tokyo Olympian tallied 15.400 points for his first gold medal in the parallel bars, in the process ending the reign of Ukranian Kovtun in the apparatus.

K ovtun—who won gold in each of the last six competitions he took part in—got 15.366 for the silver and France’s Cameron-Lie Bernard got a bronze with 14.600.

“ That’s Caloy’s first ever gold medal in the parallel bars,”

Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) President Cynthia Carrion-Norton told BusinessMirror.

“That only means he’s improving in all apparatuses and there’s a possibility he can win several golds in the Olympics.”

The 23-year-old Yulo, owner of five Southeast Asian Games gold medals, didn’t go extreme with his degree of difficulty with the bars—he went with 6.5 to Kovtun’s 6.6.

But Yulo was the better gymnast in execution at 8.900 to the Ukrainian’s 8.766.

Yulo also campaigned in the floor exercise and rings, but just couldn’t win them all.

He failed to qualify for the floor exercise final after placing 21st with 13.100 points in qualification and was seventh place with 14.166 score

in the rings final.

“ The reason he did not do well on the floor was that we’re trying more difficult sequences for his routine,” she added.

Yulo already won a floor exercise gold medal in the Doha second leg last March 4 on top of a silver in bars also in Doha and bronze medals in vault also in Doha and bars in Cottbus.

Ne xt up is the series’ fourth and last leg set April 27 to 30 in Cairo, Egypt.

Forty-eight men will qualify for the world championships by ranking in the top eight on each apparatus at the end of the Apparatus World Cup series.

E ach gymnast who places in the top 12 in an apparatus receives points—gold is worth 30 points— that coincide with their ranking.

Highlands Ladies Cup braces for grand return

maximum field expected to take part in the 18-hole tournament featuring players of all genders. R egistration is ongoing with fees pegged at P4,000 for members and P5,000 for non-members, inclusive of green fee, cart sharing, lunch and snacks plus raffle. Tickets are available at the Highlands and Midlands golf courses and Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter (THLC). We are more than prepared for

Gadia lifts Gentle Giants in PFL

MIDFIELDER Daniel Gadia made up for his absence in the previous game with a stunning late goal as Dynamic Herb Cebu FC turned back Azkals Development Team, 2-1, Saturday night to close in on leaders Kaya FC Iloilo in the Philippines Football League brought to you by Qatar Airways at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Serving a suspension in the 1-1 draw against Stallion Laguna last week, Gadia scored the winning goal in the 70th minute as the Gentle Giants improved to 31 points, five points off Kaya, which has played one more game than Cebu.

A standout from University of the Philippines, Gadia is a fiery midfield player who makes a bigger impact with his passing.

A gainst ADT, he took on a different role as the scorer.

“I was challenged by our captain kuya Jason (Cordova) to score a goal

so I just tried,” Gadia said. “There have been a lot of scenarios in the game that I can take a shot in front of goal but I ended up passing. I didn’t want to miss that chance when I had it.”

Cebu took the lead in the 20th minute with Rintaro Hama firing from close range after Leaford Allen’s effort bounced off the crossbar.

But ADT levelled just moments into the second half with Oliver Bias teeing up youth standout Gavin Muens inside the area.

Th at goal set up a thrilling finish with Gadia, who was sent off in the 3-2 win over Kaya in Iloilo three weeks ago, producing a smart finish at the near post to beat goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad and sending Cebu to a ninth victory of the season.

Bias had one last opportunity to tie the game late on, but his free kick went inches wide, allowing Cebu to escape with the victory. ADT remained in fourth spot with 21 points on six wins, three draws and five defeats.

this year’s tournament after three years,” tournament chair Dionne Cu said. “Golfing friends have been waiting for us to stage our festive tourney.”

The fun-filled but competitive tournament, supported by Platinum sponsor Parola Maritime Agency Inc. and bronze sponsor Wee Community Developers Inc., will have a shotgun start at 8 a.m. It will be played under the System 36 scoring format.

The event is used to be held late in the year but the THLC moved it to an earlier date to coincide with the Tagaytay Ladies team’s 18th founding anniversary celebrations.

A s in its past editions, part of the proceeds will go to THLC’s favorite charity in Silang, Cavite, the Boys & Girls Town where school age children are preparedfor the real world through an entrepreneurialbased education.

Justice Palma High School, De La Salle Lipa bag bronze

It was only in the second set where the Lady Eagles showed a strong semblance of a fight.

A fter Vanie Gandler pulled the Lady Eagles to within one, Kate Santiago nailed the set for the Lady Falcons with a down-the-line spike.

Trisha Tubu had 23 points built on 22 of 39 attacks while Santiago had 11 kills and nine digs for Adamson University which bagged its third straight win to join National University at second on a 4-1 win-loss card.

Faith Nisperos had 17 points while Gandler and Lyann De Guzman got nine and eight points, respectively, De Guzman also posting seven excellent receptions and five digs for Ateneo, which fell to 1-4 in a tie with University of the Philippines at sixth place. NU, meanwhile, swept UE also on Sunday although the Bulldogs had to survive a scare from the Red Warriors.

A short-handed NU side was caught napping in the first two sets but recovered just in time to frustrate the Red Warriors, 22-25, 22-25, 2514, 25-22, 15-6, to stay unscathed in five matches—23-0 since Season 81.

U E fell to 2-3 won-lost.

I’m extremely thankful that even though we were down by two sets, we still managed to win,” said NU coach Dante Alinsunurin, whose team committed a whopping 38 errors.

The Bulldogs played without Ken Malinis on personal reasons while Nico Almendras served a yellow card he acquired for unsportsmanlike conduct in their last game against University of the Philippines which they won in five sets.

The Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand, defeated the Lady Warriors who put up a gallant first-set stand only to yield, 25-23, 25-9, 25-12. N U improved its record to 4-1 while keeping UE winless in five matches.

JUSTICE CM PALMA HIGH SCHOOL

(JCP) beat Mayamot National High School and De La Salle Lipa downed Maryhill College to clinch the boys and girls bronze medals Sunday in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Under-18 Championships at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. J CP, competing out of Quezon City, went five sets against their rivals from Antipolo City, 25-21, 26-28, 25-20, 23-25, 15-10, while the girls from Batangas needed a fourth set to frustrate the girls from Lucena City, 25-12, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21.

JCP had to dig deep in the two-hour and 27-minute match to wrap up its campaign in the under-18 tournament revived by the PNVF headed by Ramon “Tats” Suzara and supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, PLDT, Rebisco and Akari.

There were many things that we’re lacking in the match just like communication among the players on the court, but we exerted a lot of effort to win this game, no matter what,” JCP middle blocker Maverick Joseph Palis said.

Peirce and Chinese Yahui Zhang, who matched 71s, and Zixin Ni, also from China, who fumbled with a 73.

I n contrast, Lois Kaye Go holed out with a double-bogey 7 and ended up with 75 for joint 32nd at 294.

Where’s that great Pinoy Sports Documentary?

IT is hoped that what Drive to Survive did for Formula One, Full Swing will do for golf—bring in a lot of new fans to the game. Some love the behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall depiction of the athletes—others don’t.  Me? For someone who was weaned on Sports Illustrated

where the writers provided tremendous in-depth writing, I love it. As an old-time Formula One fan, I love it. As a casual golf fan, it made me love the game more.  I n the sports books and documentaries I have written and produced, I have adopted the approach that was first presented to me by author John Feinstein in his magnificent book, A Season on the Brink that was about the 1985-86 season of Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers.

H ave I been successful in that approach?

To a large degree, yes.

A m I satisfied with the story I have told?

Yes, to a large extent.

However, it is difficult. There are outside forces that want to control the narrative. They wish to gloss over “issues” or rewrite certain parts.  And more often than not, ignore it. Pretend the ugly parts never happened or do not exist.

You can see that cowardly, back-handed approach in Philippine society. Pretending that Martial Law did not happen or wasn’t even bad. Deciding not to go after a corrupt official because “she is ill.”

You will probably find this in those romance or personal live dramatizations in soap operas, news exposes, or those talk shows, but that’s about it. And in what—in short segments.

Th at is not clemency but culpability. Stupidity even. And that is ingrained deep in the Filipino psyche and culture.

The Filipino is fond of exaggerating his role in the world or even co-opting things to make up for deficiencies. I’ll say this though—before this ridiculous “cancel culture” movement got going—it was existing in the country in a different form.

I f you go to a local bookstore, good luck finding books about Philippine sports. So few and far in between. For a country rich in this respect, there is not much.

There are plenty of Filipino sports stories that need to be told in book or movie documentary form.

L et’s list some—the 1992 Little League World Series Scandal, Louie Espinosa’s story, the rise and fall of the Metropolitan Basketball Association, Thrilla in Manila, Toyota-Crispa Rivalry and the story of Team Lakay among others. You want something dramatic, juicy, or even controversial—what happened to Philippine basketball since its last Olympic stint.

Now that is a roller coaster of a story with highs and lows; great stories and ones that will leave you gnashing your teeth. Having said that, it will not be done because that will drag the monsters under the bed into the sunlight and many of them are still around.

So in the absence of these great stories, I’ll just enjoy Last Chance U, Drive to Survive, Full Swing, The Last Dance, Sunderland ‘Til I Die, and others.

RIANNE MALIXI falls short in her final round charge.

THE girls from Lipa City bag a bronze medal they consider as gold.

CARLOS “CALOY” YULO is piling up the points for his qualification in the world championships. AP FILE PHOTO