BusinessMirror November 19, 2022

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FMR ‘REVOLUTION’ IN MINDANAO

Construction of rural roads sparks hope of emancipation among rural folks in volatile South

By Manuel T. Cayon

SMALL infrastructure they may be, but roads connecting farms to the market in the countryside are an important lifeblood for the country’s poor, many of them still wallowing in poverty due to isolation and inaccessibility to social services.

In highly rural Bangsamoro region (two provinces in Central Mindanao, three provinces in the southwesternmost tip of Mind anao, considered the country’s southern backdoor), the dire need to connect farms to the population centers remains to be a daunting task, constricting rural develop ment and pinning down rural fam ilies to generational poverty.

Recognizing this, local experts on agricultural and biosystem en gineering have been working to improve rural connectivity and strengthen rural development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In Cotabato City, the seat of the Bangsamoro Region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) and the Philippine Society of Agricultural Biosystems and Engineering (PSABE) held the first summit on this issue.

The November 8 to 11 regional summit on farm-to-market roads (FMR) would connect master plan ning and Agricultural Biosystems and Engineering (ABE) services to the region.

A griculture Minister Moham mad Yacob said ABE “is crucial in the BARMM in the implementa tion of several agricultural legisla tion in the country.”

The application to the BARMM would be much awaited in the imple mentation of the Philippine Agri cultural and Biosystems Engineers Competitiveness Road Map, Repub lic Act No. 10601 or the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law, RA 8559 or the Philippine Agricul tural Engineering Act of 1998, and

RA 10915 or An Act Strengthening, Modernizing and Aligning the Prac tice of Agricultural Engineering in the Country into the Internationally Recognized Practice of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and for other Purposes.

PSABE is an accredited integrat ed engineering professional organi zation for agricultural and biosys tems engineers in the country.

The summit carried the theme “Uplifting Agriculture and Biosys tems Engineering Profession in the Bangsamoro Region,” which aimed to provide the local agricultural and bio system engineers with comprehensive up-to-date information and develop a shared understanding of the agricul tural and biosystem engineering pro fession in the Bangsamoro region.

Noble task

YACOB said “the strong partner ship of PSABE-BARMM with the academe, public and private sectors is highly imperative to carry this humongous yet noble task.”

He said PSABE’s current special focus could bring a lot of promise and development as local experts try to unravel and under stand the application of engineer ing, science and design “to create solutions for problems concerning land development, irrigation and drainage, including dams, farm roads and bridges.”

Th is would be done in a region that is also regularly visited by flood, destroying farm roads and bridges along the way, and blocking rehabilitation for days and trap ping families in the low-lying and inaccessible villages.

MPW’s role ONLY lately, the Ministry of Pub lic Works (MPW) mobilized its heavy equipment and personnel to clear the roads affected by massive flooding and landslides after Se vere Tropical Storm Paeng hit the region last month.

Several roads and bridges in some parts of the Bangsamoro re gion had to be closed due to soil erosion and flash floods.

According to Public Works Minister Eduard Guerra, their team has to clear debris that blocked some parts of road net works, and declog drainages im mediately after the rain and flood subsided to ensure that roads are accessible and that fast delivery of relief goods will not be hampered.

Tropical Storm Paeng alone, for instance, wrought this long list of damage compiled by the Department of Public Works and Highways-Bureau of Maintenance (DPWH-BOM) as of October 30:

1. Davao-Cotabato Road, K1710+760, Buluan Bridge I, Ba rangay Manuangan, Pigcawayan, Cotabato due to flooding;

2. Maguindanao 1st DEO Co tabato-Lanao Road, K1878 + 359, Nituan Bridge, Parang, Maguin danao del Norte due to collapsed bridge approach;

3. Ledepan Bridge, Highway Tamontaka-Jct Tapian Wharf

Road, Brgy. Badak, Datu Odin Sin suat, Maguindanao del Norte due to collapsed bridge;

4. Tamontaka-Jct Tapian Wharf Road, K1857+000, Brgy. Ba dak, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguin danao del Norte due to soil erosion;

5. Simuay Landasan-Parang Road, Tapayan Bridge, K1869 + 224, Sultan Mastura, Maguin danao del Norte due to destroyed bridge approach; and

6. Maguindanao 2nd DEO Marbel-Allah Valley-Cotabato Road, K1796 + 125, Kabulnan Bridge, Brgy. Labu-Labu, Datu Hof fer, Maguindanao del Norte due to scoured bridge.

The ministry has also deployed a multipurpose amphibious dredg er to clear the accumulating water hyacinths along Rio Grande de Mindanao in Cotabato City.

“In times of calamities like this, MPW is doing its best to help allevi ate the situation. We utilize our peo ple and our equipment para matulun gan ang mga nangangailangan nating constituents,” Guerra said.

GIDA

IN normal times, a simple and short farm road project is an in vestment into the future and a road to hope for residents in geo graphically isolated and disadvan taged areas (GIDA).

L ast month, the BARMM en

The MPW started construct ing the bridge and rehabilitating the road in late October. Lanao del Sur District Engineer Maldamin Decampong said Lumbayanague is a fourth-class municipality “where most of its farmland areas produce corn and rice products.”

The farm road connects the in ner barangays going to the national highway and provides farmers the opportunity to access transporta tion and prevent spoilage of their farm products. The project was “to enhance the living condition of the poverty-stricken communities in the region.”

“ These projects are ways of showing our local government units and communities the good will of the BARMM government in implementing moral governance and in relation to the 12-point agenda of the Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, in increasing strate

our people.”

It’s also the same story for an other short road project to connect the farms of the upland village of Labungan in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, the town where a mudslide buried some resi dents last month.

Th is farm road that stretches only 4.6 kilometers was expected to be finished last month with a budget of P69,492,196.6.

M AFAR Minister Yacob said the road would “stimulate the grassroots economy and empower farmers to experience develop ment and better living in the fu ture.”

This project will change your life as a farmer. It will transform

gineers were finishing a short FMR project: a 0.6-kilometer road that needs concreting and a bridge. The P41.66-million project was being constructed in Lumbayanague, Lanao del Sur, a lakeside town 43 kilometers south of Marawi City.

gic infrastructure to develop our communities, particularly in the remote areas,” said MPW Deputy Minister Engr. Abdul Maomit To mawis.

Lumbayanague Mayor Jamal Asum thanked the Bangsamoro government “for providing us with these essential and beneficial proj ects for our constituents, which, I believe, could bring change to the lives of

ROAD and bridge project in Bayang, Lanao del Sur. PHOTO COURTESY OF BANGSAMORO INFORMATION OFFICE

INTERISLAND boat rides are the main water transport connectivity in the TawiTawi capital of Bongao. MANUEL T. CAYON

Analysis: Have China and India shifted stance on Russia war?

By Foster Klug | The Associated Press

acknowledgement that “there were other views and different assess ments” and that the G-20 is “not the forum to resolve security issues.”

Rebuke

THE final product, however, was seen by some as a strong rebuke of a war that has killed thousands, heightened global security tensions and disrupted the world economy.

Could this, at last, signal a bold new policy change by Beijing and New Delhi to align themselves with what the United States and its allies believe is the best way to end a war that has brought death and misery to Ukraine and disrupted millions of lives as food and energy prices soar and economies crack?

There’s certainly an eagerness by a world weary of war to see it as the beginning of a shift by the bur geoning global powers.

L ook close enough, however, and there’s enough subtlety, not to mention spots of vagueness, in both the official statement released at the end of the Group of 20 sum mit in Bali, Indonesia, and in ac tions from China and India them selves, to raise questions about whether a real change is underway.

Their positions will become clearer in coming weeks, but for now both nations, which have significant trade ties with Russia and have so far stopped short of outright criticism of the war, may simply be looking out for their own interests and keeping future options open.

Figuring out what exactly

happened in Bali matters because there’s growing worry that without political and diplomatic pressure by China and India, Russia will be far less likely to end its war.

The Ukraine factor

THE conflict in Ukraine loomed large over the two-day summit on Bali, which was attended by Rus sian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. News early Wednesday of an explo sion that rocked eastern Poland prompted US President Joe Biden to hastily arrange an emergency meet ing with Group of Seven and NATO members at the summit.

The backroom wrangling at the G-20 over how to address Russia’s invasion in its statement was “very, very tough,” summit host Indone sian President Joko Widodo said.

“Most members strongly con demned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense hu man suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy,” the statement read.

The less-than-universal lan guage—“most members”—signals the presence of dissent, as does an

The public statement used lan guage from a March UN resolution that deplored “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Rus sian Federation against Ukraine” and demanded “its complete and unconditional withdrawal” from Ukrainian territory.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the G-20 summit’s “sur prisingly clear words” on Ukraine “wouldn’t have been possible if im portant countries hadn’t helped us to come together this way—that includes India and it also includes, for example, South Africa.”

“ This is something which shows that there are many in the world who don’t think this war is right, who condemn it, even if they abstained in the votes at the United Nations for various rea sons,” Scholz said. “And I am sure that this is one of the results of this summit: the Russian president stands almost alone in the world with his policy.”

‘Big breakthrough’ JOHN KIRTON, director of the G-20 Research Group, called it a “big breakthrough” and an “active shift” by China and India in which they joined the “democratic side of the great immediate geopolitical divide.”

Privately, however, some dip lomats were wary about declaring that China has shifted its stance on Russia.

C hinese President Xi Jinping may have simply made a decision to not be seen as a spoiler or outlier during face-to-face meetings with other leaders in Bali. The state ment also allows China to avoid going all-in with a Russia that is looking more and more isolated as it increases attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

W hat Beijing hasn’t done is change—or even publicly ques tion—its fundamental relations with Russia.

Friends may remain friends CHINA has closely aligned its for eign policy with Russia in recent

years, as pipeline projects and nat ural gas sales have brought them closer economically.

It has refused to publicly criti cize Russia’s aggression or even refer to it as an invasion, while criticizing sanctions and accusing the United States and NATO of provoking Putin, although it has warned against allowing the con flict to go nuclear.

Just weeks before Moscow’s invasion, the Russian and Chinese leaders met in Beijing, where they signed a joint statement affirming that their bilateral relationship had “no” limits.

It was unclear whether China pushed for the softening language in the G-20 statement acknowl edging “other views and different assessments” and that the G-20 is

“not the forum to resolve security issues,” but Shi Yinhong, profes sor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, said it has pushed for such phrases on other occasions.

For India, Prime Minister Naren dra Modi has also avoided criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Modi, however, indicated for the first time in public India’s dis comfort with the attack when he met Putin in September. “I know that today’s era is not of war,” Modi told Putin.

That message “resonated very deeply across all the delegations and helped to bridge the gap across different parties and contributed to the successful outcome of the docu ment” in Bali, Indian Foreign Secre tary Vinay Kwatra told reporters.

Navdeep Suri, a retired Indi an diplomat, said he sees a subtle shift in India’s position in dealing with Russia.

C hina, however, may be “in a far more awkward position than India because China is the one that promised unlimited support to Russia a few days before the inva sion,” Suri said. “China has [now] gone along with such tough lan guage, including the unconditional and complete withdrawal of Rus sian forces from Ukraine.”

Dilip Sinha, another retired Indian diplomat, noted that India continues to buy oil, to trade with Russia and to abstain from UN res olutions critical of Russia.

There is a feeling of bravado in India that it has its way. I don’t see any change at all in India’s policy on Russia on the war in Ukraine,” Sinha said.

FMR ‘revolution’ in Mindanao

this rural community…it will help gain better prices and reduce the risk of products lost which will lead to better farmer’s life,” Yacob said.

M AFAR Director for Agricul ture Services Engr. Ismael Guiamel said, “This FMR could give various benefits to our farmers such as easy access to their farm products, low cost of transportation, and increase their profits which, even tually, could alleviate their living conditions.”

Barangay Chairman Murad Campong also expressed gratitude for the concreted roads that would connect the farmland to the main road going to market. “I really be lieved that development in remote areas will be very difficult to meet unless there is an access like roads,” Campong said.

Farm roads with similar im mediate economic benefits include the P42.4-million farm road in Si munul, Tawi-Tawi, to make it easy for farmers in Panglima Mastul village in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, to transport and deliver their agricul ture products to the markets.

The project was funded by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

M AFAR said Simunul is one of the top cassava-producing mu nicipalities in the province of TawiTawi due to its fertile soil, particu larly in the barangay where the road project was completed. Previ ously, farmers had difficulty bring ing their products to the markets due to rough and muddy roads, es pecially during rainy seasons. This discouraged them from farming as their products end up rotting in storage.

Island connectivity

THE southernmost island prov ince of Tawi-Tawi has been eyed as a gateway for economic develop ment, but like its mainland coun terpart provinces, the blueprint for development has also been plagued with issues of lack of inter-island or inter-municipality transporta tion system.

A side from that, there were also issues on limited access to po table water supply, limited power

supply, poor Internet connectiv ity, inadequate infrastructure fa cilities, rise in seawater level and temperature, food security, poor waste disposal, presence of human trafficking, inadequate school and sports facilities, and insufficient medical and diagnostic laboratory centers.

The BARMM would not be sty mied, though. It said the strategic location and potential of the TawiTawi island for the economic devel opment of the autonomous region would be included in formulating the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) for 2023-2028. The for mulation was done on October 11.

According to Engr. Wahab Bakil, Tawi-Tawi Provincial Plan ning and Development Coordina tor (PPDC), the country’s south ernmost island was “essential” to the Bangsamoro region, citing Tawi-Tawi’s potential to become the region’s gateway to Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).”

The BIMP-EAGA is an initia tive launched in 1994 which aims to boost growth in trade, investments, and tourism through new intraregion shipping routes and air links as well as power interconnection projects. It also includes cooperation on agri-business, tourism, environ ment, and socio-cultural education, among these regions.

We will bring Tawi-Tawi as the gateway of BARMM, if not the whole of Mindanao, to the whole BIMP-EAGA,” said Bakil, who led the participating local government unit (LGU) representatives from the 11 municipalities.

Some of the identified op portunities and potentials of the island were the following: TawiTawi’s strategic location to be de veloped as an economic zone and gateway to BIMP-EAGA; Tawi-Tawi as a cross-border trading hub of the region; eco-tourism industry; rich aquatic resources; and seaweeds and fish processing industry, as Tawi-Tawi is known to be the larg est seaweed producer in the coun try.

Improving security

AN attendant benefit to all the

farm road constructions across BARMM is securing the peace and improving the security of the re gion, many areas of which were the battlegrounds of Moro fighters and government troops in the past.

Sulu province could be the example, as Joint Task Force Sulu commanding general Brig. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio of the Ar my’s 11th Infantry Division told BARMM key officials on October 13 of the improving peace and se curity situation in the island prov ince of Sulu.

A mong the things cited for the effective and continuing military operation in Sulu were the increas ing number of road networks facili tating easy and faster movement of troops.

“This network is a manifesta tion that there is no problem in the team that can’t be solved if we work together towards peace and develop ment. Military operations alone are not the only solution but the respon sive partnerships with communities, LGUs and security sectors is indeed the solution to the long issue of ter rorism,” said Patrimonio.

He said Sulu’s current security landscape is now “manageable “ as manifested by the diminished level of atrocities due to the decreasing number of Abu Sayyaf Group ex tremists who surrendered along with their firearms.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim acknowledged JTF Sulu’s contribution in sustaining the gains of the peace process, say ing, “the joint normalization initia tives of the Philippine government and the Bangsamoro government are making significant progress and accomplishment as we con tinue to fight for autonomy and de cent governance.”

“ We thank the contribution of JTF Sulu for their assistance in making this a reality,” Ebrahim ex pressed.

“I hope that this visit will give rise to more meaningful and humble endeavors during my lead ership. I express my commitment to work together and the Govern ment of the Day to support your future initiatives in the name of peace, reconciliation and develop ment,” Ebrahim added.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia—China and India, after months of refusing to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, did not stand in the way of the release this week of a statement by the world’s leading economies that strongly criticizes Moscow.

CHINESE President Xi Jinping attends a session at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. China and India, after months of refusing to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, did not stand in the way of the public release this week of a statement by the world’s leading economies that strongly criticizes Moscow. AP

Senate gears up for final vote on ₧5.268-T 2023 budget bill

By Butch Fernandez

SENATORS ended plenary de bates on the Palace-proposed 2023 budget bill, inching clos er to a final vote on the P5.268trillion annual money measure en dorsed by Malacañang to bankroll government operations next year.

Adjourning their marathon deliberations past 1 a.m. Friday, the lawmakers concluded the ex tended session after tackling the proposed budget of the Commis sion on Higher Education and the National Commission for Senior Citizens.

It took lawmakers two weeks of overtime deliberations to thor oughly scrutinize the proposed funding items, with senators and staff working sometimes on mara thon sessions of 12 to 16 hours.

By next week, the senators will proceed to open the period of amendments, enabling lawmakers to introduce changes in the origi nal version of the annual money measure submitted by Malacañang that would either cut Palace-en dorsed funding items or realign allocations. The Senate leadership earlier set a timeline of having the budget bill hurdle second and third reading in one day—as allowed by the rules for certified measures— on Monday, November 21.

Once the measure is passed, the senators will sit down with their House counterparts in a bicameral conference committee that would submit a final version after reconciling conflicting pro visions in the Senate and House versions of the P5.268-trillion annual funding bill.

From there, the annual budget bill will be submitted to a final vote by the Senate and the House, with the ratified version submitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature.

Social safety nets

THE proposed 2023 budget high lights social safety nets in a bid to support economic recovery amid continuing uncertainties brought mainly by the Russia-Ukraine

conflict and the Covid-19 pan demic, according to Senator Win Gatchalian.

“We recognize the need to sup port marginalized sectors of our society, but this should be target ed, which means only those in dire need should receive aid from the government,” Gatchalian stressed.

“We have instituted social safety nets such as subsidies for fuel, subsidies for the poorest of the poor, and other energy-relat ed subsidies as we expect exter nal factors such as the RussiaUkraine issue and the Covid-19 pandemic to persist in 2023,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Sen ate Committee on Finance SubCommittee .

“As long as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is there, crude oil prices are likely to be around $90 per barrel by next year and we see lo cal pump prices to hover around P70-P90 per liter. This means we still need to give subsidy, but this should be targeted,” he said.

Financial subsidies provided by the government include the sub sidy for the transport sector called the Pantawid Pasada Program and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for the poorest of the poor. Other energy-related subsidies include the electrifica tion programs of the Department of Energy and the National Elec trification Administration (NEA), the fuel and off-grid electrifica tion for rural areas, and the Elec tric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF) to fund electric cooperatives in restor ing distribution lines damaged by typhoons and other natural calamities.

Under the Senate’s proposed budget for next year, a total of P110.61 billion has been allocat ed for the 4Ps program, while the Pantawid Pasada program carries a proposed budget of P5 billion.

Meanwhile, for the energyrelated subsidies, the DOE elec trification has a budget of P500 million, P1.6 billion for NEA electrification, and P200 million for ECERF.

AFP chief outlines gains of DAGIT-PA exercises

ARMED Forces of the Philip pines (AFP) chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicen te Bacarro said the military has achieved its targets of enhancing interoperability and readiness in joint operations at the conclusion of this year’s iteration of the annual DAGIT-PA (Dagat-Langit-Lupa) ex ercises on Friday.

“The execution of the joint ex ercises have effectively upskilled the men and women of the AFP and upgraded organizational ca pabilities. Clearly, ‘DAGIT-PA’ 062022 has enhanced the one AFP team concept through improved interoperability and readiness for deployment in the joint operational environment at any given time,” he said in his speech.

Bacarro represented Depart ment of National Defense Under secretary Jose Faustino Jr. and presided over the DAGIT-PA closing ceremony held at AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

For more than two weeks, the ex ercise directorate and participants have successfully completed the table top exercises held in AFP headquar ters, staff exercise and cyber defense exercise in Western Command and field training exercises, namely, air defense operations, counter-air operations, maritime security op erations, amphibious operations, combined arms and littoral live-fire exercise and unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations in Palawan.

Also present in the closing cer emonies were AFP Education Train ing and Doctrine Command chief and this year’s exercise director, Brig. Gen. Marvin Licudine, AFP

deputy chief-of-staff for educa tion, training and doctrine, Rear Adm. Donn Anthony Miraflor, and Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and joint staff and representatives from the other major services.

“From the planning and coordi nation to the execution, the AJEX [AFP Joint Exercises] ‘DAGIT-PA’ 2022 was a success and has at tained its objectives. Our AFP has enhanced the conduct of crisis plan ning and joint military operations in territorial defense of the differ ent mission areas,” Licudine said.

The DAGIT-PA focuses on enhanc ing the readiness of the PA, Philip pine Navy, and Philippine Air Force in joint and combined operations that mirrors a real-world scenario.

He also thanked stakeholders from the local government of Pala wan for their support in the conduct of the exercise.

The annual unilateral exercise was also geared at testing the AFP’s territorial defense capabilities as it continues to promote and uphold peace and stability across the re gion and the globe.

During the field training and staff exercises, key units were able to identify needed military hard ware and capabilities that will form part of the military’s moderniza tion program.

DAGIT-PA continues to serve as a necessary tool to enhance the joint forces’ personnel capacity and unit capabilities, which will enable AFP members to be readily deployable in all kinds of contingencies.

This year’s DAGIT-PA is the sixth iteration of the joint exercise uni laterally conducted by the AFP. PNA

BSP open to tweaking FX rules to shield peso

THE Philippine central bank said it can adjust foreignexchange policies to help curb speculation, highlighting readiness to respond to inflation threats even as the peso has pared losses recently.

Dollar purchases believed to be “speculative,” or those without underlying client transactions, were observed to have increased and were adding pressure on the peso, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

(BSP) said in an e-mail on Friday. It responded to questions sent Oc tober 17 when the peso hit anew a record-low 59 per dollar.

“As an inflation-targeting cen tral bank, the BSP will continue to respond to exchange rate move ments to the extent that they af fect or pose risk to the inflation outlook,” BSP said.

Policies including foreignexchange position limits and risk weights for non-deliverable

forwards are in place to contain risk-taking behavior, BSP said.

These “can be adjusted in a coun tercyclical manner to prevent financial imbalances.”

Currently, a bank’s consoli dated net open foreign exchange position is capped at 25 percent of its qualifying capital or $150 mil lion, whichever is lower.

The Philippine peso, South east Asia’s worst performer this year, rose 0.2 percent against the

dollar at 2:30 p.m. local time to 57.27 after BSP delivered a previ ously announced 75-basis-point key rate increase on Thursday. The currency has gained more than 2 percent this quarter, par ing this year’s losses.

BSP said it also uses moral sua sion to tamp down speculation, and recently “encouraged banks to collaborate” to help keep the currency market’s “orderly functioning.” Bloomberg News

PRO-4B on heightened alert for US VP’s visit to Palawan

By Glen Jacob Jose

POLICE forces in Palawan are on heightened alert for the anticipated visit of United States Vice President Kamala Har ris to Puerto Princesa City, a police official revealed on Friday.

Harris, the highest-ranking US official to visit Puerto Princ esa, will meet with civil society leaders, residents, and represen tatives of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday, Novem ber 22, as part of her official trip to the Philippines.

“The security plans have been laid down and all police units are already on heightened alert status as part of our proactive measures ahead of the visit of US Vice Presi dent Kamala D. Harris in Palawan next week,” Police Regional Office

(PRO)-4B Mimaropa spokesperson Lt. Col. Klyde Kalyawen said when sought for comment.

PNP Spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said that the Presiden tial Security Group (PSG) would lead the detail for the security

during the visit with policemen as augmentation forces.

“Ang PSG ang overall in charge sa [The PSG will in be charge of overall] security preparation for the visit of US VP Kamala Harris. The PNP will nonetheless provide

the necessary assistance relating to the visit,” Fajardo told report ers in a message.

Harris’s Palawan trip follows bilateral meetings with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte in Manila on Monday, November 21.

Her meeting with Marcos would focus on strengthening Washing ton D.C.’s security alliances and economic relationship with the country. Discussions would also include partnerships on the digi tal economy and accelerating the transition to clean energy.

Harris would meet on Monday with Filipino women as well as civil society activists to show support for human rights and democratic resilience. Harris is flying to the Philippines from Thailand on Sunday, November 20.

PBBM provides glimpse on what to expect in Jan meeting with Xi

REGIONAL issues, economic matters and plans for his upcoming State Visit in China next year were among the issues discussed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in first forthcoming ever meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Marcos said his “pleasant ex change” with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Coopera

tion (APEC) Summit in Thailand enabled him to get to know the Chinese state leader better.

“The bilateral meetings are re ally just a kind of getting-to-knowyou and that was the same with our meeting,” Marcos said in a news statement issued on Thursday.

Among the issues they discussed were matters related to “agricul ture, energy, infrastructure and

people-to-people connections.”

Marcos hopes to have a more ex tensive discussion with Xi during his State Visit in China in January 2023.

Former president Gloria Maca pagal-Arroyo accompanied Marcos in the said meeting.

“And they had a few minutes of recollecting the meetings that they have had, which I think helped to set the tone of the meeting. So I

am looking forward to January and the State Visit to China,” the President said.

Arroyo met with Xi during the latter’s state visit to the country in 2018.

In an interview with reporters in Thailand, House Speaker Mar tin G. Romualdez said Arroyo gave Marcos some advice before he met with Xi. Samuel P. Medenilla

Philippines and US armies bolster interoperability in Hawaii war games

the US Army’s 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade Maneuver As sistance Team, as well as cavalry and infantry elements of the 25th Infantry Division at Oahu’s East Range, South Range, and Kahuku Training Area,” he added.

Trinidad said the PA also sent a team of doctrine writers and re searchers to capture the operational aspect and best practices employed during the JPMRC exercise.

“The lessons learned and insights gained during the course of the training exercise will serve as the

THE Philippine Army (PA) said its inaugural partici pation in the United States Army’s Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) exercise bolstered its interoperability with its American counterparts.

It further beefed up the strong partnership between the two mili taries, Army spokesperson Col. Xe rxes Trinidad said in a news state ment issued on Friday.

This year’s JPMRC took place from October 20 to November 16.

“The JPMRC exercise saw the

participation of PA troops in domain training challenges in conditions that accurately mimic operational challenges that they may face in a crisis or conflict,” Trinidad said.

The JPMRC is the United States Army Pacific’s regional combat training center for units and leaders in the complex operating environ ment of the Pacific Theater.

The PA deployed a 103-strong contingent to Hawaii for this event.

“The 91st Brigade Reconnais sance Company of the PA’s 1st Bri gade Combat Team trained with

basis for the crafting of doctrines related to the establishment of the Combat Readiness Training Center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija,” he added.

Aside from PA personnel, this year’s JPMRC included soldiers from Thailand and Indonesia, as well as observers from seven other nations.

They trained side by side with about 6,000 troops from the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division and 8,400 service members from the US joint components. PNA

US Vice President Kamala Harris holds a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to discuss North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launch during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Friday, November 18, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. Harris is flying to the Philippines from Bangkok on Sunday, November 20. AP

A US Army Observer, Controller-Trainer (OC-T) team member checks the combat simulator gear worn by a Filipino soldier during the month-long Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Exercise at Oahu’s East Range in Hawaii. The Philippine Army on Friday, November 18, 2022, said the exercise, which ran from October 20 to November 16, bolstered its interoperability with its American counterparts. PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPINE ARMY

BSP reports lower BOP deficit in October

By Cai U. Ordinario

THE Philippines again post ed a Balance of Payments (BOP) surplus after six con secutive months of posting deficits this year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Data showed the country’s overall BOP surplus reached $711 million in October 2022. This is only the second time BOP was in surplus after March 2022 when the surplus reached $754 million.

However, BSP said, the BOP sur plus in October was lower than the $1.1 billon posted in October 2021.

“The BOP surplus in October 2022 reflected inflows arising mainly from the National Govern

ment’s (NG) net foreign currency deposits with the BSP,” the central bank said in a news statement.

The BOP surplus for the month reduced the cumulative BOP defi cit in January-October 2022 to $7.1 billion from a deficit of $7.8 billion in the first three quarters of the year.

“The said net deposits include proceeds from the issuance of ROP Global Bonds amounting to $2 bil lion for the NG’s general financing and operational requirements,” BSP said.

Meanwhile, the current yearto-date BOP level, which is a rever sal from the $476 million surplus recorded in the same period a year ago, reflected the widening trade

in goods deficit.

BSP said goods imports contin ued to surpass goods exports on the back of the surge in interna tional commodity prices and the resumption of domestic economic activities.

“Based on preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Au thority’s [PSA] International Mer chandise Trade Statistics [IMTS], the trade deficit for JanuarySeptember 2022 reached $46.7 billion, up from the $28.6 billion deficit posted in the same period last year,” BSP said.

Meanwhile, the gross inter national reserves (GIR) level in creased to $94 billion as of endOctober 2022 from $93 billion as of end-September 2022.

“The latest GIR level represents a more than adequate external li quidity buffer equivalent to 7.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and pri mary income,” BSP said.

BSP also said this is about 6.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.1 times based on residual maturity.

By Manuel T. Cayon

DAVAO CITY—Top-ranking Islamic leaders here held the city’s first peace summit to support the city government and the government military’s campaign for a much safer city.

Forty Muslim religious leaders gathered on Thursday to the first ever Ulama Peace Summit where they “discussed and created their own action plans on how to cham pion peace in their congregation and community.”

The summit seeks “to address miscommunication, misconcep tion and discrimination” among the Muslim community in the city as well as to voice their aspirations for peace.

discrimination ordinance in the city and this “should be utilized by anyone who experiences any form of discrimination.”

Task Force Davao Commander Darren Comia said, “We found it necessary to go to our friends, the Ulama since they are the religious leaders and because we believe that they are the influencers of their own community. We need to ask for their support and cooperation so that our culture of security can be fully implemented across all sectors here in Davao City,” Comia said.

By Glen Jacob Jose

TWO drug suspects were arrested and some P136 million worth of “shabu” and chemicals used to manufac ture the illegal drug were seized following a raid by the Philip pine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) into an alleged shabu laboratory at the Ayala Alabang Village (AAV) in Muntinlupa City, Friday morning.

PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said based on a search warrant, operatives raided a medium-scale suspected shabu laboratory at Mabolo Street, AAV at around 12: 30 a.m. Friday that

resulted in the arrest of the sus pects Aurelien Cythere, 41 and Mark Anthony Sarayot, 42.

PDEA agents confiscated 20 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P136 million, vari ous controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs), lab equipment, several IDs, three cell phones and financial documents.

The two will be charged with violation of Section 8 (Manufac ture of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of RA 9165, and will be de tained at PDEA Regional Office NCR Custodial Facility while the pieces of evidence seized in the operation were brought to PDEA for documentation.

The summit centered around the propagation of the city’s “culture of security” aside from strengthening ties among Muslim religious leaders and the local government.

One of the outcomes of the work shop was the Ulama’s request “to craft a city ordinance that would protect them from hostility and dis crimination. Another is the creation of a higher institution to perpetuate the Ulama’s mission of peace among the coming generations,” the city information office said.

Mayor Sebastian Duterte said he supported the Ulama’s proposal for an Islamic higher institution in the city. He said religion “shall not be used as a tool by which one’s propen sity to do evil deeds is measured.”

He said there is an existing anti-

The summit was also attended by six Muslim deputy mayors of Davao City, the Grand Mufti, or highest ranking Islamic leader, in Region 11, Mufti Alem Mohammad Yusop Pasigan, and President of Mercy Is lamic Foundation Shiekh Abu Mu hammad Al-Kholaqi.

Task Force Davao initiated and organized the peace summit while Comia presented the sum mit’s workshop outputs to Mayor Duterte.

He said, “Because the Ulama Peace Summit was a success, it will most likely become an annual event that can enhance the peace and se curity situation of the city.”

“There will be another one be cause they asked us to continue this kind of engagement with them. This is just the beginning,” Comia added.

The Ulama and other partici pants later signed a manifesto of support for the summit and its goals. The summit was held at the Pa glas Compound along Mamay Road.

₧136M worth of illegal drugs seized, 2 suspects nabbed in posh Alabang village ‘shabu’ lab raid

First-ever Davao City Ulama summit seeks to foster peace, end Muslim ‘discrimination’

Our

Roche Alzheimer’s drug fails in fresh blow to fraught field

By Naomi Kresge

ROCHE Holding AG’s muchawaited drug for Alzheimer’s disease failed in a pair of large studies, a fresh disappointment in a research field marred with failures.

T he experimental medicine, called gantenerumab, didn’t slow clinical decline in people with early Alzheimer’s, the Swiss drugmaker said Monday. Neither study met its main research objective. The stock dropped as much as 5.7 percent.

Hope swelled for the Roche drug after a similar treatment hit a mile stone two months ago, becoming the first product to slow progression of Alzheimer’s in a definitive trial.

But the medicine didn’t match the success of Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co.’s lecanemab. It removed less beta amyloid protein than researchers had expected from patients’ brains.

B oth drugs are antibodies that target the protein that accumu lates years before symptoms of Al zheimer’s appear, though they bind to beta amyloid in different ways. Eli Lilly & Co. also has a similar drug in development, with results expected next year.

Gantenerumab’s failure is likely due to lower-than-expected levels of beta-amyloid removal,” Peter Welford and colleagues at Jefferies wrote in a note.

The failures don’t come as a surprise, and many analysts hadn’t worked gan tenerumab into their revenue forecasts. Those at Jefferies had estimated that the drug could generate $6 billion in annual sales in the unlikely event that it succeeded. They didn’t change their buy rating on the stock.

Back from the brink OTHERS took a more negative

view. Analysts at Oddo said the announcement confirms their “underperform” rating after some pipeline setbacks in cancer. The

Virginia McLaurin, who danced with the Obamas, dies at 113

Video of the encounter quickly spread online, garnering interna tional news coverage. After the brief meeting, McLaurin told reporters: “I could just die happy.”

Deborah Menkart, a friend who helped arrange McLaurin’s 2016 visit, said it dramatically changed her life. She said McLaurin was liv ing “very frugally” at the time but her fame spurred people to donate to a care fund for her.

“She got a new wig, she got new teeth, she was able to move to a bet ter apartment,” Menkart said.

Later that year McLaurin ap peared at a Washington Nationals baseball game and was presented with a team jersey on the field.

share decline was the steepest in about six months.

G antenerumab’s demise is a boost for Biogen and Lilly, said

Tim Anderson, an analyst at Wolfe Research. Biogen shares rose 5 per cent in trading before US exchanges opened. Lilly gained 1.7 percent. Ei sai jumped as much as 7.8 percent in Tokyo trading Tuesday.  Roche had brought the drug back from the brink of failure once already. After it didn’t help patients more than a placebo in a study in 2014, the company ratcheted up the dose to try again.

To show clearly whether the medi cine did help patients, the Swiss drugmaker decided to run two si multaneous large studies.

“ We are committed to going after this disease,” said Rachelle Doody, global head of neurode generation at Roche. “And we will continue to study molecules that target amyloid in different ways to different degrees, as well as other molecular targets.”

In its pipeline, the company has a version of gantenerumab designed to better get into the brain, which would be ready for the market no sooner than 2025.

L ike Biogen and Eisai, Roche didn’t release the full study results yet, making comparisons between the two trials difficult. Both compa nies will give details at a conference at the end of the month.

T he people who got the Roche medicine showed a rate of clini cal decline that was 8 percent and 6 percent lower, in the respective trials, than those on placebo—a result that wasn’t statistically sig nificant. By comparison, Eisai and Biogen’s lecanemab showed a 27 percent reduction.

Germany’s MorphoSys, Roche’s partner for the drug, saw shares plunge 25 percent in Frankfurt. With assistance from Kanoko Matsuyama Bloomberg

Veterans home Covid outbreak results in $58-million out-of-court settlement

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—A fed eral judge has approved a nearly $58-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed in response to the deaths of dozens of veterans who contracted Covid-19 at a Mas sachusetts veterans home.

OLNEY, Maryland—Virginia McLaurin, the centenarian who danced excitedly with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama during a 2016 White House visit, has died. She was 113.

M cLaurin’s son, Felipe Cardoso Jr., said Tuesday that she died early Monday at her home in Ol ney, Maryland.

“ Rest in peace, Virginia,” the Obamas wrote on Twitter. “We know you’re up there dancing.”

M cLaurin visited the White House for a Black History Month reception in February 2016, when she was 106.

“Hi!” McLaurin squealed as she was introduced to the president.

“You want to say hi to Michelle?” Obama asked.

“Yes!” McLaurin said, moving quickly to give the first lady a hug.

“Slow down now!” the president said. “Don’t go too quick.”

The women then held hands as they went into an impromptu dance, the president holding McLaurin’s arm.

“I thought I would never live to get in the White House,” she said. “And I tell you, I am so happy.”

“A Black president. A Black wife! And I’m here to celebrate Black his tory. Yeah, that’s what I’m here for.”

‘CLAYGO’ as a way of life

McLaurin also used her fame to help others.

Born March 12, 1909, in South Carolina without a birth certifi cate, McLaurin had been unable to get an ID card. Shortly after the White House visit, Menkart sug gested they contact the mayor’s office and the Washington Post, which interviewed her and pub lished a story.

Washington city officials soon issued her a temporary card and announced new regulations giving residents 70 and older more options to get IDs.

“It changed her life for not only herself, but also the clout she had,” Menkart said. AP

accumulated while they’re out.

“It was with heavy hearts that we got to the finish line on this case,” Mi chael Aleo, an attorney for the plain tiffs said Tuesday, the day after the settlement was approved by a judge in US District Court in Springfield. The coronavirus outbreak at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke in the spring of 2020 was one of the dead liest outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the US.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said 84 residents died and roughly the same number was sickened. A total of 164 plaintiffs include veterans who tested positive for the disease and survived as well as the families of those who died. Several of the vet erans who survived Covid-19 have died of other causes since the lawsuit was filed, Aleo said.

“ The families are thankful that we’ve been able to bring this case to a conclusion,” Aleo said. “Trying the case would have taken years.”

T he original settlement amount announced in May was $56 million, but that was increased to about $58

distasteful behavior or action.

million with the addition of three additional plaintiffs, he said.

T he families of veterans who died will receive a minimum of $400,000 each, while veterans who contracted the disease and survived will receive a minimum of $10,000 under the settlement’s terms.

A leo expects the settlement to be disbursed within four to eight weeks. The defendants in the case were four former leaders at the state-run home

and the Secretary of Health and Hu man Services, the state agency that oversees the facility. With the ap proval of the settlement, which is be ing paid by the state, claims against all five were dropped.

A n investigation by a former fed eral prosecutor hired by Gov. Charlie Baker found that management at the home made several “utterly baffling” decisions that allowed the virus to spread almost unchecked. AP

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

JUST a few days ago, my wife and I decided to go to our fa vorite fast-food restaurant for some quick snacks. As she lined up (it was a long line) to place our orders, I scanned the place around for an avail able table. I spotted an empty table but it was strewn with assorted food leavings: plastic cups, some half-filled with drinks as well as plates with plas tic utensils and left-over food scraps, rice and opened sauce sachets. It was a disgusting sight. I told another wait ing customer go ahead and take it. I decided to wait for a cleaned up table or I would just lose my appetite.

For crying out loud, when will we learn to clean up our own mess! We eat our food in public places and leave our waste behind and casually go our way. Organizers and participants of a political sortie or pop concert never

bother to clean up all the litter after the event. I once saw a garbage truck spill ing out its collected trash on the street not bothering to stop and retrieve it.

In some countries, when you eat in a food hub, you are expected to return the tray at the counter, separate the rubbish, and throw it in the garbage bin—no need for the service crew to clean up when you leave.

T he policy is called Clean As You Go or simply CLAYGO. I’ve seen it prac ticed in Los Angeles and San Diego when my wife and I went for a threeweek visit to relatives in 2019. My daughter who visited Tokyo that same year told me that it is also the practice in Japanese restaurants. In fact, she observed that there were hardly any trash bins in Tokyo. Japanese resi dents are expected to carry a bag to put wrappers, bottles, or other trash

E veryone should practice CLAYGO, not just when eating in fast food outlets or food stalls but in every public place. CLAYGO means that cleanliness is every one’s business. It’s all about table manners and discipline, and it must start at home.

More than being obsessed with cleanliness, this practice is our little way of showing how we care for our environment. Instead of relying entirely on street sweep ers or city cleaners, we should at least make an effort to clean up our own mess. Just to give you an idea: MMDA collects a total of 32 truckloads of trash and flotsam every day from our waterways across Metro Manila.

Practicing CLAYGO in our daily life speaks a lot about you. It tells me about your values and your character. I see it not as a cleanli ness practice or a policy in a place but as an attitude that is rooted in values and virtues, which are already inherent in the Filipino cultural DNA.

Bulagsak. Balahura. Nakakadiri. With so many ways to express our indignation and revulsion in the native language, it only shows that our society looks at leaving our mess for others to clean up as

T here is a word that I now sel dom hear but which I think must be brought back to mainstream consciousness because it is the essence of CLAYGO.

T he term is konsiderasyon, a traditional virtue that is rooted in respect for others. If someone after you will come and have to clean up your mess, you are being disrespectful. You simply ignore what the other person will have to do with your mess and what he now thinks of you.

“Mahiya ka naman,” as old folks would say. Have a little shame. “Hiya” is a value that is said to guide and govern much of the behavior of the Filipino. It is the enforcing value behind konsidera syon, together with pakikisama and paggalang sa kapwa, which are both essential Filipino values.

Invoking these inherent values is one way to ease our people into taking more responsibility for our respective messes. It cultivates self-discipline and orderliness and sense of responsibility.

B ut the practice won’t catch on that easily even if we put all kinds of CLAYGO signs in public eating places and even impose fines. It reminds me of Wang Yangming, a famous Confucian

scholar of the Ming Dynasty who said: “To catch the bandit in the hills is easy; to arrest the thief in ourselves is tough.”

T hat’s because while CLAYGO seems like a simple task, it needs to be cultivated in us, which may take a lifetime, and the earlier it is cultivated the better. The practice must be so deeply rooted within us that it becomes automatic, un bidden and reflexive, and is then applied in the other aspects of our lives. It becomes a way of life.

J ust like in Japan, where CLAYGO is inculcated as early as in primary school. As mature adults, the Japanese observe the so-called 5S principles in their workplaces, designed to promote cleanliness and orderliness to in crease productivity.

In a traditional town fiesta, as invited guests, we take turns at the table and show our respect to the host and other guests by not only restraining ourselves from emptying the plates of food but by helping prepare a clean table for the next batch who will be taking part in the feast of life.

I pity the coming generations of Filipinos who are yet to ma ture. They will need to clean up the messes our generation and present set of leaders will be

leaving behind.

T his is why it is urgent that the CLAYGO attitude and approach must be fostered among our in coming government leaders and public servants with respect to governance.

On a more personal level, it’s also time for us seniors who are in our 70s and 80s to clean up our own messes before making our fi nal exit. Let’s settle our debts—fi nancial, legal, relational or moral.

T his is our last chance to piece together unresolved stories and make sense of troubled relation ships, the losses and griefs of our individual lives. Let’s bring what ever secrets we have been harbor ing out into the open for proper resolution and closure.

It is also time to sort through the rubbish and treasures and the extraordinary amount of stuff we have hoarded all these years. Let’s de-clutter and give it all away—or most of it anyway.

I n the same way that old mis placed or buried photographs may emerge from the clutter as you sort it out, who knows, do ing a reflective self-cleansing might even bring out someone you have never really known or understood in life: the person you really are.

Calso

A NURSE holds the hand of an elderly patient. BLOOMBERG PHOTO

THIS February 22, 2016, frame grab from video shows Virginia McLaurin, left, in Washington. McLaurin gained Internet fame for her impromptu dance with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama during a White House reception in 2016. McLaurin’s family announced her death on Monday, November 14, 2022. AP PHOTO/RICK GENTILO

THE Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is seen in this aerial photograph on May 29, 2018, in Holyoke, Mass. A federal judge on Monday, November 14, 2022, approved a nearly $58-million settlement in a classaction lawsuit filed in 2020 in response to the deaths of dozens of veterans who died or got sick after contracting Covid-19 at the Massachusetts veterans’ home. PATRICK JOHNSON/THE REPUBLICAN VIA AP

BusinessMirror

Tesda maps out construction training to help storm survivors rebuild homes

By Roderick L. Abad

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will further aid survivors of the recent howler via skills training on construction-related programs.

structed all the agency’s regional directors on October 29 to con

duct their respective assistance, recovery and rebuilding activi ties in areas hit by Severe Tropi cal Storm “Paeng” (international name Nalgae).

“Tesda embraces the distinct sympathetic nature of Filipinos to help our kababayans in dis tress,” Cruz said. “The agency ensures that interventions and appropriate assistance are im mediately provided to…affected individuals.”

Per his directive, field of fices were also ordered to acti vate their respective disaster

team and regional augmenta tion team to make sure affected areas would be supported and given interventions in terms of human resources and technical complementation.

They were, likewise, tasked to coordinate with proper regional and provincial government agen cies, as well as local chief execu tives, to review the kind of as sistance needed in their respec tive areas.

According to the Tesda chief, they have been extending help, particularly distribution of re

lief packs and provision of skills training on construction-related programs to residents of disas ter-hit areas.

Apart from the recent natural disaster, the agency conduct ed the same initiatives when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake jolted Northern Luzon last July.

Tesda employs its trainingcum-production scheme, which provides practical skills and experiences for trainees to put into use in reconstructing their damaged houses while earning a living in the future.

Employers keen on in-demand skills that can land an IT job

GRADES aren’t everything when it comes to landing a job. Aside from head knowledge, employers also look for a combination of hard and soft skills that applicants have honed throughout the years.

Industries like Information Technology (IT) have a diverse set of job roles. Meanwhile grad uates who are versatile and wellrounded stand a better chance at getting hired.

A fundamental skill that em ployers look for is a remarkable ability to code. IT professionals who write code and fully un derstand its process do well in software or web development, as well as programming jobs. Code fluency in multiple languages like Python, C++, JavaScript, Ruby, PowerShell, and hypertext markup language or HTML, is an asset, since most systems run on multiple languages. It will also be easier to switch programming languages to address different problems. IT professionals who are well-versed in coding can work as programmers, web developers

or quality assurance specialists.

Security is another skill that can make aspiring IT profession als stand out. With the rise in cy ber threats, malicious attacks and data breaches, enterprises need competent staff who can help protect and defend their assets.

On the flipside, there are also ethical cyber-hacking companies who need specialists who can help test their clients’ network and systems integrity.

A good knowledge in physical, software and network security, data encryption, firewalls and routers, cyber threat analysis and risk mitigation, including data-privacy regulations, can help candidates thrive in se curity, technical support, net working, and systems admin istration.

Companies, whether big or small, rely heavily on their com puter systems and networks to make their operations run smoothly. This why IT depart ments are always keen on hiring people with an aptitude for sys tems, networking, various op

TEACHERS and parents alike have adapted to take on big ger roles during the pandemic to ensure school-age children were able to attend daily lessons and cor responding assignments at home. W ith this directive, however, comes a new set of changes for Filipino fam ilies. as their households once again adjust to a back-to-school routine.

Nestlé Wellness Campus (NWC), the flagship advocacy program of Nestlé Phils. for nutrition educa tion, shares the three “Fs” to guide parents as they take on a new assign ment of their own while preparing c hildren mentally, physically and emotionally for face-to-face classes.

Feelings. “Parents must open communication lines with their children,” said Karina Crisostomo, faculty member of the Counseling and Educational Psychology De partment in De La Salle University. It’s important for parents to ask, know and understand how their children feel about going back to school,” while adding that this will help them in addressing any anxiety that the youngsters may have, while also trying to explain the benefits of attending onsite classes.

It’s equally important for parents to reiterate facts about Covid-19. By instilling the importance of proper hand washing, physical distancing and wearing of masks indoors, stu dents will be able to feel safe as they leave the confines of their home. Crisostomo added that “[the way] we communicate and explain these to our children are very important, as we move to more face-to-face activities.”

Food. As a parent herself, Crisos tomo reiterated the importance of a nutritious breakfast and how it can set the stage for a great day ahead: “I always make it a point to serve breakfast and ensure that no one in our household leaves without having this most important meal of the day.”

Mornings can be busy and rushed, and getting kids to eat breakfast can be challenging at times. However, giving them a deli cious and nutritious headstart meal i s possible with a bowl of whole grain cereal and milk. Cereals like Koko Krunch not only contain es sential nutrients to kick-start their d ay right, but also have a chocolatey taste kids have come to love over the years. Based on RENI 1, or the Recommended Energy and Nutri ent Intake 1, one serving already p rovides 38 percent of iron, and about 60 percent of Vitamins B2, B3 and B6 per 30 grams of serving. This can help them develop a good breakfast habit, while building on their excitement for a fun day.

“Baon” is also making a come back, and parents need to plan this a head. Students will likely lose interest and attention in school activities when they are hungry, according to Crisostomo. As such, snacks are important to keep them focused in class and energized for play. Parents can even incorporate healthier choices by adding lettuce or tomatoes in sandwiches, or pre pare rice meals, fruits and veggies should their children want to eat more during recess.

Fun. Being in isolation for much

erating systems like Windows, Linux or Mac, cloud adminis tration, maintaining local-area networks or LANs, wide-area networks or WANs, storage area networks or SANs, and virtual private networks or VPNs, hard ware and software installation, as well as configurations and troubleshooting.

Employers keep an eye out for project-management capa bilities. IT specialists usually handle simultaneous projects, so it is important that they can plan, organize, and achieve the set project goals. This means that prospective IT project man agers should effectively maxi mize the skills, tools, time and manpower they have on hand to achieve their company’s or cli ent’s desired results. If aiming for a leadership position in IT or technology, project manage ment should also be a priority.

Another in-demand skill set that has emerged because of the pandemic is cloud com puting. Professionals who can build, maintain, and implement

cloud technology and are famil iar with platforms like Google Cloud, Oracle, Microsoft Azure, or AWS are a huge plus with hir ing managers.

Having the right certifications on one’s resume can greatly in crease chances of getting a plum role or additional career bene fits. An IT certification not only proves competency in a specific field, but it also proves that an individual’s skills are at par with industry standards.

Although getting certified may be a bit challenging since it requires passing an exam or two, it also paves the way to a higher income or fast career advance ment. Some of these entry-level IT certifications include Comp TIA A+ certification, Microsoft Fundamentals, Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA, Google Cloud Digital Leader, CompTIA Security+, and CompTIA IT Fun damentals ITF+, and CompTIA Network+.

At Mapúa, students are en couraged to take related certi fications after completing their

specialization track. Its School of Information Technology (SOIT) offers the following certifica tions: Cisco Certified Networking Associate, Cisco Certified Net working Professional, COMPTIA Security+, SAS-Based Program ming, Huawei Storage, Huawei AI, EC Council CEH, Oracle As sociate, and SAP.

On top of professional certifi cations, companies—especially those based overseas or have international principals—pre fer IT graduates from ABETaccredited schools like Mapúa University. ABET is a United States-based organization that ensures college and university programs meet international quality standards and produce graduates prepared to enter the global work force. Mapúa SOIT’s Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, Bachelor of Science in Computer Sci ence, and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology are ABET-certified. To learn more about them, visit https://www. mapua.edu.ph/.

Editor: Mike Policarpio

of the pandemic has made students, especially the younger ones, forget what it was like to be with people outside their immediate family, explained Crisostomo. That also meant missing their friends and playing together like they used to. Parents can take this opportunity to explain and remind their chil dren that going back to school can b e twice as fun with their friends around. Not only will they get to see their buddies again; they will also gain new friends this year.

“Families will need to reestablish a routine at home,” she said. This includes meal times, setting aside time for homework, as well as a target bedtime for kids, especially those who need to get up early for school the next day.

As the “Kasambuhay sa Kalu sugan” of Filipinos, Nestlé Phils. u nderstands the need to support parents as they prioritize the health and wellness of their children who are returning to school this year.

According to Kevin Carpio, Nestlé Wellness Campus Program lead, parents can join the NWC Par ents’ Facebook Community for ad ditional guidance and tips in tran sitioning to face-to-face learning.

“ Returning to school can be an exciting [time, albeit an anxious one, for students. But with proper guid ance and support from their par ents and the NWC], we can work… to ensure that the children are best prepared to adjust to the return of onsite classes. By living out the Seven Healthy Habits, students and their families can look forward to a happy, healthy and learning-filled school year,” Carpio said.

THE European Union (EU) continues to champion quality high er education as it launches its Virtual Hybrid European Higher Education 2022 in the Philippines until November 19 at the Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City.

The higher education fair provides access to information while fostering partnerships between European and Fili pino higher-education institu tions (HEIs) to the benefit of students, academicians and researchers. They can register to participate via http://www. ehefphilippines.com.

With the theme: “Youth for Excellence and Innova tion,” the EU is opening its doors for a sustainable part nership with local universi ties and HEIs. It is being or ganized by the EU Delegation to the Philippines, together with the EU member-states’ embassies, education servic es and cultural institutes, in collaboration with the Com mission on Higher Education.

This year’s universitypartners include regional university hubs such as the Wesleyan University and the University of Cordilleras in Luzon, Silliman University in the Visayas, Xavier Uni versity-Ateneo de Cagayan in

Mindanao, and other topnotch Philippine universi ties such as Ateneo de Manila University-European Studies Programme, De La Salle Uni versity, Holy Cross of Davao College, Mabalacat City Col leges, Rizal Technological University, Trinity University of Asia, University of Santo Tomas, and Visayas State University.

As a center of excellence in higher education, the EU aims at sharing best prac tices and approaches from its many outstanding uni v ersities and HEIs with their Philippine counterparts. This partnership aims to enhance student and faculty mobility, research collaboration, joint scientific activities, curricu lar enhancement, and policy formulation.

Opportunities for mobility and research grants such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Ac tions, and Jean Monnet are open for students and educa tors alike.

Aside from country pre sentations and European HEI representatives, alumni and scholars will conduct briefing sessions, structured semi nars and webinars on higher education, mobility opportu nities and program offerings.

MICROSOFT recently expanded the capabilities of its Read ing Progress tool to include Filipino, now available to 27 million students and 950,000 teachers within the Department of Education’s (DepEd) nationwide system.

Reading Progress is a free applica tion built into Microsoft Teams and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to support and track students’ read ing fluency, specifically reading ac curacy, speed and pronunciation. The tool works on all platforms, including Desktop, Mac, Web, iOS, and Android.

“Inclusive skills development and learning are at the core of our work around education. The Filipinos’ innate English proficiency sets us apart within the global work force, but equally im portant is our proficiency in our mother tongue,” said Clarissa Segismundo, Mi crosoft Philippines Education Programs head. “The availability of Filipino and lo cal dialects in the Reading Progress tool will empower all our students to develop strong literacy skills for success in and beyond the classroom. Microsoft will continue to introduce innovations and support the education sector [in creat ing] sustainable impact toward skilling the nation and its future work force.”

Reading Progress is now available to all DepEd regions across the Philip pines, delivering vital reading skills, both online and in face-to-face envi ronments.

Teacher Divina Gracia Barrion Cuya, who teaches Grade 1 Special Science class in Tiwi Central School in Albay, shared that the Reading Progress tool has significantly helped her in teaching reading in English, and the impact it has brought to the learning of her students:

“Reading Progress was a huge help for me and my learners during the pandemic. It allowed me to teach my students to read more effectively and engage them as we go through their reading milestones. This innovative platform has empowered teachers like me to easily monitor and assess stu dents’ progress in reading using any device,” said Cuya.

The Reading Progress tool was de signed to enable teachers to connect with students on an individual level and identify opportunities for differ entiated instruction. With functions such as assignment review, teachers can collect valuable data and “Education Insights” dashboards that help visual ize class and individual performance and growth. These innovations have empowered educators such as Cuya to deliver lessons in a more engaging way and track students’ progress.

According to DepEd, students need to develop a strong foundation in their mother language before effectively learning additional ones. Research also shows that children learning in their mother tongue adopt a better under standing of the curriculum. The new fea tures in the Reading Progress tool and its availability to all public-school students and teachers will help in implementing DepEd’s “Mother Tongue-Based Multi lingual Education” program.

Cuya shared a first-hand insight into students’ struggles in reading Filipino. A report in 2020 by the DepEd-Region V found that around 40,000 grade-school students are struggling to read after taking both Filipino and English tests. With new features now available in the Reading Progress tool, she is confident her student’s Filipino reading skills will vastly improve.

“Constant practice in reading Filipi no passages in the mother tongue will also help my learners improve reading fluency. So, if I will give my incoming Grade 1 learners this year more pas sages in [those languages], I am certain they will improve and learn in both subjects,” said Cuya.

Microsoft is working closely with DepEd to deploy and fully leverage on the Reading Progress tool in schools across the country to support the education sec tor in delivering critical skills and pre paring Filipino learners for the future.

In a memorandum, Tesda Di rector General Danilo P. Cruz in

Microsoft tool now has Filipino language to help boost literacy of 27M students Hybrid

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Crash Landing on Leyte

Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran

Just like the smash K-Pop tV series, crash landing in Leyte province is among the serendipitous experiences even the most jaded travelers will find exciting. Beyond Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the Allied Forces’s legendary return to its sleepy shores during World War II, its countryside charm has an irresistible magnet which can make you say your own “I shall Return” vow 78 years later.

Your journey begins in Ta cloban City, the aerial gateway to Leyte with round-the-clock flights from Manila and Cebu, particularly with Cebu Pacific Air which has the most number of flights.

The urban and transport hub of e a stern Visayas, the city is the first stop in exploring the infinite escapes the region has in store for the unsuspecting travelers.

h o p around the historic war time spots—the neoclassical old Provincial Capitol, Price Mansion, and h o tel Alejandro which boasts of a veritable photo collection of the Leyte Gulf Landings put to gether by the Montejo family.

Don’t miss the other spots such as Sto. Niño Shrine and h e ritage Museum, the Sto. Niño Church,

Calvary h i ll’s 14 Stations of the Cross, and the MV e v a Jocelyn’s hull, which was washed ashore by supertyphoon Yolanda.

Ride the sunset onboard the San Juanico Cruises and marvel at the iconic San Juanico Bridge from beneath, and dock at an islet for a different vantage point. The newly-installed Aesthetic Light and Sound Show is a kaleidoscopic and an Instagrammable evening panorama to behold.

h i t the sack at the Summit h o tel Tacloban, a 138-room starrated business boutique hotel situ ated within the Robinsons mall complex. The fifth property of the Summit h o tels and Resorts chain showcases a tropical look with its basket-weave walls, coconut-leaf patterns, native stone surfaces,

comfy interiors and room ame nities.

The hotel showcases the re gion’s colorful festivals in its suite rooms, while the Patron Casual Dining gives you a bite of the re gion’s traditional dishes which are largely under-the-radar.

With its strategic location, the hotel is an ideal homebase in ex ploring the natural wonders and adventure tours of the Samar and Leyte provinces.

Palo town, where Gen. Doug las MacArthur and the Allied Forces made a massive amphibi ous landing on October 20, 1944, is the new seat of the provincial government and an emerging urban center. MacArthur Land ing Memorial National Park, site of the annual Leyte Gulf Landings commemorative rites and tourist promenade is a must-see.

Another must-see is the new spanking and beautifully-land scaped Provincial Capitol Complex

which is adorned by elegant tab leau and relief sculptures of promi nent Angono artist Nemi Miranda, which chronicles Leyte’s landmark events such as the First Mass at Limasawa and World War II.

At the heart of town is the neogothic and majestic Palo Met ropolitan Cathedral of Our Lord’s Transfiguration, the Archdiocese of Palo, which served as a make shift hospital during the Libera tion period and after Yolanda struck in 2013.

In the evening, you can laze at Samsara restaurant of The Ori ental Leyte, a four-star seaside resort hotel which offers delec table international and Asian cuisine. From Fridays to Sundays, guests can feast on a buffet din ner spread spiced up by choreo graphed dance moves of the hotel staff and capped by a mesmerizing fire dance.

Some 57 kms south of Tacloban is Burauen, an emerging hot spot

SEDA NUVALI OFFERS MORE ROOMS AND AMENITIES IN A RESORT-LIKE SETTING

The pressing need of Metro Manila urbanites over the past decade for a set ting that would quickly recon nect them to nature has driven the expansion of Seda Nuvali from a boutique hotel to a newly completed 356-room resort-like property with stunning views of a lake, the Tagaytay Ridge, and the plains of Calabarzon all the way to Laguna de Bay.

Through the upgraded Sky way and South Luzon e x press way systems and the connect ing high-speed Cavite-Laguna expressway, families and friends seeking a respite from crowded Metro Manila can now be in La guna’s premier lifestyle destina tion in less than one hour from Alabang. Many head for Seda Nuvali for a quick staycation and also to celebrate events like wed dings, corporate milestones, and team-building activities.

For families on staycations, the highlights of a Seda Nuvali

visit since its opening in 2013 have included riding a boat and feeding Koi fish on the lake, go ing through Nuvali’s bike and hike trails and simply taking in the unspoiled surroundings.

With the refurbishment of the hotel and its amenities, the Seda Nuvali experience can now also include more hours in the bigger child-friendly swimming pools with areas segregated for tod dlers and for older children wish ing to practice their strokes. The children’s playroom, game room and even fitness gym have also been expanded and updated with new learning centers, gadgets and exercise machines.

For groups marking events, ballroom facilities have been refurbished to accommodate up to 450 guests and even to allow cocktails and exhibits in a new pre-event area that spills into the garden.  But Melissa Carlos, senior group director of Sales and Marketing, assures: “Lakeside

ceremonies and activities beside the Nuvali lake, that also serves as a reservoir, remain an option for guests seeking calming water views for wedding ceremonies and other group activities.”

The core of the Seda Nuvali experience, nevertheless, are its 356 contemporary guest rooms and suites now spread out over two towers. General Manager Ar mand Angeles predicts that the 60-sq-m family suites ideal for two adults and two children and including a master bedroom with tub and shower; a children’s room with a double deck; and separate living-dining area will be warmly welcomed by staycationing fami lies especially during long week ends and extended holidays.

Thirty-sq-m Deluxe Rooms with alcove seating and execu tive desk and 37 sqm., Premier Rooms that come with a kitch enette, and 45-sq-m Suites that can connect to e x ecutive Deluxe Rooms are also available. Ange

les discloses that the larger ac commodations with additional kitchen and dining facilities are highly popular with the busi ness travelers that occupy the hotel during weekdays as they do business with clients in the sur rounding industrial parks and other manufacturing facilities within Calabarzon.

he a dds: “We have the best of both worlds—guests seeking leisure time over the weekend as well as travelers on business mostly during the weekday.” he discloses that Seda Nuvali is set to undergo more improvements in the next few years in line with the increasing needs of both markets.

What has remained un changed is the brand of service Seda provides to guests and its desire to always delight the cus tomer. “We believe in weaving together destination, service and value for a remarkable hospital ity experience,” notes Angeles.

which

The rustic town takes pride in the Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park, a 635-hectare upland re serve situated 30 minutes away from the poblacion. Its center piece is the placid Mahagnao Lake, which serves as the recreational playground activities such as raft ing, kayaking, and welcome and lunch area for visitors.

A hundred meters away is a vegetable farm overlooking the lake and has the volcano as a back drop, and the starting point for the 1-hour Tanguile Trail forest bathing. The family-friendly trail is an easy trek into a forest with century-old trees woods where guests will shut themselves off from the outside world and maxi

mize

At various points, the trek kers will be instructed to breathe deeply, touch and feel tree trunks, taste fruits and meditate under a canopy to draw strength from the ecosystem. The trek concludes at with a stunning view of Lake Malagsum, a hill and a wetland park with a wooden sculpture depicting the endemic wild duck.

Burauen also has a series of intriguing Japanese cenotaphs dedicated to the war dead and the aspiration for world peace.

Take a different road back and swing by Dulag which figured prominently during the war, evi dent in its landmarks—Capt. Izao Yamazoe Shrine, h i ll 120, Rawis Airfield, Liberation Park, and the Our Lady of Refuge Ruins. With the diverse experience you’ll get why crash landing in Leyte can be a similar hit of K-Pop proportions.

underwent a meticulous master plan in recent years penned by internationally-recognized ec otourism specialist Boboi Costas and is now being pushed by the Department of Tourism–Region 8 as a new destination.

the five senses to commune with Mother Nature.

YOU can try kayaking in Lake Mahagnao in Burauen.

L AK E Malagsum Public Art Park has a wooden sculpture of the endemic wild duck.

SUMMIT Hotel Tacloban sits in the first-class highly urbanized Tacloban city.

T H E writer at the Price Mansion in Tacloban City

LESS than an hour from Alabang, Seda Nuvali has scenic views of the lake, Tagaytay Ridge, and the plains of Calabarzon. S

Reddit’s beauty ‘anti haul’ thread results in drama

THERE’S been so much talk about budol culture on beauty TikTok and how many influencers allegedly come out with good reviews on certain products, only to do an “anti haul” on these same things a month later.

Budol is convincing someone to do/buy/go for something. In the strictest sense, budol means to “dupe.” For context, “anti haul” refers to a video that sort of discourages your followers from buying certain beauty products by pointing out cons.

I am writing this from the POV of someone who’s been into beauty for decades so she is almost budol-proof. I’m not easily swayed by skin-care recommendations because I already know what works for me. However, I do love fresh and new beauty content and follow a lot of young creators because even at my age, I am still enthusiastic about beauty.

There really is nothing wrong with the budol culture that’s very prevalent on beauty TikTok right now. As someone who writes about beauty and also as a person who is a PR and media consultant for an agency, it is only natural for beauty brands to find people to hype their new launches. The more creators, the merrier. I was recently at a big beauty launch and let me tell you that they probably spent millions for it. The guests included members of media, influencers, makeup artists, and even starlets. Obviously, the brand wanted its new products to reach every media platform possible.

Obviously, the whole point of the brand spending a lot of money was for the guests to spread the word that the new products were good. And most of the people who would convey this message are influencers, who are paid. Like, this is literally their job in much the same way that my job is to write my columns and I get paid for doing that.

Knowing that influencers are paid to influence you will make things easier for the consumer. Even when an influencer says “this video is not sponsored,” you have to understand that the products were given for free. These press kits don’t come cheap. So I do understand why some

influencers are hesitant to make bad reviews.

I also understand that at a certain point, influencers have become so big that they’re a brand themself so making bad reviews can be challenging. Disclaimer: I also get press kits/ gifts/samples and what I do when I don’t like the product is I don’t write about it. I’m not an influencer so I can do that. I sometimes even return products I don’t like and many brands understand that.

The thing is that influencers usually can’t do that. When they take on a job, they need to complete it. Once you understand the nature of what they do, you will have a better understanding of how things work.

Most of these influencers are not trying to fool us. They are trying to balance things so that they please both the brands and their audience. They cannot say, “This foundation makes me look old because it’s so dry.” But they can say, “This foundation is for someone with very oily skin. Unfortunately, that’s not me.” And that’s okay.

What I’m about to say is not pro-influencer nor pro-consumer. As a journalist, I have been trained to balance all sides of the story. I am a consumer myself and even I am sometimes “budol-ed” by beauty TikTok recommendations and not everything has worked on me. But that is the nature of social-media platforms. Influencers are there to influence us.

So what can we as consumers do? We can and should be more discerning. Not everything we see online is real. We should also be more responsible in the way we shop. I am also talking to my younger self when I say this, “You don’t need to buy everything that’s out there.”

There’s been so much “anti haul” content on TikTok and it’s sad to see such a happy place (meaning the local makeup community) being hit by drama, started because of this Reddit thread (https://bit.ly/3hHJHcB).

I think we can all agree that we want better content from creators, and when we make objective comments and observations, the brands are compelled to make improvements on their products and that’s a good thing. So, yes, if there is something good that will come out of this drama, it’s probably that brand owners will improve the quality of their products.

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

ONLINE lending platform provider Tala has launched a new digital credit option meant to address the concerns of many Filipinos on how to handle well their financial obligations.

The Philippines, wherein many have little or no experience at all with formal credit due to lack of access to financial institutions, has been considered the “most stressed” nation in Asia Pacific when it comes to household finance management.

This opened an opportunity for the global technology company five years ago to bring its financial services within their reach, especially the unbanked and underserved sectors in the country.

Since the country is now its biggest market in Asia, the firm decided to introduce the New Tala Loan domestically, so Filipinos could be the first to avail of it, announced Tala Country Manager Donald Evangelista.

Showing that debt management need not be difficult, it’s customizable as it allows borrowers to only pay the full loan amount they receive for the days they use — as low as ₱5 daily interest rate for a ₱1,000 loan. Thus, they can save more unlike in the past, wherein the lowest fee for such credit amount was ₱100 for a minimum period of 20 days.

With the new offering, customers can choose to repay their loan between one to 61 days. Its transparent daily fee, without hidden or surprise charges, enables them to compute the amount they need to repay and prevents them from worrying

about “bill shock.” So they can opt to repay earlier or later than their original repayment date, depending on their income or capacity to settle their obligations.

In this pay-per-use option, flexibility and money-saving gains are even greater for higher loan amounts. For instance, a credit of P15,000 will only incur a repayment fee of P75 if settled a day after, contrary when waiting for the earliest schedule of 20 days with a repayment fee of P1,500.

“The New Tala Loan is an evolution of our microloan services made to be even more accessible and flexible for a wider variety of lifestyles,” Evangelista said. “We have made loans more accessible, as customers can now attain peace of mind when doing what they want, making them more productive and happier with their lives.”

Because borrowers now have more opportunities to navigate their financial journey, the top executive noted that Tala realizes its global mission of giving financial access and loan growth for credit-invisible consumers here.

We started in the Philippines in 2017. We’re very happy we made this choice and we hope more Filipinos can achieve their dreams with Tala. We’re here for the long haul,” he said.

T he New Tala Loan leverages the multinational’s strengths in proprietary technologies, machine algorithms, and the ability to understand customer needs. To date, the company has given more than 41 million loans worth over $3 billion to over seven million people across three different continents.

Tala launches new digital loan in PHL Telecom

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

TELECOM infrastructure company Edgepoint Philippines, a subsidiary of Edgepoint Infrastructure, on Thursday said it plans to introduce their best practices in the local market to make local telcos at par with its Asean neighbors. “We are confident that a more comprehensive and modern communications infrastructure will support the government’s drive to transform the Philippines into a globally competitive, digitallyenabled economy in line with Digital Cities 2025 plan,” Suresh Sidhu, chief executive officer and founder of Edgepoint, told members of the press. Sidhu added that the company is going to

introduce next-generation solutions, as well as launching green technology and sustainable solutions that will give the company an advantage in providing the needs of local mobile network operators.

T he Digital Cities 2025 initiative aims to drive inclusive growth in the countryside by transforming high potential areas into bustling IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) hubs to grow the Philippine economy within the next five years.

Sidhu said Edgepoint’s market position as an independent tower company runs parallel with the Department of Information and Communications Technology Common Towers policy that aims to

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boost connectivity while sparing mobile network operators from the huge capital expenditure needed for constructing communications towers. As a result, he said telecoms can focus on enhancing services and expanding in underserved areas.

W hile the company is concentrating on deploying right shared infrastructure for mobile network operators, Edgepoint Philippines CEO Alexander Kiel said they are also serious in optimizing the broad experience to push growth in the country. “We want to be a part of the future of telecommunications in the Philippines.

As we enhance connectivity in the country, we also want to develop the ecosystem, create new job opportunities, and introduce green solutions

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Since the company entered the market, Kiel said Edgepoint has generated more than 100 new jobs directly and more than 1,000 indirectly and it expects to double the number by the end of 2024.

Kiel pointed out that Edgepoint also plans to leverage the strengths of their local network of vendors. He added that the company will also engage in building a reliable supply chain of local vendors and suppliers as part of their share in building the economy. “The recent pandemic has shown us the importance of self sufficiency within the industry, and we hope to create an ecosystem that can operate independently from other countries and markets,” he said.

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Seeking breakthroughs through connectivity, productivity and empathy

ADAPT or die.” I vaguely remember the entirety of the movie Moneyball, but this quote by Brad Pitt’s character Billy Beane captures the most crucial lesson businesses need to learn to survive this post-pandemic world.

Covid is still here, and, yes, it won’t be around forever—but it could quickly outlast businesses that fail to modernize.

Years of change necessitated and accelerated in just a few weeks. What should have been a marathon for digital transformation became a sprint, with timelines compressed and strategies rewritten as the world continues to undergo a profound digital transformation with an increased sense of urgency.

Traditionally, slow incremental steps are the best way to achieve real change, but businesses didn’t have that luxury when the pandemic broke out. Employees had to quickly adapt to virtual work while leaders were asked to show great empathy and help their teams through the dramatic changes.

As technological advances continue to transform the way we live and work, businesses will need a structure to sustain the ongoing change.

Breakthrough,” a new study published by Dell Technologies, details how after two years of accelerated digital transformation business leaders are more aware than ever of the role that employees play in driving successful change.

Half of the IT leaders in the Philippines say their organizations know what it takes to digitally transform a work force, but after such rapid change, many employees are now facing a challenge to keep up with the pace. More than two-thirds of 10,500 respondents from 40-plus countries believe their organizations underestimate how to engage with their people properly when planning transformation programs.

The results highlight how the recent period of rapid transformation is leaving businesses and their work force in need of time to recharge, reflect and refine before embarking on new or iterating projects.

Despite the huge progress and efforts of the past few years, the research highlights how there is still a potential for transformation to stall as 67 percent of respondents in the Philippines believe it is their people’s resistance to change that can lead to failure. Close to half of Philippine respondents fear they will be shut-out of the evolving digital world due to a lack of people with the right authority/vision to capitalize on the opportunity—this is when an as-a-service model becomes a favorable option for many businesses.

Most organizations around the world—including the Philippines—realize the need to digitally transform, but they find digital transformation hard, and their people don’t always embrace change. This humantechnology friction is only compounded by the pandemic, and what we end up with is businesses that are more digitally resilient, but many of their people are exhausted,” added Ronnie Latinazo, country general manager, Philippines, Dell Technologies.

Businesses aspiring for sustainable success need to be asking themselves how they can thoughtfully and purposefully help their people navigate further change.

Dell and independent behavioral experts studied the survey respondents’ appetite for digital change and found that only 8 percent of the Philippine work-force belong to what it classified as “Sprint”

organizations—or those who will chase innovation and trailblaze technological change.

On the other hand, 55 percent fall under the “Steady” category and were ready to adapt to technological advancements.

However, there are organizations (36 percent) that prefer to hold back and observe, for now, to see how the digital transformation impacted other organizations. The remaining 2 percent tend to anticipate problems and resist proposed technology innovations based on perceived risk.

The study charts a path forward and the challenge ahead is clear: Leaders need to bring an oftenoverwhelmed work force up to speed, empower and motivate them, and drive the change that leads to growth. Breakthrough transformation happens at the intersection of people and technology. Companies can promote innovation by seeking breakthroughs on three frontiers, which together form a holistic approach: Connectivity, Productivity and Empathy.

To build a better future that works for all, we need to recognize that business success and employees’ well-being are inextricably linked. Our latest research highlights that sustainable digital transformation happens at the intersection of people and technology. To achieve an effective breakthrough, organizations should consider a three-pronged approach. First, provide employees with consistent and secure work experiences, not defined by where they work.

Second, help drive productivity by augmenting human capabilities with technology tools to allow employees to focus on what they do best. Lastly, inspire employees through an empathetic culture and authentic leadership,” said Amit Midha, president, Asia Pacific & Japan, and Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies.

n CONNECTIVITY: The pandemic made working-from-anywhere less discretionary and more commonplace.

The do-anything-from-anywhere economy will unleash new creativity and zeal for work. Flexible work has always been an important and often emotive

agreement between employees and organizations. But it hasn’t always been granted. Over recent years, employees have started demanding to work on their terms, expressed in decisions to enter and exit the work-force, or move from employer to employer based on how much flexibility they needed or wanted.

Now that we’re moving into a different phase of the pandemic, businesses should resist simply reverting to “traditional ways of working.”

Businesses performed tremendous feats to connect, collaborate and conduct business online during the pandemic. But they are not finished. Around 82 percent of Philippine respondents say they need their organizations to provide the necessary tools and infrastructure to work anywhere (along with the autonomy to choose their preferred working pattern).

n PRODUCTIVITY: Part of empowering employees to do their best work is providing them with modern and intelligent technology that increases their productivity. So, rather than being burdened by repetitive tasks, they can be freed to focus on higher order, more fulfilling work, that in turn generates more value for the business. To address these strains, businesses can delegate repetitive tasks to automated processes and free up people to focus on enriching, higher value work.

n EMPATHY: At their heart, businesses must build a culture, modelled by empathetic leaders, that treats people as their greatest source of creativity and value. While the majority of leaders see employees as their greatest business asset, individuals don’t always feel trusted and valued. A culture of empathy—the ability to share and understand others’ emotions— should inform everything, particularly change management programs, to drive excitement and purpose for those affected.

The research shows there is still work to do and empathy has to inform decision-making—from simplifying technology to tailoring change programs to individuals skills among employees.

T he complete report can be found at www.dell. com/breakthrough.

Slim yet powerful vivo smartphone made even more affordable

JUST in time for the holiday season, the slim yet powerful vivo Y02s now comes at a much more affordable price of P5,999.

The vivo Y02s comes in a very thin 8mm body, which is the brand’s thinnest design in this price range. And it is also feature-packed with a huge 5,000 mAh battery capacity making it a reliable companion for social-media use, photography, entertainment, gaming, and more.

One of the things that people love about the vivo Y02s is the trendy and ergonomic design. Available in Flourite Black and Vibrant Blue, it can easily fit in your pocket or a small hand bag because of its 8.15mm thickness, and it also has a 2.5D curvature design which makes it very comfortable to grip.

The Y02s is also a reliable smartphone for gamers. It has a wide and immersive screen—a 6.51-inch HD+ Halo FullView Display with 1600x720 (HD+) resolution. And of course, it boasts a multi-Turbo 5.5, and Ultra Game Modes that also help deliver a smooth, lag-free performance. Moreover, it is also powered by a large 5000mAh battery, Mediatek Helio P35 chipset, plus 3GB of RAM and 32GB memory to ensure sufficient phone storage and a smooth performance despite having many applications running in the background.

A s for its camera features, the vivo Y02s has a 5MP Front Camera + Aura Screen Light that can capture beautiful selfies even in low-light conditions. Its 8MP main camera and vivo’s AI editing software ensure great photographs every single time.

Mo re information is available at https://www. vivo.com/ph.

Antitrust battle over iPhone app store goes to US appeals court

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple is heading into a courtroom faceoff against the company behind the popular Fortnite video game, reviving a high-stakes antitrust battle over whether the digital fortress shielding the iPhone’s app store illegally enriches the world’s most valuable company while stifling competition.

Oral arguments Monday before three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are the latest volley in legal battle revolving around an app store that provides a wide range of products to more than 1 billion iPhones and serves as a pillar in Apple’s $2.4 trillion empire.

I t’s a dispute likely to remain unresolved for a long time.

After hearing Monday’s arguments in San Francisco, the appeals court isn’t expected to rule for another six months to a year. The issue is so important to both companies that the losing side is likely to take the fight to the US Supreme Court, a process that could extend into 2024 or 2025.

The tussle dates back to August 2020 when Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, filed an antitrust lawsuit in an attempt to obliterate the walls that have given Apple exclusive control over the iPhone app store since its inception 14 years ago.

That ironclad control over the app store has enabled Apple to impose commissions that give it a 15 percent to 30 percent cut of

purchases made for digital services sold by other companies. By some estimates, those commissions pay Apple $15 billion to $20 billion annually—revenue that the Cupertino, California, company says helps cover the cost of the technology for the iPhone and a store that now contains nearly 2 million mostly free apps.

US District Judge Barbara Gonzalez Rogers sided almost entirely with Apple in a 185-page ruling issued 13 months ago. That followed a closely watched trial that included testimony from Apple CEO Tim Cook and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, as well as other top executives.

Although she declared Apple’s exclusive control over iPhone apps wasn’t a monopoly, Gonzalez Rogers opened one loophole

that Apple wants to close. The judge ordered Apple to allow apps to provide links to payment alternatives outside the app store, a requirement that has been put off until the appeals court rules.

A lawyer for the Justice Department will get a chance to explain why the agency believes Gonzalez Rogers interpreted the federal antitrust law too narrowly, jeopardizing future enforcement actions against potentially anti-competitive behavior in the technology industry. Although the department technically isn’t taking sides, its arguments are expected to help Epic make its case that the appeals court should overturn the lower court decision. AP

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CELEBRITY endorser Maine Mendoza

Rising food costs take a bite out of Thanksgiving dinner

IN early November, Hays Culbreth’s mother sent a poll to a few family members. She said she could only afford to make two sides for their group of 15 this Thanksgiving and asked them each to vote for their favorites.

Culbreth guesses green beans and macaroni and cheese will make the cut, but his favorite—sweet po tato casserole with a brown sugar crust—will not.

“Talk about Thanksgiving be ing ruined,” joked Culbreth, 27, a financial planner from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Americans are bracing for a costly Thanksgiving this year, with double-digit percent increas es in the price of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, canned pumpkin and other staples. The US government estimates food prices will be up 9.5

percent to 10.5 percent this year; historically, they’ve risen only 2 percent annually.

Lower production and higher costs for labor, transportation and items are part of the reason; dis ease, rough weather and the war in Ukraine are also contributors.

“This really isn’t a shortage thing. This is tighter supplies with some pretty good reasons for it,” said David Anderson, a profes sor and agricultural economist at Texas A&M.

Wholesale turkey prices are at record highs after a difficult year

for US flocks. A particularly deadly strain of avian flu—first reported in February on an Indiana turkey farm—has wiped out 49 million turkeys and other poultry in 46 states this year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

As a result, US turkey supplies per capita are at their lowest level since 1986, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Leap Market Ana lytics. Jordan predicts the whole sale price of a frozen, 8-16 pound turkey hen—the type typically purchased for Thanksgiving—will hit $1.77 per pound in Novem ber, up 28 percent from the same month last year.

Still, there will be plenty of whole birds for Thanksgiving ta bles, Jordan said. Companies have been shifting a higher percentage of birds into the whole turkey market for the last few years to take advantage of the consistent holiday demand.

And not every producer was

equally affected. Butterball— which supplies around one-third of Thanksgiving turkeys—said avian flu impacted only about 1 percent of its production because of security measures it put in place after the last big bout of flu in 2015. But it could be harder for shop pers to find turkey breasts or other cuts, Jordan said. And higher ham prices are giving cooks fewer cheap alternatives, he said.

Avian flu also pushed egg prices into record territory, Anderson said. In the second week of November, a dozen Grade A eggs were selling for an average of $2.28, more than double the price from the prior year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Egg prices would have been high er even without the flu, Anderson said, because of the rising cost of the corn and soybean meal used for chicken feed. Ukraine is normally a major exporter of corn, and the loss of that supply has caused global prices to soar. AP

Asia-Pacific leaders seek unity on war, economic ills and virus

BANGKOK—Pacific Rim lead ers were striving to find common ground on the war in Ukraine and other dire threats to humankind in an annual meet ing that began Friday at a heavily guarded venue in Thailand’s capital.

The annual summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is the last of three back-to-back meetings of world leaders in the region.

On Thursday, foreign and com merce ministers were completing their yearlong effort to form a consensus on an array of oftendivisive issues.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw signs of a “con vergence” in views about how to move forward in solving the world’s problems.

Whether that might enable Thailand as host of the meetings to produce a final joint statement re mained to be seen: consensus gener ally is required among the 21 APEC members, including Russia. None of the earlier APEC preparatory meet ings this year issued statements due to disagreements over whether to mention the conflict.

But leaders of the Group of 20 did manage a show of unity when China and India, after months of refusing to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, did not stand in the way of the release of a statement by the world’s leading economies that harshly criticized Moscow.

“At G-20, we really welcomed that we could have a joint state ment,” said Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, a

Japanese Foreign Ministry spokes person.

Asked about the prospects for a show of unity, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he did not want to “get ahead” of the talks.

But, “on issue after issue we’re seeing, as I said, a growing conver gence among the major countries in the world,” he told reporters after Thursday’s meetings.

The APEC meetings and earlier summits of the Group of 20 major economies on the Indonesian island resort of Bali and the Asean in Cam bodia have brought together leaders who have had little opportunity to meet face-to-face since the pan demic began in 2020.

“It is such a relief for us to be able to go back to the conduct of business in the way that we know is most efficient and most productive,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., told a business confer ence held ahead of the APEC sum mit meetings. But he noted, “Dark clouds loom large if we are not to be prepared.”

The war in Ukraine has pushed food and energy prices sharply higher, disrupting supply chains and hindering the world’s recovery from the pandemic.

“The global economy faces mounting downward pressure and growing risks of recession,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in written remarks distributed to the business conference.

The Chinese economy has slowed sharply under restrictions meant to quash Covid-19 outbreaks. Xi

warned against a “new Cold War” and attempts to dismantle supply chains built over decades, and called for strengthened cooperation and progress in achieving APEC’s vision of an open Asia-Pacific economy.

The threat of a coronavirus resurgence remains, with China reporting 23,276 new Covid-19 cases across the country on Thurs day despite its costly and stringent “zero-Covid” policy. The southern metropolis of Guangzhou plans to build quarantine facilities with almost 250,000 beds to cope with outbreaks.

Xi stayed close to home through out the pandemic, making his first trip outside China since it began only in September. But he has had a busy roster of meetings both in Bali and Bangkok, where much of the activity is on the sidelines of the summits.

Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Thursday for what Kishida told reporters was a “candid and detailed discussion.”

“Because we are neighbors, there are various problems between Japan and China,” he said. But he added that “I think our talks today were a good start for us to pursue dialogue toward building constructive and stable Japan-China relations.”

Before the summit, Thai officials said they were hoping to steer APEC toward long-term solutions in vari ous areas, including climate change, economic disruptions and faltering recoveries from the pandemic.

The APEC leaders meet formally in closed-door sessions on Friday

and Saturday. For some, it will be at least the third such opportunity for face-to-face talks in the past two weeks. US Vice President Kamala Harris is attending instead of Presi dent Joe Biden, who will be hosting his granddaughter’s wedding at the White House.

With both Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin absent, Xi is the star attendee in Bangkok.

Thailand hoped to have all mem bers agree on a set of targets for meeting the challenges of climate change, promoting sustainable trade and investment and environ mental goals.

The wording of any state ment on Ukraine would be the “most challenging element of our negotiations,” said Cherdchai Chaivaivid, director-general of Thailand’s Department of Inter national Economic Affairs.

“I am cautiously optimistic that we should be able to reach a good level of consensus. The thing is, are we going to reach consensus on ev ery single issue in the draft or not? That remains to be answered by all senior officials working around the clock during the next few days,” Cherdchai said.

APEC members account for nearly four of every 10 people and almost half of world trade. Much of APEC’s work is technical and incremental, carried out by senior officials and ministers, covering areas such as trade, tourism, for estry, health, food, security, small and medium-size enterprises and women’s empowerment. AP

Jack Ma’s Ant incurs a 63% profit plunge amid overhaul

ANT Group Co. incurred a steeper profit decline in the three months ended in June, as the fintech giant molds itself to appease Chinese regulators.

The Hangzhou-based company contributed 2.4 billion yuan ($335 million) to Alibaba Group Hold ing Ltd.’s earnings, a filing showed Thursday.

Based on Alibaba’s one-third stake in Ant, that translates to an es timated 7.3 billion yuan of profit for Ant’s June quarter, down 63 percent from a year earlier. Ant’s earnings, which lag a quarter behind Alibaba’s, were partly hurt by a drop in the value of its investments.

Representatives with Ant de clined to comment.

The fintech business controlled by billionaire Jack Ma has been expanding in Southeast Asia while seeking to become a financial hold ing company at home. Ant has been restructuring its operations, including beefing up capital, curb ing consumer lending and shuffling management.

Its consumer finance unit is rais ing 10.5 billion yuan in a scaled-down capital boost from investors after China Cinda Asset Management Co. unexpectedly backed out of its investment plan this year.

A subsidiary of Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. will take 1.1 billion yuan of Chongqing Ant Con sumer Finance Co.’s capital, for a 6 percent stake. Jiangsu Yuyue Medi cal Equipment & Supply Co. plans to add 524 million yuan, taking a 4.99

percent stake. Ant Group will con tribute 5.25 billion yuan to retain its 50 percent holding, while a group of other backers are also investing. The investment proposal is still pending regulatory approval.

In a filing in July, Alibaba reit erated that Ma “intends to reduce and thereafter limit his direct and indirect economic interest in Ant Group over time” to a percentage that doesn’t exceed 8.8 percent.

Southeast Asia

To look for growth, Ant is lever aging the payments network it built for Alipay to service the different lo cal wallets in Asia for cross-border payments.

Initially catering to Chinese tour ists traveling outside the country, the company has expanded the service into a backbone for cross-border payments known as Alipay+ that can be used by different wallets. For example, when customers of GCash from the Philippines travel to Ko rea, they can pay with GCash when they see the Alipay+ logo displayed at merchants.

Another budding source of rev enue comes from Alipay+ D-store, which allows businesses to build digital stores across platforms, in cluding Chope, AlipayHK and Touch ‘n Go. The company plans to gener ate income from servicing brands like Burger King that want an online presence in various apps.

Ant’s Singapore digital wholesale bank also started offering loans to small and medium-sized businesses this month. Bloomberg News

Biz elite to spend night out for unhoused youth

AS most Wall Streeters rush home on Thursday, 262 busi ness executives are preparing to spend the cold night outdoors to raise funds and awareness for un housed youth.

Among those trading in their beds for sleeping bags are Chief Executive Officer Richard Han dler of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.; Benjamin Grizzle, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s global co-head of Marquee distribution; and Bri an Cashman, New York Yankees general manager.

This year marks Covenant House’s 50th year in New York City and 12th annual Sleep Out. Partici pants must raise at least $5,000 to join the event, to be held this year at privately owned Silverstein Fam ily Park. The Jefferies CEO—who was this year’s top individual con tributor by raising $341,320—will be participating in his first Sleep Out, and is bringing his daughter.

“I will use any excuse to spend more time with her,” Handler said in an email. “We will have some fun Thursday night while doing good.”

After dinner and group activities on the 10th floor of 7 World Trade Center, the donors will head for the adjacent park, owned by Silverstein Properties, which normally doesn’t

allow overnight camping. They plan to spend the night outside, as tem peratures are predicted to dip as low as 34F (1C).

Covenant House provides shel ter and other services to young people living on the street. It has locations in 34 cities across six countries. Participants and or ganizers of Thursday’s event said the experience provides a good opportunity to reflect.

“We’re not mimicking homeless ness; we know that I’ll be going home to a warm bed,” Julie Farber, execu tive director of the nonprofit’s New York City chapter, said in an inter view. But it does “put us in solidar ity and give just a tiny taste of what this must be like to experience day after day.”

Alan Thomas, co-head of global eq uities at Morgan Stanley, will be brav ing the elements. He said in an inter view that, while he has donated funds to causes in the past, he also wanted to “give time and not just money.”

Thomas sits on the board of Cov enant House New York with Gold man’s Grizzle and Lou Rauchen berger of JPMorgan Chase & Co. “We try to cultivate a little friendly competition for the sake of the young people at Covenant House,” Grizzle said. Bloomberg News

Japan inflation hits 4-decade high in test of BOJ resolve

JAPAN’S inflation hit its fastest clip in 40 years in October, an outcome that puts the central bank in an even more awkward position as it tries to explain the need to stick with monetary stimulus to pursue stable price growth.

Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 3.6 percent in October from a year ago, with the acceleration driven by processed food and the fading impact of mobile phone fee cuts, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday.

The reading outpaced a 3.5 percent forecast by analysts and marks the fastest price growth since 1982.

Price gains have now exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2 percent price target for seven straight months, though the result is unlikely to convince Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to change course. He’s consistently maintained that the current costpush inflation is only temporary, and that the central bank’s ultraloose policy is necessary to keep supporting Japan’s recovery from the pandemic.

The BOJ currently expects price growth to weaken below 2 percent next fiscal year starting in April.

The faster pace of inflation is at least partially due to the sharp drop in the yen. The wider trade deficit in October also reflected the negative hit from the weaker currency, while the embattled yen and a ballooning import bill also helped push Japan’s overall economy back into reverse in the third quarter.

The yen neared 152 per dollar at one point in October,

hitting a fresh 32-year low. Japan’s government stepped into markets again during the month to prop up the currency.

What Bloomberg Economics says...

“Looking ahead, we expect core inflation to hover around 3.5 percent in 4Q and slow to 2.8 percent in 1Q23. A weaker yen should buoy imported goods prices. New subsidies aimed at containing electricity prices starting in January are likely to slow core inflation in early 2023.” Bloomberg News

World

Russia-Ukraine grain deal extended for 4 months in win for food prices

ANKARA, Turkey—A wartime agreement that unblocked grain shipments from Ukraine and helped temper rising global food prices will be extended by four months, the United Nations and other parties to the deal said Thursday, preventing a price shock to some of the world’s most vulnerable countries where many are struggling with hunger.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the 120-day exten sion a “key decision in the global fight against the food crisis.” Struck

during Russia’s war in Ukraine, the initiative established a safe ship ping corridor in the Black Sea and inspection procedures to address

concerns that cargo vessels might carry weapons or launch attacks.

The deal that Ukraine and Rus sia signed in separate agreements with the UN and Turkey on July 22 was due to expire Saturday. Russia confirmed the extension but said it expected progress on removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers.

Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia where mil lions of impoverished people lack enough to eat.

Russia was also the world’s top exporter of fertilizer before the war. A loss of those supplies follow ing Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine had pushed up global food prices and fueled concerns of

a hunger crisis in poorer countries.

While the extension prevents a price shock in developing nations that spend far more on food and en ergy than richer countries, threats persist from droughts in places like Somalia and the weakening of currencies around the world, which makes buying imported grain more expensive.

“I was deeply moved to know that in Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the UN had come to an agreement for the rollover of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, allow ing for the free exports of Ukraini an grains,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said the decision to extend the deal came after two days of talks in Is tanbul between delegations from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the

UN that were held in a “positive and constructive” atmosphere.

Russia had voiced dissatisfac tion with the deal facilitating exports of Russian grain and fer tilizer, hinting that it might not approve an extension and even briefly suspending its part of the deal late last month. It cited risks to its ships following what it al leged was a Ukrainian drone at tack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Although Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine did not target food exports, many shipping and insurance com panies were reluctant to deal with Moscow, either refusing to do so or greatly increasing the price.

Guterres assured the UN was “fully committed” to removing hurdles to shipping food and fer tilizer from Russia. AP

Nancy Pelosi’s big decision to step aside: ‘There’s a life out there, right?’

WASHINGTON—Speak

er Nancy Pelosi said the attack on her hus band, Paul, by an intruder in their family home made her think about staying on as the House Democratic leader because she “couldn’t give them that satis faction” of intimidating her out of politics.

But Pelosi said Thursday she was ready to step aside and felt “balanced” about her decision to make way for a new generation of leaders.

She’s staying as the congress woman of San Francisco but has no plans to endorse a successor or meddle with the new leaders.

“I have no intention of being the mother-in-law in the kitchen saying, ‘My son doesn’t like the stuffing that way,’” Pelosi said in a wide ranging interview with reporters at the Capitol.

“They will have their vision, they will have their plan.”

As for the future direction of the House Democrats, she said: “That’s up to them, I want it to be whatever they want it to be.”

Pelosi, who is 82, spoke to re porters in the “The Board of Ed ucation” Room, a historic space

once frequented after hours only by the men in Congress, after she announced her decision to step down after 20 years as the party leader. Her action followed the midterm elections that gave Re publicans control of the House.

First elected in 1987, when there were just 12 Democratic women in Congress, Pelosi said she chose to wear white to deliver her speech on the House floor Thursday in a nod to the suffrag ettes—noting a painting of the women with the 19th Amend

ment she had installed in the gilded meeting room alongside one of San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge.

Digging into a package of cook ies—chocolate chip, of course— the speaker would not say exactly when she made her decision to step aside.

She keeps a close hold on her most important decisions, and even now, once it had spilled out in the open, said how she finally arrived at her choice was some thing she might have to think

more about. It was known that she took two versions of her speech home with her for review Wednesday night.

“I, quite frankly, personally, have been ready to leave for a while,” she said. “Because there are things I want to do. I like to dance, I like to sing. There’s a life out there, right?”

Pelosi said that after 20 years, “I don’t feel sad about not hav ing a leadership position....I feel balanced about it.”

She has said that the attack on Paul Pelosi, who suffered a fractured skull when an intruder broke into their home weeks be fore the election searching for her, had weighed on her decision. But she said Thursday that it had the “opposite effect” from what some had interpreted.

“It made me think again about staying,” she said. “I couldn’t give them that satisfaction.”

Had Democrats been able to retain majority control of the House, she indicated, that too might have prompted a different outcome: “I would have prayed over it.”

Pelosi insisted she has much to do representing her California

district, but said she won’t likely be taking any committee assign ments typically coveted by other lawmakers—particularly a seat on the Appropriations Commit tee that crafts federal funding bills that are important for states.

And she plans to get to work reviewing the 2022 election re sults and preparing for the next big votes in 2024.

Long seen as a powerful figure, one who controls and even micro manages many aspects of House leadership—from the way the bills are written to the timing of votes to the running of congres sional campaigns—she said she expects to play no role guiding the next generation of leaders.

“They have to bring their own fresh perspective, thinking en trepreneurially,” she said.

She won’t be endorsing a suc cessor ahead of party elections at the end of the month—“I didn’t think that was the right approach, to anoint somebody,” she said. She said it’s “really im portant for people to have the le gitimacy that they were chosen” by their colleagues.

Her advice to those who follow her leadership: “Be yourself.” AP

Trump ex-CFO tells jury he, others, committed tax fraud

THE Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, testified that he cheated on taxes together with the firm’s controller and the two Trump companies on trial for criminal tax fraud.

Later on Thursday, in state court in Manhattan, the former CFO—who is on leave from the firm but is still drawing his $640,000 annual salary—grew emotional when asked whether he had betrayed the Trump family.

Weisselberg’s admission that he committed the crimes together with the Trump companies, Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp., is the linchpin of the case against them. He first admitted it in August when he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against them. The controller, Jeffrey McConney, testified for the prosecution earlier in the trial but was so evasive that he was declared a hostile witness.

“I committed those

crimes with Jeff McConney, who I dealt with directly, and Trump Payroll and the Trump Corporation,” Weisselberg told the jury, under questioning by Executive Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger.

Prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are trying to show that the alleged scheme at the Trump companies wasn’t secretly hatched by Weisselberg and McConney, as the defense contends, but was part of the firm’s entrenched business practices. Donald Trump himself, who isn’t charged, has called the trial a baseless vendetta.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Weisselberg must testify truthfully and then could end up serving as brief a term as 100 days in jail. The maximum term for his crimes is 15 years in prison.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Futerfas for Trump Payroll asked Weisselberg about the Trumps themselves.

US moves to shield Saudi crown prince from prosecution in killing of journalist

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration declared Thursday that the high office held by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince should shield him from lawsuits for his role in the killing of a US-based journalist, a turnaround from Joe Biden’s passionate cam paign trail denunciations of Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the brutal slaying.

The administration said the prince’s official standing should give him immunity in the law suit filed by the fiancée of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and by the rights group he founded, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

The request is non-binding and a judge will ultimately decide whether to grant immunity. But it is bound to anger human rights activists and many US lawmakers, coming as Sau di Arabia has stepped up imprison ment and other retaliation against peaceful critics at home and abroad and has cut oil production, a move seen as undercutting efforts by the US and its allies to punish Russia for its war against Ukraine.

The State Department on Thurs day called the administration’s de cision to try to protect the Saudi crown prince from US courts in Khashoggi’s killing “purely a legal determination.”

Saudi officials killed Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. They are believed to have dismem bered him, although his remains have never been found. The US intel ligence community concluded Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had approved the killing of the widely known and respected journalist, who had writ ten critically of Prince Mohammed’s harsh ways of silencing of those he considered rivals or critics.

The Biden administration state ment Thursday noted visa restric tions and other penalties that it had meted out to lower-ranking Saudi officials in the death.

“From the earliest days of this Administration, the United States Government has expressed its grave concerns regarding Saudi agents’ responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder,” the State Department said. Its statement did not mention the crown prince’s own alleged role.

Biden as a candidate vowed to make a “pariah” out of Saudi rulers over the 2018 killing of Khashoggi.

“I think it was a flat-out mur der,” Biden said in a 2019 CNN town hall, as a candidate. “And I think we should have nailed it as that. I publicly said at the time we should treat it that way and there should be consequences relating to how we deal with those—that power.” AP

“You schemed with Jeff McConney?” Futerfas asked.

“Yes,” Weisselberg said.

“Did you scheme with any member of the Trump family?” the lawyer asked “No,” Weisselberg said.

Futerfas went through the criminal counts facing Weisselberg.

“That was your W-2?” he asked, referring to the false tax returns Weisselberg had pleaded guilty to filing.

“Yes, it was,” Weisselberg said.

Emotional testimony

FUTERFAS then asked whether he had lived up to the trust the Trump Organization had placed in him.

“Did you betray that trust?” Futerfas asked.

“Yes,” Weisselberg said.

“And you did it for your own personal gain?” Futerfas asked.

“Correct,” Weisselberg said.

The 75-year-old executive—who has worked

for the family for half a century, starting under Donald Trump’s father, Fred—became teary, his voice cracking with emotion, as the questioning went on.

“Are you embarrassed by what you did?” Futerfas asked.

“More than you can imagine,” Weisselberg said. “Ashamed?” the attorney pressed.

“Yes, very much so,” Weisselberg said.

“Do you need a break?” Futerfas asked.

“I’m OK,” Weisselberg said.

The judge declared a recess nonetheless. Weisselberg is to continue his testimony Thursday afternoon.

The case is People v. Trump Organization, 01473-2021, New York State Supreme Court (Manhattan). Bloomberg News

HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California speaks on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, November 17, 2022. AP/CAROLYN KASTER

TONY & HARMIE SHOW AT ICTSI MATCH PLAY

TONY LASCU Ñ A turned a season of doubts into a year of hope after he beat Keanu Jahns, 4&3, to crown himself the first International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor Match Play men’s champion in Pasay City Friday.

H armie Constantino, on the other hand, was magical in the women’s final where—through a clutch chip-in birdie she described as “unexplainable”—she edged top amateur Rianne Malixi in a raindrenched duel that stretched to the 19th hole to snare the hotlycontested tiara.

Constantino trailed most of the way, the last on the island green No. 17 which she conceded after Malixi hit her tee-shot just below the hole.

B ut Constantino never lost hope and gained after Malixi hit an errant second shot on the parfive 18th that went into the water, sending the match to where it had all started—all square.

A nd as Malixi set up a 12-foot birdie putt on their second trip to the first green, Constantino holed out from the rough 40 yards away to foil the very amateur who had dominated this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) with a sweep of all her stints at Luisita, Valley and Riviera.

But Constantino had the last laugh as Malixi flubbed her tying putt, enabling the former to match Lascuña’s P280,000 winnings in the novel championship capping the return to the mainstream of the two pro circuits put up by ICTSI.

“ It’s unexplainable, I just can’t believe it,” said Constantino, who

also won the LPGT season-ending tournament at Pradera Verde, beating Chanelle Avaricio, also a three-leg winner this year, by one last month.

“

My caddie and I were only trying to land it a couple of yards before the flag and make it roll out. I just wanted to make it close as much as I can but not really hole it in. So, it’s a bonus,” added Constantino, who marked her pro debut last year with two victories, both at Eagle Ridge-Aoki.

She nipped Mafy Singson, 1-up, in the first round then turned back Sunshine Baraquiel, 3&1, before dominating Marvi Monsalve, 6-4, on a course she calls home.

It was a sorry setback for the 15-year-old Malixi, who dispatched Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio and top seed Chihiro Ikeda via the same 3&2 results to head to the finals oozing with confidence and momentum.

B ut she struggled with her putting stroke, missing at least seven cracks at birdies inside 5 feet although she controlled the match up to the 17th until that costly mishit on the 18th that virtually changed the course of play.

E arlier, Lascuña’s margin of victory came as a big surprise for the affable Davaoeño ace, who had braced for a grind-out duel with a young, power-hitting rival after coming out of a rigorous route to the finals with victories over Gerald Rosales and Clyde Mondilla in the quarters and semifinals, respectively, Thursday.

But he did expect to win. Driven by desire to end the season with a win after getting foiled to settle for runner-up finishes in the last three Philippine Golf Tour regular events at

Eagle Ridge-Aoki, Riviera and Pradera Verde, Lascuña knew he had the game needed in a head-to-head format and on a tight, tough course as Villamor.

S ure, he didn’t have the length to dominate but had the steadfastness, the short game and poise that could still humble even the most talented from among a slew of young guns on the Tour that he declared he would to win it all even before the first shot is fired in Monday’s pro-am.

“ I think I’d win all the matches. I’ve been playing well and my putting is just as okay with my driving and irons.

I also didn’t want to end the season without a win, so I really prepared for this,” said Lascuña, so confident even in such format where one shot or one hole could shift the momentum to the other player.

Yet he delivered as promised, easing past Paul Echavez, 3&1, in the first round, edging Angelo Que, 1-up, in the next then bundling out Rosales and Mondilla.

Ninobla displays world-class act in poomsae

JOCELYN NINOBLA captured two gold medals in taekwondo at the close of the 8th Philippine Sports Commission-Women’s Martial Arts Festival Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The world No. 2, Ninobla scored 8.37 points to seize the gold medal in individual poomsae before leading the national squad to her second victory in the women’s freestyle team event.

The 26-year-old Ninobla, a back-to-back Southeast Asian Games champion, teamed up with Jona Keith Castillo and Janna Dominique Oliva for the poomsae gold after they collectively scored 7.16 points.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Olivia “Bong’’ Coo led the closing ceremony after six days of action featuring 11 combat sports in the event organized by the PSC and supported by Pocari Sweat and Go21.

It was very successful. We had 628 athletes who participated, and we were able to show that a lot of women are into martial arts,” Coo said. “This was also an opportunity to encourage more women to participate in these sports and

learn to defend themselves.”

T he festival provided a peek of the country’s potential representatives in pencak silat, karatedo, sambo, kickboxing, taekwondo, wrestling, muaythai, jiu-jitsu and kurash to the 6th Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi in November next year.

I n kyorugi also of taekwondo, finweight Rajany Darlyn Santos of National University defeated Samantha Siboc of San Beda University while Abegail Valdez of University of Santo Tomas ruled the flyweight division after beating fellow national team member Veronica Garces.

T he other poomsae winners were Raven Allyson Pablo (bantamweight), Realis Tabiando (featherweight), Jubilee Briones (lightweight) and Aila Mathel Calip (welterweight).

K ickboxers from the national team also ruled their weight categories with Renalyn Dacquel defeating teammate Aimee Ramos in the 52- kg class and Gretel De Paz beating Catherine Soria of Team Baldugan (Pasig City).

Senator Jinggoy bats for equality in grant of financial incentives to national athletes

IN a bid to ensure equality and inclusivity among sportsmen who have brought honor and pride to the country, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is batting for amendments in the law to level the playing field among able-bodied athletes and those with disabilities insofar as the grant of cash incentives is concerned.

Estrada filed Senate Bill No. 1442 which seeks to amend Section 8 of Republic Act 10699, or the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act,” to institutionalize equal cash incentives to national athletes and athletes with disabilities who win medals in international sports competitions.

“Our laws state that disabled persons have the same rights as other people,” Estrada said. “Thus, the State should give them ample support and

there should be no distinction as to the prestige of the events that they’ve participated in.”

The measure, the seasoned lawmaker explained, aims to remedy the discrepancy of financial benefits among national athletes who demonstrate the same level of commitment, hard work and excellence in sports.

Our para athletes should be entitled to the same cash incentives as other national athletes,” he stressed. “Our laws should treat everyone equally especially if we’re striving for the promotion of sports excellence.”

I n the measure, para athletes who bring home gold, silver, and bronze medals from the Summer and Winter Paralympics should be entitled to P10 million, P5 million and P2 million

cash incentives, respectively.

T he existing provisions of RA 10699 propvide paralympians only half of the said proposed cash incentives.

E strada also proposed the grant of P2 million to gold medalists in the Asian Para Games and increase the current P150,000 incentive to P300,000 for those who will bag gold medals in the Asean Para Games. He also sought to have the cash incentives for silver and bronze medalists in Asian Para Games and Asean Para Games doubled from the current amount.

Asian juniors, girls chess tourney gets going in Tagaytay

THE Asian Juniors and Girls Chess Championships got going Friday at the Knights Templar Hotel in Tagaytay City with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol”

Tolentino welcoming the 58 participants representing 11 countries competing in the nine-day event.

“We are expecting great matches from these young Asian masters in the championships that give opportunity for our Filipino players to get grandmaster norm and international master [IM] norms,” said Tolentino of the twin competitions for players aged 20 and younger.

Tolentino is an honorary member of the International Chess Federation, or FIDE, having once served as its secretary-general. He also previously headed FIDE’s Southeast Asian Zone when he was the National Chess Federation of the Philippines’ (NCFP) secretary-general.

C avite Vice Governor and NCFP

Vice President Athena Bryana

By Josef Ramos

TERRAFIRMA’S woes are now over after the Dyip drove past the Road Masters of NLEX, 124-114, in overtime to finally crawl out of the Philippine Basketball Association’s secondworst losing streak on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“ The curse is now over,” said a relieved Coach Johnedel Cardel who last visited the press room for a post-game interview on February 12, 2021—their last victory, 109-103, over Blackwater in the Governors’ Cup.

C ardel and the Dyip were four defeats off Blackwater’s league worst 29-game losing streak.

I mport Lester Prosper—known on the side for holding free basketball clinics and feeding program for kids—provided the Dyip the horsepower by scoring a franchisehigh 50 points on top of 19 rebounds and five assists.

“We had a good practice yesterday and I felt everybody coming together…the chemistry’s there,” Prosper said.

“I’m so happy to contribute in stopping our losing streak.”

It was Prosper’s first time, too, in the press room after playing 10 games in the Commissioner’s Cup.

Terrafirma’s road to victory

wasn’t all paved. The Dyip led 71-54 in the third quarter but allowed the Road Warriors to tie at 110-all on Earl Clark’s layup with 31 seconds left in regulation. Neither team scored after that.

Prosper went to work in overtime and led the Dyip’s 14-4 run with Andres Cahilig scoring four points and Alex Cabagnot making three points to put the Road Warriors at bay.

Super League Dumper Cup up

JAY-JAY HELTERBRAND gets to play once more before his fans carried over from his Barangay Ginebra San Miguel days and “man of the hour” John Anthony Amores could still possibly dribble and shoot even though he’s been bounced from the collegiate league.

“It’s in my blood as a true competitor, the game is always in me,” the 5-foot-11 Helterbrand told BusinessMirror during the media launch of the Pilipinas Super League Pro Division second conference Dumper Cup that starts Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Helterbrand, 46, retired in 2017 after playing 17 seasons in a Gin King uniform in the Philippine Basketball Association. The PBA’s 2009 Most Valuable Player dons the Boracay Islanders, one of 14 teams seeing action in the league that sets no rules on eligibility of its players.

The six-time PBA champion Helterbrand has former pros Niño

“KG” Canaleta, Bryan Faundo and Marc Cardona.

L eague Commissioner Jean Marc Pingris, meanwhile, said that the former pros and rising stars from all over the country are expected to provide more excitement in the league, as well as Filipino-foreigners with Philippine passport.

P ingris also welcomed Amores, the controversial former Jose Rizal University player who was involved in numerous rough plays and fights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Everybody deserves a second chance and nobody is perfect,” Pingris said. “John Amores is welcomed here as long as he can secure a GAB [Games and Amusements Board] license.”

PSL President Rocky Chan, on the other hand, told the press conference in a Greenhills restaurant that the relaxed health protocols prompted the league to hold games in Luzon.

Josef Ramos

Tolentino made the ceremonial first moves with girls’ top seed, Woman IM Assel Serikbay of Kazakhstan.

Reigning national juniors champion FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri and girls titlist Mhage Sebastian lead the country’s campaign, along with IMs Daniel Quizon, Michael Concio, AlBasher Buto, Andrew James Toledo, Gabriel Ryan Paradero, Ronell Co and Marlon James Piel.

Th e nine-round Swiss system tournament is sponsored by the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), Philippine Sports Commission and City of Tagaytay.

A

Blazers beat Pirates, boost Final Four bid

COLLEGE of Saint Benilde weathered Lyceum of the Philippines University’s late fightback to hammer out a 10088 win and bolster its chances of securing a twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

R enzo Navarro’s layup gave the Pirates their last taste of the lead, 3836, with more than three minutes left in the second period when the Blazers unloaded a 13-2 run to post a 49-40 halftime advantage.

Saint Benilde pulled away to 79-58 at the end of the third quarter when Lyceum made one last push

and trimmed the deficit to 88-95 on a Enoch Valdez putback entering the final minute.

The Pirates then squandered several opportunities to close in as Migs Oczon went 3-of-4 from the foul line and Mark Sangco nailed a layup that put the game to bed for the Blazers.

Saint Benilde improved to 12-4 won-lost to tie defending champion Letran on top of the standings.

“ We really wanted to win and get the No. 2 spot—the better for us to get to the Finals,” said Will Gozum, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to lead the Blazers.

Lyceum, meanwhile, ended its elimination campaign with a 12-6 card and the Pirates’ twice-to-beat bid will

hinge on the results of the games among Letran, San Beda and Saint Benilde.

Oczon also finished with 18 points with four rebounds and three assists while Miguel Corteza chipped in 13 points for Saint Benilde.

Valdez led Lyceum with 18 points, five rebounds and two steals while

Shawn Umali added 17 points, five blocks and four rebounds.

San Sebastian, meanwhile, beat University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, 78-74, to tie Arellano University at fifth place at 7-9. The Altas ended the season with a 7-11 record.

lso present during the simple opening ceremony were ACF Executive Board member Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh of Iran and Appeals Committee members from India, Guam, Iran, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.

CAVITE Vice Governor Athena Bryana Tolentino (right) and Woman International Master Assel Serikbay (left) make the ceremonial opening moves at the Knights Templar Hotel in Tagaytay City. Looking on are Philippine Olympic Committee President and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino (third from left), Asian Chess Federation Executive Board member Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh and Appeals Committee members from India, Guam, Iran, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.

TERRAFIRMA Coach Johnedel Cardel can finally have a drink—after a victory that is.

JOCELYN NINOBLA proves why she’s ranked No. 2 in the world.

TONY LASCUÑA and Harmie Constantino strike a championship pose. ROY DOMINGO

29.

INTARAPAN, PANLAPHAT

Head Of HR

Brief Job Description: As part of the Management Team Philippines, steer and develop the overall business strategy and business plans to achieve the short-, mid- and long-term growth and profit objectives of the company within corporate guidelines; Spearheads formulation, development and implementation of HR strategies including talent acquisition, talent development, organization design and employee engagement; Ensures all HR operations, processes, policies, and practices are delivered effectively in a best-in-class manner as well as enhance the level of employee satisfaction;

Basic Qualification: University degree, preferably in Psychology, Human Resources, and other related fields; At least 15 years fundamental HR experience within international organizations from FMCG sector. International mobility experience is an advantage;

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

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

30.

HSANN AUNG NAING Chief Operating Officer

Brief Job Description: Handles the operations of the company

Basic Qualification: With vast experience in management and with master’s degree in business management

Basic

Basic

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 194.

HERI SUSANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services.

HERY RUKMANA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

195.

196.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

IGNASIUS DINAND Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

JULIANTO

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Indonesian and English.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Indonesian and English

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Indonesian and English

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Indonesian and English

197.

198.

199.

KELVIN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

LEONARD HANDRIAN PUTERA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Indonesian and English

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

Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief

MAICHEL

Indonesian Customer Service

LEONARDI Representative Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

Customer Service Representative Brief

Description: