BusinessMirror November 30, 2021

POEA: OFW deployment will continue

By Samuel P. Medenilla sam_medenilla

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ESPITE border closures in some countries due to the potential public health threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) will remain uninterrupted for now.

On Monday, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it has yet to receive news of any country which barred the entry of OFWs amid international concerns over the Omicron variant.

“If we have not received any formal communication from the particular destination country to

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“If we have not received any formal communication from the particular destination country to stop the deployment, then that means our deployment should continue.”— POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia

stop the deployment, then that means our deployment should continue,” POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said in a virtual press briefing.

POEA issued the clarification after several countries like Israel and Japan announced they will ban all foreign visitors from entering their jurisdiction due to Omicron.

As of press time, Olalia said both countries are still allowing the entry of OFWs. In the case of Israel, he said Filipino caregivers are still expected to be deployed in the coming weeks.

“Our recruitment is still ongoing. Once our caregivers are ready, meaning, complied with protocols

such as a negative Covid test and they have all necessary papers, we will deploy them,” Olalia said.

He noted they have already deployed around 600 caregivers to Israel as part of a government-togovernment hiring arrangement with POEA. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Omicron, first detected in South Africa, as a variant of concern since it is more infectious compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, due to its numerous mutations.

Health experts also warned that the Omicron variant may be resistant to existing Covid-19 vaccines.

See “POEA,” A2

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BSP: INFLATION LIKELY DOWN, BELOW 4% IN NOV

Tweak food for better health–poll

By Bianca Cuaresma

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@BcuaresmaBM

NFL AT ION likely tamed down to below 4 percent for the first time this year in November, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) chief told reporters on Monday.

“Higher electricity and LPG prices...and the uptick in the prices of meat, fish, fruits and vegetables are the primary sources of inflationary pressures . . These could be offset in part by rollbacks in domestic petroleum prices and the appreciation of the peso.”— BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno

In a Viber message to local reporters, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said their latest forecasting exercise showed that inflation likely hit 3.7 percent in November this year, with a range of 3.3 percent to 4.1 percent during the month.

This means that the BSP expects inflation to fall within the 2 to 4 percent annual inflation target for the first time since December 2020 when it hit 3.5 percent.

“Higher electricity and LPG prices along with the uptick in the prices of meat, fish, fruits and vegetables are the primary sources of inflationary pressures during the month,” Diokno said.

“These could be offset in part by rollbacks in domestic petroleum prices and the appreciation of the peso,” he added.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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(CLOCKWISE, from top) Would-be vaccinees, including children, line up at Santa Ana Hospital in Manila at the start of the three-day national vaccination drive, as the government targets to inoculate 9 million Filipinos even as a new, apparently more contagious Covid-19 variant emerges. (Above) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro preside over the ceremonial national kick-off at the Marikina Sports Center. Story on page A2. ROY DOMINGO/NONOY LACZA

REGIONAL EXPORT GROWTH SEEN RISING FURTHER

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EGIONAL export growth is expected to rise further in the coming months, as more countries in Southeast Asia open up and ease restrictions, according to an international think tank.

Oxford Economics said in a recent research note that regional export growth nudged higher in October, led by an improvement in South and Southeast Asia (SEA).

“We expect the recent easing in Covid restrictions in SEA will boost sequential growth in SEA exports over the coming months. We also expect the sup-

See “BSP,” A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.4580

ply-side problems, such as shortages of key parts and logistics bottlenecks, to ease over next year. With demand continuing to rise, Asia goods exports should steadily increase through 2022,” the think tank said.

Oxford Economics covers India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam as part of the SEA economic bloc.

The boost came from Singapore’s exports in October as well as Indonesia’s strong export momentum aided by still rising coal prices.

The think tank, however, also

warned of potential threats in the recovery of exports in the region, particularly due to the emergence of the new variant. “...Challenges remain. The pandemic is not yet over, as highlighted by the Omicron variant. There is also the danger of a sharper slowdown in China. And if the global supply-side problems prove more persistent than expected, regional export performance would also likely fail to gather momentum,” Oxford Economics said.

In the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gover-

nor Benjamin Diokno earlier this month said goods exports are likely to sustain the “better-thanexpected” performance towards the end of 2021.

In their latest balance of payments (BOP) projections in September, the BSP expects exports to grow by 14 percent from a 9.8 percent contraction in 2020.

“Goods exports for the first half of the year have already reached prepandemic levels, driven mainly by manufactures, headlined by electronics and mineral products, among others,” the governor said.

Bianca Cuaresma

T least 7 out of 10 Filipinos believe that food companies must reformulate their product offerings into healthier ones as they are now more aware of the importance of a healthy and balanced diet amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an industry report.

A report from the Food Industry Asia (FIA) revealed that about three-quarters of Filipino consumers have shown interest towards the addition or removal of ingredients and the use of alternatives to make a product healthier.

The report, released on Monday, pointed out that the majority of Filipino consumers believe that food companies must voluntarily change their product formulations to help consumers choose and stick to healthier choices.

“Although a majority of Filipinos [81 percent] believe that following a healthy, balanced diet is their own responsibility, they also want more support from the industry,” the report titled, “Healthier Product Reformulation in the Philippines,” said.

As part of this support, “they want more visibility of reformulated food and beverage products, increased communications that outline the benefits of these products, and clearer nutrition labels,” the report added.

The FIA said the report was meant to better understand behavioral trends and perceptions of solutions geared toward delivering improved nutrition such as reformulation and product labeling.

“Health consciousness among Filipino consumers is increasing, with 56 percent of those surveyed claiming that they mostly maintain a healthy diet,” the FIA said.

“While most consumers [99 percent] have shown some interest in adopting healthier eating habits, See “Tweak,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4438 n UK 67.3261 n HK 6.4702 n CHINA 7.8927 n SINGAPORE 36.8172 n AUSTRALIA 36.0119 n EU 57.0377 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4511

Source: BSP (November 29, 2021)

A2 Tuesday, November 30, 2021

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National ‘bakuna’ day reels off, targets 9-M Filipinos

POEA…

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Cases of Omicron have been reported in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong and recently, the United Kingdom (UK).

Currently, the Philippines has no reported case of the Omicron variant.

When asked if POEA will ban the deployment of OFWs to countries with existing cases of Omicron, Olalia said such possibility is unlikely.

“We rarely stop the deployment of OFWs especially if their destination country continues to accept [OFWs] and are able to comply with their protocols,” Olalia said.

“What is important is we make sure the workers we will deploy there will not be infected and their health will be cared for,” he added.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco | Correspondent

HE first leg of the three-day National Vaccination campaign against Covid-19 kicked off on Monday, aiming to inoculate at least 9 million Filipinos across 16 regions outside Metro Manila.

A total of 11,000 vaccination sites and 160,000 volunteers were activated and mobilized for the nationwide undertaking on November 29 to December 1.

In Marikina City, a total of 30,000 individuals are targeted to be inoculated during the three-day Na-

tional Covid-19 Vaccination drive.

Mayor Marcelino Teodoro and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, together with officials from the Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the city government, joined the kick off of the

nationwide vaccination rollout at Marikina Sports Complex.

Marikina was chosen by DOH for the ceremonial kick-off due to its orderly Covid-19 inoculation.

The 3-day vaccination seeks to increase vaccine coverage and mobilize stakeholders from every

sector to support the government’s goal of giving Filipinos a safe and healthy Christmas.

Marikina received 30,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the national government, Teodoro said.

The second leg of the vaccination event will be held from December 15 to 17, to focus on ramping up the number of fully vaccinated individuals to achieve the government’s target of fully vaccinating at least 54 million Filipinos by yearend.

Earlier, the DOH said that walk-ins are allowed especially for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities for the “Bayanihan Bakunahan: Ligtas. Lakas. Buong Pinas” campaign.

Vaccine recipients of primary dose series, the DOH said, should

bring any valid Identification Card (ID), medical certificate for immunocompromised, individuals with comorbidities, pregnant in their first trimester and children with comorbidities, and additional documents for the rest of pediatric population.

The DOH encouraged the public to participate in the 3-day vaccination and reminded them to register with their respective local government units (LGUs).

On the other hand, vaccine recipients requiring booster/additional doses must bring their original vaccination card showing completion of the primary series of vaccine, valid ID Card, and medical certificate for immunocompromised individuals.

UAE decriminalizes consensual unions, OFWs hiding kids relieved

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

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ATTIE, not her real name, was working as a waitress in an upscale restaurant in Dubai in 2015. Then she fell in love with a Jordanian co-worker and got pregnant. For fear of being jailed and deported, she hid her pregnancy from her friends and employer until she gave birth. Her son was born in a clandestine apartment in another emirate of Sharjah, practically hiding from authorities.

Then the pandemic came, and just like a lot of overseas Filipino

Workers (OFW), she was given the pink slip. In order to be repatriated to the Philippines, she had to bring her son with her, report his birth and face the consequence of being jailed and permanently barred from the United Arab Emirates.

Now, Pattie can heave a sigh of relief as the UAE passed a new law decriminalizing consensual relationships which had children born out of wedlock.

This means that if children were born in UAE by couples who are not married, the couple can remain in the country without being deported

on condition that both couples acknowledged the child and commit to take care of their children.

OFWs in the UAE hailed the new criminal code, ratified by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan recently.

“Any couple conceiving a child out of wedlock will be required to marry or singly or jointly acknowledge the child and provide identification papers and travel documents in accordance with the laws of the country of which either is a national, considering the applicable laws of that nation,” the state-

owned Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

However, if couples fail to comply with these conditions, they would still be charged criminally and face a two-year imprisonment.

The law will come into effect on January 2, 2022.

The so-called “love crimes” are one of the top crimes committed by Filipinos in the UAE. Jenny Gonzales, a former expat in Dubai and undersecretary of Commission on Filipinos Overseas, welcomed this new law. She recalled how it broke her heart whenever she

saw Filipino children at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Dubai.

Most of them had fathers who wouldn’t recognize them.

But she takes this new law with a grain of salt.

“Maybe this is good for notso-complicated cases like both couples who are single and are legal workers/residents. But how about if either or both are/is married, or worst, illegal?

“So my advice for OFWs is, do not enter into a relationship that you would regret later,” Gonzales told the BusinessMirror.

Tweak…

Continued from A1

eating more fruits and vegetables [41 percent] and reducing the intake of salt [34 percent], sugar [32 percent], and fat [32 percent] have been identified as key areas to improve their diets,” the FIA added.

FIA Public Affairs Manager Sabeera Ali said the findings showed a high level of acceptance by Filipino consumers of reformulation of products in the Philippines. Ali added that the findings “highlight the opportunity for the industry to create a healthier food environment for consumers, which is where the majority of the industry has started to shift towards.”

She added: “Against a backdrop of growing concerns over obesity, non-communicable diseases like diabetes, and Covid-19, product reformulation is already well under way in the Philippines to encourage healthier food choices and behaviors. Our findings show that 70 percent of companies surveyed have embarked on reformulation to improve the nutritional value of their products.”

As consumers become more health conscious, she stressed,

“there is now a great opportunity and incentive for the industry to invest in reformulation and drive consumer choice by providing healthier food products.”

Food companies are keen on reformulating their products, but seek greater fiscal incentives from the government to support their research and development activities, according to the report.

“This highlights the need for multi-stakeholder collaborations to drive more R&D activities for new product development and reformulation,” Elizabeth M. de Leon-Lim, Chairman and President of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. (PCFMI), said.

“Multi-stakeholder collaborations are crucial in accelerating the industry’s current efforts when it comes to healthier product development and reformulation. They provide the opportunity for food and beverage businesses to work together and share technical know-hows as well as success stories to encourage further R&D,” de LeonLim added.

BSP… Continued from A1

Earlier this month, BSP Deputy Governor for the Monetary and Economics Sector Francisco Dakila Jr. earlier said they have revised their inflation forecast for the country for this year to 4.3 percent from 4.4 percent in their September forecast.

Dakila also said once inflation simmers down below 4 percent in November, it will continue to decelerate to below 3 percent in the first quarter of next year.

For 2022 and 2023, the BSP

retained its inflation forecasts at 3.3 percent for next year and 3.2 percent for 2023.

The BSP also said in their monetary policy meeting on November 18 that easing inflation gave more leeway for the retained stance for the year.

On Monday, the governor said: “The BSP will continue to monitor emerging price developments to help achieve its primary mandate of price stability that is conducive to balanced and sustainable growth of the economy.”

Continued from A1

Pharmally...

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At Friday’s hearing after their apprehension, Gordon recalled that, when asked about documents needed to complete the investigation, “Mr. Dargani averred that they were in boxes located somewhere.”

The senators accommodated his request, and allowed “Dargani to confer with Mr. Linconn Ong for the purpose of locating the supposed boxes of documents,” the senator recalled.

On Saturday, the OSAA made arrangements for the trip outside the Senate to retrieve the documents. But the trip could not materialize as Dargani “kept making excuses pointing to three probable locations: office, residence, or warehouse. He was informed by OSAA that they could go to all three locations but Mr.Dargani hemmed and hawed, resulting in the cancellation of the trip,” Gordon rued.

To preserve and protect the institution, he added the senators decided to transfer them to the Pasay jail, noting that “their continuing presence in the Senate premises also put a strain” on an overstretched OSAA, whose primary function is to protect the Senate building, secure the people coming in and out, especially the employees, and because of the pandemic, making sure that those who enter the building are free from the virus that has caused many lives both in and out of Senate premises.

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“We can also consider utilizing organic meat in our dishes as we can be assured that these are healthier alternatives. We can also consider brown rice and other naturally grown organic rice as these have lesser calories and are easier to digest,” he added.

Ocoma suggested that Filipinos try roasting, broiling, grilling and steaming as cooking methods since these “do not need a lot of oil and excess fats from the meat can be eliminated.”

“The last two years of Covid restriction has had a tremendous impact on the lives of everyone including the farmers, fishers and aquaculturists, yet their efforts tide us through in those difficult times,” Tugon Kabuhayan said.

“This holiday season, let us indulge in locally produced food products. Let us enjoy, be fit and healthy, while happily patronizing the produce of our farmers and fisher,” it added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

BusinessMirror

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Tuesday, November 30, 2021

A3

Finding your home in the South Mondia NUVALI | Pocket Park

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By Candice Dalizon

EEL closer to nature in the vibrant neighborhoods of Mondia and Hillside Ridge, with all the city conveniences just around the corner.

Home has a different meaning for everyone – a sanctuary, a haven of comfort, or simply a place of favorite family memories. In these fast-moving and uncertain times, a home is one’s safe anchor.

Whether you prefer a modernized loft or a spacious suburban house, a home should feel like it was built specifically for you, and one that you love and enjoy with family.

For those who prefer living a life that is calmer and more connected to nature, choosing a suburban neighborhood may be the best option. Surrounded by open spaces and a fresh breeze, it is where you can make daily life just as exciting and relaxing as a vacation.

While living in a busy city certainly comes with its own benefits, living in a more suburban setting also has its own impressive advantages.

As Metro Manila has become increasingly saturated over the years, people are now looking into other residential communities within neighboring cities. They have since turned to Southern Luzon, particularly Laguna and Cavite. These areas still offer all the modern living comforts within easy and convenient reach, and have become in-demand destinations in their own right.

Laguna, primarily known as a go-to long weekend destination in

the Philippines, presents compelling reasons to be a real estate hot spot. It enjoys an ideal mix of urban and rural living, while also serving as a gateway to holiday destinations such as Tagaytay and Batangas.

It also boasts of a vast land area ideal for property development.

The province is in proximity to Metro Manila and key regions such as Cavite and Batangas. A huge portion of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is covered by the province, with the latter being a high-speed road network between the Cavite and Laguna provinces.

Laguna, in addition, houses a number of major manufacturing plants, businesses, and scenic residential communities. Santa Rosa City, the second-largest government unit in Laguna after Calamba, enjoys its status as South Luzon’s major residential, commercial, and industrial center. Commercial establishments in Santa Rosa City include Alabang Town Center, Festival Super-mall, Paseo de Santa Rosa, Laguna Technopark, Ayala Malls Solenad in NUVALI, Lakeside Evozone, One Evotech, and Two Evotech (office spaces for Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing companies).

For relaxation, leisure, and recreational activities, the following

Hillside Ridge | Guardhouse

Hillside Ridge | Clubhouse Pool

Hillside Ridge | Clubhouse Pool

are within close proximity to the area – Ayala Greenfield Golf and Leisure Club, Canlubang Golf and Country Club, Camp N at NUVALI, The Fields at NUVALI, and Seda Hotel NUVALI. Some of the country’s most reputable schools are also located within the vicinity, such as Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Brent International School, Miriam College NUVALI, De La Salle University – Canlubang, St. Scholastica’s College – Westgrove, Brent International School, and University of the Philippines Los Baños. The nearest hospitals to Santa Rosa are

The Medical City South Luzon and QualiMed Hospital Sta. Rosa.

Aside from Laguna, Cavite is a leading choice for people on the lookout for a location that is destined for growth. Silang, often associated as a stopover going to Tagaytay, has its own charm and pride with distinct garden restaurants, farms, and galleries or stores showcasing local talents. In Silang, you get to reconnect with nature while meeting passionate and talented people. Like Santa Rosa, Silang is thriving with residential communities nestled in serene, ecofriendly suburban environment.

Located within key proximity to these places of interests are Alveo Land’s Mondia NUVALI in Laguna, and Hillside Ridge in Silang, Cavite.

Mondia NUVALI in Laguna

Mondia NUVALI | Clubhouse Drop-off

An Ayala Land estate, NUVALI is the country’s first and largest thriving eco-city development located in the cities of Sta. Rosa, Calamba and the Municipality of Cabuyao in Laguna. All of which are part of the growth corridor of the CALABARZON Region.

NUVALI is home to nature amenities, business spaces, prestigious schools (Everest Academy, Miriam College, Xavier School), shopping centers, leisure destinations, and multiple residential communities, including signature addresses from Alveo Land.

Alveo offers a portfolio of thoughtfully-designed developments

that cater to the unique needs of its discerning market, and the growing demand for residential spaces in this area. It has been offering multiple developments in NUVALI through the years, including Treveia, Venare, Mirala, and Lumira.

Its latest development in NUVALI is Mondia, also located in the southern district of this estate.

This 48.8-hectare residential subdivision offers a distinct natural park environment that encourages outdoor family recreation. Now offering a fresh inventory of available lots, more families will get the opportunity to be part of this growing community.

Get to feel a sense of relaxation with Mondia’s diverse array of amenity features designed for achieving fitness goals or unleashing your inner athlete. Open spaces and pocket parks provide escapes for holistic wellness, and are a safe place for families and individuals to get outside and be active. More than encouraging physical benefits, these parks and recreation areas also have a positive impact on mental health.

Mondia boasts of 1.7 hectares of green space available for community gatherings, events, and outdoor activities and a clubhouse with approximately 1,000 square meters in floor space with an outdoor open area. There are indeed so many ways that residents can enjoy these spaces to build memories and strengthen family bonds together.

Mondia’s other amenities include swimming pools (lap pool and kiddie pool), basketball court, and jogging and biking trails.

Living in communities such as Mondia delivers everyday possibilities to accomplish and inspire.

Hillside Ridge in Cavite

Located further south is Hillside Ridge, a new destination to enjoy living close to nature, while still having the essentials within reach.

Just 55 kilometers from the Metro, Silang, Cavite area is a 50-hectare modern suburban lifestyle district, nestled between NUVALI and Tagaytay. This development is within a highly connect-

ed area, with various access points through major thoroughfares of the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, SLEX, and CALAX. Alveo Land, in partnership with Cathay Land, Inc., created this distinct collaboration within the first-class municipality of Silang.

Both had a shared vision of giving Southern residents a higher quality of life filled with comfort and ease.

Hillside Ridge is a 41-hectare, low density residential community, while Hillside Ridge Village Center is a 9.4-hectare upscale commercial district with vibrant lifestyle options and refreshing retail concepts.

Adjacent to the commercial district, Hillside Ridge unfolds a 41-hectare, low density subdivision in this developing area. With a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that inspires a deeper sense of community, this provides a safe environment to let kids explore and enjoy the wonders of nature.

Several studies have revealed that time spent by simply viewing nature is associated with a positive mood and psychological wellbeing, clarity, and vitality. Hillside Ridge also allows you to experience a slower yet more meaningful pace as you take the time to appreciate the view with family and friends.

This is the best antidote to “nature deprivation,” or lack of time in the natural world due to hours spent in front of computer screens.

At Hillside Ridge, every day is even more fulfilling with all the fun activities that can be enjoyed with family. Hillside Ridge’s amenities include the clubhouse with function rooms, swimming pools (Children’s Infinity Pool, Lap Pool, Lounge Pool), parks and open spaces, pocket parks, basketball court, kids’ play area, camping area, and jogging paths.

Your home is likely the biggest investment to make in your life.

Find your ideal choice with Alveo’s latest developments in the South.

To learn more about Alveo Land’s pre-selling residential lots in Mondia NUVALI and Hillside Ridge, visit www.alveoland.com.ph.

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A4 Tuesday, November 30, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

PHL, Singapore competition authorities ink accord for cross-border cooperation

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) to strengthen ties between the two authorities.

In a virtual ceremony, PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan signed the agreement with CCCS Chief Executive Aik Kor Sia, which seeks to conduct capacity-building exercises, staff training, market research collaborations and other joint activities.

The PCC said the MOU also provides a mechanism for both authorities to notify each other of anti-competitive cases of mutual interest, exchange information, and coordinate in the conduct of enforcement activities affecting both agencies.

“In the face of evolving challenges arising from the pandemic and the eventual road to recovery, we look at international cooperation as a critical leverage in pursuing effective cross-border competition enforcement and advocacy.

This partnership is deemed most valuable as we foster fair competition in our respective jurisdictions,” Balisacan said.

“Prior to the MOU, PCC and CCCS have worked together on several advocacy and enforcement fronts. Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the gains of our previous engagements and institutionalize our avenues for cooperation on matters of shared interest,” Balisacan added.

The PCC said it has previously collaborated with CCCS on dialogues and cases of common interest, including the Grab-Uber case in 2018 and the use of competition lenses in digital markets.

“Both agencies have also accommodated staff exchanges and participated in advocacy events, including the headlining of CCCS

executives at PCC’s Manila Forum on Competition in Developing Countries and its competition panel at the recent Philippine Economics Society Conference,” it said.

“Both agencies have also actively pursued opportunities for international cooperation in the Asean Experts Group on Competition and the International Competition Network. As host for this year’s East Asia Conference on Competition Law and Policy, Singapore also turned over the hosting duties to the Philippines next year,” it added.

The partnership is PCC’s 3rd with an international counterpart, although its ties with Singapore’s competition authority started in 2016.

BBM ‘qualified to run for President in polls’

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ORMER Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is qualified to run for president in the upcoming 2022 elections.

This was contained in a five-page answer to the summons issued by the CommissiononElectionsinconnection with the petition seeking to cancel Marcos’s Certificate of Candidacy (COC).

Marcos, through lawyer Estelito Mendoza, sought that the petition be expeditiously dismissed and that the same be heard by face-to-face argument instead of a virtual or video conference.

“Wherefore, it is respectfully prayed that the petition be dismissed.

On the matter of hearing the petition, considering that the petition refers

to the highest elective position in government and calls for the participation of the people in general, [it is respectfully prayed] that the petition be heard by face-to-face argument instead of a virtual or videoconference,” Marcos’s plea read.

The case stemmed from the petition to cancel Marcos’s COC lodged by Fr. Christian Buenafe and several others, claiming that the former senator cannot run for public office as he was convicted by a Quezon City court for his multiple failure to file his income tax return (ITR) from 1982 to 1985.

They argued that his conviction perpetually disqualified him from seeking any public office as the same involves moral turpitude.

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Creating shared value

By Henry J. Schumacher

W

HAT is the proper role of business in society?

The question certainly is not new. Debates about the private sector’s responsibility for its economic, social and environmental impacts have been raging since the dawn of capitalism.

What is new is the emerging global consensus that business is the engine of economic growth and international development, and that business can and must play an indispensable role alongside government, civil society and communities to solve complex, global (and local) challenges like hunger (food security), poverty (inclusive growth), inequality (wealth sharing), unemployment (dignity comes with a job) and climate change (renewable energy).

The role of business in society is highly contested ground. Private sector firms—from leading multinational corporations to small and growing businesses to start-up social enterprises—have unique and essential assets and capabilities to combating major global (and local) challenges. But there are also questions and concerns about how, when, where and why the private sector engages in development. For those of us involved in this debate, it is clear that power structures, motives, performance measures and clarity of definitions matter. Without that clarity, we will never find ourselves on the same page and will lose energy in debating rather than in doing.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Creating Shared Value (CSV) practices offer differing perspectives: do these efforts actually contribute to the sustainable welfare of communities and community members?

You can see the influence of the CSR movement by looking at today’s business language: corporate citi-

zenship; sustainability; triple bottom line; ESG (environmental, social and governance); inclusive business; cause related marketing (CRM); propoor value chains; bottom of the pyramid business models (BOP); socially responsible investing and impact investing; social enterprise; social purpose, public-private partnerships; green economy; collective impact; license to operate / license to lead; corporate ethics (integrity); and corporate volunteerism and employee engagement.

C reat i ng sh a red va lue h a s gained credibility, legitimacy and momentum as a new way of doing business. Shared value has meanwhile spread beyond the private sector to governments, NGOs, civil society and academia.

CSR is fundamentally about taking resources from the business and investing those resources in being a good corporate citizen: recycling, giving money to social causes, reporting on social and environmental impact, and engaging employees in community work. CSV is aimed at changing how the core business operates—strategy, structure, people, processes and rewards—in order to deliver triple bottom line returns.

The fundamental distinction is that CSR is about doing something separate from the business and CSV is about integrating social and environmental impact into the business, using that integration to drive economic value. Forward thinking businesses want to be part of the solution in tackling the complex problems facing our world. Companies and employees know that charitable donations are important. However, they want to expand their engagement so that their core business models improve the well-being of people and the planet, reduce or eliminate negative externalities, and earn a profit.

In conclusion, we are all called upon to ramp up our CSR and CSV efforts on complex local (and global) problems. There is no question that the pandemic has made the focus on social responsibility and shared services much more important. In my dialogues with friends, business partners, family members, neighbors, etc, challenges like hunger (food security), poverty (inclusive growth), inequality (wealth sharing), unemployment (dignity comes with a job) and climate change (renewable energy) are discussed and efforts to find solutions are made.

Feedback is appreciated; please contact me at hjschumacher59@gmail.

AFP beefs up combat capability to deliver ‘final blow’ to rebels

By Rene Acosta

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@reneacostaBM

HE Army is expecting the delivery of its new howitzers next year, while the Navy may receive its brand-new corvettes as the military steps up its modernization program in its counterinsurgency drive.

Thesustainmentofthemodernization program,principallyforterritorialdefense, and the campaign against the communist rebels under the military’s internal security operations are the key goals of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Andres Centino.

President Duterte issued marching orders for the armed forces to end the insurgency problem before the end of his term next year, and military officials believed the goal is doable, owing to what they said were the steady stream of rebel surrenders and the neutralization of rebel leaders.

According to Centino, the military is already on the tailend of the second horizon of its modernization program, which will give the Army next year its artilleries and 155 howitzers, the Navy with two brand-new corvettes and the Air Force with medium-lift aircraft, including C-295 and even attack helicopters.

The Air Force even said that its order comprising of Turkish-made attack helicopters would begin arriving in December this year following the completion

of its Black Hawk procurement project, of which 16 units have been delivered.

The modernization program of the military is divided into three horizons, with the second horizon ending next year and the third horizon beginning in 2023 and ending in 2028.

“Second horizon is actually the transition from our internal security operations...we will be transitioning to developing our capacities to address our territorial defense challenges,” Centino said during the “Laging Handa” news briefing.

“In the Philippine Navy, we will be having submarines, missile systems and communications, which is important to us, C4ISTAR systems, there will be deliveries,” he added.

Centino said the “most urgent” and most important task that the military will do is to comply with the task given to them by the Commander in Chief to end local armed conflict within his term.

“That is barely seven months from now, and by doing that we will also be ensuring that in the coming months nearing [the] elections, we will have a situation wherein we are capable to facilitate the conduct of the safe, secured fair elections,” he said.

Thechiefofstaffisoptimistictheycould comply with Duterte’s order, noting that they only have about 43 guerrilla fronts of theNewPeople’sArmytodismantlebefore the President steps down from the Palace.

BUILD, build, build A BusinessMirror Special Feature

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President Duterte’s legacy Bringing life to the Build, Build, Build Program

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By Leony R. Garcia

he Build, Build, Build (BBB) Program is the centerpiece program of the Duterte administration which aims to usher in the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” in the Philippines.

The program seeks to accelerate public infrastructure expenditure from an average of 2.9 of the gross domestic product (GDP) during the Aquino regime to about 7.3 percent at the end of the Duterte administration. This will cost around P8 trillion to P9 trillion from 2016 to 2022 to address the huge infrastructure backlog in the country.

As the lead agency in the implementation of the BBB Program, Public Works and Highways Acting Secretary Roger Mercado pointed out that investments on infrastructure will be the key drivers in bolstering economic development in the new normal economy.

As the country’s engineering and construction arm, DPWH kept its commitment in the development and implementation of projects. From July 2016 to September 2021, the department has so far constructed, maintained, widened and rehabilitated a total of 31,977 kms of roads; 6,333 bridges that were either widened, upgraded or rehabilitated and 12,394 flood mitigation structures.

The ongoing flagship programs, which will be carried over to the new administration, include the

30 kilometer (km) Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Project-Phase I; widening of 24.61 km Arterial (Plaridel) Bypass Road; improvement and maintenance of 1,088.23 km of arterial national roads under the Road Upgrading and Preservation Project; 45.5 km Davao City Bypass Construction Project including a 2.3 km two-tube mountain tunnel; Marawi Transcentral Road with completed 18.78 km and ongoing 18.97 km; 3.3 km CebuMactan 4th Bridge with 4.9 km Mandaue Coastal Road; 37.60 km Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project and Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project with a total length of 230.22 km including the 540 meter Guicam Bridge in Zamboanga Peninsula and three other bridges with a total length of 1.790 km in the Island Province of Tawi-Tawi.

Other programs include Emergency Assistance for Reconstruction and Recovery of Marawi covering 21.87 km of road including 1.6 km Malabang Viaduct, construction of three bridges along Rorogagus Road, and five other projects; 18.65 km Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project; 1.481 km BGC-

Ortigas Center Link Road Project; 21 km Boracay Circumferential Road; 17.35 km Davao City Coastal Road; two bridges under Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project; 32 km Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge; three priority bridges with a total length of 2.99 km crossing Marikina River; 3.17 km Panguil Bay Bridge that will re-

duce travel time between Tubod in Lanao Del Norte and Tangub City in Misamis Occidental from 2.5 hours to just 7 minutes; 32.47 km PanayGuimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project; 3.98 km Samal Island to Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project; and Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project Phase 4.

The public infrastructure proj-

e c t s a mou nt i n g to P 2 . 5 t r i l lion from 2016 to 2020 were accomplished under the leadership of Secretary Mark A. Villar, who, the agency noted, “has implemented almost threefold more projects than any administration in the last five decades.”

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President Duterte’s legacy Bringing life to the Build, Build, Build Program

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On top of these, the DPWH also built 770 We Heal as One Centers which include facilities for Mega Community Quarantine, Isolation, Off-site Dormitories and Modular Hospitals in response to the country’s Covid-19 mitigation process.

The agency also completed 222 new evacuation centers that are now benefiting calamity-stricken communities and areas with high cases of Covid-19.

The Department has also completed 133 structures to enhance the capability and readiness of the military police under the TIKAS program (Tatag at Imprastraktura Para Sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad).

Meanwhile, a total of 150,149 classrooms were also built to aid public schools with classroom shortages nationwide. School workshop buildings were likewise built all over the country to assist students and teachers with a total of 949 buildings

in Luzon, 464 buildings in Visayas, and 651 buildings in Mindanao. A total of 498 kilometers of bike lanes have also been completed Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao in accordance with the National Transport Policy (NTP).

Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Program

Highlighted in the DPWH performance report is the agency’s Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Program which includes the Edsa Decongestion Program. Built were 11 bridges for a total of 9,157 kilometers and 14 roads/expressways for a total of 121.8 kilometers.

Leading the list is the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, the elevated expressway from Buendia, Makati City, to the Northern Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City.

The Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road (Lawton Avenue) project involves the widening of the 3.3 km Nichols Field Road from four to six

lanes. Once completed, travel time between Slex and Edsa/C-5 will be reduced from an hour to 30 minutes.

BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road Project is composed of Sta. MonicaLawton Bridge connecting Lawton Ave. in Makati City and Sta. Monica St. in Pasig City and the rehabilitation and widening of Brixton (corner Reliance St.) to Fairlane St. Lawton Ave.-Global City Viaduct. Kalayaan Bridge opened last June 12, 2012. Travel time between Bonifacio Global City and Ortigas Central Business District was reduced to just 12 minutes.

Luzon Spine Expressway Network (LSEN) Program

This 1,001 kilometers project is expected to reduce from the travel time from Ilocos to Bicol from 20 hours to just nine hours.

The Central Luzon Link Expressway is a 30 km four-lane expressway from Tarlac City to Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. Travel time be-

tween Tarlac and Cabanatuan is reduced from 70 minutes to 20 minutes and it beneftted 11,200 motorists per day from this completed project.

T he t wo-phased A rter ia l Road By-Pass (Plaridel) Project, (Phase II & III) will reduce average travel time between Burol, Balagtas and Maasim, San Rafael in Bulacan from 69 minutes to 24 minutes. It will benefit 15,000 motorists per day.

Phase II includes the construction of 8.76 km by-pass road with three bridges (1,198.72 m) while Phase III includes the widening of the 22.46 km bypass road from two to four lanes including 10 bridges (1,459.34 l.m.), three flyovers, drainage facilities and slope stabilization works.

The completed Nlex Harbor Segment 10 connecting McArthur Highway and C-3 also reduced travel time from 1 hour to 5 minutes from Valenzuela to Caloocan City and is seen to benefit 20,000 motorists per day.

Travel time from Port Area to Nlex was also reduced from 60 minutes to 10 minutes via Nlex Harbor Link C3-R10 section. This link is seen to benefit 30,000 motorists per day.

Naia-Ex, Phase II is an expressway from the endpoint of Naia Expressway Phase I to PAGCOR Entertainment City.

It provided access to Naia Terminals 1, 2, and 3 as well as an interface with the Skyway and Cavitex. Travel time from Slex to Naia was reduced from 1 hour to 20 minutes. This benefits 80,000 travelers per day.

The Manila Cavite Toll Expressway Project, C-5 South Link Expressway traverses R-1 Expressway to Slex/C5. Once completed, travel time from R-1 Expressway to Slex/C5 will be reduced from 40 minutes to 10 minutes.

The Mindanao Avenue Extension (Segment 2C) will connect the areas of Valenzuela,

North Caloocan, Quezon City (Novaliches) and Nlex. Travel time between Quirino Highway and General Luis Road will be reduced from 1 hour and 30 minutes to 20 minutes once completed.

Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, C-6 (Phase I) connects the toll road from Skyway/FTI in Taguig City to Batasan Complex in Quezon City. Once completed, it will reduce travel time from Bicutan to Batasan from 1 hour 50 minutes to 26 minutes.

It will benefit around 42,477 to 88,338 motorists per day.

Lag una Lake Highway is a four-lane divided highway with 3-meter-wide bike lane, lay-by, sidewalk, U-Turn slots, slope protection, the drainage system, street lights, and road safety devices. Once completed as scheduled on May 2022, travel time from Taytay to Bicutan will be reduced from 1 hour to 30 minutes.

Philippine High Standard Highway Network Program

Meanwhile, the Philippine High Standard Highway Network Program has completed 1,262 kilometer of road projects including Luzon Spine Expressway Network, Cebu High Standard Highway Network, and Davao High Standard Highway Network.

The Davao City By-Pass Construction Project includes the construction of a 4 lane–45.5 km highway (two lanes each direction), including two-2.3 km mountain tunnels, two Cut and Cover Tunnels (315 m and 130 m) at Cabantian Intersection and a 600 m underpass along Davao-Bukidnon Road Intersection. With this, travel time between Brgy. Sirawan in Toril District Davao City and Brgy. J.P. Laurel in Panabo City will be reduced from 1 hour and 44 minutes via Pan-Philippine Highway Diversion Road to 49 minutes via Davao City Bypass.

The Davao City Coastal Road is a 18.50 km project which involves the construction/opening/asphalt paving of a 23-meter wide 4-lane road (with Bicycle lane), with slope protection including the construction of bridges. Will reduce travel time from Toril to Poblacion from 45 minutes to 15 minutes.

Inter-Island Linkage/Mega Bridge Program

This project is composed of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (32.15 km), Panglao-Tagbilaran City Offshore Connector Bridge (2.71 km), Guicam Bridge (0.54 km), 3 Tawi-Tawi Bridges (1.79 km), Panay-Guimaras-Negros Link Bridge (32.47 km), CebuMactan Bridge and Coastal Road Construction Project (3.3 km), Panguil Bay Bridge (3.17 km), and Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge (3.98 km).

Scheduled to be completed in December 2023, the Panguil Bay Bridge project will connect the City of Tangub in Misamis Occidental to the Municipality of Tubod in Lanao del Norte.

Meanwhile, the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Link Bridge is composed of two sea-crossing bridges including connecting roads and interchanges that will connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros. Travel time between Iloilo (Panay) and Buenavista (Guimaras) will be reduced from 45 minutes to 10 minutes.

Despite the pandemic, the current administration is determined to finish the majority of its infrastructure projects. By the end of the Duterte administration, the DPWH is expected to have accomplished 5,134 kilometers of road construction, rehabilitation, and widening; 1,859 bridge rehabilitation, retrofitting, replacement, and widening; 4,155 flood-control projects; 17,647 more classrooms, 186 school workshop buildings, and 99 evacuation centers.

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DOTr caps off term on a high note

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nder the Build, Build, Build initiative of the Duterte administration, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was able to “successfully initiate a transformation” of the country’s many roads and highways. With Secretary Arthur Tugade at the helm, the DOTr completed many of its intended projects, including but not limited to 214 airport projects,451 seaport projects and many others.

As of 2021, the DOTr reported that they have 100 ongoing airport projects, which include the Clark International Airport’s new Terminal Building, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Sangley, Kalibo, Dumaguete, Ormoc, Tuguegarao, Camiguin, Tacloban, General Santos, Catanduanes, Zamboanga, Calbayog, the CNS/ATM and Camiguin.

Meanwhile, 101 maritime projects are currently under way, in-

cluding the ports of Tagbilaran, Tubigon, and Maribojoc in Bohol; the ports of Borac, San Fernando, and Bataraza in Palawan; the ports of Dumaguete, Limasawa and Ormoc; and the Ports of General Santos, Babak in Davao Del Norte and Cantillan in Surigao in Mindanao.

“We have also initiated the modernization of our Philippine Coast Guard [PCG], in terms of assets and personnel, as well as the digitization of our port systems through the

Philippine Ports Authority [PPA],” said Tugade.

At the same time, under the Land Transportation Office (LTO), 10year valid driver’s licenses for drivers with no infractions have been issued along wwith the free and online comprehensive driver’s education program, and the P1-billion fuel subsidy for 136,000 public-utility vehicles (PUV) drivers and operators.

As for railways, the DOTr has completed the Light Rail Tran-

sit Line 2 (LRT-2) East Extension Project. They are also working on extending the LRT Line 1 (LRT-1) and the rehabilitation of Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) and MRT Line 3 (MRT-3). Other projects outside of Metro Manila include the North-South Commuter Railway (Calamba to Clark), Philippine National Railways (PNR) Bicol, and the Mindanao Railway.

“The collective sense of urgency, purpose, and honesty inculcated

have reinvigorated our people to perform with diligence and responsibility,” said Tugade. For him, these projects would not have been possible if it was not for the “accountability, transparency, and commitment” of its many employees.

“I consider an execution of the shared values, like the value of punctuality, as a strong foundation for our success. Equally important is our uncompromising drive against corruption and red tape,” he said.

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Tuesday, November 30, 2021

TheWorld BusinessMirror

More Omicron cases detected as world rushes to learn more

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HE HAGUE, Netherlands— Cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus.

The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. But many countries rushed to act, reflecting anxiety about anything that could prolong the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people.

Israel decided to bar entry to foreigners, and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday—among the most drastic of a growing raft of travel curbs being imposed by nations around the world as they scrambled to slow the variant’s spread.

Scientists in several places— from Hong Kong to Europe to

North America—have confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 Omicron cases on Sunday, and both Canada and Australia each found two.

Noting that the variant has already been detected in many countries and that closing borders often has limited effect, the World Health Organization called for frontiers to remain open.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, meanwhile, emphasized that there is no data yet that suggests the new variant causes more serious illness than previous Covid-19 variants.

“I do think it’s more contagious when you look at how rapidly it spread through multiple districts in South Africa. It has the earmarks therefore of being

Travelers walk with their luggage in the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 28, 2021. Israel on Sunday approved barring entry to foreign nationals and the use of controversial technology for contact tracing as part of its efforts to clamp down on a new coronavirus variant. AP/Ariel Schalit

particularly likely to spread from one person to another.… What we don’t know is whether it can compete with Delta,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Collins echoed several experts in saying the news should make everyone redouble their efforts to use the tools the world already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures such as mask-wearing.

“I know, America, you’re really tired about hearing those things, but the virus is not tired of us,” Collins said.

The Dutch public health authority confirmed that 13 people who arrived from South Africa on Friday have so far tested positive for Omicron. They were among 61 people who tested positive for the virus after arriving on the last two flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport before a flight ban was implemented. They were immediately put into isolation, most at a nearby hotel.

C a n a d a’s he a lt h m i n i s t e r says t he cou nt r y ’s f i rst t wo cases of Omicron were found in Ontario after two individuals who had recently traveled from Nigeria tested positive.

Authorities in Australia said two travelers who arrived in Sydney from Africa became the first in the country to test positive for the new variant. Arrivals from nine African countries are now required to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival. Two German states reported a total of three cases in returning travelers over the weekend.

Israel moved to ban entry by foreigners and mandate quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad.

And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that Japan is considering stepping up border controls. Kishida told reporters that he planned to announce new measures in addition to the current 10-day quarantine requirement for travelers from South Africa and eight other nearby countries. Japan still has its border closed to foreign tourists from any country.

Morocco’s Foreign Ministr y tweeted Sunday that all incoming air travel to the North African country would be suspended to “preser ve the achievements realized by Morocco in the fight against the pandemic, and to protect the health of citizens.”

Morocco has been at the forefront of vaccinations in Africa, and kept its borders closed for months in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The US plans to ban travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries start-

ing Monday. “It’s going to give us a period of time to enhance our preparedness,” the United States’ top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said of the ban on ABC’s “This Week.”

Many countries are introducing such bans, though they go against the advice of the WHO, which has warned against any overreaction before the variant is thoroughly studied.

Fauci says it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of Omicron, according to a statement from the White House.

South A fr ica’s gover nment responded angrily to the travel bans, which it said are “akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker.”

The WHO sent out a statement saying it “stands with African nations” and noting that travel restrictions may play “a role in slightly reducing the spread of Covid-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.” It said if restrictions are put in place, they should be scientifically based and not intrusive.

In Europe, much of which already has been struggling recently with a sharp increase in cases, officials were on guard.

The UK on Saturday tightened rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two Omicron cases, but British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government was nowhere near reinstituting work from home or more severe socialdistancing measures.

“We know now those types of measures do carry a very heavy price, both economically, socially, in terms of non-Covid health outcomes such as impact on mental health,” he told Sky News.

Spain announced it won’t admit unvaccinated British visitors starting December 1. Italy was going through lists of airline passengers who arrived in the past two weeks. France is continuing to push vaccinations and booster shots.

David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government adviser on the pandemic in Hong Kong, agreed with that strategy.

He said the two people who tested positive for the Omicron variant had received the Pfizer vaccine and exhibited very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.

“Vaccines should work but there would be some reduction in effectiveness,” he said. AP

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

WHO criticizes travel bans on southern African nations

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OHANNESBURG—The World Health Organization on Sunday urged countries around the world not to impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new Omicron variant.

WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, called on countries to follow science and international health regulations in order to avoid using travel restrictions.

“Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of Covid-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” Moeti said in a statement.

“If restrictions are implemented, they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and should be scientifically based, according to the International Health Regulations, which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognized by over 190 nations.”

Moeti praised South Africa for following international health regulations and informing WHO as soon as its national laboratory identified the Omicron variant.

“The speed and transparency of the South African and Botswana governments in informing the world of the new variant is to be commended,” said Moeti. “WHO stands with African countries which had the courage to boldly share life-saving public health information, helping protect the world against the spread of Covid-19.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the restrictions “completely unjustified.”

“The prohibition of travel is not informed by science, nor will it be effective in preventing the spread of this variant,” he said in a speech Sunday evening. “The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries, and undermine the ability to respond to, and also to recover from, the pandemic.”

Cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders

even as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus.

While investigations continue into the Omicron variant, WHO recommends that all countries “take a risk-based and scientific approach and put in place measures which can limit its possible spread.”

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, emphasized that there is no data yet that suggests the new variant causes more serious illness than previous Covid-19 variants.

“I do think it’s more contagious, when you look at how rapidly it spread through multiple districts in South Africa,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Israel decided to bar entry to foreigners, and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday— among the most drastic of a growing raft of travel curbs being imposed as nations scrambled to slow the variant’s spread. Scientists in several places—from Hong Kong to Europe—have confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 Omicron cases on Sunday, and Australia found two.

The US plans to ban travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries starting Monday.

“With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity,” said Moeti. “Covid-19 constantly exploits our divisions.

We will only get the better of the virus if we work together for solutions.”

WHO said it is scaling up its support for genomic sequencing in Africa so sequencing laboratories have access to adequate human resources and testing reagents to work at full capacity. WHO also said it is ready to offer additional help, reinforcing Covid-19 responses including surveillance, treatment, infection prevention and community engagement in southern African countries. AP

Virus curbs from Japan to Spain wreak havoc on global air travel

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irlines, passengers and businesses had to respond to a deluge of travel restrictions announced over the weekend to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

An initial spate of flight bans from southern Africa, where Omicron was first detected, gave way to wider-ranging measures that will make travel more expensive and less convenient—if possible at all—recalling earlier days in the pandemic.

From Tuesday, Japan will ban foreign visitors until more is known about the variant, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in Tokyo on Monday.

The UK reintroduced mandatory PCR tests for all arriving passengers and said they must selfisolate until receiving a negative result. Israel closed to all inbound foreign nationals for 14 days, the Philippines said travelers from European countries including Switzerland and the Netherlands won’t be welcome for several weeks, and Singapore delayed the launch of vaccinated travel lanes with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Spain and Switzerland tightened access for arrivals from Britain, whose travel comeback has quickly been thrown into reverse. UK low-cost carrier EasyJet Plc said Sunday its flight schedule was operating as normal, “however we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

While the full impact will get

clearer over the coming days, “this will be problematic for business travel—particularly inbound into the UK,” said Martin Ferguson, a spokesman for American Express Global Business Travel.

Travel dilemma

Organizers of the World Aviation Festival in London told attendees the event will go on as scheduled starting Tuesday, the day the new UK rules come into effect. The group arranged for testing at two nearby hotels where delegates who are guests can self-isolate while awaiting results.

A separate, internal corporate event in the UK was shifted to hybrid from in-person, because the new testing and isolation requirements would have caught out some attendees set to arrive on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Negative incentives

Leisure travel will also see an impact, while friends and relatives visiting loved ones after long absences are more likely to go through with a trip, said Alex Irving, an analyst at Bernstein in London.

“Christmas bookings will obviously be weaker than we had expected prior to the Omicron variant,” he said. “As you add barriers to travel such as the PCR tests and isolation requirements, all that does is changes the incentives.

Bloomberg News

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as Omicron spreads

TheWorld BusinessMirror

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OKYO—Japan announced Monday it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors from around the world as a new coronavirus variant spreads.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said

the measure will take effect Tuesday.

The decision means Japan will restore border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers.

Over the weekend, Japan tightened entry restrictions for people arriving from South Africa and eight other countries, requiring them to undergo a 10-day quarantine period at government-designated

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

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facilities.

Many countries have moved to tighten their borders after the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus was found in a number of nations. AP

A10 Tuesday, November 30, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Philippines needs more ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’

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he Department of Health told a media briefing on Friday that government plans to administer 15 million Covid-19 doses for the three-day nationwide vaccination drive—dubbed “Bayanihan, Bakunahan”—from November 29 to December 1. On Saturday, the National Task Force Against Covid-19 and the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) issued a joint statement saying the government has lowered its target output for the national vaccination drive due to a shortage of syringes for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and other ancillary supplies.

“From the original plan of administering 15 million Covid-19 doses for the three-day activity, we have decided to administer 9 million jabs.

Hence, the daily national throughput target will be 3 million doses,” the NTF and NVOC said.

As of November 27, more than 35.5 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, and 45.3 million have received their first dose. We are still a long way from vaccinating the majority of the population. The good news is that another nationwide vaccination drive will take place on December 15 to 17, which will help the government achieve its goal of completing the vaccination of 54 million Filipinos by the end of the year.

With the emergence of new Covid variants that could drive the pandemic threat to a new level, we need to do a series of nationwide vaccination and booster campaigns. Health experts said at least 70 percent of the population must get the jab before we achieve herd immunity.

South African scientists last week identified a new version of the coronavirus that they say is behind a recent spike in Covid-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases surge to 2,465 on Thursday. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples from the outbreak and discovered the new variant.

On Friday, the World Health Organization declared the recently discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern and named it Omicron. The agency warned that Omicron could pose greater risk than the Delta variant, which was first detected in India and currently ravaging European countries. Health officials are not sure where Omicron actually originated, but it has been seen in travellers from Southern Africa to Australia, Belgium, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, and Hong Kong. WHO also said early evidence on the variant has shown an increased risk of reinfection compared to other highly transmissible variants, indicating that people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could catch it again with Omicron.

Following the WHO announcement, major travel destinations including the US, European Union, Canada, Japan and Australia swiftly moved to block flights from African countries to prevent the spread of the new variant. The Philippines also temporarily suspended flights from countries with cases of the Omicron variant.

We are still living in dangerous times. Most everyone should know the drill by now. If we are going to contain the spread of the new Covid variants, we are going to have to rely on the same public health measures that have served us well up until now. We hope the Omicron variant won’t reach Philippine shores. But assuming it does, there’s no need to panic. Even if it is more infectious than the Delta variant, your risk of being infected substantially decreases if you get vaccinated, avoid crowded places, stay home, wear face mask, keep your distance and wash your hands.

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tions of millions of Filipinos living below the poverty line. Giving the unfortunate among us the chance to break the poverty cycle is already an accomplishment. We can do this if we find solutions to augment the earnings of farmers and fishermen in the countryside, create employment opportunities for the jobless, and provide housing to the homeless.

An economy will grow stronger if the government implements a massive infrastructure program that generates employment, stabilizes prices and attracts more domestic and foreign investments. These, in turn, create political stability. No nation will be politically stable if the economy is floundering. The population will be restive if many are unemployed and do not have the means to feed their family.

The current administration managed to keep the economy above waters in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.

The economy did not collapse despite the closure of many business estab-

lishments, although the quarantines and lockdowns took away many jobs.

Throughout the pandemic and amid a wave of rating downgrades worldwide, the Philippines kept its investment grade credit ratings.

Our solid macroeconomic fundamentals have saved us despite the prolonged impact of the global health crisis. The inflation and the exchange rates are fairly stable, while the gross international reserves are near the $110-billion mark. A stable banking system, record-low interest rates and a 7.1-percent economic growth in the third quarter all point to a strong recovery next year.

Following the 12-percent gross domestic product expansion in the second quarter this year, the third quarter growth rate of 7.1 percent is among the highest in Southeast Asia.

I have confidence that the Philippine economy will strongly bounce back next year given our success in containing Covid-19 and the increasing vaccination rate. Consumer

Manny B. Villar

THE Entrepreneur

B

The new set of leaders will basically face the same challenges that hounded previous administrations—poverty, housing lack, income disparity, peace and order mainly in the South, traffic congestion and unemployment. The current administration did fairly well in finding solutions to these problems but we all know that it will take any government more than six years to address and overcome all these problems.

For starters, entrepreneurs like me want stable economic policies that will not deviate sharply from the current ones. They should promote investments to generate jobs, and ease the rules of doing business instead of discouraging businessmen. Continuity, for me, is key to governance.

The new administration foremost should improve the plight of millions of poor Filipinos. As I’ve espoused in the past, the new chief executive should alleviate the living condi-

‘Filconomics’

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso

Chairman of the Board President Advertising Sales Manager Group Circulation Manager

usinessmen and entrepreneurs like me look forward to the presidential elections in 2022 because they will bring a new set of leaders who will guide our nation to further progress. The incoming chief executive will bring with him or her a set of political, economic and social agenda that aims to address the nation’s problems.

An expanding economy with solid macroeconomic fundamentals is the reward for the country’s next president. As I’ve written in this column before, the next president of the Philippines will have a much easier time than what President Rodrigo Duterte is going through right now. But he or she must still buckle down to work to improve the lot of many Filipinos.

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Senior Editors

Creative Director Chief Photographer

Economic growth and political stability

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

H

ere are a few quotations that I particularly like.

“The curious mind embraces science; the gifted and sensitive, the arts; the practical, business; the leftover becomes an economist.”—Nassim Nicholas Taleb, PhD. “An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.”—Laurence J. Peter, PhD.

“The master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts. He must be mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher.”—John Maynard Keynes; Master-Economist, B.A. The most dangerous man in the world is someone who has nothing to lose followed by the man who has something to prove. Both would be willing to tear off their left arm and beat you to death with it under the right circumstances.

Jean Valjean, the protagonist of Les Misérables, spends 19 years in Toulon prison to feed the nearstarving children of his sister. Mega novelist Stephen King had his first published book Carrie rejected 30 times.

However, in this day and age, an “academic economist” who has never had to meet a payroll, figure out how to make a company turn a profit, or sacrifice the family’s well being for the sake of the business is

For the last months, the US academic experts have been saying that their current inflation is “transitory,” meaning it will soon go away. It won’t. Fortunately, the Philippines’s economic advisors and those with economic authority—the BSP, the DOF and Neda—can be trusted because they understand “Filconomics.” the greatest danger.

An “academic economist” is a person who has learned about how an economy comprised of workers, business entrepreneurs, producers, and consumers by reading a book.

And that book has been written by another “academic economist” who has never had to meet a payroll, figure out how to make a company turn a profit, or sacrifice the family’s well being for the sake of a business.

As I have said countless times, the two subjects that the average person knows little about is the human body and health and money and

spending is back after the economic reopening and I expect an increasing trend with the opening of face-toface classes.

Tourism, meanwhile, will have strong bounce back after the government decided last week to welcome fully-vaccinated tourists from most countries starting this week, or nearly 20 months after the Philippines closed down its borders to stem the virus infection. Foreign tourists are a boon to the economy.

Aside from the foreign exchange they spend on our shores, foreign tourists help host communities by creating jobs and providing income to hotel establishments and small business operations, such as restaurants and souvenir shops.

This development is also a welcome relief for our millions of overseas Filipino workers who have been stranded abroad because of the pandemic. These returning OFWs, too, will spur spending in shopping malls and fast-food establishments, and investments in the real estate sector.

An expanding economy with solid macroeconomic fundamentals is the reward for the country’s next president. As I’ve written in this column before, the next president of the Philippines will have a much easier time than what President Rodrigo Duterte is going through right now. But he or she must still buckle down to work to improve the lot of many Filipinos.

For comments, send e-mail to mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph or visit www.mannyvillar. com.ph

how an economy properly functions.

Therefore, persons who can—with some apparent credibility—present themselves as experts can be listened to without much questioning or objection. That is dangerous.

Currently, inflation is a much greater problem than low or no economic growth. Inflation is like looking into the small bag of rice that is still in the cupboard and finding it filled with maggots. Inflation is saving for a rainy day and when that day comes it is not rain; it is a typhoon.

For the last months, the US academic experts have been saying that their current inflation is “transitory,” meaning it will soon go away. It won’t.

Fortunately, the Philippines’s economic advisors and those with economic authority—the BSP, the DOF and Neda—can be trusted because they understand “Filconomics.”

The “book” says there are three types of inflation: Demand-Pull, Cost-Push, and Built-In inflation.

The first two make the sari-sari store owner raise prices to adjust.

See “Mangun,” A11

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Local business tax obligations of administrative offices Atty. Jomel N. Manaig

Tax Law for Business

A

mong the powers granted to local government units is the power to create their own sources of revenues. This is provided in no less than the Constitution. The prevailing law in local taxation is included on the Local Government Code of 1991 (LGC).

Unlike the national internal revenue taxes where there is only one implementing agency, the power of local taxation is devolved in each local government unit. And that local taxation is implemented through local tax ordinances enacted by LGUs, which shall govern the taxation of their respective subjects.

As a basic principle, local tax ordinances should conform to the limitations provided in the LGC. Thus, the basic reference in the crafting of local tax ordinances should still be the LGC. Yet there are a number of instances where the local tax ordinances deviate from the guidelines provided in the LGC. These often lead to disputes between the LGU and its constituents— the taxpayers. And sometimes, even if there is no difference between the LGC and the ordinance, the manner of implementation or the interpretation leads to controversies. If that happens, the basic guidelines in the LGC should prevail.

Indeed, a review of some court decisions would show several instances where taxpayers differed with their provincial, city or municipal treasurers. These disputes include the timing on the collection of taxes, tax base on the imposition of local business taxes, double leverage on the same subject, challenges on the authority of the LGU to impose tax on certain taxpayers and transactions, articles or types of revenues, and many others. And the same issues arise every now and then.

It is not unusual for businesses to have their plants, branches, warehouses, extension offices, administrative offices, sales offices and other business activities located in multiple local government jurisdictions. And it is the tendency of LGUs to impose local business taxes on business presence located within their respective jurisdictions, without regard to the functions that they do within those premises. But are all of these locations liable for local business taxes?

Since the local tax season is a few weeks from now, let me discuss a new case decided by the Court of Tax Appeals. I am referring to the taxation of business offices without sales functions. In CTA AC No. 218, October 12, 2021, the liability of administrative offices for local business tax was put into test.

That case involves a taxpayer with a principal place of business located in one of the municipalities just outside Metro Manila. However, it maintains an administrative office in one of the cities in the metropolis. That city sought to impose local business tax on the administrative office. The case was elevated to the Courts on the issue of whether or not the administrative office is liable to local business tax.

And the verdict is clear. To be subject to local business tax, one must regularly engage in trade or commercial activity as a means of livelihood or with a view to profit. A mere administrative office that does not conduct business operations or any commercial activity that separately generates revenue in a locality is not liable to business tax in that locality.

In addition, the type or classification of business registration for which an entity is registered with the LGU should not matter. Neither is the fact that an office may possibly engage in business activities in that office does not affect the

As emphasized by the Courts, local business taxes can only be imposed on separate or distinct establishment or place only where business is conducted, or only where there is a trade or commercial activity regularly engaged in by the taxpayer, as a means of livelihood or with a view to profit. taxation of that office. In that case, the office was registered as “service establishment—other independent contractor.” But again, the Courts ruled that the determining factor is the actual conduct of business. The classification of registration is not controlling. Also, the capability or possibility of engaging in business is not sufficient for the imposition of local business tax. This can only be imposed if there are actual sales or receipts generated, not on the possibility of generating sales/receipts.

LGUs have all the reasons to whine.

Indeed, the presence in any jurisdiction contributes to the worries of that LGU. For instance, I’ve heard one city treasurer complain that the presence of these offices, regardless of the nature of activities conducted in those offices, somehow contribute to the traffic woes in that area. And when emergency happens, the city does not discriminate against establishments that are not paying local taxes.

I fully understand the concerns of LGUs. Afterall, every function of an entity, even if not directly related to the generation of revenues, contributes to the overall success of a business. And for that matter, an entity will not establish an office in a locality if not needed for its business. Why should an LGU then be deprived of charging contributions for all businesses present within its jurisdiction, regardless of the nature of activities?

But that is not how the existing laws are crafted. As emphasized by the Courts, local business taxes can only be imposed on separate or distinct establishment or place only where business is conducted, or only where there is a trade or commercial activity regularly engaged in by the taxpayer, as a means of livelihood or with a view to profit. In fact, a branch or sales office may only be treated as such when there is trade or commercial activity regularly engaged in by the taxpayer, as a means of livelihood or with a view to profit, in such establishment or place. Otherwise, there is no authority to impose tax.

If LGUs need these to be changed, the remedy is through legislation, and not through denial of business permits or imposition of assessments.

Meanwhile, LGUs should refrain from imposing local business taxes on administrative offices and other types of business presence if the office is not involved in the generation of profits for the enterprise.

The author is a senior associate of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law), a memberfirm of WTS Global.

The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at jomel.manaig@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 403-2001 local 380.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 A11

The Robot as a Poet Laureate Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

O

n the 700th death anniversary of Dante Alighieri, the great Italian poet who wrote the “Divine Comedy,” he had a special guest. She’s Ai-da, the first robot who read and performed poetry in public that were written by its own AI algorithms. The performance was held last Friday at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum.

Ai-da was completed in 2019 and looked exactly like an ordinary human, an adult female with silicone skin, planted hair, and complete external body parts. She can freely move her arms, body and head but she’s not programmed to walk. The news source, Guardian, said that Ai-da was created after two years of work by a group of specialists— roboticists, programmers, art experts and psychologists—led by Aidan Meller, an art specialist from Oxford. After reading some of the phrases she has written, I can only state that she’s so human in her thoughts and feelings and possesses the sensitivity of a great poet. Otherwise, can you discern that a robot has composed these haunting lines? “There are some things that are so difficult—so incalculable./ The words are not intelligible to the human ear;/She can only speculate what they mean.”

Meller described his work as greatly disturbing: “We are going very rapidly to the point where they [robots] will be completely indistinguishable from the human text, and for all of us who write, this is deeply concerning.” Indeed.

nnn

Meller made one very revealing observation while working on Ai-da. He said that the project not only taught them how “human she is—but it’s shown us how robotic we are as humans.” I don’t find that odd since humans tend to be repetitive in their actions, words and behaviors. More often, they act without thinking due to the force of habit or instinct. What’s tragic is some of them seem to be bereft of independent thinking. They just take orders from one who controls them and blindly follow their command.

In that sense, we are more robotic than a rational being.

I have been exchanging texts and messages with my friends and readers who have provided me their views and concerns regarding the so-called frontrunners in the presidential derby. I would like to share them here as they may strike a chord with others. How many of our candidates are mere robots that run for public office because of the dictates of the powers-that-be? It’s pathetic when one seeks a public office not to serve the people but to please his masters. Will you trust a candidate

Playing The Long Game Lyca Balita

Onwards

F

acebook recently changed its name to Meta, a reference to the metaverse which is essentially an online universe separate from the physical space we exist in. With this came the recent boom in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which seem to be the only way of exclusively owning digital assets right now.

It’s difficult to comprehend exclusive ownership of a digital asset since digital assets like photos, videos, and essays can easily be copied and pasted or downloaded. But NFTs have made this possible, where ownership is verifiable and exclusive.

There’s a public ledger almost like a Register of Deeds, but for online property and easily accessible to anyone . Thus, the prices, parties, and property transferred are public and unalterable.

Put simply, anyone can turn digital photos, videos, gifs, essays, and practically any digital art into an NFT. These NFTs are placed on a marketplace for people to buy and sell. It’s a young industry, but so many young artists have already earned hundreds of thousands to millions of pesos from this. The most popular way of earning from NFTs right now is through “flipping NFTs”—buying good NFT collectibles at a low price, holding for days, weeks, or months, then selling at a much higher price when demand goes up. This takes advantage of NFTs made for flipping, rather than

Mangun. . .

Continued from A10

However, the consumer adjusts equally quickly by changing buying habits. Transitory.

“Built-In inflation” or systemic is not transitory and can be a result of prolonged “Demand-Pull, CostPush” that the consumer is unable

Our voters should be intelligent and discerning to identify the genuine public servants from the demagogues. They should not allow false leaders to lead them by the nose and hoodwink them to vote for dishonest and unworthy candidates. They should safeguard their votes like their very lives depend on them and entrust them to the candidates who truly deserve their trust. who somersaults and compromises his or her principles to curry favor with the powerful elements to get their votes and support? Will you vote for a candidate who blatantly gives cash to draw big crowds in his rallies and meetings? Does an accused liar, fraud and cocaine user deserve our trust? Can we give benefit of doubt to the so-called Duterte enablers and expect them to cleanse the government of the vestiges of the Duterte regime? Can we ignore the petty “dictatorial” tendencies of a candidate and take it positively as a sign of political will? Certainly, no candidate is without a flaw and he also possesses gifts that people can benefit from. It’s our lookout to determine that his pluses outweigh his minuses.

These are primordial questions that occupy the minds of the electorates as they vet the various candidates soliciting their votes. And there are other valid issues that need clear and satisfactory answers before one can make an informed decision in choosing the candidate who truly deserves his trust. But a voter can only arrive at a prudent decision when he gives serious thought about the matter. But how many of our voters do that? One

We have to start playing what Dorie Clark refers to as The Long Game. If we truly want good things to finally happen not only to our own lives but also for the next generations, we have to start thinking long-term.

Our choices on whether or not to exploit technologies, accept that P1,000 bill, or fully pursue a cruel side hustle is our vote for the future we want to create. We continue to cast that vote each time we act on these choices.

Votes, when compounded over time and chosen by more people, determine what practices and industries eventually control our lives and the lives of the next generations. Let’s make sure that that future is a good one.

collecting.

Out of curiosity, I tried flipping NFTs recently, and I found that it truly was profitable. I understood why artists such as Heart Evangelista could sell digital paintings for millions of pesos, and how it could be worth over five times that value in less than a year. It’s similar to the physical art collection industry, except it’s all online, not as expensive if you buy early, and the marketplace is accessible to everyone.

But here’s the problem: it creates a ‘hot potato’ culture that inevitably leaves the last person at a loss. Smaller NFT collections tend to propagate a culture of buying NFTs at low prices and selling them at higher prices after a few days or even hours. It allows those who are able to sell it to earn a lot, but the last holder of the piece is left with a piece worth nothing—and these last holders are usually those new to the technology, or victims of pump and dumps. It makes it difficult for artists in the fine arts to really thrive in the platform, since the NFTs that dominate are those

made for flipping.

I was reading Tim Ferriss’s Tribe of Mentors when I came across this quote by Ann Miura-ko: In a world where we emphasize the creation of new products through rapid iteration and experimentation, we often forget to step back and make sure that the future we are racing to is one we truly want to create.

This hot potato culture, plus the bad environmental impact of NFTs running on older blockchains, made me pause and reconsider: am I contributing to the future I want to create? There are NFTs that run on environmentally-friendly technologies, and truly are collectibles not made for flipping, but they aren’t as profitable. Which is a better choice?

to adjust to. That is what is happening in the US. You cannot just stop buying meat, vegetables, and gasoline if labor shortages are increasing wages and oil prices are up 48 percent in a year.

The increasing price of crude oil fuels Philippine inflation. However, and this is something that the academic economists do not understand about the Philippines, we can adjust

almost overnight. Demand and supply will always—if the government does not interfere and screw things up—equalize. And because of the huge number of small participants producing goods and services for the economy/consumers, here is what happens.

Diesel prices up? Throw several more kilos of talong on top of jeepney to sell in Manila rather than raising

authority believes that the process of thinking hardly plays a part in voting. In his book The Myth of the Rational Voter, author Brian Caplan claims that sometimes “it is virtually costless for the individual person to hold on to their preconceived beliefs, and people enjoy such beliefs.” So they develop what is known as “rational irrationality,” which means that “when it is cheap to believe something [even when it is wrong] it is rational to believe it.” He argues that people are rational only because it is costly to be wrong. Caplan posits that “for some people thinking hurts and so they avoid it if they can.” He also advances the view that “since delusional politics are free, the voter consumes until he reaches his ‘satiation point’, believing whatever makes him feel best”. But voting a person into a public office is a critical function in a democratic society. It is not a costless exercise that the electorates can take lightly. If we put the wrong person in office, the constituency suffers and our country flounders. In the forthcoming election, we cannot afford to commit another mistake. Our voters should be intelligent and discerning to identify the genuine public servants from the demagogues. They should not allow false leaders to lead them by the nose and hoodwink them to vote for dishonest and unworthy candidates. They should safeguard their votes like their very lives depend on them and entrust them to the candidates who truly deserve their trust. If the Filipino voters are not capable of that, it is better for a thinking robot like Ai-da to populate our nation. Maybe we can get better leaders if they do the voting for us.

The decision should depend on the future we want to create, and not the next five days.

The point is this: in a pandemic where everyone is trying to make money, there are so many side hustles that can make easy cash, like flipping NFTs, overpricing PPEs, or selling votes. But before we decide to fully pursue a side hustle, we ought to ask ourselves whether this decision leads to the future we want.

We’re in the “instant” era, but that doesn’t mean we should sacrifice the long-term for short-term gains.

This is relevant especially in politics, considering that elections are coming soon. Let’s not pretend that vote-buying isn’t rampant.

It’s easy money, and it has worked for so long. But short-term profits that will last us a week should not make us sacrifice the next 3 to 6 years of our lives.

We have to start playing what Dorie Clark refers to as The Long Game. If we truly want good things to finally happen not only to our own lives but also for the next generations, we have to start thinking long-term. Our choices on whether or not to exploit technologies, accept that P1,000 bill, or fully pursue a cruel side hustle is our vote for the future we want to create.

We continue to cast that vote each time we act on these choices. Votes, when compounded over time and chosen by more people, determine what practices and industries eventually control our lives and the lives of the next generations. Let’s make sure that that future is a good one.

For feedback, send an e-mail to lyca.balita@ gmail.com

prices and losing demand and sales.

An extra pig on the truck pays for the diesel price increase too.

Certainly, there are great concerns. But unless Covid goes crazy, 2022 will be a good year.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

2nd Front Page

A12 Tuesday, November 30, 2021

IPOPHL ties up with global watchdog vs medical fakes

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

T

HE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has forged an agreement with Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) to curtail the proliferation of counterfeit medicines and pharmaceutical products in the domestic market.

“This synergy with PSI will help us better protect the value of IP that is meant for our country’s economic gain and, of course, protect our consumers, especially where fake products involved can harm health and cost a life,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said at the virtual signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) last November 18.

Under the MOU, a framework for the capacity building, awareness and exchange of information

relevant to curb the sale, supply and consumption of counterfeit medicines and pharmaceutical products will be established, according to the IPOPHL. The IPOPHL argued that the partnership was made to “address the challenge of delivering safe medicines and ensuring integrity across the pharmaceutical supply chain.”

The MOU noted that this challenge is raising greater concern today, hence, “the need for enhanced

cooperation between pharmaceutical industries and government agencies overseeing intellectual property (IP) has become more urgent.”

PSI President and CEO Todd Ratcliffe pointed out that there is a need for “international-scale collaborations” to combat the increase of counterfeit medicines and pharmaceutical products in the market.

Ratcliffe noted that globally, investigative groups on counterfeiting are underfunded and there is a low prioritization of such cases, despite their grave threat to public health and safety.

“Counterfeiting has been seeing ‘a drastic shift’ in the past six years from lifestyle drugs, like weight loss steroids, to life-saving drugs, such as cancer medications, where more profit can be made,” Ratcliffe said.

PSI said its “vast intelligence base of bad actors,” a collection from its over 20 years of work, will be its biggest contribution to its collaboration with IPOPHL. “We encourage our members to call us at the very beginning of a case to see if we know something [and] 50 percent of the time, we have a positive fit on our database,”

Ratcliffe said.

“All PSI members are required to share information to cooperate with law enforcement regulators and help protect public health,” Ratcliffe added.

The PSI is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to sharing information on the counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals and initiating enforcement actions through the appropriate authorities.

With 37 pharmaceutical manufacturer-members from various countries, the Virginia-based PSI runs representative offices in Miami, Florida, Singapore and Stockholm.

Preliminary data from the IPOPHL-led National Committee on IP Rights show that cases of fake pharmaceutical and personal care products totaled P29.04 million from January to July this year from P1.46 million in the comparable period in 2020.

In May 2021 alone, the International Criminal Police Organization seized $23 million worth of counterfeit and illicit medicines and medical products, with unauthorized Covid-19 testing kits accounting for more than half.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘SOCIAL DISTANCING’ FROM SALTY, FATTY FOODS URGED

E

XPERTS and industry players urged Filipinos to observe “social distancing” from fatty and salty foods during the Holiday season and patronize healthy locally-produced food products.

Food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan said Filipinos must watch their diet during the Christmas festivities and urged them to consume fresh and healthy local produce to “ensure their safety and well-being.”

The group added that Filipinos must continue boosting their bodies’ immunity by being careful of the food they eat amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The surest way to protect our health is to ensure that the meat and other ingredients we use to prepare our meals are safe. We should also check that perishable goods we purchase like fish, chicken, and pork are properly handled, packaged and stored,” it said in a statement on Monday.

“Filipinos should focus on indulging and eating locally produced food, be it pork, chicken, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruits. Locally produced foods are proven to be a lot fresher, safer and healthier

than imported ones,” it added.

Nutritionist-dietitian Aleli Catalina Jimenez of the Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines (NDAP) said eating in moderation and having a balanced diet remains the key measure to tide over during the yuletide season.

“During the holiday season, most of the food is composed of fats, sugar and salt. We should moderate this to avoid complications especially if one has an existing illness. If we have physical distancing because of Covid, we also need distance from the buffet table,” she said during the Tugon Kabuhayan’s virtual press briefing.

Francis Christian Ocoma, Owner and Executive Chef of Cafe Linang, recommended that Filipino consumers explore alternative food products to their usual noche buena plate, such as trying rabbit meat.

“We can also consider alternatives. For example, rabbit meat has lower calories, high protein content, and lesser fats. Also, the taste orientation of rabbit meat is almost the same as that of a chicken,” Ocoma said.

Continued on A2

Pharmally execs moved to jail over hidden docs; Senate probe continues

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

S

ENATE probers said the continued refusal of Pharmally executives now detained at the Pasay City Jail to provide vital documents will not derail the chamber’s investigation into multibillion anomalies in the contracts for pandemic supplies.

In a statement on Monday as the Senate’s Sergeant at Arms escorted to Pasay jail Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong—who failed to honor a commitment last Friday to retrieve financial documents on Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. that senators demanded—Sen. Richard Gordon said the Blue Ribbon committee which he chairs will continue its work until the whole truth is unravelled.

He said the senators had no choice but to cite in contempt and transfer to Pasay City Jail suppliers Dargani and Ong for “continuous lying and refusing to answer questions truthfully and forthrightly.”

Gordon lamented that their constant “palusot” [habits of evasiveness] have crossed the line.

Invoking public interest, the senator vowed to “dig up the truth behind the overpricing of supplies, and the favoritism granted a company [Pharmally], whose capitalization was only P625,000, with contracts amounting to billions of pesos.”

Senators had variously estimated the total of contracts bagged by the startup Pharmally, despite its low capital and lack of track record, at between P8 billion and P10 billion.

“If we do not go into the bottom of this scandal,” Gordon said, “we will not be able to hold accountable those responsible; and, the repetition of such a dastardly deed becomes a high probability still.”

Gordon noted that the Philippine Senate, half of a coequal branch of government, has been granted powers of legislation and oversight by the Constitution, adding: “It works through Committees, one of which is the Blue Ribbon Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations.”

“All matters relating to, including investigation of, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office by officers and employees of the government, its branches, agencies, subdivisions and instrumentalities; implementation of the provision of the Constitution on nepotism; and investigation of any matter of public interest on its own initiative or brought to its attention by any member of the Senate.”

Invoking Rule X, Section 13 (36), the senator pointed out that "in the exercise of its powers and prerogatives, the Committee, when faced with lying witnesses and disrespectful resource persons, is not bereft of compulsory processes to ensure that the institution of the Senate is respected, its honor preserved and its integrity maintained whole."

Gordon recalled that in the investigation into the DOH expenditures of funds for Covid-19 response, the Committee’s work has faced obstacles to deter, delay, or otherwise side-track its course.

He lamented that Mohit and his sister Twinkle Dargani, and Linconn Ong, have been “evasive in answering questions, uttered lies, and spewed falsities, forcing the Committee to exercise its rarely used powers of contempt, ordering the incarceration of the three.”

While Mohit and Ong were moved to Pasay jail on Monday, senators let Twinkle stay in the Senate premises, so she can be visited by medical specialists, on claims she has “mental health” issues.

Gordon noted that the Darganis hid from the Senate, after having been cited for contempt, frustrating the OSAA from taking a hold of them. “Because of wellmeaning citizens and public officers’ tips, the Senate was able to arrest them as they were about to escape to Kuala Lumpur via a private jet hired for that specific purpose,” Gordon said, adding; “There is a legal principle that tells us that flight is an indication of guilt.”

Continued on A2

PHARMALLY executives Mohit Dargani (in dark shirt, face covered, with hood) and Linconn Ong (white shirt in front) are escorted by the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant at Arms (OSSA) and Pasay City Police as they enter the Pasay City Jail compound past noon of Monday. Ong and Dargani were moved from the Senate to the city jail for not honoring an agreement to bring financial documents to the Blue Ribbon Committee, which is investigating anomalies in pandemic-related contracts. ROY DOMINGO

VP Leni eyes farm sector budget’s doubling

V

ICE President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo wants to double the budget of the agriculture sector and rework the distribution of the funding toward commodities with a huge potential to increase farmers’ income in the first year of her presidency.

Robredo disclosed this as part of her plans for the agriculture sector should she win the presidency in the 2022 elections.

Besides increasing the agriculture budget, she would also push for the redistribution of funds, and noted that bulk of the Department of Agriculture’s fund is allocated to rice production alone.

“In my first year we will increase the agriculture budget to 3.4 percent [of the total national budget]. And we will not just increase the total budget but also fix the distribution,” she said at a dialogue hosted by agriculture groups on Monday.

Robredo added: “P15.5 billion of the P58 billion budget is for rice, followed by P3 billion in fisheries.

The rest would be about P1 billion each. Let us see if the distribution of the budget is justified—where are the opportunities? Which sectors are the most resilient?”

Robredo said she is partial to hiking the budget of other commodi-

ties with great income potential and opportunities despite the minuscule funding. She also pointed out that the government must increase the budget for climate-resilient crops since climate change is a pressing challenge for farmers today.

“For example, the budget for fisheries should be even higher since our sea is bigger than our land and considering that fisherfolk are among the poorest in the country,” she said.

Robredo also wants to institutionalize people’s participation in the budget and policy-making in agriculture.

The government must change

its benchmarks or parameters in measuring the accomplishments of the government in the sector, Robredo said, adding that increasing farmers’ income and productivity must be the benchmark.

“We should change the way we set our parameters for accomplishments. The question will always be: what was the impact of our programs to the lives of the farmers?” she said.

“When we look at the data over the years the increase in farmers’ income was just 6 percent in 2019.

For fisherfolks, it is even lower at 5.6 percent,” she added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

3D ANALYZER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. 7-8/f Double Dragon Plaza, 255 Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd., Brgy. 076, Pasay City KIM, CHANGDEOK Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking 1.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin format.

KIM, SUNGWON Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

2.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

LUYEN THI HUE Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

3.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

NGUYEN THI TUYET HOA Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

4.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

NGUYEN VAN VIEN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

5.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

PHAM TIEN DAT Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

6.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

WANG, YECHI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

7.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

WU, LE Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

8.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

ZHANG, JIE Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

9.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in mandarin format.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

No.

KHANDELWAL, VIVEK KUMAR Business Analyst 13.

MAHESHWARI, DEEPAK Program Manager 14.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

15.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

16.

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

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong

SHIMIZU, SOGO Transaction Processing Associate

10.

Brief Job Description: Perform data entry and research in various systems and tracking tools. Apply knowledge of process and related systems to assist in identifying, assessing and resolving issue/problems. Assess and resolve non-standard and standard issues or problems. Seek advice and escalate issued when faced with tasks/problems outside the scope of the work.

Basic Qualification: Complexity {degree of difficulty of an assignment or the level of problemsolving assessment and resolution required, as measured by degree of problem-solving strategic vs. routine focus, ad stakeholder interactions {e.g. - executives, supervisors, etc.}; required solving of routine problems, largely through precedent and referral to general guidelines. - Interaction is within own team and direct supervisor.

22.

23.

NOVAS MARTINEZ, PATRICIA Senior Site Coordinator 11.

Brief Job Description: Schedule the project in logical steps and budget time required to meet deadlines in accordance with the overall Project. Review and assessment of logistical and supply chain factors of his area. Ensure cost-effective construction systems and processes.

Basic Qualification: Degree qualified, Engineer or Construction Management professional with at least 5 years’ experience working in the industry. Experience in stayed cable bridge projects. Relevant experience with joint venture is preferred.

Brief Job Description: Serves as an expert on specific modules, applications or technologies, and deals with complex assignments during the software development lifecycle

JIANG, WEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LAU NGOC PHUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TOMMY KLISMEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires CHEN, SHENG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, JUNXING Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIU, ZHONGHAI Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

STOIAN, DANIELA-BEATRICE General Trade Marketing Specialist Consultant 24.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for developing and executing commercial strategies.

WANG, BAODING General Trade Marketing Specialist Consultant 25.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for developing and executing commercial strategies.

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex, Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore, Brgy. 076, Pasay City

WILSON, ANDREW WESLEY Chairman Of The Board And President 12.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing workflow, escalations and effectively delegating across the leadership team.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with experience in program management office domains.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with experience in business development, presale, scoping, design, development.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate and has knowledge in designing and develop new software requirements

27.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with experience in designs, develops, modifies, debugs, and/or maintains software systems

28.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

29.

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

NASEEM, FAISAL Chief Operating Officer 30.

Brief Job Description: Reports to the CCO on the performance of the operation by submitting monthly management reports CHEDID, MARC JOE Group EPC Execution Senior Manager

31.

Brief Job Description: Ensures proper projects kick-off. manages the process in undeveloped OPCOS HANNA, RAWAD Group EPC PMO Manager

32.

Brief Job Description: Follow up with (EPC) teams to generate accurate & insights reports DHAR, SHIVA Group Sales Head

33.

Brief Job Description: Direct and leads sales fore casting activities for the assigned markets

FU, CHAO Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 34.

Brief Job Description: Assist / Help customers, give customers information about product and services

HOU, KUAN-YU Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 35.

Brief Job Description: Assist / Help customers, give customers information about product and services

YU, SHEN Chinese Speaking Program Designer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 36.

Brief Job Description: Assist / Help customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: Can Work as an independent consultant to provide marketing expertise to clients; Can research industries, markets, demographics, trends, sales results, and other data related to the client’s products or services.

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

37.

Brief Job Description: Manage and coordinate all marketing, advertising and promotional staff and activities and also monitor, review and report on all marketing activity and results.

26.

Brief Job Description: Monitor the corporation’s collection activities.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s/college degree in any field.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: 10 years experiences in BSC in Civil/Electrical/Telecom Engineering Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: 10 years experience in BSC in Civil/Electrical/Telecom Engineering Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: 10 years experience in BSC in Civil/Electrical/Telecom Engineering Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: 10 years experience in telecom sales field.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/ Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/ Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/ Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: must be bachelor’s/college degree in any field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DFNN, INC. Unit L2-l5 14th Flr. Philippine Stock Exchange Tower, 5th Ave. Cor. 28th St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig LI, CHI-HO Chief Technology Officer 38.

Brief Job Description: Managing the Company’s technological plans and overseeing data security management.

Basic Qualification: extensive IT and business management experience.

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

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque HAN, SHUAI Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 39.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, Give customers information about the product and services

CHAILEASE BERJAYA FINANCE CORPORATION 5/f 45 San Miguel Building, San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig CHEN, MIN-NAN a.k.a. IAN CHEN Collection Department Head

Basic Qualification: With good oral and communication skills in English and Mandarin language. Familiar in the field of construction

CVMC INC. 1st Flr. & 2nd Flr. Rv. Mansion Bldg., E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan 3, Quezon City CHO, PYONG MIN Marketing Manager

Basic Qualification: Can Work as an independent consultant to provide marketing expertise to clients; Can research industries, markets, demographics, trends, sales results, and other data related to the client’s products or services.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

CRONYX INC. No. 4th-10th Flr. Yinhope Bldg., Dela Rama Cor. Zoili Hilario St., Seascape Village, Ccp Complex Subd. Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City

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

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s/College Degree in any field.

COMMUNICATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CREI PHILS INC. Unit A, 7th Flr., Clipp Center 11th Ave. Cor. 39th St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

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

Brief Job Description: Evaluates supplier based on things like cost, selection, service, distribution capabilities and availability

WANG, ZHONGYU Customer Service Representative

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

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

Brief Job Description: Monitor the corporation’s credit activities.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

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

HSU, CHE-YI Credit Junior Manager

LIN, YOUBING Mandarin Purchasing Coordinator

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: Extensive experience in the outsourcing/offshoring industry, project management and business development

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with experience in analyzes and documents business and technical requirements that best reflect customer needs

No.

C’EST LA VIE EVENT MANAGEMENT INC. 230, Narra Street, Marikina Heights, City Of Marikina

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ACCIONA CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES INC. 21/f Tower 2, The Enterprise Center, 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for design, development, modification, debug and/or maintenance of ordering and Amdocs enterprise product catalog (EPC) (version 8) implementation KASHYAP, HARIOM Software Development Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

Brief Job Description: Lead the solution architecture throughout project life cycle TEWATIA, AMIT Software Developer

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible and accountable for coordinated management of multiple related projects

PANERI, ANKIT Software Architect

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Brief Job Description: Translates, captures and documents requirements, providing high level solutions

A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

AMDOCS PHILIPPINES INC. 23rd, 25th, And 26th Floors Eco Tower, 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

JIMMY Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 40.

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

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 Months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

A14

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QIN, SHILE Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate

41.

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

TAN VE LEE Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 42.

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

WU, HONGXIA Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 43.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, Give customers information about product and services

XIE, YUHOU Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 44.

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

ZHANG, ZHIFENG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 45.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

46.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

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

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas, and research to help develop marketing strategies; can help to detail, design, and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

ANGAMI, KEZHANGULIE ISAAC Owner’s Representative

Basic Qualification: Master Mariner (E.G.)

Brief Job Description: Assist principal to deploy seafarers.

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

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

48.

49.

Brief Job Description: Provide and maintain customer service SU, MINXIA Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Provide and maintain customer service

DAESY NATALYA Branch Office Manager 60.

50.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for reaching the Sales and Profit goals in your (Country/Country Sales Market) by setting a plan to deliver an excellent customer experience.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Budget/forecast in accordance with the market potential and performance development; Secure profit through driving selling with a healthy cash flow and good cost control.

Execute the strategy of portfolio management for your Country/Country Sales Market; Execute and drive operational excellence in line with customer expectations; You foster and enable Ownership, accountability and responsibility; Create a long-term strategy and talent pipeline for your Country/Country Sales Market.

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION Ground, 2nd, 3rd And 4th Floor, Eight West Campus Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

51.

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

MOON, KILSEONG Korean Customer Support Representative 52.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Korean and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

61.

53.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

72.

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

KP JOEUN CONSULTANCY INC Unit 7 Goldland Millenia Tower, Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig JUNG, YOUNG MIN Business Consultant 54.

Brief Job Description: Develop and implement marketing plan to for Korean Market

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean & English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

LERIB SERVICES CORPORATION U-3d Rose Industries Bldg., Choice Market Ortigas, Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig

Brief Job Description: Supports the implementation of Urban Development Division business strategy in accordance to the direction of the headquarters in Tokyo office.

No.

75.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, with experience in the related position, fluent in English and Korean Hangul

76.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, with experience in the related position, fluent in English and Korean Hangul Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

77.

78.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, with experience in the related position, fluent in English and Korean Hangul Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, with experience in the related position, fluent in English and Korean Hangul

79.

80.

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

Basic Qualification: At least 10+ years of experience as manager in sales or business; required to have a college degree or bachelor’s degree (MASTER’S DEGREE HOLDER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION is preferred)

Basic Qualification: Confidential employee appointed by the principal office in Japan

81.

82.

83.

84.

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

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Brgy. 076, Pasay City

71.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective native language

Brief Job Description: Implement the company’s standard expectations and objectives in providing customer feedbacks and addressing issues and concerns;

OWATARI, SHUSUKE Assistant Manager

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

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati HUNG, YING-LIEN Chinese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College graduate, with experience in the related position, fluent in English and Korean Hangul

MITSUBISHI CORPORATION 14/f L.v. Locsin Bldg., 6752 Ayala Cor., Makati Aves., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Knowledgable in managing incoming calls

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

LEE, SUMIN Korean Customer Support Representative

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

H&M HENNES & MAURITZ INC. U 2, 3 & 4, 30/f Zuellig Bldg., Makati Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, Urdaneta, City Of Makati

SHADBOLT IV, FRANK RIKER Country Sales Manager

Brief Job Description: Computers and related systems to design new it solutions, modify, enhance or adapt existing systems

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

MICHELIN ASIA (SINGAPORE) CO. PTE. LTD. - PHILIPPINE BRANCH 15 Flr. Tower 2, Insular Life Corp. Centre Fcc, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

EASTERN OCEAN MARITIME CORPORATION G/f, Chateau De Baie Condominium, Roxas Boulevard Corner Airport Road, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

CHEN, HAIQUAN Mandarin Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Computers and related systems to design new it solutions, modify, enhance or adapt existing systems

LEE, HYEONJUN Systems Analyst

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

47.

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative to manage customer queries and complaints

CHOI, JIHUN Systems Analyst

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative to manage customer queries and complaints

PARK, JAEHYUN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative to manage customer queries and complaints

LEE, SEUNGCHAN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION KIM, CHANGHEE Customer Service Representative

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

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St, , Binondo, City Of Manila

TSAI, HAO-YUAN Marketing And Sales Agent

No.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

73.

74.

BUI VAN THAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CHEN CHOONG LEONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DAO VAN TAM Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer DIEP DUC QUYEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer DO THI DUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DUONG THI HUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DUONG THUY LINH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DUONG TRAC HUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DUONG VAN HOANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries FAN, LE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer GUO, TONGYU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires HA VAN DUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HOANG THI KIM HANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

85.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

86.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

87.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

88.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

89.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

90.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

91.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

92.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

93.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

94.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

95.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

96.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

97.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION HOANG TRONG SI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer HOANG VIET DUC Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HU, GANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

HUANG, GUANHAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, ZHIHUO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE THUY NGA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE VAN TRUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LEE HONG KIT Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LO DIN MAY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LU BACH HOA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG THI CHUC Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG THI NHO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG VAN HOAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries MA THI HONG HANH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN CONG VAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer NGUYEN HOANG CHIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer NGUYEN THI GIANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer NGUYEN THI HA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI HANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI HOA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI NGOC CHAM Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN THI THUY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer NGUYEN THI THUY CAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

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NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION NGUYEN TIEN THANH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN VAN TUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NONG VAN KHAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer PHAM HONG QUAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries REN, XIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TANG, LUWEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN MINH QUY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN NGOC HUYNH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquirer TRAN THI HIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN VAN TRUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRIEU THI THAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRINH THI THUY LAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRUONG QUOC MY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires VU PHUONG THAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires WANG, PING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, WEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires WANG, ZHIHAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WEN, BO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries XIE, XIAOYANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YANG, GANGDAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YUAN, JIAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHAO, HAILONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries JIA, YUBAO Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LI, HAOHAO Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

No.

122.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

123.

SHAO, HU Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

XU, JIANYONG Chinese Speaking Business Analyst 124.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

WANG, SHAOFA Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 125.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

126.

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

127.

128.

129.

130.

Brief Job Description: Supports the Global Service Desk Advisor in the management of the HR Global Service Desk to provide world class HR operational and transactional services to the organization

Brief Job Description: Mandarin construction supervisor oversee the construction of projects and monitor activities at worksites

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service question

BAI, MEIJING Mandarin Customer Support Representative 131.

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

BAI, MEIZHEN Mandarin Customer Support Representative 132.

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

CHEN, AIHUA Mandarin Customer Support Representative 133.

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

CHEN, ANSHU Mandarin Customer Support Representative 134.

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

CHEN, LONGCHAO Mandarin Customer Support Representative 135.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

CHEN, RONGDI Mandarin Customer Support Representative 136.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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CHEN, YANFENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative 137.

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

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

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

148.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ZHAO, GUANGYU Mandarin Customer Support Representative 149.

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

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

ZHENG, MINGFU Mandarin Customer Support Representative 150.

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

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

WANFANG TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 6-9/f Double Dragon Plaza, Edsa Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City NGUYEN THI NGAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 151.

Brief Job Description: Maintain financial account; recommended potential products and services; attract potential to a customers

Basic Qualification: At least 19yrs old ; Ability to speak write and communicate in Vietnamese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZONAC AND SHIBATA SERVICES INC. 4/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati HUANG, SENHUA Chinese Speaking It Officer 152.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

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

ZHANG, BINGSHENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

YANG, WEIDONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

XUE, KUAI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

XU, HAO Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

SONG, CHANGXIONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

LIU, KAI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin, Korean and English

Basic Qualification: Familiar with Chinese architects and construction suppliers from china familiar with construction materials and building

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

LIU, CHENGPING Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Must be able to respond to employee enquiries in an efficient and effective manner. Answer queries in French language

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

LIN, ZHIQIN Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months of work related experience; with good oral and written communication skills

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

LI, SONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CHENG, LONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West, Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

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

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

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

DO LE THUY TRANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

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

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC. 10/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza Bldg., Edsa Corner Macapagal Ave. St., Zone 10. Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

KANG, KYOUNGTAE Korean Customer Service Representative

JIN, BOBO Mandarin Construction Supervisor

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

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

138.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION CHEN, YUCAN Mandarin Customer Support Representative

POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

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

Brief Job Description: Oversee office operations and administrative staff members

SOURIVONG, PAUL Global Service Desk Senior Administrator

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

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

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

PEARSON MANAGEMENT SERVICES PHILIPPINES INC. 7/f, Sheridan The North Tower Rbc, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

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

NOCMAKATI, INC. 8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18 & 19 Floors, Century Diamond Center, Kalayaan Ave. Cor. Salamanca St. Poblacion, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

CHEN, HANTI Mandarin Speaking Admin Manager

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

NEO TERRA SERVICE CORP. 11/f Jaka Bldg., 6780 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

A15

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LI, PENG Chinese Customer Specialist

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the smooth running of computer systems, routers, switches, internet and ensure user get maximum benefits from them PICHAIRAT, KORNKUN Thai Customer Service Representative

153.

Brief Job Description: Responsible in answering customer questions about product and services of the company

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in English, Mandarin and other Multi Lingual language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in English, Mandarin and other Multi Lingual language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

*Date Generated: Nov 29, 2021 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

‘DOE must revoke transfer of Malampaya to Udenna’

T

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

he government must revoke the transfer of the Malampaya Gas Field Facility to Malampaya Energy XP Pte., a unit of Udenna Corp., as it “presents significant security risks.”

The Philippine Bar Association (PBA) has called on the government to revoke the transfer of the gas field to the group of Davao-based businessman Dennis A. Uy, an ally of President Duterte.

The oldest voluntary national organization of lawyers in the Philippines asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to intervene as Malampaya Energy, it alleged, is an “untested and unknown entity.”

“We call on the DOE to put national interest first, and attend to the matters that became the convenient premise for this questionable trans-

fer,” the group said in a statement.

PBA said the original operators may continue running the gas field “rather than transferring the facility to an entity that presents significant security risks.”

“The government has not been shy in applying a militarized pandemic approach against ordinary citizens. That mindset would have been more suited in guarding a precious national asset,” the statement read.

PBA added that calling the transfer a private transaction, and thus “not subject to review” is “unsatisfactory.”

“It is not a simple matter of making the transaction transparent and understandable, and therefore acceptable. Malampaya is a critical piece of our national sovereignty and security. It cannot remain where it has been negligently left.

The transaction requires immediate review.”

Malampaya Energy XP acquired the shares of Shell Philippines Exploration BV (SPEX), which previously led the operations and maintenance of the gas field. Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp. is a member of the consortium that operates Malampaya.

Udenna Corp. owns a majority stake in Malampaya.

“Malampaya is a crown jewel of the country’s energy infrastructure. That it ended up in the hands of an entity that is not technically or financially sound is beyond negligent, it is criminal,” the statement read.

PBA was not the only group that questioned Uy’s entry into Malampaya. Lawmakers have also looked

into the transaction, questioning the financing capacity and the expertise of the company to operate and maintain the gas field.

Last week, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) called for the cancellation of Uy’s foray into Malampaya, asking the government to take over.

The DOE, in a statement on Monday, said the IBP’s “sweeping statement against the Malampaya transaction without first checking the facts and applicable laws” has “unduly maligned” the department and its officials.

“The lawyers’ organization, which is supposed to uphold and defend the law, has fallen victim to hearsay and sheer allegations,” the DOE said.

“The IBP’s thoughtless involvement, allowing itself to be used by unscrupulous interest groups, greatly disappoints.”

It did not, however, address issues pertaining to the transaction, but said it will “respond to any allegation against it in the proper forum and in due time.”

Vivant unit sells stake in SREC V

ivant Corp. has completely divested its shareholdings in Sabang Renewable Energy Corp. (SREC), which owns and operates a hybrid power generation facility in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, the listed company said its wholly-owned subsidiary Vivant Renewable Energy Corp. (VREC) has sold its 30-percent shareholding in SREC for P33.23 million.

Sought for clarification, Vivant Corporate Communication Manager Liberty Pinili said the shares were sold to a certain Maharlika Clean

Power Holdings Corp. Pinili did not explain further.

SREC is responsible for distributing the electricity produced by the power plant to its consumers through its 14-kilometer line under a Qualified Third-Party Subsidy and Service Agreement with the National Power Corp. and the Department of Energy.

Vivant’s subsidiary, Vivant Energy Corp. (VEC), and Gigawatt Power Inc. (GPI) had announced that it will start next year the construction of two power projects in Pampanga and Palawan worth almost P2 billion.

GPI President Walden Tan-

ICTSI gives 300K doses of vaccines

Globe joins national vaccination drive

I

nternational Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and Bloomberry Resorts Corp. on Monday said they have assisted in the administration of 300,000 doses of Moderna vaccines since it opened the vaccination sites in Solaire and Nayong Filipino earlier in the year.

Combined the two vaccination centers administer close to 1,600 doses daily. They recorded the highest rollout on November 13 with a total of 5,537 doses.

“We are heartened by the turnout of vaccinees and have received positive feedback from them on the speed and efficiency of the process in both sites – from registration to the actual queuing and inoculation, which takes only about 15 minutes. If you successfully register today, you will be scheduled the following day. Before opening, we simulated the entire process for timing,” said Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI executive vice president.

Aside from this, the group, led by billionaire Enrique K. Razon, has installed temporary cold storage and drive-through vaccination facility in a 10,000-square meter lot within the Nayong Filipino property. “We’ve used the same ‘efficiency template’ we have in ICTSI and in Solaire. We transferred technology, process and systems knowhow in these sites. Working with the Zuellig’s ezConsult, we have an appointment and monitoring system that ensures proper timing and orderly movements to prevent queueing while ensuring the integrity of the vaccines are kept intact,” Gonzales said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

G

lobe Telecom is joining the ongoing National Vaccination Day which will run until December 1 via its anti-fake news campaign.

With the telco’s Truth in Action campaign, the public is encouraged to be discerning online and be confident about vaccination.

“Globe encourages its customers to stay educated and protected when online,” said Miguel Bermundo, Globe’s senior manager for sustainability integration.

According to Bermundo, some examples of fake news that have been circulating online are vaccination site shutdowns and different misleading information about vaccine efficacy in the country.

“Even more serious is how disinformation is being spread

tuico said construction of the 3 x 5.76-megawatt (MW) diesel-fueled power plant in Porac, Pampanga is scheduled to commence in the first half of next year while the hybrid plants in Culion and Linapacan Islands will begin sometime during the first quarter of 2022.

“For the Pelco 2 project, I think construction will already be starting soon, first half of 2022. The same goes for Culion and Linapacan projects as well, within the first quarter of next year. Those two are in the immediate pipeline,” said Tantuico.

VEC and GPI each own 50-percent

about vaccines,” he warned.

Addressing fake news forms part of Globe’s education initiative, the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP).

It is a multi-awarded free workshop series for students, teachers, parents and even larger groups, such as local government units and interest groups. Participants are taught how to develop strong critical thinking skills when online, which are important for netizens’ safety today.

Through the DTP, Bermundo shared some key insights on public protection against fake news, such as the importance of being able to identify facts from opinions and distorted news.

He reiterated the importance of understanding the concept of perspective and the value of empathy when encountering others online.

equity in the power plant project.

Once operational, the power plant will supply 15MW to PELCO 2 for 15 years. VEC and GPI earlier won the bidding for PELCO II’s power supply contract.

VEC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Emil Andre Garcia said the project cost is “around P800 million for Culion and PELCO should be around P1.1 billion.” The P800-million power project will also have a battery component of 2.3MWh. For the solar and diesel components, the capacity is close to 3 MW for both diesel and solar. Lorenz S. Marasigan

“With the amount of time we spend on social media, it is important to be able to identify fake news by diligently checking sources, and validating the information. We should all play an active part in fighting fake news by reporting false claims through social media and online messaging platforms,” Bermundo added.

Globe has committed to make the DTP available to all interested communities and groups via scheduling of actual workshops and train-thetrainors sessions for those who would like to be program facilitators.

The company has also made digital versions of the program available for self-paced learning via its free learning platform called the Globe eLibrary, which can be accessed through globeelibrary.ph.

Roderick L. Abad

A Brown Co. Inc. (BRN) tapped the equities market for its capital requirements and raised Php1.33 billion from the issuance of Series A preferred shares. This is the first public offering of the company since its market debut in 1994. The preferred shares, which trade using the ticker BRNP, were listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) on November 29. Photo shows (from left, by row): BRN President and CEO Robertino E. Pizarro, PSE COO Roel A. Refran; BRN Director Annabelle P. Brown, BRN Chairman Dr. Walter W. Brown, PSE President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon, PSE Issuer Regulation Division Head Marigel B. Garcia; PNB Capital and Investment Corporation President Gerry B. Valenciano, BRN CFO Marie Antoinette U. Quinito, BRN Vice President Paul Francis B. Juat and Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines COO Renee D. Rubio. Contributed Photot

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

B1

Philippine Airlines reopens ‘prime’ routes from Iloilo

BusinessMirror file photo

F

lag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expanding its operations in Iloilo with the relaunching of its services from Cebu, General Santos, and Davao.

In a media advisory, the airline said it will start operating the routes from Iloilo to Cebu and General Santos on December 7, while its Iloilo-Davao services will be available the day after.

“The expanded route network will increase connectivity between Visayas and Mindanao just in time for the peak holiday season, enabling more people to reunite with families in their home provinces. Beyond the holidays, the new flights will help foster economic recovery as various parts of Visayas and Mindanao reopen for business and tourism,” PAL said.

All three routes are available once per week. They are expected to complement PAL’s current regular Manila-Iloilo and Iloilo-Manila services.

“As travel restrictions ease, we are happy to reopen these prime routes to and from Iloilo City just in time to host more passengers this coming Christmas season.

These new routes will help us in the urgent task of reviving domestic tourism,” PAL Senior Assistant VP for Philippine Sales

Harry Inoferio said.

“We also hope to restore more of our pre-pandemic routes and mount new services in the coming months, while strictly adhering to the latest health and safety protocols set by all local government units [LGUs] involved.”

PAL also advised passengers to regularly check the travel requirements and restrictions of each destination to avoid problems.

In September, PAL it is determined to maintain its status as the country’s premier carrier and will remain relentless in its pursuit of profitability despite the headwinds that threaten the airline.

The carrier will continue to operate despite implementing a restructuring program through the filing of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, its president Gilbert F. Sta. Maria said.

The flag carrier is now implementing its business continuity plan, including the mounting of more domestic and international flights “in line with market recovery.”

It is also increasing frequencies of regional and long-haul routes, as well as domestic routes from its hubs in Manila and Cebu.

Lorenz S. Marasigan

SMIC bags awards for investor relations

By VG Cabuag @villygc

C

onglomer ate SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) on Monday said it bagged three awards during the 11th Institutional Investor Corporate Awards 2021 organized by the Hong Kong-based Alpha Southeast Asia magazine.

SMIC secured the Most Organized Investor Relations, Best Senior Management Investor Relations (IR) Support and Strongest Adherence to Cor porate Governance from the said event. It received the nod of majority of the 502 individual investors and analysts who voted.

The company topped two out of the three categories by garnering the highest number of votes for the Best Senior Management IR Support, the seventh consecutive year for SMIC and the Strongest Adherence to Corporate Governance, its eighth year. For the Most Organized Investor Relations, this is the 10th year that SM has received this award.

SM Investments Consultant for Investor Relations and Sustainability Timothy Daniels said the awards are “meaningful,” considering the challenges every industry has faced with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We thank Alpha Southeast

Asia for their continued recognition of the company’s dedication in fostering confidence with our stakeholders. This extends our resolve to better serve the public,” Daniels said.

“During the pandemic we had to innovate on how we engaged with the investment community and general public though online forums, enhanced disclosures and via our cutting-edge, userfriendly website. We are pleased to see that not only has our overall engagement increased but that our stakeholders recognize and appreciate our efforts.”

Alpha Southeast Asia said it was able to collect votes from over 500 investors across Southeast Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe. Participants included institutional investors, insurance companies, private banks, fund managers, equity and fixed income bankers, as well as buy and sell-side analysts, among others.

Alpha Southeast Asia is an institutional investment magazine founded in 2007. Its main focus is to cover Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam for CFOs internationally to understand the region better. Its readership is primarily institutional investors and companies in Hong Kong, the US, Europe, and other countries in Asia.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

NPC opens probe into job, investment offers via text

T

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

he National Privacy Commission (NPC) announced on Monday that it has ordered three telecommunications companies, a bank, and a payment channel to submit reports on data flows and transactions involving data aggregators.

This after the NPC formally launched its investigation on companies’ due diligence and accountability in transacting with data aggregators linked to the sending of texts offering jobs and investment schemes to millions of Filipinos in recent months.

NPC ordered Globe Telecom Inc., Smart Communications Inc., Dito Telecommunity Corp., Union Bank

of the Philippines, Inc., and MyntGlobe Fintech Innovations Inc. to submit within five days documents and information on the specifics of their data handling particularly with data aggregators.

NPC also said it has formed a group against ICT-enabled scams and fraud just last week. The group consists of the NPC, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating

Center (CICC), Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Telecommunications Commission, and Department of Justice.

Also included are the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Security Council and Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The group aims to combat smishing and text spams that have cost a number of Filipinos money.

The group will be headed by CICC and will serve as a hub that will receive complaints from cellular phone subscribers and will be tasked with forwarding the numbers used by scammers to telcos for blocking.

Smart Communications has already blocked at least 60 web domains while Globe Telecom has blocked over 1 million messages since January.

The PLDT Group on Sunday said it has intensified its fraud protec-

tion and mechanisms by four times, claiming to “outpace perpetrators by aggressively blocking malicious domains and activating filtering systems that weed out spam messages.”

Angel T. Redoble, Chief Information Security Officer of PLDT and Smart, said the group has blocked 19,000 mobile numbers in November that are found to have been linked to a “global syndicate” that has been scamming Filipinos for the past few weeks.

Aside from this, the group has also blocked 5,693 user access to these sites and uncovered over 100 domains which are directly related and involved in the ongoing text spam scam.

“The cybercriminals have mischievously capitalized the high unemployment rate in this pandemic to make money. To avoid falling victims of financial loss, we urge the public to delete, block, and not click such toogood-to-be-true job offers,” Redoble said in a statement.

Shakey’s opens 50th Peri-Peri branch S hakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. on Monday said it opened its 50th Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar store in the country.

The company acquired Peri-Peri in June 2019, beginning with 23 stores in Metro Manila. In just two years, despite the pandemic, the company has more than doubled the store network of Peri-Peri.

Its 50th store is in Matalino St., Quezon City, a residential area and a well-known food hub.

“We are delighted to open our 50th Peri-Peri Store. Even during this pandemic, the brand has demonstrated strong performance, and all the new stores have received very strong market acceptance. We attribute this to the distinct and very flavorful products we serve and the unique brand experience we provide, whether via dine in or off-premise,” Vicente Gregorio, the company’s president and CEO, said.

Peri-Peri is famous for its charcoalgrilled chicken and its wide variety of specialty sauces that make use of a

distinct African bird’s eye chili called piri-piri.

The store chain has been collaborating with local mural and creative artists, an initiative to simultaneously build sustainable partnerships with communities and establish the value of Peri-Peri as a purveyor of art and creative minds.

Shakey’s earlier said it is doubling down on new store openings in preparation for a reopening, especially with restrictions beginning to ease. Earlier this month, Shakey’s announced that it has opened its 310th store, in Sorsogon in Bicol.

The said opening exceeded its initial target of 30 net new stores for the year.

“We look forward to continuing on this road to recovery. We are expecting to return to profitability by year end, especially with the holiday season looking bright, and, if all goes well after the holidays, we hope to go on full throttle entering 2022,” Gregorio said.

Shakey’s reported P35.26 million in losses for the nine months of the year, narrower than last year’s P461.91-million loss.

Gross revenues this year were slightly down at P3.75 billion from last year’s P3.78 billion as the company was affected by the prolonged strict quarantine restrictions imposed due to the spread of the Delta variant in the country. VG Cabuag

mutual funds

November 29, 2021

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share

Return*

Y-T-D

Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

232.24

4.8%

-2.23%

-0.65%

2.22%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.6684

31.17%

6.51%

4.33%

27.07%

-5.64%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.2346

-3.38%

3.24%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7538 -3.66%

-5.44% n.a.

-7.26%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7962 7.43%

-0.81% n.a.

7.36%

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

5.34%

5.1959

8.09%

0.1%

1.24%

5.15%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.779

4.56%

-1.99%

-2.43%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

1.34%

-5.24% n.a.

-5.57%

96.19

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

47.7919

5.01%

-0.65%

1.1%

2.03%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

498.88

4.61%

-0.7%

0.36%

2.04%

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d

1.1696

11.98% n.a. n.a.

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.3249

16.81%

2.16%

2.53%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

36.4177

8.32%

0.14%

1.73%

4.74%

5.9% n.a. n.a.

2.97%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9401

6.59% 13.41%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.9247

5.86%

0.13%

1.72%

2.79%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

822.31

5.67%

0.13%

1.67%

2.58%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7565

6.7%

-3.9%

-1.42%

5.23%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.7462

6.14%

-2.53%

0.04%

3.37%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9378 5.24%

-0.22%

1.42%

2.19%

United Fund, Inc. -a

-0.14%

2.33%

3.55%

0.35%

2.17%

3.4364

6.33%

0.33%

Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

110.5976

5.79%

2.83%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1593

-0.74%

6.69%

6.19%

-3.62%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8495

15.04%

16.24%

12.42%

10.56%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6957

3.56%

1.01%

0.38%

1.62%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2712

2.01%

1.3%

0.6%

-0.62%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.7003

4.59%

2.54%

2.34%

2.79%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.2061

5.58% n.a. n.a.

NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

3.27%

3.11%

2.0075

2.52%

2.05%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7536

0.81%

2.26%

1.42%

-0.96%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.8089

0.95%

2.1%

1.39%

-0.77%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.1164

2.83%

1.04%

1.21%

1.21%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.6303 3.32%

-0.11%

0.86%

1.6%

-1.7% n.a. n.a.

-3.43%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.9399

1.21% n.a. n.a.

-0.98%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.9303

2.08% n.a. n.a.

-0.3%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

8.62%

6.49%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9875

0.9453

0.7%

1.13%

4.04%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.03766

-3.78%

2.63%

1.48%

-3.68%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0677

-4.94%

4.25%

3.84%

-5.51%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.796

10.02%

11.66%

9.04%

6.28%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a $1.196

1.59%

6%

4.47%

-0.52%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

373.41

0.96%

2.91%

2.6%

0.62%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9227

1.31%

1.39%

0.49%

1.18%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2437

1.08%

3.12%

3.99%

0.88%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2436

-2.09%

1.79%

1.58%

-2.38%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4199 -1.18%

3.14%

1.9%

-1.36%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.3938

-5.06%

4.06%

1.85%

-5.1%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

1.3155

-0.06%

3.75%

2.58%

-0.44%

3.9547

-0.57%

4.27%

2.68%

-1.16%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0246

-1.13%

4.82%

2.28%

-1.81%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1736

-0.49%

4.71%

3.53%

-1.01%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

-1.27%

3.89%

2.76%

-1.87%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.7221

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$488.54

1.3%

3.01%

2.47%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є219.64

0.5%

1.12%

0.94%

0.19%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2026

-5.14%

2.32%

1.8%

-6.03%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 -2.26%

0.93%

1.46%

0.87%

-2.63%

$1.0165

-6.9%

-0.24%

-0.71%

-6.74%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.4858

-1.62%

5.13%

2.73%

-2.13%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.0623966

0.51%

3.11%

2.05%

0.16%

-2%

3.22%

1.58%

-2.21%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1522

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

2.56%

0.92%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0568 0.94% n.a. n.a.

131.02

0.83%

Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.3137

1.15% 1.49%

2.85% 2.63%

2.53%

1.3%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a

$1.06

0.81%

1.47% n.a.

0.61%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d 1.371

25.51% n.a. n.a.

21.37%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a,d

$0.96

-1.03% n.a. n.a.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

November 29, 2021

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH VANTAGE

44,810 1,563,749,909 434,799,238 4,332,820 4,250 7,168,493 367,568,180 349,740 18,813,828 11,540 66,595 1,126,270 162,434,228 11,681,747 662,530 327,860 48,460 13,680 86,900 342,400 98,900 90,650 40,200

8,900 -212,537,025 44,173,930.50 135,870 850 -35,650 -40,483,895 1,740.00 -3,378,414 -19,900 -37,420,881 160,920 107,230 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 11.26 11.28 11.5 11.8 11 11.28 444,117,000 5,043,407,678 1.07 1.14 1.09 1.14 1.07 1.14 203,000 219,270 ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER 29.75 29.95 30.1 30.1 29.15 29.95 2,577,800 76,603,975 0.62 0.63 0.6 0.63 0.59 0.62 12,745,000 7,724,760 BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN 29.2 29.5 29.35 29.5 28.7 29.5 2,773,500 80,711,765 72.7 72.75 73 73 72.7 72.75 99,690 7,253,355.50 FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO 288 294 293 296 288 288 754,430 218,144,184 24 24.3 23.9 24.6 23.2 24 2,021,600 48,648,380 MANILA WATER 3.28 3.29 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.28 1,484,000 4,836,370 PETRON PETROENERGY 4.21 4.3 4.24 4.25 4.21 4.24 188,000 794,330 10.66 11.14 10.62 11.18 10.62 11.14 19,100 209,118 PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL 20.35 20.5 21.2 21.2 20.05 20.35 534,500 11,079,380 13.78 13.8 13.9 13.9 13.66 13.78 232,000 3,198,080 SPC POWER AGRINURTURE 3.97 3.99 3.71 3.99 3.71 3.99 302,000 1,178,170 2.78 2.8 2.75 2.8 2.69 2.8 1,243,000 3,451,880 AXELUM CENTURY FOOD 26 27 26 27 25.55 27 2,089,600 55,849,770 DEL MONTE 14.28 14.3 14.5 14.5 14 14.3 254,900 3,631,584 8.69 8.7 8.5 8.73 8.15 8.7 9,367,000 80,100,065 DNL INDUS EMPERADOR 17.8 17.84 17.78 18.1 17.62 17.8 1,640,700 29,092,102 74.95 75.5 75.5 75.5 74.9 75.5 51,340 3,856,603 SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT 0.56 0.6 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 1,000 580 1.22 1.25 1.24 1.27 1.22 1.25 24,151,000 29,836,230 FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA 100.4 100.5 102 102 96 100.4 98,530 9,911,503.50 235 239.2 233 240 225 235 1,631,820 382,895,888 JOLLIBEE 27.3 27.95 27.25 27.5 27.25 27.25 2,200 60,365 LIBERTY FLOUR MACAY HLDG 5.76 6.64 6.28 6.28 6.28 6.28 1,100 6,908 6.64 6.7 6.72 6.72 6.31 6.64 550,700 3,630,009 MAXS GROUP MG HLDG 0.156 0.169 0.155 0.156 0.155 0.156 780,000 120,950 17 17.02 17 17.78 16.72 17.02 329,857,900 5,645,176,022 MONDE NISSIN SHAKEYS PIZZA 8.39 8.68 8.4 8.69 8.2 8.69 606,500 5,071,313 0.68 0.7 0.68 0.7 0.67 0.68 622,000 419,970 ROXAS AND CO 4.53 4.64 4.64 4.64 4.64 4.64 1,000 4,640 RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG 1.18 1.2 1.18 1.2 1.18 1.2 5,000 5,920 0.114 0.116 0.115 0.116 0.115 0.115 2,700,000 311,000 SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA 132.2 133 135 135 128.3 133 5,790,510 764,323,339 0.75 0.76 0.76 0.77 0.75 0.75 2,232,000 1,681,110 VITARICH CEMEX HLDG 1.17 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.17 1.19 2,665,000 3,125,630 13.9 14 14 14 13.7 14 63,600 882,366 EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP 6.41 6.48 6.51 6.68 6.4 6.41 142,600 915,597 HOLCIM 5.32 5.34 5.57 5.57 5.3 5.34 2,261,300 12,104,697 1.58 1.59 1.59 1.61 1.55 1.58 74,447,000 117,874,680 KEEPERS HLDG MEGAWIDE 5.2 5.21 5.4 5.4 4.98 5.2 1,742,400 8,967,495 16.62 17 17.3 17.3 15.72 17 497,200 8,431,858 PHINMA VULCAN INDL 0.99 1 1.04 1.06 0.99 1 18,181,000 18,314,370 1.7 1.73 1.71 1.71 1.7 1.71 39,000 66,610 CROWN ASIA EUROMED 1.5 1.52 1.5 1.54 1.49 1.49 22,000 33,230 3.62 4.11 4 4.39 4 4 16,000 64,520 MABUHAY VINYL 5.71 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 4,500 26,100 PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION 21.3 21.45 21.45 21.45 21.45 21.45 2,000 42,900 2.34 2.37 2.32 2.4 2.21 2.37 1,282,000 2,966,000 GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR 8.6 8.61 8.8 8.8 8.15 8.61 498,900 4,243,566 0.73 0.77 0.74 0.77 0.72 0.77 221,000 160,810 IONICS PANASONIC 5.88 6.01 6 6.02 6 6.01 7,900 47,435 1.09 1.1 1.09 1.1 1.08 1.1 122,000 132,500 SFA SEMICON 3.99 4 3.88 4.08 3.79 4 2,785,000 10,939,180 CIRTEK HLDG

849,508,864 -2,709,060 -179,930 4,960,725 -3,247,542.50 -52,119,740 -4,515,940 -477,900 722,120 2,740 488,770 23,437,785 114,140 25,472,853 -1,897,474 -809,491.50 -162,180 4,485,137 -9,739,444 -27,720 478,288,130 -68,907,238 151,250 -819,680 -12,960 -8,042,776 519,260 178,246 16,300 29,600 17,100 472,110 1,548,359 2,880 32,700 -259,620

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MJC INVESTMENTS METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER ZEUS HLDG

44 123.9 91 25.1 8.48 9.32 49.8 17.2 20.05 56 105 19.9 114.9 106.8 1.59 4.02 3.23 0.91 0.285 825 0.61 209 0.82

0.96 5.5 836 49.1 11.3 5.56 7 0.92 0.46 0.455 5.08 8.13 7.55 570 3.54 56.5 0.66 2.97 10.6 1.1 4.02 1.29 2.76 14.66 979.5 112.4 0.62 122.1 0.18

45 124 91.2 25.15 8.5 9.38 49.9 17.4 20.1 57.7 107.9 20 115 107 1.6 4.03 3.38 1.07 0.31 978 0.62 212.8 0.84

0.99 5.7 840.5 49.15 11.32 5.58 7.49 0.94 0.485 0.5 5.11 8.14 7.79 570.5 3.69 56.55 0.67 3.07 10.64 1.2 4.06 1.3 2.96 14.68 980 113.5 0.69 126 0.187

45.3 124.8 88.2 25.4 8.5 9.53 48 17.4 20.2 57.7 102 19.9 115 108 1.63 4.01 3.22 0.92 0.29 902 0.62 213.6 0.83

0.95 5.7 855 50.25 11.1 5.5 7.4 0.92 0.47 0.455 5.15 7.5 8 560 3.65 56.5 0.64 2.95 10.7 1.12 3.99 1.22 2.95 14.4 975 112 0.65 122 0.18

45.3 125.3 91 25.4 8.5 9.53 49.9 17.4 20.2 57.7 107.9 20.1 116 110 1.64 4.1 3.38 0.93 0.29 902 0.62 213.6 0.83

0.99 5.7 860 51.45 11.34 5.63 7.5 0.95 0.485 0.455 5.15 8.14 8 576.5 3.65 57.05 0.66 2.97 11 1.2 4.06 1.41 2.95 14.76 980 113.5 0.65 126 0.18

44.5 121.3 85.5 25.1 8.5 9.17 47 17.4 19.8 57.7 100 19.8 112.1 100 1.55 4 3.22 0.91 0.285 800 0.61 209 0.82

0.92 5.7 832.5 49.1 11 5.4 7.4 0.92 0.46 0.455 5.07 7.31 7.6 550 3.53 55.9 0.64 2.95 10.26 1.12 3.87 1.22 2.95 14.1 945 109.6 0.62 121 0.18

45 124 91 25.15 8.5 9.32 49.9 17.4 20.1 57.7 107.9 19.9 115 107 1.6 4.03 3.38 0.91 0.285 800 0.62 213 0.82

0.99 5.7 836 49.1 11.32 5.56 7.5 0.94 0.485 0.455 5.08 8.14 7.79 570 3.55 56.55 0.66 2.97 10.6 1.2 4.06 1.3 2.95 14.68 980 113.5 0.62 126 0.18

1,000 12,624,000 4,813,410 172,200 500 764,700 7,465,500 20,100 940,000 200 650 56,700 1,415,090 109,800 412,000 81,000 15,000 15,000 300,000 390 160,000 430 49,000

15,273,000 1,000 1,056,180 5,614,700 15,587,400 2,947,000 900 30,000 1,660,000 100,000 1,637,100 48,662,100 7,200 555,360 106,000 10,839,490 178,000 1,027,000 52,617,200 2,000 60,139,000 86,000 13,000 10,965,100 637,330 202,340 100,000 350,970 40,000

14,483,940 5,700 887,040,245 277,378,409.50 174,797,618 16,198,951 6,670 27,650 780,550 45,500 8,319,256 387,945,357 55,058 315,344,855 379,570 612,259,731 115,650 3,050,070 561,734,944 2,320 241,480,190 111,680 38,350 158,826,998 620,646,345 22,566,027 62,390 44,218,448 7,200

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.63 0.64 0.63 0.63 0.62 0.63 298,000 186,930 34.5 34.55 35.7 35.7 34.5 34.5 30,791,800 1,070,070,675 AYALA LAND ARANETA PROP 1 1.02 1 1.02 1 1.02 39,000 39,060 46.25 46.4 47.8 47.9 46.4 46.4 6,839,700 319,825,950 AREIT RT BELLE CORP 1.37 1.38 1.37 1.37 1.36 1.37 251,000 343,710 0.8 0.81 0.84 0.84 0.8 0.82 478,000 386,100 A BROWN CITYLAND DEVT 0.73 0.76 0.73 0.76 0.73 0.76 365,000 266,770 0.101 0.106 0.102 0.106 0.101 0.101 1,100,000 112,140 CROWN EQUITIES 6.1 6.27 6.18 6.18 6.18 6.18 35,100 216,918 CEBU HLDG CEB LANDMASTERS 2.84 2.85 2.85 2.88 2.82 2.84 2,096,000 5,960,070 0.42 0.425 0.425 0.43 0.41 0.425 8,610,000 3,610,700 CENTURY PROP DOUBLEDRAGON 7.64 8.04 8.3 8.35 7.64 7.64 19,775,100 151,943,585 1.8 1.81 1.82 1.82 1.79 1.8 10,938,000 19,748,060 DDMP RT DM WENCESLAO 6.88 6.89 6.85 6.85 6.8 6.8 48,400 329,660 0.265 0.27 0.265 0.27 0.265 0.27 660,000 175,450 EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO 0.32 0.325 0.315 0.325 0.3 0.325 6,910,000 2,148,150 FILINVEST RT 7.65 7.66 7.85 7.85 7.47 7.65 30,855,300 236,871,868 1.1 1.12 1.12 1.12 1.09 1.12 9,215,000 10,198,880 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 0.84 0.86 0.86 0.87 0.84 0.85 1,471,000 1,250,170 10 10.18 10 10.32 10 10.18 25,000 255,406 8990 HLDG PHIL INFRADEV 1.1 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.09 1.14 659,000 729,350 3.05 3.47 3.47 3.47 3.47 3.47 1,000 3,470 KEPPEL PROP CITY AND LAND 0.87 0.9 0.87 0.9 0.87 0.87 299,000 260,690 3.06 3.14 3.07 3.14 2.91 3.14 42,669,000 130,411,310 MEGAWORLD 0.275 0.28 0.28 0.28 0.275 0.28 14,150,000 3,935,200 MRC ALLIED MREIT RT 18.3 18.32 18.24 18.32 18.02 18.32 2,493,500 45,373,312 0.55 0.57 0.58 0.59 0.54 0.55 17,625,000 9,949,440 PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP 1.99 2.02 1.87 2.04 1.87 2.03 157,000 312,750 7.3 7.33 7.4 7.4 7.15 7.3 7,030,100 51,144,851 RL COMM RT ROBINSONS LAND 18 18.22 18 18.34 17.38 18.22 7,084,500 127,851,486 0.215 0.221 0.216 0.217 0.215 0.215 560,000 120,680 PHIL REALTY 1.51 1.55 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 9,000 13,500 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 2.58 2.61 2.58 2.61 2.58 2.61 1,470,000 3,793,040 2.85 2.86 2.86 2.86 2.85 2.85 71,000 202,690 STA LUCIA LAND SM PRIME HLDG 37.05 37.4 35.8 37.4 34.15 37.4 41,966,200 1,549,431,170 3.72 3.8 3.72 3.72 3.7 3.72 36,000 133,650 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.23 1.26 1.34 1.34 1.16 1.23 2,514,000 3,101,460 3.57 3.84 3.65 3.84 3.42 3.84 3,888,000 14,476,410 VISTA LAND

SERVICES ABS CBN 13.28 13.3 13.7 13.7 13.28 13.3 282,700 3,810,654 13.68 13.7 13.7 13.74 13.3 13.68 1,877,300 25,434,240 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.41 0.43 0.41 0.435 0.405 0.435 230,000 95,300 10.4 10.6 10.6 10.6 10.4 10.4 1,600 16,660 MLA BRDCASTING GLOBE TELECOM 3,282 3,314 3,310 3,490 3,280 3,282 410,045 1,352,530,210 1,680 1,699 1,697 1,709 1,640 1,680 335,475 563,724,795 PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL 0.072 0.073 0.072 0.077 0.07 0.073 144,470,000 10,559,790 31.75 32 29.8 32 28.75 32 21,277,900 653,250,595 CONVERGE 2.7 2.73 2.81 2.83 2.63 2.73 171,000 466,890 DFNN INC DITO CME HLDG 5.41 5.42 5.49 5.57 5.11 5.41 6,978,300 37,423,341 1.42 1.5 1.42 1.42 1.42 1.42 6,000 8,520 IMPERIAL NOW CORP 1.55 1.56 1.65 1.65 1.53 1.55 859,000 1,354,290 0.315 0.32 0.31 0.33 0.305 0.32 3,210,000 1,003,200 TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 1.95 1.97 1.99 2 1.9 1.97 496,000 969,860 7.8 7.84 8 8 7.78 7.84 19,800 155,628 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 13.8 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 3,400 48,280 1.68 1.69 1.65 1.7 1.61 1.69 585,000 957,590 CHELSEA 46.2 46.35 45 46.3 43.5 46.2 1,658,100 74,711,115 CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER 197.4 197.9 194 197.9 190.1 197.9 3,246,200 640,324,790 22.45 22.5 21.8 22.45 21.5 22.45 102,000 2,249,475 LBC EXPRESS LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.9 0.94 0.91 0.91 0.9 0.9 549,000 494,190 5.58 5.59 5.54 5.74 5.4 5.58 8,236,300 45,862,446 MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A 1.33 1.4 1.35 1.4 1.31 1.4 51,000 67,880 1.45 1.68 1.43 1.43 1.42 1.42 30,000 42,660 METROALLIANCE B 0.93 0.96 0.94 0.94 0.92 0.93 182,000 169,750 HARBOR STAR ACESITE HOTEL 1.48 1.51 1.46 1.49 1.46 1.48 15,000 22,140 2.03 2.11 2.05 2.13 2 2.13 212,000 428,110 DISCOVERY WORLD WATERFRONT 0.475 0.485 0.485 0.49 0.455 0.475 570,000 272,750 6.5 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 6.96 400 2,784 CENTRO ESCOLAR FAR EASTERN U 545 599 546 546 545 545 2,030 1,106,370 6.97 7.47 6.97 7.47 6.97 7.47 3,200 22,404 IPEOPLE 0.345 0.35 0.345 0.345 0.34 0.345 1,050,000 359,250 STI HLDG BERJAYA 6.47 6.48 6.12 6.49 6.05 6.47 90,500 563,776 7.31 7.79 7.2 7.79 6.8 7.79 10,819,400 79,483,556 BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE 1.97 2.04 2 2.1 1.97 1.97 130,000 258,110 1.5 1.52 1.49 1.52 1.48 1.5 113,000 170,380 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 0.82 0.87 0.83 0.87 0.79 0.87 1,383,000 1,148,410 0.44 0.445 0.44 0.44 0.425 0.44 5,910,000 2,569,300 PREMIUM LEISURE PHIL RACING 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 30,000 174,000 0.71 0.72 0.71 0.72 0.69 0.72 125,220,000 88,747,060 ALLDAY 9.1 9.5 9.07 9.5 8.32 9.5 1,894,400 17,209,654 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 1.39 1.4 1.41 1.41 1.39 1.4 1,666,000 2,328,610 40.8 41.05 40.1 41.1 40.05 41.05 2,546,300 103,717,920 PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL 65.5 66.5 62 66.5 60.15 66.5 1,430,940 92,882,232.50 90.3 94 90.3 94.8 90 94 3,500 315,658 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 1.18 1.19 1.19 1.2 1.13 1.18 8,078,000 9,455,070 31.4 31.9 30.9 31.9 30 31.9 4,519,700 141,639,485 WILCON DEPOT 0.23 0.238 0.23 0.238 0.23 0.238 200,000 46,970 APC GROUP EASYCALL 4.22 4.64 4.6 4.65 4.2 4.2 7,000 32,000 501 540 520 540 520 540 3,420 1,840,400 GOLDEN MV IPM HLDG 6.9 7 7 7 7 7 3,000 21,000 0.67 0.68 0.7 0.73 0.64 0.67 60,118,000 41,960,800 PRMIERE HORIZON

MINING & OIL ATOK 5.59 5.97 5.9 5.98 5.58 5.97 93,800 544,968 APEX MINING 1.38 1.41 1.4 1.41 1.37 1.41 94,000 131,610 6.03 6.04 6.23 6.23 6.02 6.03 1,529,900 9,336,725 ATLAS MINING BENGUET A 5.05 5.1 5.05 5.05 5.05 5.05 5,000 25,250 4.85 5.5 4.81 4.81 4.81 4.81 2,000 9,620 BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK 2.6 2.64 2.45 2.65 2.45 2.64 131,000 339,050 5.11 5.49 5.11 5.49 5.11 5.49 200 1,060 DIZON MINES 2.11 2.14 2.16 2.16 2.09 2.14 1,223,000 2,588,870 FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE 0.192 0.22 0.2 0.202 0.192 0.202 570,000 113,220 0.125 0.128 0.124 0.128 0.124 0.128 2,540,000 316,610 LEPANTO A LEPANTO B 0.132 0.138 0.13 0.13 0.13 0.13 100,000 13,000 0.0091 0.0096 0.0091 0.0091 0.0091 0.0091 5,000,000 45,500 MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES 1.39 1.4 1.35 1.44 1.28 1.4 4,891,000 6,668,940 1.01 1.03 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.01 229,000 231,320 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 5.15 5.16 5.08 5.19 5 5.16 3,545,500 17,967,617 OMICO CORP 0.31 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.3 0.32 560,000 178,300 0.75 0.79 0.75 0.76 0.74 0.76 184,000 137,190 ORNTL PENINSULA PX MINING 4.9 4.94 4.8 4.95 4.8 4.9 326,000 1,585,710 22.65 22.85 22.6 22.85 21.55 22.85 2,603,900 58,746,595 SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON 0.0063 0.0064 0.0063 0.0063 0.0063 0.0063 6,000,000 37,800 22.9 22.95 22.05 23.5 22.05 22.95 485,200 11,042,175 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.01 15,900,000 159,700 0.0091 0.0092 0.0091 0.0091 0.009 0.0091 22,000,000 198,700 PHILODRILL 5.95 6 6.05 6.05 5.84 5.95 450,200 2,676,295 PXP ENERGY

PREFFERED AC PREF B1 531 547.5 521 531 521 531 2,850 1,507,250 104 108 108 108 108 108 18,410 1,988,280 ALCO PREF C AC PREF B2R 508 522 510 510 510 510 8,000 4,080,000 100 100.5 101 102.5 100 100 22,550 2,257,355 BRN PREF A CEB PREF 46 46.4 47.3 47.3 44.5 46 63,000 2,900,935 101 103 100.5 103 100.5 103 900 91,060 CPG PREF A DD PREF 100.8 100.9 100.6 100.8 100.3 100.8 27,210 2,732,715 105.4 109 109 109 109 109 18,240 1,988,160 FGEN PREF G 1,010 1,019 1,010 1,010 1,010 1,010 20 20,200 GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B 1,020 1,040 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 5 5,150 999 1,010 999 1,000 951 999 1,570 1,542,830 JFC PREF A JFC PREF B 1,005 1,015 1,015 1,015 1,015 1,015 10 10,150 98 100.2 99.2 99.2 98 99.2 5,200 510,680 MWIDE PREF 2A MWIDE PREF 2B 98.8 101.5 100.9 101.6 100.9 101.6 9,920 1,004,842 101.5 104.7 103.5 104.7 101 104.7 410 42,431 PNX PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 989 997 998 998 988 989 26,720 26,466,040 PCOR PREF 3A 1,043 1,108 1,099 1,108 1,042 1,108 2,975 3,174,505 1,105 1,106 1,107 1,108 1,105 1,105 6,045 6,685,680 PCOR PREF 3B SMC PREF 2F 79.3 79.4 79.3 79.4 79.3 79.4 20,220 1,603,468 75.85 77 75.8 75.8 75.8 75.8 500 37,900 SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I 79.4 79.45 76.65 79.2 76.65 79.2 20,000 1,558,500 76.4 76.9 76.4 76.9 76.4 76.9 707,100 54,372,440 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 75.6 75.8 75.9 75.9 75.75 75.8 695,320 52,705,540.50

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 12.1 12.38 12.4 12.4 11.7 12.1 232,200 2,854,790 13.22 13.64 13.2 13.2 13.18 13.2 34,200 451,250 GMA HLDG PDR

WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 0.92 0.93 0.95 0.95 0.9 0.94 1,523,000 1,403,410

1,205,310 -232,210,690 -87,346,794.50 -21,321,144 -241,481 -249,062 285,239,092 8,320 37,420,120 53,250 -24,988,931 -403,920 -7,928,660 43,128,920 17,929,418 -80,472,295 -6,819,579 18,150 -760 -380,643,560 -2,150,490 -121,930 -18,700 -55,620 803,930 -124,850 -95,606,270 36,000 -29,150 -31,500 -69,206,917 4,293,960 3,470 12,339,730 201,500 -4,621,468 -852,010.00 -7,933,199 -15,024,974 10,750 46,800 283,536,025 2,474,760 -229,024,110 1,390,750 248,830.00 16,009,860 -1,820,958 55,760 80,700 -198,860 28,660 -4,782,365 175,203,327 285,886 86,360.00 -48,500 -696 -93,150 32,021,838 -11,960 207,880 -26,800 10,875,040 7,792,002 13,003,690 11,011,568 -66,902 363,360.00 60,591,320 -21,442,560 1,380 -228,919 277,800 495,590 5,200 171,200 -49,500 -624,761.00 15,000 -182,600 12,796,225 2,012,005 18,100 -88,500 10,200 80,000 39,680 20,700 59,550 - -2,841,310 125,210

-2.04% SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.).

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

ALTUS PROP ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MERRYMART

17.8 2.09 3.5 3

17.9 2.1 3.65 3.01

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

109.2

109.3

18 2.08 3.55 3.06

18 2.12 3.63 3.06

17.78 1.95 3.5 2.85

17.8 2.1 3.5 3

51,400 1,134,000 56,000 7,509,000

915,412 2,338,890 198,370 22,407,630

-10,450

79,700 10,650 1,510,740

110.8 110.8 105.5 109.3 43,800 4,754,865 558,047

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Tuesday, November 30, 2021

B3

BTr raises ₧360B from latest RTB offering

T

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised P360 billion from its latest offering of 5.5-year Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs).

Of the amount, P330.5 billion and P29.5 billion were raised in new money and through the bond exchange, respectively.

The amount already includes the P113.5 billion raised from the ratesetting auction last November 16 while an additional P217 billion was generated throughout the offer period. The 26th tranche of RTBs is set to be settled on December 2 this year.

Proceeds from the issuance will

help the country respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic and will support various programs for economic resiliency and recovery.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon attributed the success of their latest RTB issuance to the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

“The healthy macroeconomic environment, characterized by sufficient domestic market liquidity and

downward trend in inflation supported our third retail issuance, or the second peso-denominated jumbo offering for the year,” De Leon said.

De Leon said they have also observed that more Filipinos are getting into the habit of investing as the BTr introduced digital platforms to make the process more convenient.

“As such, we at the BTr will continue to introduce new products and channels in the future to allow our individual investors to diversify their personal portfolios, as well as reduce the friction costs and barriers to investing”, De Leon added.

Over the two-week offer period, the BTr partnered with the Department of Foreign Affairs to conduct webinars with Overseas Filipinos to discuss the features and how to invest in RTBs. These financial literacy sessions for OFs were conducted in more

than 50 cities and countries around the world, including those in East Africa, South America, and Europe.

The RTB-26 was made available for as low as P5,000 through the traditional over-the-counter placement in bank branches, as well as digital channels such as the BTr’s RTB Online Ordering Facility, the Bonds.

PH mobile application, the Overseas Filipino Bank Mobile Banking Application, and the Landbank Mobile Banking Application.

The Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines are the Joint Lead Issue Managers for the 26th RTB offering.

They are joined by BDO Capital & Investment Corporation, BPI Capital Corporation, China Bank Capital Corporation, First Metro Investment Corporation, PNB Capital and Investment Corporation, RCBC Capital

Corporation, and Union Bank of the Philippines as Joint Issue Managers.

T-bills auction

Meanwhile, the BTr also fully awarded P10 billion in Treasury Bills (T-bills) on Monday as rates moved sideways. The auction was more than thrice oversubscribed as total tenders reached P37.65 billion.

De Leon said they saw strong investor demand following the reduction of volume for December auctions. For this month, the Treasury had set to borrow P70 billion from the local debt market, smaller than those from the previous months in a bid to ensure that the government will be able to stay within its annual borrowing program and maintain the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio at “sustainable levels.”

“Rates hardly moved even after

the start of [US Federal Reserve] taper and expectations of rates heading north,” she added.

The 91-day T-bills’ average rate settled at 1.164 percent, down by 1.4 basis points from the previous auction’s 1.178 percent. Total tenders for the security hit P11.318 billion, more than five times the P2-billion offering. For the 182-day T-bills, rates capped at an average of 1.449 percent, inching up by 0.6 basis points from 1.443 percent in the last auction. Bids for security reached P13.98 billion, more than four times the P3-billion offering.

In terms of the 363-day T-bills, the rate also slightly rose to 1.636 percent, higher by 0.8 basis points from 1.628 percent. The tenor attracted bids amounting to a total of P12.35 billion, more than twice the P5-billion offering.

Bill extending ’21 budget House approves hike in LGU share in IRA to 50% availability to next year T endorsed to Senate

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

T

HE House of Representatives on Monday endorsed for Senate approval the bill extending the availability of the 2021 General Appropriation Act. This after lawmakers—voting 168 affirmative, 6 negative and 0 abstention, approved on third and final reading House Bill 10373.

The bill seeks to amend Section 62 of the General Provisions of Republic Act 11518 or the General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2021.

Under House Bill 10373, the appropriations for infrastructure capital outlays, including those subsidy releases to GOCCs for infrastructure projects, shall be valid for obligation until December 31, 2022, while the completion of construction, inspection and payment shall be made not later than December 31, 2022.

On the other hand, appropriations for MOOE and other capital outlays shall likewise be valid for obligation until December 31, 2022, while the delivery, inspection and payment shall be made not later than December 31, 2022.

The bill said the Department of Budget and Management is authorized to issue the necessary guide-

lines for the effective implementation of the cash budgeting system.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Eric Yap said extending the availability of the 2021 appropriations until next year would allow the agencies to fully utilize the allocated budget for 2021.

Timbangan ng Bayan

Meanwhile, the lower chamer also approved on third and final reading HB 3255 establishing Timbangan ng Bayan Center in all markets nationwide.

Voting 175 affirmative, 0 negative, and 0 abstention, lawmakers approved the establishment of a Timbangan ng Bayan Center in all markets nationwide to protect consumers from deceptive and unfair sales acts and practices. The bill would amend for the purpose Chapter 11 of RA 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines. The measure mandates the LGUs to establish a Timbangan ng Bayan Center in all markets nationwide, public or private, including flea markets or “tiangges.”

The bill said the centralized weighing scale would be available and open to anyone in the markets to validate the accuracy of the quantity and measurement of the products that consumers buy.

STERLING CHEER

Sterling Bank of Asia has selected San Juan City’s Bureau of Jail Management and Penology as one of this year’s beneficiaries of their annual Corporate Social Responsibility program, the Kind Heart Gives Campaign. Persons Deprived of Liberty of San Juan’s BJMP showcased their craftsmanship in making parol (traditional Christmas lantern), which is a fund-raiser for them. In photo (from left to right): Raquel Bumbay, Sterling Bank’s VP-Marketing; Arlene Siongco, VP-Compensation and Benefits, Ethel Peralta, VP-Management Support Services; JO2 Karl Julius C. Leano, BJMP representative; and Dan Guevara, Sterling’s VP-Center for Learning.

HE House of Representatives on Monday approved the bill increasing the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of the local government units from 40 percent to 50 percent.

Voting 175 affirmative and 0 abstention, lawmakers approved on third and final reading HB 10296 to intensify local government participation in national development by increasing the share of local government units in national taxes.

After the third reading approval, the lower chamber immediately transmitted the bill to the upper chamber for its own deliberations

and approval.

The bill seeks to increase the current share of the local government units in national taxes by modifying the current formulation of Internal Revenue Allotment.

The measure also seeks to include all forms of national taxes in the computation of IRA and enable local government units to provide better services and create more development projects.

The bill increases the local government share of national taxes from 40 percent to 50 percent— based on the collection of the third fiscal year preceding the current

fiscal year and thereafter.

It also changes the term from “internal revenue allotment” to “national tax allotment of local government units.” The bill amends Section 284 of Republic Act No. 7160, as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991.

Preserve agricultural land

Also, lawmakers approved on third and final reading HB 10303 to provide stronger measures to preserve agricultural land and regulate its conversion for non-agricultural purposes.

With 176-0 votes, lawmakers

passed HB 10303 providing stronger measures to preserve agricultural land and regulate its conversion for non-agricultural purposes.

It aims to minimize graft and corruption in agricultural land conversion brought about by conflicting laws, policies, and administrative activities of government agencies.

The bill would mandate the Secretaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Agriculture, and other concerned departments to offer technical assistance to LGUs in developing programs to regulate the conversion of prime agricultural land. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

How to make money from cryptocurrencies

I

N my previous article, I briefly discussed cryptocurrencies, and the risks involved in investing in such asset class. Today, I will expound more on the ways you can earn and benefit from this booming trend, as well as how to avoid losing money in the process: Ways to earn in crypto: 1. Buy and hold for the long-term: you buy cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin and plan to hold them for years to come, in the hopes that their value grows much higher compared to the price at which you bought them.

2. Savings: In Cryptocurrency Exchanges like Binance, you can make your cryptocurrencies work for you by putting them in either Flexible Savings or Locked Savings. Both offer slightly higher returns as compared to just letting your currency sleep in your digital wallet.

3. Staking: If you want your cryptocurrency or native game tokens to earn even more tokens, you can stake your money in pooled funds or liquidity pools. The more you stake, the proportionally higher are your rewards. The reward rate is often noted as APR (Annual Percentage Rate) or APY (Annual Percentage Yield). Lock-up periods can vary from as short as 7 days to as long as 360 days,

Raymond Anthony Quisumbing

personal finance depending on the pool.

4. Farming: In several playto-earn cryptocurrency games, you own several NFTs or Non Fungible Tokens similar to unique gaming characters. These aforementioned NFTs can earn for you by letting them do farming. A successful farming activity can earn you more native tokens, which are convertible to cryptocurrencies, which can then be converted to fiat currency (like USD for instance).

5. PVP: Your gaming NFTs can also join player vs player events. Whoever wins gets rewarded with in-game tokens which can be converted to cryptocurrency as well.

6. NFT Marketplace: NFTs or non-fungible tokens aren’t limited to gaming characters like Axies or Plants or Blades.

They can also represent unique, limited art pieces. They can also be virtual real estate properties or virtual land where your NFT characters can interact with. You can earn from these as well by buying and selling said NFTs.

Note that not all NFTs are sold equally. Very few are beyond rare, some are uncommon, and most can be just ordinary pieces.

7. Spot trading: This is the term for short-term cryptocurrency trading. Technical Analysis is one of the techniques you can use for this earning method.

8. Crypto-lending: Some Exchanges offer the option of lending out cryptocurrencies.

You can set the rate at which you want to lend them as well as the lending period, whether it be 7 days, 14 days, or 28 days.

Now that I have enumerated the various ways you can benefit from the cryptocurrency boom, here are some words of advice to consider before making any substantial purchases: 1. Always do your own research: There are a lot of gurus, mentors, vloggers out there who will promote their own picks of cryptocurrencies.

At the end of the day, it is your money you are putting at risk, and they hold no responsibility or accountability over the decisions you make. So study well before jumping.

2. Don’t invest out of greed: A lot of investors were drawn in to invest in a cryptocurrency that first sprang out from a meme called SQUID. Riding in on the recent popular-

ity of the Korean series called Squid Game (no actual connection to the meme or cryptocurrency called SQUID); this cryptocurrency soared by 230,000 percent in the past weeks to $2,861.80, only to plunge by 100 percent to less than half a cent in a span of 5 minutes (yes, cryptocurrency can be that volatile). This is called a rug pull, drawn from the act of the floor rug being pulled under your feet. A lot of investors instantly lost their money.

3. Risk only money that you can lose: Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile when it comes to market value. If you find that the stock market is already volatile for you, then cryptocurrencies may not be your cup of tea. Save enough money first for your emergency fund and other short-term needs before venturing into this uncharted territory.

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Luke 12:15

Raymond Anthony Quisumbing is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines.

Follow him at Twitter at OhMyFinancePH. To learn more about personal-financial planning, attend the 93rd RFP program this January 2022. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text at 0917-6248110.

With digitalization, DOF eases importers’ chores, other stakeholders’ transactions

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HE Department of Finance (DOF) has made it easier for importers to apply for tax and duty exemptions from its revenue office.

The enhancement of the DOF’s Tax Exemption System (TES), which was replaced by the web-based TES lite, is among the digitalization initiatives undertaken by the DOF. “These digitalization initiatives include heightened security measures to make our systems safe from malware and possible cyber attacks,” Finance Secretary Carlos

G. Dominguez III said.

Apart from this, the DOF has also put in place an enhanced webbased system for the reporting and processing of data on debts and liabilities of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs).

The GOCCs Liabilities and Monitoring System (GLAMS) covers national government (NG)-guaranteed, on-lending from NG, and non-NG guaranteed loans, as well as the loan status, and other forms of liabilities, contractual obligations, and other relevant information re-

lated to GOCC debts.

“It aims to streamline the GOCCs’ data reporting process through paperless and direct input from the GOCCs. This provides us a comprehensive set of debt data and other information about the liabilities of GOCCs to better assist the DOF in its debt analysis and formulation of financial strategies for these state-run corporations,” Dominguez III said.

To better monitor the status of bills filed in Congress, the DOF has set up a Legislative Management

Portal, which contains data on the DOF’s proposed reforms that require congressional approval, as well as other bills that need the Department’s inputs; relevant documents; and schedules of committee hearings in the Senate and the House of Representatives for easy reference.

The DOF’s Privatization and Management Office (PMO) has also enhanced its existing Asset Register Information System (ARIS) to include the upcoming integration of additional information for legal

cases tied to specific assets, and verification documents to check the accuracy of the asset details in the registry.

It also adopted a data analytics reporting tool to extract relevant data from the ARIS and present them in an easy-to-read executive dashboard.

The PMO also digitized its Transfer Certificate of Title Database; modified and updated its Document Tracking System to easily track all incoming documents that were acted on with the corresponding

outgoing documents; and utilized the latest version of the Commission on Audit’s Electronic New Government Accounting System and Electronic Budgeting System to improve its internal financial processes, to name a few.

Dominguez said the PMO has already received the endorsement of its 2022-2024 Information Systems Strategic Plan from the Department of Information and Communications Technology to support its computerization projects for the next three years. Bernadette D. Nicolas

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Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Insurance A BusinessMirror Special Feature

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The best time to invest in insurance is now T

HE COVID-19 pandemic is a life-changing experience.

People have practiced self-care in a multitude of ways during the pandemic as they were forced to adjust to new work schedules, change their everyday routines, and cut back on socializing.

Preventive measures such as mask wearing, maintaining a 6-foot distance from others, and washing hands frequently had to be adopted. And, more important, if one felt unwell, the strict rule was: stay home.

Term insurance

HER E is some genera l infor mation on life insurance from the Insurance Infor mation Institute. In insurance, there is what is ca l led ter m life insurance.

T his is the best option if you have young children and you want to ensure that there w il l be f unds to pay for their col lege education. T hus, a 20 -year ter m life insurance could be the best option.

A nyone who needs a large amount of life insurance but has a limited budget may a lso opt for the ter m life insurance. However, this t y pe of insurance pays only if the insured dies dur ing the ter m of the polic y, so the rate per thousand of death benefit is lower than for per manent for ms of life insurance. A nd if the insured is stil l a live at the end of the ter m, the coverage stops unless the polic y is renewed or a new one is bought.

T he FA may a lso adv ise his client to look into “conver tible” ter m policies.

T his w il l a l low the insured to conver t to per manent insurance w ithout a medica l examination in exchange for higher premiums.

Premiums are lowest when the insured is young and it increases upon renewa l as one age. Some ter m insurance policies can be renewed when the polic y ends, but the premium w il l genera l ly increase. Some policies require a medica l examination at renewa l to qua lif y for the lowest rates.

Permanent policy

UNSPLASH.COM

People a lso star ted to tr ust science and believe in the benefits of vaccines to prevent disease. With this, medica l ex per ts hope the spotlight on COV ID -19 vaccine and the new Omicron var iant w il l motivate people to keep up w ith a l l of their vaccines, including childhood and adult vaccines.

But more impor tant, people have lear ned even more to va lue their hardear ned money, sav ings and insurance dur ing hard times. T he pandemic has increased people’s awareness of the impor tance of getting insured. In fact, more of the younger generation are getting themselves, as wel l as their family members, insured.

Understandably, COV ID -19 fa l ls under sickness and emergenc y and a long w ith accidents, death, and retirement for m par t

confusing. It is impor tant that you get in touch w ith a reputable insurance agent or a financia l adv iser (FA). Insurance agents sel l and negotiate life, hea lth, proper t y, or other t y pes of insurance to match the needs of their clients. A n FA , on the other hand, g ives strateg ies for clients in insurance coverage, investment planning, cash management, and other areas to help them reach financia l objectives.

Both the agent and FA may work for an insurance company, refer clients to independent brokers, or work as an independent broker.

of the sad events in life.

People shou ld be f inancia l ly empowered to hand le these events in their lives. A nd women, if they are thr ust into being the f inancia l frontliners, shou ld have a fa l lback or something to lean on for f uture f inancia l needs of the family.

Avoid big losses

THE best time to invest in insurance is now. Pr u Life UK , the institution that helps

you progress by ser v ing their client’s ever-evolv ing needs, shares a number of tips on to avoid big losses when look ing into insurance proposa ls.

T he f irst step to consider is to invest in yourself.

T his means that you shou ld equip yourself w ith the r ight knowledge and sk il ls to enable you to make the r ight decision. Look at what you are getting into by doing research and consu lting a tr usted insurance agent. You

a lso need to have the r ight attitude when it comes to investing in insurance. It is a long-ter m commitment so be sure that you are ready for it in the long haul.

W hen you have decided to invest in yourself, come up w ith a plan. Do you just want to have an insurance polic y or one that can be bund led w ith an investment plan?

With a plan, you can set your goa ls that w il l help gauge your progress. T his w il l keep

you focused on your longter m targets as you move for ward.

Lastly, you have to be consistent w ith your plan.

A long the way you w il l lear n and discover more about financia l planning, money management and investments. T hat way you w il l be able to decide how to invest your money w isely.

W hen it comes to insurance, choosing the r ight t y pe of life insurance can be

A PER M A NENT polic y, on the other hand, pays a death benefit whether the insured dies tomor row or live to be over 100. With per manent life insurance, one accumulates a sav ings element that w il l grow on a ta x-defer red basis and could be a source of bor rowed funds for a var iet y of pur poses. T he sav ings element can be used to pay premiums to keep the life insurance in force if they cannot be paid or for any other pur pose he may choose.

T he insured can bor row these f unds even if his credit is shak y. T he death benefit is col latera l for the loan, and if he dies before it’s repaid, the insurance company col lects what is due the company before deter mining what goes to his beneficiar y.

B6 Tuesday, November 30, 2021

RCBC’s DiskarTech bags award from International Data Corporation for digital resiliency and innovation

Converge Time of Day scores triple wins in 3 international awards in 2021

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N line with Converge ICT Solutions, Inc.’s commitment to defying the status quo and disrupting the Philippine market, the company continues to make a mark in the telecommunications industry through its multi-awarded product, Time of Day. Seven months after its launch, Time of Day bags recognitions from international awarding bodies 2021 Asian Technology Excellence Awards, 2021 International Business Magazine Excellence Awards, and 2021

International Finance Awards

CONVERGE Time of Day uplifts the experience of residential, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), and largescale enterprises with customizable connectivity that adheres to their varying needs. With digitalization paving the way for a more diverse lifestyle and business operations, Converge released the Time of Day offering to allow subscribers to experience double their subscribed bandwidth during their pre-selected most productive time of day. Double the speed without double the fee, Time of Day offers maximum productivity for consumers from 7:00 AM - 6:59 PM for the Day Plan, and 7:00 PM - 6:59 AM for the Night Plan.

Businesses that operate during regular

office hours can avail FlexiBiz Daytime for twice the speed during the day, FlexiBiz Peak for those working around the clock for 24/7 high-speed connection, and Dedicated Internet Access - Time of Day for enterprises for double speeds either day or night.

With the positive reception of the Time of Day offering, Converge caps off 2021 strong with multiple recognitions from well-respected organizations:

2021 Asian Technology Excellence Awards

THE most prestigious award recognizing Asia’s leading companies in technological innovation awarded Converge as Philippines Technology Excellence Award for ICT -Telecommunications. Putting in the spotlight the exceptional companies that continue to lead technological revolutions and digital transformation.

2021 International Business Magazine Awards

AMONG the 12 Philippine companies awarded, Converge bags Best New Internet Technology Innovations Philippines 2021, stamping a mark as the only telecommunications company from the Philippines to be recognized. IBM

is a Dubai, UAE-based publication that recognizes and awards businesses marking their stamps in their industries.

2021 International Finance Awards

CONVERGE remains consistent in its goal to provide even more Filipinos with a simple, fast, and reliable internet connection, making its way as the Most Innovative New Product - Converge Time of Day under their Technology Awards Category. IFA is a UK-based awardgiving body, recognizing the exemplary accomplishments of corporations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East with exceptional talent and leadership skills held up to international standards.

“It has been the focus of Converge to become the market leader in the highspeed fixed broadband market, offering superior and differentiated products, as well as exceptional service at the best price in the market. We will continue to defy the status quo and bring the Philippines on the global map. At the end of the day, our vision is to become a world-class ICT organization and create better experiences for unserved and underserved Filipino communities,” Converge Chief Operating Officer, Jesus “Boboy” Romero shared.

Bear Brand Adult Plus is now proven to help meet the nutritional needs of adults

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T is with no doubt that adults, day in and day out, face all kinds of challenges in pursuit of a better life, whether it's for their family or for themselves. From waking up early, commuting to work, powering through the day’s demands, and preparing again for another day—a cycle of doing the same tasks everyday can give them the feeling that they’re not getting anywhere in life. Although one adult’s daily challenge is different from another, there is one factor that is crucial to all adults for everyday progress—their ability to give it their all. But more

often than not, they face one serious challenge: Lack of nutrition. This leaves many Filipino adults feeling drained, which keeps them from undertaking new challenges that can improve their lives.

To build the strength to try new pursuits and improve personal well-being amidst life’s challenges, it’s necessary to focus on nutritional intake and be proactive in managing one’s health.

There are plenty of ways to take care of one’s health and well-being, such as good sleeping habits, a balanced diet, exercise, and more. Another way to supplement the body with the right nutrients is

by drinking milk. It is definitely beneficial to adults who want to take proactive steps in maintaining good health. Science supports this claim through the results of a recent study.

A 2020 study called “Effects of Fortified Adult Milk Drink Formula and a Stress Management on Work Productivity and Gut Microbiota of Filipino Adults” conducted by the University of the Philippines - College of Home Economics (UPCHE) in partnership with Nestlé Bear Brand Adult Plus shows that adults who drank Bear Brand Adult Plus every day during a 2-month intervention period were able to meet their daily nutrient needs as compared to those who were part of the control group that did not. The findings present that Bear Brand Adult Plus helps meet 100% of the daily nutritional needs of Filipino adults based on the Philippine Dietary Reference Intakes (PDRI) of the essential nutrients such as, Vitamin C, Zinc, and B Vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12).

Start looking forward to a strong tomorrow, and have the confidence to give 100% in life, no matter what!

Beyond taking care of oneself through exercise, sleep, and the right kind of food, drinking milk as a part of the daily habit can significantly improve health. It has the proper nutrients that provide strength to live better than yesterday and achieve small but consistent victories.

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UCHENGCO-LED Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation’s (RCBC) financial inclusion super app DiskarTech bagged the Special Award for Digital Resiliency at the 2021 IDC Future Enterprise Asia Pacific Regional Awards for displaying its ability to adapt to business disruptions especially during the pandemic.

“As we move towards a better normal, DiskarTech remains committed in its mission to democratize banking and financial services for Filipinos by breaking down barriers and serving the millions of unbanked and underserved Filipinos. The recognition from IDC proves that making digitalization accessible, resilient, and flexible in addressing disruptions is the way to future-proof our banking system,” said Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer of RCBC. The International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

This regional award for digital resiliency came shortly after RCBC was recognized by the local. IDC Future Enterprise Awards – Philippines as the country winner for two categories, namely: Best in Future of Industry Ecosystems and the Special Award for Digital Resiliency.

DiskarTech pioneered the use of Taglish and Cebuano in its user interface catering to the basic financialneeds of marginalized Filipinos.

After a year, the mass-market app has

successfully reached close to five million app downloads coming from all 81 provinces in the country as of end October 2021. Gross transaction volume surged to over 5975 percent from a year ago with 9 out of 10 transactions done in the provinces.

RCBC is a leading and award-winning universal bank accelerating digital transformation and expanding financial inclusion in the Philippines. It was judged as the Philippines’ best retail bank in the 2021 Global Banking and Finance.

Review Awards. It was also named as the back-to-back best digital bank in the Philippines by Asiamoney in 2020 and 2021, by the Business Tabloid in 2021 and the Alpha Southeast Asia in 2020, among other global and regional recognitions.

It is also the first local universal bank to have the most extensive reach with registered customers from across all 81 provinces nationwide through its mobile apps RCBC Mobile and DiskarTech. Its digital products include RCBC mobile and online banking, handheld ATM Go mobile point-of-sale terminals, and DiskarTech, among others.

DiskarTech was recognized as the 2020 breakout finance app in the country by App Annie, a global data analytics firm covering all mobile applications worldwide.

Avoid long queues and the hassle of going out, be pandaSmart with your groceries

CELEBRITY dad Drew Arellano is able to manage his household duties efficiently with the help of pandamart.

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ANT to avoid the long queues and the hassle of going out?

Then choose to be smart with pandamart! With over 3,000 items from your favorite grocery stores, restocking your pantry has never been this easy and fast with foodpanda’s pandamart. Enjoy sulit deals on your grocery items delivered straight to your doorstep in just a few minutes.

Smart shoppers are those who consider factors such as price and convenience when

making a purchase. Just imagine heading out just to buy a few items— all that time and effort spent lining up when you can easily do it with just a few taps of your finger. With pandamart, everyone can be pandaSmart!

Tap pandamart on the foodpanda app and enjoy speedy delivery for your snacks, drinks, fruits, vegetables, and even home care items in as fast as 20 minutes! What’s more is that it’s a super sulit way to stretch your grocery budget-- no shopper fee, and deals and vouchers that are available everyday. Use the code PANDASMART to get P50 off on your pandamart purchase!

Want snacks to go with your video streaming series binge? Add to cart and check out even your late-night cravings because the service is available until 12 midnight.

The service is currently available all over Metro Manila, Angeles City, Antipolo City, Bacoor City, Baguio City, Batangas City, Cainta City, Calamba City, Cebu City, Davao City, General Trias City, Lipa City, Malolos City, Mandaue City, San Pablo City, San Pedro City, San Jose del Monte City, Sta. Rosa City, and Tarlac City. More branches and cities are opening soon.

For more information about these offerings, watch the latest video on Facebook.

Marco Polo invites guests to ‘Stay a While Longer’

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RAVELLERS looking to get away from it all or are in need of extra time to catch up on work away will find Marco Polo Hotels’ “Stay A While Longer” accommodation package delivers great value and comfort, while offering flexibility at its hotels in Hong Kong, mainland China and the Philippines.

Applicable to direct bookings made through MarcoPoloHotels.com until 23 January 2022, “Stay A While Longer” combines 20% off the Best Available Rate

with complimentary daily breakfast for two persons. DISCOVERY members benefit from an extra 10% off the rate. In addition, guests enjoy peace of mind with flexible cancellation options and Safe Travels – the brand’s programme of stringent health and hygiene measures to complement its commitment to continue providing a pleasurable and safe experience at its hotels.

Terms and conditions apply. For more information, visit the Marco Polo website, or call (632) 7720 7777.

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Tuesday, November 30, 2021

B7

‘Encanto,’ ‘House of Gucci’ fuel Thanksgiving box office

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By Jake Coyle The Associated Press

eW YorK—thanksgiving weekend moviegoing was still far from the feast it normally is, but Disney’s Encanto and the Lady Gaga-led House of Gucci both gave a lift to two genres that have been particularly battered by the pandemic: family movies and adult dramas.

Encanto led the box office with $27 million over the weekend and $40.3 million across the five-day holiday frame, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

While well off the pace of past Disney animated movies released over thanksgiving—Coco launched at the same time of year with $72 million and Ralph Breaks the Internet did as well with $84 million—the result was the best opening for an animated movie during the pandemic.

Family films have been especially slow to bounce back, though with kids increasingly getting vaccinated, hopes have been rising that releases such as Encanto can lead a rebound. Disney earlier this year released films, like Pixar’s Luca straight to Disney+, but put out Encanto, reportedly made for $120 million, exclusively in theaters. the film, about a magical colombia family and featuring original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, took in $70 million globally.

MgM’s House of Gucci, from director ridley Scott, debuted with $14.2 million over the three-day weekend and $21.8 million across five days. that, too, was among the best performances for an adult drama. Scott’s own The Last Duel, for Disney’s 20th century Studios, launched with a paltry $4.8 million in october. the $75 million-budgeted House of Gucci, about the family behind the Italian fashion brand, features a large cast including adam Driver, Jared Leto and al Pacino. But its star, Lady gaga, who plays Patrizia reggiani, especially drove the turnout. according to MgM, 59 percent of the audience was female and 45 percent were between the ages of 18 to 35. about 34 percent were 45 years and older—a higher turnout among older moviegoers than most releases have seen.

“Originality still counts in the public’s mind,” said erik Loomis, distribution chief for MgM. “We were really pleased with the results. if you asked me going into the weekend, I was praying that the predictions were right because you just don’t know today. You just don’t know how the market’s going to react.”

THE Lady Gaga-led House of Gucci gave a lift to the North American box office, debuting with $14.2 million over the threeday Thanksgiving weekend and $21.8 million across five days. AP

thanksgiving weekend often accounts for around $250 million in ticket sales domestically. overall business this weekend came in at about $142 million, according to data firm comScore—a bit more than half of typical business but also almost seven times better than thanksgiving 2020, when many theaters were still shuttered.

MgM has bet bigger on the theatrical recovery than most studios; its James Bond film No Time to Die, with $755 million globally, will rank as the no. 1 film of the year. over the weekend, MgM also released Paul thomas anderson’s Licorice Pizza, a comingof-age romance starring alana Haim and cooper Hoffman, on four screens in 70mm for a per-screen average of $83,852—easily the best of the pandemic.

Licorice Pizza expands wider in the coming weeks. “after all the talk of the reticence of certain demographics to go to the movie theater—more mature audiences and family audiences—both came out this weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “this thanksgiving weekend at the box office should be very encouraging to the industry, for whom these audiences have been the toughest to bring back to movie theaters.”

Still, every step forward for the movie industry this year has been accompanied by setbacks. the discovery of the new, potentially more contagious omicron variant sent shudders through Hollywood, which has been trying to build back moviegoing habits. even as nations scrambled to enact new travel regulations because of the variant, experts cautioned that much is still unknown about the new strain.

Last week’s top film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife slid to second place with $24.5 million in its second week after a modest 44 percent drop. the Sony Pictures release has grossed $87.8 million domestically and

$28 million internationally. the studio’s horror division, Screen gems, also opened the r-rated Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, a reboot in the now seven-film videogame adaptation franchise. it debuted with $5.3 million for the three-day weekend and $8.8 million for the holiday frame.

In its fourth weekend of release Marvel’s Eternals added $7.9 million in ticket sales over the three-day weekend to bring its north america cumulative total to $150.6 million and $368 million globally.

Focus Features expanded the oscar contending Belfast, Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical tale of his childhood in the northern ireland city, to 1,128 locations in its third week. Belfast earned $1.3 million over the five-day weekend, bringing its total thus far to $5 million. n

Early Christmas cheers

Singer-actreSS Nicole Laurel has just released her newest single and music video, “christmas Without You,” and the song is stirring quite the pre-holiday buzz on popular music platforms, like Spotify and Youtube.

“I am just so elated to share with every one this very special song,” she shared when we spoke to her recently. Laurel cowrote the song, released by Warner Music Philippines, with nigerian singer and songwriter Sam akins.

“One day I found myself humming this melody and out came the first few lines of the song but after that, I could not seem to squeeze anything out so I took a breather and watched christmas movies on netflix with the hope of drawing some inspiration to finish the lyrics which luckily naturally flowed in and just after a day, i completed the initial draft of the song,” she volunteered.

Laurel and akins made a few lyrical adjustments and the final collaboration was just so smooth and seamless. “thematically, i wanted the song to traverse from having the persona alone in the present time to plunge into her colorful memories with her lover.

Hence, a musical shift was necessary.”

Laurel’s real-life paramour, the gorgeous and gifted musician ira cruz, also came in as a coproducer and the beautiful couple tapped topnotch jazz arranger Michael guevarra to oversee the song’s bigband requirements. the music video was shot in San Pedro, Laguna, in only a day.

“I wanted the video to be very simple and straightforward, something light, warm, sincere and comfortable to watch. When my director gorio Vicuña and I agreed on the concept, each sequence

NICOLE LAUREL (left) and Gretchen Barretto

was done in a breeze. it is doubly special because we shot at the house of my Lola (celia Diaz-Laurel). We lost her this year and I feel she guides me in my every project because she has always been the family’s source of love and strength. it was after her passing that i started to write songs again.”

Laurel adds that she is overwhelmed with the support of many of her colleagues in the entertainment industry. “i remain thankful for all these blessings that continue to pour into my life and my still very young career. i’ve been working really hard to lay down good foundations for both my singing and acting careers and it feels wonderful that I get to work with people who value me, my creativity, and share my dreams.”

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS gretcHen Barretto has been leading a very private life for many years now, but her presence in the entertainment industry is continuously being felt. it’s been seven years since she acted for a film (chito roño’s The Trial) and a decade since her last memorable outings on television. Her characters in both Magkaribal and Princess and I have now become

classics in the tV drama landscape.

For a few months now, people have been speculating on the real reason why Barretto has been sending out love boxes to many people in the entertainment circuit. these boxes contain premium goodies and food brands, and some even come with special Jasmine rice. From those that are closest to her, they say that Barretto simply wants to share her blessings and make people believe again in kindness and generosity. this industry is known to be a jungle, oftentimes heartless, where only the toughest survive. During her active years, Barretto had her fair share of highs and lows, cuddles and blows, but she has remained undaunted, resilient and tough. She has even learned the art of silence, acceptance, calmness and composure, and we reckon these have become her strengths, making her the empowered woman that she has become. to all those who have been touched by her generosity, may we all continue to believe in goodness and gratitude, and may we be inspired to practice random acts of kindness especially in this season of joy, love and hope.

ROCCO NACINO THANKS GMA FOR ADVANCEMENT OF SHOWBIZ CAREER

AWARD-WINNING actor and one of GMA’s leading men, Rocco Nacino stays loyal to the network as he renewed his management contract with GMA Artist Center on November 18. Senior vice president for entertainment group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, first vice president and head of Regional TV and Synergy Oliver Amoroso, first vice president for musical, variety, talk and specials Darling de Jesus-Bodegon, senior assistant vice president for alternative productions Gigi Santiago-Lara, GMAAC assistant vice president and head for talent imaging and marketing unit Simoun S. Ferrer, and GMAAC senior talent managers Vic del Rosario, Daryl Zamora and Joy Marcelo showed their full support to Rocco via Zoom and their presence at the Marquee Tent of Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

Rafael Nacino, Rocco’s dad and comanager, also attended the event.

Looking back on his showbiz journey, the talented actor is filled with gratitude as StarStruck, the popular talent search where he got his start, laid the right foundations for him as an artist: “I started late in my early 20s. It was a half-hearted decision to join showbiz. But hindi talaga ako nagsisi because the learnings that I got through StarStruck paved the way for me to be where I am right now. Kung may pasasalamatan talaga ako, of course, it’s the network, the executives, but also StarStruck. Three months of grueling workshops to make us into whole artists and to make our mark in showbiz.... To be here, to be staying as a Kapuso, it’s something I’m very, very proud of and grateful for.”

Rocco has come a long way after being named as StarStruck Season 5’s socalled Second Prince in 2012. His role in the Pinoy remake of the hit Korean drama series Descendants of the Sun opened up more opportunities for him to showcase his talent and make a name for himself.

Currently, he is one of the lead stars in the top-rating GMA prime-time drama series To Have and To Hold.

Despite his growing list of achievements and successful projects, the star remains grounded. He refuses to be complacent, allowing himself a certain degree of fear to keep himself disciplined and maintain a positive attitude: “Kahit na tumatatak na sa mga tao ang To Have and To Hold, hindi ko hinahayaan na maiwan iyan sa ulo ko at lumaki. So, I always remain scared, na anytime puwede nila akong palitan kaya dapat tama ang ginagawa ko. I make sure I always talk to my managers and the executives for advice on what to do. Kasi hindi ko talaga alam ’yung buong business na ’to. I make sure to do things right, to make decisions with respect, and to honor those who take care of me.”

Meanwhile, Rasonable appreciates Rocco’s character as an artist and as a person: “Since StarStruck, he has improved and grew as an actor. But more than that, what I like about Rocco is that he gives a good example to his coactors because he finished his education despite his very busy schedule. He’s very well-rounded. He has one of the most important traits an artist should have—perseverance. It is because of that, that we are proud and happy that Rocco is still a loyal Kapuso. Congratulations, Rocco.”

Santiago-Lara does not hide her admiration for Rocco’s attitude in front of and behind the camera, “Rocco is one of our most talented actors in the network and GMA Artist Center. We’re so happy that he’s continuing his journey with us as a Kapuso. We love his work ethic. I think of Rocco as someone who works hard, and he also knows how to play hard. We have always put our trust and our faith in the work that Rocco does, and we thank him for doing the same with us.”

Sports BusinessMirror

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HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) bared on Monday that it has yet to receive an official response from Olympian pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) on its mediation effort that seeks to help solve one of the most horrible controversies that struck Philippine sports.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) also said on Monday that its Ethics Committee will look into the row with “utmost concern and [is already] collating pertinent information from both Patafa and EJ Obiena to ensure due process.”

“The committee has been tirelessly working with our legal team to resolve the issue at the soonest possible time,” POC Ethics Committee chair Patrick Gregorio of rowing said.

“We do not want shortcuts here. What we want is to shed light on the matter and ensure that truth prevails.”

The PSC said in a statement that it has sent Obiena and the Patafa documents on the mediation submission agreement last Thursday.

“The PSC Board has been waiting for Patafa and EJ Obiena to return the said agreement with their respective signatures,” the statement said.

“The board expressed concern over the delay knowing the urgency for the mediation process to begin for the issue to be resolved.”

The statement added that the dispute has caught the attention of the international sports community and the misimpression is putting Philippine sports in a bad light.

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| Tuesday, November 30, 2021

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

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P.O.C., PSC

GET BALL ROLLING

“As an elder of the Philippine sports community, I am asking them to submit to mediation for their mutual benefit,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez, adding he is “duty-bound to explore ways to help resolve the issue.”

The Patafa has earlier obliged Obiena to answer what was initially alleged non-payment of the Asian record holder’s Ukranian coach Vitaly Petrov’s salaries since 2018. Obiena and Petrov went online to belie the claim of the federation, which has shifted its focus on the manner by which Obiena made liquidation reports on the coach’s salaries.

“Again, my role is to facilitate communication between the parties, not to decide who is right or wrong,” Ramirez said. “Mediation is the best option for now so the parties can reconcile, open communication lines, and continue the work

that needs to be done.”

Ramirez added: “The parties owe it to the government and the Filipino people to resolve the issues amicably.

A failed mediation will be detrimental to both parties.”

In a special board meeting on Monday, the PSC board set a December 15 deadline for Obiena and Patafa to submit themselves to mediation.

Gregorio’s committee includes Gerry Alquiros of bridge and Ernesto Echauz of sailing, while the POC legal team is headed by Atty. Wharton Chan of kickboxing.

He said that the committee has also already communicated with Obiena and the Patafa but withheld details on the POC’s message to both parties.

“It will be an ongoing process and we want to solve this the soonest,” Gregorio said.

Eyes on Singson as Riviera Ladies kicks off in Silang AFY SINGSON, who with Laurea Duque stirred up play at the Couples course last week, looks not only to add the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Riviera Ladies Championship crown to her growing list of low amateur trophies but also nail the overall crown when the event kicks off Wednesday in Silang, Cavite.

The rising Davaoeña star crowded the pros for the top of the podium in the last three Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) events held in a bubble setup but has been unsuccessful with shaky stretch-run performances. She placed second at Eagle Ridge-Aoki, ended up fifth at Highlands and tied for fourth at Riviera-Couples.

But the pro crown looks so enticing not just for her but for the rest of the amateurs, including Eagle Ace Superal and Arnie Taguines, although they will not only be facing an equally fired-up pro cast but a Langer layout kept in championship condition to test not only their shotmaking skills and putting but also their mental toughness.

“We’re still in the bubble, so I can’t go out to practice. But I did some workouts and stretching and got enough rest,” said Singson, bracing

RJ ARGAMINO goes for an unmolested layup.

PBA OPENS DECEMBER 8, BUT STILL WITHOUT FANS

for a grueling three-day battle of wits and endurance at one of the country’s toughest courses.

Duque, the low amateur at Aoki last March, also put herself in strong contention at Couples but reeled back with two backside bogeys. She also blew the lead in the battle for low amateur honors on a closing doublebogey and ended up sixth, enabling Singson to claim the diadem again.

Duque, however, won’t be around this week to honor a previous commitment, making Singson a solid favorite to reign again in the ranks and a top contender for the overall championship.

The amateurs have been providing a refreshing challenge to the touring ladies in the pandemic-hit season while sharpening their skills and gaining more experience as they build up for various international competitions next season.

The compact pro field is also all primed up for another tough grind with Chanelle Avaricio seeking to complete a sweep of the Riviera titles after scoring a breakthrough at Couples in big fashion and the likes of Harmie Constantino, Chihiro Ikeda and Sunshine Baraquiel raring to fuel their respective title drive with strong starts.

‘Ferocious’ and F1 dogfight GEORGE “FEROCIOUS” KAMBOSOS JR., Senator Manny Pacquiao’s many-time sparring partner, won a few belts of his own by upsetting heavily-favored Teofimo Lopez who beat Vasiliy Lomachenko just 13 months ago.

According to cnn.com, “The unfancied Australian, who came into the fight a heavy underdog, knocked Lopez down in the first round and survived being knocked down in the 10th round before winning on a split decision from the judges.”

Kambosos won 115-111, 113-114, 115-112 on the judges’ cards to claim the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation belts in a Madison Square Garden that was almost entirely behind home-favorite Lopez.

“I said it time after time: ‘You might not believe it, but I believe in myself.’ And look at me now. I’ve got all the jewels. I’m not the king, I’m the emperor because I come to every other country and I take them out one by one.”

Humility seems to be not part of Lopez’s vocabulary, Ben Morse of cnn.com writes, “I don’t care what anybody

Sista runs away with Leg 3 crown

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ISTA Super Sealers ended the dream run of guest team Pioneer Pro Tibay with a 20-13 victory to run away with the title in Leg 3 of the Philippine Basketball Association 3x3 Lakas Ng Tatlo on Sunday Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Kenneth Mocon poured in nine points in the winner-take-all finals, while RJ Argamino, Prince Rivero and Leo De Vera took care of the rest in handing the team, representing the Rain or Shine franchise its first championship in the three-a-side tournament.

The victory was worth P100,000 for a side that never even qualified for the knockout stage in the maiden leg last week.

Coach Juven Formacil referred to

GO for Gold-Air Force’s Jonvic de Guzman makes the first point in the men’s Champions League by nailing an attack off a Jessie Lopez set.

Aguilas, Negros spikers break ice in Champions League for men

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O for Gold-Air Force survived VNS Manileño Spikers and MRT-Negros rallied past Sabong International Spikers to set the tone of the men’s Champions League of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation that kicked off on Monday at the Aquamarine

says,” the 24-year-old said. “I won tonight. At the end of the day, I’ve been here, I’ve done it. Look, I’m not a sore loser. I take my wins like I take my losses.

“At the end of the day, I’m a true champion. I came out here, I did what I had to do, and I went out there and I did my best.... This is the takeover. We don’t stop; we keep coming.”

At least Lopez gets a little taste of some humble pie.

Pacquiao congratulated Kambosos by saying, “Congratulations to my friend, George Kambosos, on an epic win! You helped me in so many of my past fights, I hope our hundreds of rounds of sparring helped you in some way tonight. I’m proud of you.” nnn

THE Saudi Arabia Grand Prix may decide this F1 season’s world champion. Max Verstappen has a chance of a lifetime that with a win at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on December 5, he will win his first ever F1 world title.

According to amp.formula1.com, If Verstappen finishes first with fastest lap and Hamilton finishes sixth or lower If Verstappen finishes first and Hamilton finishes seventh or lower If Verstappen finishes second with fastest lap and Hamilton finishes 10th or lower If Verstappen finishes second and Hamilton doesn’t score I can’t possibly fathom Hamilton finishing third or lower. I’m sure both drivers’ teams will be plotting their respective strategies carefully from pit stops to turns.

Will both drivers drive conservatively or will Verstappen look to set the tone early on and lead?

Will Hamilton look aggressively to get pole position and assert himself early in the contest on December the 5th?

A dogfight we will see.

Recreational Center in Lipa City.

The national athlete-laden Aguilas had to scrape bottom in their 23-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11 victory over the Manileño Spikers, who were out to score one of the major upsets since the women’s tournament where high schoolers from California Precision Sports stunned pro squad Petro Gazz in five sets last week.

“Any team can beat everybody here,” said Aguilas coach Dante Alinsunurin, who also handles the national squad. “We have a fresh start and the team which is very determined to win will reach the top.”

MRT-Negros lost a two-set lead and rallied from a 7-10 hole in the decider to beat Sabong International Spikers, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12.

Jian Matthew Salarzon, a 18-year-old standout from Bacolod’s Living Stone International School, showed promise. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker had five blocks and three service aces to finish with 18 points for MRT-Negros.

Both matches drew heavy sweat from all protagonists—the Aguilas won in two hours and 11 minutes in a Pool A showdown and the second match went two hours and 10 minutes in a Pool B contest in the tournament that has Rebisco, Pitmaster Foundation Inc., Top Speed, 1Pacman Partylist, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee as platinum sponsors and F2 Logistics, Asics, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation and Mikasa as gold sponsors and BCDA, Philippine Red Cross, Lipa

the championship as a “blessing.”

“I’m very proud of the guys, they’re all heart every game,” he said.

Mocon and Argamino sparked the Super Sealers early on, hitting from the outside to give the team a 7-4 lead and turn around a game they trailed earlier.

Pioneer Pro Tibay played catch-up the rest of the way and sealed its best finish in the tournament at second place worth P50,000.

Sista went undefeated in six games, topping Pool B with a 3-0 record, before beating Limitless Appmasters in the quarterfinals, 17-16, and Purefoods TJ Titans in the semifinals, 19-15, to reach the championship round.

Pioneer emerged as the third best team in Pool A at 2-2, then edged out fellow guest team Platinum Karaoke in the last eight, 21-19, and denied Terrafirma in the semifinals, 16-15, to arrange the title duel with the Super Sealers.

Pioneer is composed of Gian Abrigo, Carlo De Chavez, Carlo Escalambre and Christian Rivera, with Lester Del Rosario as head coach.

In the battle for third, Terrafirma salvaged the P30,000 prize by defeating Purefoods, 21-16.

Matt Salem finished with a game-high 11 points to help the franchise achieve its best finish in the tournament.

More importantly, the prize money the Dyip won will be given by the team to injured captain Roider Cabrera in helping defray the family’s hospital expenses. The 30-yearold big man is still confined after collapsing in the team dressing room following its game against Barangay Ginebra during the previous leg.

City, Davis Paint and Emerald PVC Pipes, Fittings and Doors as silver sponsors with PNVF godfather, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Champions League, giving his full support.

National team mainstay Mark Alfafara recorded five blocks to finish with 19 points with nine digs, while Kim Malabunga and John Vic de Guzman each had 16 points for Go for Gold.

Morris Gavan led VNS with 17 points with John Benedict San Andres adding 13 points and 16 receptions. Josef Ramos

HE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will kick off the Governors Cup—the second and last conference of its 46th season—on December 8.

The good news is the games will be played in Metro Manila at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The bad news is the PBA won’t still let the fans in—at least in the meantime.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed to BusinessMirror on Monday the latest developments, adding that the league sees a silver lining in as far as allowing fans inside the venue is concerned.

“We are currently making presentations and holding meetings with different local government units in Metro Manila where there are bigger venues,” said Marcial, who earlier hinted that the PBA could be back soon either at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City and The Arena in San Juan City.

Metro Manila is under Alert Level 2 and completely vaccinated people are allowed at 50 percent capacity in enclosed venues.

The PBA targeted a November 28 opening for its import-laded conference but was prompted to postpone because not all foreign reinforcements are in town. Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Tony Bishop of Meralco are arriving in Manila on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

The LGUs, Marcial stressed, are the key to having fans back at the venues following the approval of the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the resumption of contact sports in the National Capital Region.

Marcial said the league will offer discounts on tickets once fans are allowed to watch the games live.

Marcial also stressed that the PBA’s inaugural 3x3 tournament was a resounding success.

“Imagine there were three different leg winners—TNT Tropang Giga, Meralco and Sista [Rain or Shine],” he said. “It’s good and all the teams have adjusted well.” Josef Ramos

Iloilo City tops Bike Lane Awards

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LOILO City emerged back-toback gold medalist in the 2021 Bike Lane Awards staged during the celebration of National Bike Day over the weekend.

The victory came a day after getting gold for most bicycle-friendly city in the country given by the private sector-led Mobility Awards.

“We are moving closer to our vision of making a more sustainable metropolis for all,” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said. “Thank you for recognizing the beauty of the City of Love.”

Pasig City got silver and Quezon City clinched bronze.

The other aspirants were the cities of Taguig, Mandaue, Mandaluyong, Cebu, Davao, Tabuk, San Fernando (La Union), Cagayan de Oro, Sta. Rosa (Laguna) and Naga (Camarines Sur).

The Bike Lane Awards was organized to acknowledge the accomplishments of the local government units (LGUs) and showcase their innovative practices and interventions for the promotion of active transport, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“Our office would like to congratulate the Iloilo City government, headed by Mayor Jerry Treñas, for their outstanding efforts in promoting a sustainable, inclusive, secure and active transport system. Batò, Iloilo!” Iloilo City DILG posted on its Facebook page.

The award was supported by the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Health.

Presidential Proclamation No. 1052, s.

2020 declares the fourth Sunday of November every year as “National Bicycle Day” in the Philippines.

ILOILO City emerges back-toback gold medalist as the most bikefriendly local government unit.