BusinessMirror October 20, 2023

Economic team revising Maharlika fund IRR

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, @jearcalas

Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz, @joveemarie

& Samuel P. Medenilla

T

@sam_medenilla

HE economic team will revise the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) in line with the “wisdom” of President Marcos Jr. of making the country’s first sovereign wealth fund “close to perfect.”

“We subscribe to the wisdom of [President Marcos Jr.] in suspending the IRR as this is not just an economic strategy for us but a historic first sovereign investment

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fund,” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said on Thursday.

“The economic team will work closely with the President to prudently review all provisions line by line and make sure that all things are in order,” Pangandaman added.

The budget chief said the economic team will also “engage” in "more multistakeholder groundwork" as part of the state's preparation for the launch and operationalization of the MIF. On Thursday morning, Marcos explained to reporters that the reason behind the indefinite suspension of MIF's IRR was the need to improve the organizational structure of the Maharlika Investment Corp.

“The concept of the Maharlika fund, sovereign fund, or investment fund, concept remains a good one. And we are still committed to having it operational by the end of the year,” Marcos said in his speech before flying to Saudi Arabia.

“So we should not misinterpret what we have done as somehow a judgement on the rightness or wrongness of the Maharlika fund.

On the contrary, we are just finding ways to make it as close to perfect or ideal as possible, and that is what we have done,” Marcos added.

In a separate broadcast interview on the same day, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda claimed that one issue that Marcos saw with the MIF’s IRR was the stringent

selection process.

Salceda pointed out that the IRR does not leave any room for alternative options for the President in appointing the MIC officials, particularly its President and CEO. He explained that Marcos can only appoint officials who were shortlisted and recommended to his office by the Advisory Body under the current IRR. However, Salceda, who chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, revealed that Marcos's preferred pick to lead the MIC was not part of the shortlist submitted to him since the person did not apply in the first place.

See “Economic,” A2

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Friday, October 20, 2023 Vol. 19 No. 09

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IS WIDEST SINCE JUNE

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

HE country’s balance of payments (BOP) posted its widest deficit since June, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The BOP deficit reached $414 million in September, the highest since June, when the deficit reached $606 million.

The September data was 626.32 percent higher than the $57 million posted in August 2023. However, this was 82 percent lower than the $2.3 billion in September 2022.

"The BOP deficit in September 2023 reflected net outflows arising mainly from the National Government’s (NG) payments of its foreign currency debt obligations," BSP explained.

With the deficit in September, the BSP said, the cumulative BOP position registered a surplus of $1.7 billion in the first three quarters of the year.

The BSP said this was a reversal from the $7.8-billion deficit recorded in the same period a year ago.

“Based on preliminary data, this development reflected mainly the improvement in the balance of trade and the higher net inflows from personal remittances, trade in services, and foreign borrowings by the NG,” the BSP said.

In August 2023, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that exports grew 4.2 percent while imports contracted 13.1 percent.

The country’s balance of trade narrowed to $4.13 billion in 2023, a 31.5- percent decline compared to the deficit of $6.03 billion in August 2022.

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DA cool to groups’ call to reimpose rice price cap

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

A

@jearcalas

N alliance of agriculture groups has urged government to reimpose a price ceiling on rice next month, but the Department of Agriculture (DA) is lukewarm to the proposal, arguing that there are other options to ensure that domestic staple prices remain stable and affordable.

“I do not think [we have to reimpose the price cap]. The price cap should really be a short term.

I don't think we will resort to that, we will have to study [that],” Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Regulations Mercedita A. Sombilla told reporters in an interview on Thursday.

“There are probably other measures that we can already do,” Sombilla added.

Sombilla pointed out that the imposition of the price cap in September was an emergency measure See “DA,” A2

‘HIGH FOOD PRICES COULD WORSEN MALNUTRITION’

F

OUR months into the rapid increase in commodity prices, an economist from the De La Salle University (DLSU) expressed concern that high food prices could lead to greater malnutrition nationwide.

In a statement released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), De La Salle University Professor Marites Tiongco said inflation rates for vegetables and rice were relatively high in the last four months.

Tiongco noted that monthon-month inflation for vegetables declined from 11.2 percent

in August to 2.5 percent in September, but it rose from 4.9 to 8.4 percent for rice.

“Tiongco alerted that the rising food prices, if not abated, will lead to malnutrition and other health issues. This can exacerbate the already serious problem of malnutrition in the country,” PIDS said.

Tiongco recommended addressing high food prices by looking at all angles of the problem, including the production, market, legislative, and institutional constraints.

She also recommended beefing up “nutrition surveillance and early warning systems to

monitor and treat severe and acute malnutrition.”

For nutrition surveillance and food transfers, she emphasized that the priority should be pregnant women, infants and children, given the critical importance of the first 1,000 days of life for children’s healthy growth and development.

Malnutrition in the country, including stunting, is high but government resources have not been sufficient in addressing it.

In a research paper, PIDS supervising research specialist Jhanna Uy; health financing See “High,” A2

See “Sept,” A2

PESO exchange rates n US 56.7380 n japan 0.3788 n UK 68.9026 n HK 7.2473 n CHINA 7.7563 n singapore 41.3331 n australia 35.9435 n EU 59.7962 n KOREA 0.0419 n SAUDI arabia 15.1265 Source: BSP (October 19, 2023)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, October 20, 2023

Group projects EV sales to exceed 6.6M by 2030

T

By Andrea E. San Juan

there will be some combustion engines, only a small amount.”

Asked when electric vehicle sales would hit 1 million, Raquelsantos said, “It grows exponentially. My personal bet would be something like 2028. But again, it expands so much.”

Moreover, as the country sees a lot of growth in the EV industry, Raquelsantos said 60 to 70 percent would be two-

wheeled.

In the first quarter of 2023, sales of EVs in the Philippines reached 2,536 units. Data from EVAP showed that in January, electric vehicles sold reached 452 units; 760 in February and 1,324 units in March.

From 2010 to 2022, EVAP noted that manufacturers sold a total of 14,357 units.

In a televised interview last Wednesday, EVAP President Edmund Araga said, “With the advent of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development [EVIDA] law, there’s about 15 percent increase already starting this year, 2023. And now our projection is I think it would be more than double. Like 5 to 10 years from now, the proliferation and the number of e-vehicles on a roll would be sooner than expected.”

Considering there are a lot of players in the market, the EVAP president said, “eventually we would be the same with our neighboring countries.”

Meanwhile, Araga said the industry is currently experiencing supply woes due primarily to the difficulty in shipping the EVs. To ease the supply woes, he said the group is seeking the approval of the Bureau of Customs on the Import Assessment System for the industry to expedite the shipments of electric vehicles.

“In terms of shipping it here in the Philippines, efforts must be made to make it easier to bring the EVs here so that distributors could immediately bring the products to the market.”

This is equivalent to an average annual per capita of P1,554.3 and represents a 0.95-percent share of gross domestic product and a 7.9-percent share of total government expenditures.

The study said majority of nutrition-related expenditures were intended for nutrition-sensitive activities at 95.28 percent, followed by nutritionspecific activities at 3.87 percent;

while enabling interventions account for 0.85 percent.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development accounted for the largest share at 59.6 percent or P293.5 billion. In terms of budget execution efficiency for all nutrition expenditures across agencies, the budget absorption remained steady at 73 percent from 2017 to 2019.

The Department of Health had one of the lowest absorption rates at less than 38 percent, next to nutritionsensitive interventions of the Department of Education at 11 percent.

Countries that have significantly reduced stunting prevalence in the past decade made coherent and simultaneous investments in the most influential drivers of under-5 stunting.

“In the Philippines, NGA (national government agency) nutrition expenditures were incoherent in failing to account for interconnected risk factors that cause childhood stunting,” the researchers said.

Stunting, or being too short for one’s age, was defined by the researchers as a height that is more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards median.

In 2019, data obtained by the researchers showed that 28.8 percent or 3.7 million of under-5 Filipino children were considered stunted.

Despite the rapid growth in national income, the researchers said the prevalence of stunting remained relatively stagnant in the country, with less than a 1-percent annual decline in the last two decades from 1990 to 2020.

Most countries, the researchers said, reduced stunting prevalence by up to two-thirds over the same period such as 5 percent to 6 percent annual decline. Cai U. Ordinario

@andreasanjuan

he Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) said the industry could sell over 6.6 million units of electric vehicles (EV) by 2030.

E VA P C h a i r m a n F e r d i n a n d Raquelsantos told reporters on the sidelines of the media briefing for the 11th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) that by 2030, most of the manufacturers will no longer churn out combustion engines or ICE. With this, he said, “So everything will be electric. Obviously new car sales or vehicle sales will be all electric. If ever

High…

Continued from A1

expert Julienne Lechuga; and PIDS Senior Research Fellow Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep said total national-level nutrition-related expenditures for 2017– 2019 were estimated at P492.7 billion.

Sept…

Continued from A1

Meanwhile, the gross international reser ves (GIR) level decreased to $98.1 billion as of end-September 2023 from $99.6 billion as of end-August 2023.

The latest GIR level represents a more-than-adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.3 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

BSP said this ensures the availability of foreign exchange to meet the balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans.

Moreover, it is also about 5.7 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.6 times based on residual maturity.

BSP said short-term debt based on residual maturity refers to outstanding external debt with an original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DA…

Continued from A1

to arrest the unexplained spike in the retail prices of rice. She emphasized that the government was just “forced” to implement the price ceiling on regular and wellmilled rice.

“Talagang napilitan lang tayo noon na mag-price cap [We were really just forced to resort to a price cap]. We wanted it very very short, one month is quite long for that purpose,” she said.

Other factors that the government can lean on to ensure rice prices would remain affordable is the anticipated bumper harvest for palay, according to Sombilla.

Sinag’s call T he Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Thursday proposed that the national government reimplement the P45 per kilogram price ceiling on well-milled rice, both for locally produced and imported stocks.

The proposal, the group argued, is aimed at "preempting" the alleged attempts of “unscrupulous” rice industry players to cause an “artificial” spike in the retail price of the staple.

The group noted that the prevailing buying price for fresh palay is currently ranging between P21 and P23.5 per kilogram while dry palay fetches P26 to P29 per kilogram.

“While this is positive for our farmers; we are all worried of a possible repeat of the rice price spikes last August where traders tried to justify the increase

Economic…

Continued from A1

"Hindi nakita ni Presidente sa listahan ang pangalan na gusto niya makita. Natrigger iyong suspension ng IRR dahil wala sa listahan ang gusto ni [President]. Iyon lang iyon [The President didn’t see his preferred nominee on the list. The suspension of the IRR was triggered because his choice wasn’t listed. Tha’s it,” Salceda, one of the principal authors of MIF, said.

Salceda said the IRR does not have any provisions concerning the following scenarios: what happens if the President rejects all the shortlisted applicants and what happens if the President “wishes” to have more options than the provided shortlist.

“The key issue is simple: the IRR appears to have limited the President's options [in appointing the MIC officials] only to those who have submitted applications,” he said.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the revision of the IRR is par for the course since the MIF is expected to experience birth-pains.

Ricafort pointed out that the improving the MIF’s IRR bodes well with the market as it signals “transparency and accountability.”

“It is not a sign of weakness but to a certain point a sign of strength because they are admitting the weakness. That there is a need to fix the loopholes instead of covering them up. Loose ends cannot be avoided,” he told the BusinessMirror on Thursday.

“The enemy of the good is the perfect,” he added.

Ricafort said it is imperative for the national government to become "prudent" and “careful” in the implementation of the MIF since it has to balance the need for investment and ensuring a healthy banking system.

“It is necessary to study if [the contributions of Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines] would have an impact on [their] Capital Adequacy Ratio,” he said.

“It is a matter of prudence. It would also signal that the state is serious on the governance side in making sure that the banking system is also strong,” he added.

Ricafort likened the issue of the appointment of MIC officials to the selection of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor.

“Who else would appoint [the MIC officials] if not the sovereign. There are checks and balances. There is a semblance of autonomy that [the MIC] will not be influenced. The [MIC officials] are appointees but they will not be influenced or manipulated [by the executive],” he said.

in rice prices because of the high farmgate price(s) of palay," it said.

“We are also aware that a scenario of increasing rice prices is being timed with the fresh proposal to reduce the tariffs on imported rice, corn and pork,” it added.

Sinag claimed that the landed cost of imported well-milled rice is hovering around P40.23 per kilogram, which could be passed to retailers at P42 to P43 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, the group pointed out that local well-milled rice could be sold between P41 to P45 per kilogram based on a P23 to P25 per kilogram farm-gate price of palay.

“They are again wanting to create another artificial rice price crisis. So we are asking again our President to intervene and address this potential problem,” it said.

Furthermore, Sombilla pointed out that the 295,000 metric tons (MT) import allocation that the Philippines secured from India would also help ensure sufficient rice stocks in the country, especially if the forecasted El Niño would have a detrimental impact on local palay production.

“If that comes in, it will definitely provide us with the supply that we will be needing especially at the end of the harvest season.

That will add to supply to our January to February stocks,” she said.

“Hopefully, El Niño will not have a huge impact. [Nonetheless], that [import] volume will be very improtant and necessary for us to be able to get through if the El Niño happens,” she added.

Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/10/18/phl-gets-importedrice-allocation-from-india/

Marcos explains

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday assured the rollout the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) will still push through before the end of the year despite the ongoing review of its implementing rules and regulation (IRR).

The chief executive made the clarification in his departure speech prior to his flight to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nation-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (ASEAN-GCC) in Riyadh on October 20, 2023.

He expressed “alarm” over news reports that the MIF has been put on hold.

“Quite the contrary...the organization of the Maharlika Fund proceeds apace, and what I have done though, is that we have found more improvements we can make, specifically to the organizational structure of the Maharlika Fund,” the President said.

Last Wednesday, Malacañang released a copy of the memorandum of Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin suspending the implementation of the IRR of Republic No. 11954 or the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, which was issued last August.

The order was directed to the Bureau of Treasury as well as the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), which are currently engaged in an ongoing merger.

It did not elaborate on the cause of the review.

Marcos said his administration remains committed to implementing the MIF within the year, especially since it has already generated interest in the Middle East and other countries.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said President Marcos will be promoting the MIF during his meeting with Arab business leaders in KSA. “We should not misinterpret what we have done as somehow a judgement of the rightness or wrongness of the Maharlika fund. On the contrary, we are just finding ways to make it as close to perfect and ideal as possible,” he said.

The review, he noted, was also done in consultation with his economic managers and other stakeholders to be involved in the operations of the MIF. RA 11954 is currently facing a legal challenge before the Supreme Court (SC).

Several incumbent and former lawmakers have asked the High Court to declare the MIF as unconstitutional.

The SC has already asked the Executive and Legislative department to comment on the petition against the MIF. For its part, the Office of the Solicitor General said it is ready to defend the constitutionality of the MIF.

A4

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, October 20, 2023

NFA eyeing contract growing arrangement with rice farmers to boost dry season yield

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

T

he National Food Authority (NFA) is mulling over entering into contract growing agreement with rice farmers in the dry season to guarantee its buffer stocks, high-ranking agriculture officials said.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio S. Sebastian said the NFA’s plan to enter into contract growing with local farmers is being

considered for the upcoming dry season.

Under the recommendation, the NFA will have a contract growing agreement with rice farm clusters grouped by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Under the agreement, the rice farm clusters would receive various interventions from the DA like seeds and fertilizers in exchange for selling a share of their harvest to the NFA for its buffer-stocking mandate.

“Farmers will now have an option to sell their harvest to the NFA or sell to the private

sector. That way, the NFA has a contract with the farmers to sell at least half of their harvest to the NFA,” Sebastian said in a radio interview on Thursday.

“That is what we want to happen especially during this dry season so that NFA can really procure,” he added.

Sebastian noted that the NFA is currently drafting the contracts for the proposed measure.

“Hopefully, we can do it this dry season,” he said.

Sebastian said the rice buffer-stocking agency is finding a hard time competing with rice traders since they are buying palay well-above the NFA’s buying price.

“The NFA has to focus on areas where palay prices are low, they can buy there.

If it is in Central Luzon or Region 2, they will find a hard time buying palay,” he said.

Furthermore, Sebastian said one of the perennial problems of the NFA is the lack of logistical means, such as trucks, to be able to go to farms to directly procure palay

from farmers.

“Kung pupuntahan ka ng traders sa bukid, tapos [iyong] NFA pupuntahan mo sa opisina, saan ka pupunta?” Sebastian said.

“The [NFA] does not have trucks to go to farms. They should really procure in areas where palay prices are down,”Sebastian added.

The NFA Council, led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his concurrent capacity as agriculture chief, approved the increase in the rice agency’s buying price in late September. The NFA is now buying dry

palay at P23 per kilogram and wet palay at as much as P19 per kilogram.

Last week, the B usiness M irror reported that the state-run NFA stands ready to borrow money from state-run banks should it need more cash in meeting its target of buying 500,000 metric tons (MT) of palay from local farmers this harvest season.

(Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/10/09/nfa-ready-toborrow-to-buy-500k-mt-palay-fromfarmers/)

DOE chief proposes temporary lifting of import tax on electric motorcycles

I

n a bid to accelerate the utilization of electric vehicles (EV) in the country, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed the temporary removal of import tariffs on electric motorcycles.

During the 11th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit held Thursday, DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the government continues to find more ways to help improve EV adoption in the country. The number of EV sales as of

end-March this year has surpassed the total EV sales for the last three years, Lotilla said.

Aside from the issuance of Executive Order no. 12, which reduces the tariff rates to 0 percent on completely built-up units of certain EVs for a period of five years, Lotilla said his office has likewise proposed the temporary removal of tariff rates on import duties on electric motorcycles as well as their parts and components.

“By eliminating the tariff rates for these items, we can provide consumers in both private and public sectors with greater opportunities to choose EVs over traditional vehicles. We are now awaiting feedback from the tariff commission on this proposal,” said Lotilla.

In addition, he said the DOE has worked with stakeholders to establish mechanisms for EV charging stations, including issuance of standards.

He also cited the efforts of the

Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The DOTr, for instance, is working on the roadmap to transition public transport system to EVs. “So, in the Davao bus system that was approved by the Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] Board headed by the President, 1,000 bus units are being ordered, only 300 are EVs but only because there are constraints on the charging stations and the infrastructure support. But at least there will be an initial start-up of the infrastructure support in that particular area,” said Lotilla.

The DOST, on the other hand, has been developing a lithium-ion battery powered jeepney that produces zero emissions. It also created the country’s first hybrid electric train powered by both electricity and diesel.

“And I cannot help but mention the support that the Bureau of Customs represented by Assistant Commissioner Jet Maronilla here in

this process. Many of you forget that you are cutting into the tax collections of the Bureau of Customs, and yet they are cooperating fully with you in this particular effort. We will try to make up for it with BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue] collections on the other parts of the economy that will grow as a consequence of the introduction of the EV industry,” added Lotilla.

Also, Lotilla said the BOC has assured that it will fast track the release of EVs. “Not too long ago, Commissioner Jet, I was told that our Batangas port Customs, held back a pilot vehicle because they were requiring the chassis number to be reported to them. And because there was there is no chassis number in electric vehicles, they were holding up the release of the electric vehicle there. Now he can assure you that that is not happening anymore,” said the energy chief.

These are some of the initiatives that the government is doing to improve access to EVs. But even with the issuance of the EO, Lotilla stressed that the government and the private sector need to further collaborate to accelerate the growth of the EV ecosystem.

“For the private sector, I am glad that you have lived up to the challenge and the opportunities that are being offered by this transition. We see increased investments in putting up more charging stations in strategic locations nationwide and using the latest innovative EV charging technology. Many private companies are also taking the initiative to procure EVs for enhancing their own fleets highlighting their efforts to lower carbon emissions and lower energy dependency on diesel and gasoline,” Lotilla said.

The transition to EVs is a key component of the decarbonization of the economy, and the transport sector, which accounts for more

than 30 percent of the total final energy consumption in the country, is one of the sectors that emit the most greenhouse gas emissions.

“Making transport therefore cleaner is also part of the country’s commitment to fulfill its nationally determined contributions, a climate pledge that promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And we are committed to decarbonize our transport sector,” he said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he wants 50 percent or more of all vehicles on roads to run on electric.

This and over 100,000 EV charging stations powered by renewable energy will help create an estimated 40,000 jobs for EV manufacturing and technology support, Lotilla said. “These figures are not mere statistics. They are milestones in our journey, guided by the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry [CREVI],” he said.

CREVI sets a minimum 10 percent target EV share for all sectors, excluding EV trucks by 2040 under the Business-As-Usual Scenario.

On the other hand, the aggressive clean energy scenario sets a more ambitious target of at least 50 percent of all fleets by 2040. Lotilla said these shall be achieved through various initiatives such as a phased approach to improve EV utilization, promotion of EV manufacturing, EV research and development, human resource development and improving relevant policies and credit programs.

“Our collective EV journey will have its challenges. However, there are barriers to EV adoption such as high acquisition costs, inadequate EV infrastructure and lack of technical support. And as we have seen in any transition, we need to promote these at different levels. This summit will help us navigate those concerns,” Lotilla said.

Lenie Lectura

Friday, October 20, 2023

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Do your duty beyond limits, Brawner tells Navy aviators

W

HILE safety is encouraged in all aspects of its operations, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. urged all pilots and personnel of the Naval Air Wing (NAW) to give all they got when flying missions to ensure and protect the country’s territorial integrity.

The AFP chief made this appeal as the NAW celebrated its 76th founding anniversary in Sangley Point, Cavite on Wednesday, October 18 where he was the guestof-honor and speaker.

“May we forever prioritize safety as a cornerstone of our operational success. Together, we will uphold the core values of the NAW—soaring safely towards unparalleled excellence. I would like to challenge you to try to surpass the limits that you have set for your unit,” he added.

And while the job of a naval aviator is an arduous one, Brawner urged all NAW pilots to give their best, especially

when f lying missions aimed at protecting Philippine territory.

“Mahirap ang trabaho ng isang aviator [the job of a naval aviator is hard] especially when you will be flying for missions to ensure the territorial integrity of our country,” he added.

Brawner also lauded the NAW for their swift response and crucial support to the ground forces during the Marawi Siege as the country observed its sixth liberation anniversary last Tuesday, October 17.

“The NAW fulfills a vital mission in ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s airspace and maritime territories. Through relentless training and an unwavering commitment to safety, the NAW has rightfully earned its reputation as a dependable and formidable force of the Philippine Navy,” Brawner said.

The NAW, formerly known as Naval Air Group, started as a Naval Air Section and was founded on October 7, 1947. Rex Anthony Naval

PHL strengthens defense ties with US, Japan amid sea border row with China

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HE Philippines is pushing to bolster defense ties with the US and Japan amid the Southeast Asian nation’s lingering territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea (SCS).

“Stronger” facilities will be built in Philippine military sites where the US was given access, Armed Forces chief Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a briefing on Thursday. Manila is also working to finalize a visiting forces deal with Tokyo, he said.

“We are looking to engage the Japan Self-Defense Forces more intensely next year,” Brawner told reporters. Apart from radar systems, the Philippine military is

Eternal Gardens files complaint with DOJ vs prosecutors for ‘illegal arrest, detention’

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

M

EMORIAL park developer Eternal Gardens on T hu rsd ay pushed through with the filing of an administrative complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against two Batangas City prosecutors who were linked in the alleged illegal arrest and detention of two of its employees over a missing marble marker.

At the same time, Eternal Gardens lawyer Alexis Oco filed an urgent motion to transfer the venue of preliminary investigation on the theft complaint filed by State Prosecutor Edelwina Ebreo of the Batangas City Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) against five of its employees to the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila.

Named respondents in Ebreo’s complaint were Arnel Libuzo, Marizza San Diego, Demetrio Peralta, Jocelyn Ann Buendia, and Reggie Reyes.

However, Oco pointed out the numerous irregularities committed during the arrest, detention and inquest proceedings of San Diego and Alibuzo, which prompted the company to seek redress before the DOJ. While Oco refused to identify the prosecutors involved during an interview with reporters, documents filed before the DOJ

identified Ebreo as the prosecutor responsible for the warrantless arrest of San Diego and Alibuzo, while Deputy Prosecutor Evelyn Jovellanos was identified as the prosecutor who conducted inquest proceedings on the two despite the absence of a counsel of their choice or a public lawyer to assist them.

“We noted that there was already a violation of their rights since there were subjected to investigation, questioning without the presence of any counsel of their choice and inquest proceedings was presided by another member of the City Prosecutor’s Office without presence of counsel of choice of the two employees or even a member of PAO [Public Attorney’s Office],” Oco pointed out.

“In light of the numerous irregularities observed throughout the arrest, inquest, and detention of our employees, Ms. Marizza San Diego and Mr. Arnel Alibuzo, which were carried out by both the complainant and the investigating prosecutor, our company through our legal counsels find it necessary to lodge an administrative case to formally request the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and impose appropriate sanctions,” he said.

In seeking the transfer of the venue of the proceedings for the theft complaint filed by Ebreo, Eternal Gardens cited the pos-

sible bias and lack of impartiality on the part of the investigating prosecutor, considering that the complainant is her colleague and holds a position within the Office of the City Prosecutor.

“Ordinarily, motion to inhibit would suffice to address the fear of the party for the bias which the investigating fiscal has against a party. However, it should be emphasized that the complainant is a sitting member of the OCP of Batangas and the Deputy Prosecutor is the investigating fiscal.

It would be far-fetched if the two have influence or at the very least could have gather sympathy coming from other members of the OCP,” the motion read.

“In fact the blatant show of power and influence were witnessed by the respondents themselves when complainant summoned the police authorities to place respondents under investigation even in the absence of any lawyer and thereafter to implement a warrantless arrest and detain respondents Alibuzzo and San Diego,” it added.

Eternal Gardens said Jovellano’s conduct of inquest was a clear violation of the manual of prosecutors.

It added that the actuations of the two prosecutors of taking over the duties of arresting officers in taking the statement of the two employees and typing the documents themselves show that they

CDA draws plan to weed out smugglers ‘masquerading’ as legit co-op members

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

HE Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) intends to file cases against officers of cooperatives found guilty of causing their organizations to participate in illicit activities, such as rice smuggling.

CDA Chairman and Undersecretary Joseph B. Encabo told the BusinessMirror that the agency would not punish entire cooperatives for the sins of a few officers who prioritized their self-interests over their membership.

Encabo said the CDA is already studying the imposition of penalties on these officers and building and strengthening cases against errant co-operative officials.

“If somebody would engage into criminal acts, smuggling,

definitely the entire membership will not agree on that. But only a few people with vested interest are really engaged into that kinds of actions,” Encabo recently told the BusinessMirror.

“Our legal [department] is continuously looking into it because there are numerous cooperatives involved, hindi namin ma-iisa-isa kaagad. So we have to strengthen our case against them then we will file the necessary charges,” he said.

The CDA said a task force that includes the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies, as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), is investigating the cooperatives.

“Some cooperatives were being formed for that purpose, to engage into smuggling and other irregularities. Some really exist, [and are]

A5

really operating, but in connivance with top officers of the cooperatives, not the cooperatives per se,” Encabo said.

In order to prevent these occurrences, Encabo said the CDA is conducting surprise inspections and examinations as well as providing cooperatives guidance and monitoring services.

Encabo assured that their regional offices could call the attention of errant cooperatives and inform them that they should not be involved in illicit activities under the pain of being charged.

In 2019, the Broader Look Team of BusinessMirror uncovered how big traders used cooperatives to import rice from various sources.

At that time, data released by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed about 1.614 million metric tons (MMT) of rice from

also interested in Japan’s aircraft, ships, and weapons, he said.

Washington early this year won access to four more sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which initially covered five Philippine military bases. The new sites are located near Taiwan and the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila are embroiled in an increasingly tense territorial dispute.

US Indo-Pacific Command head are flaunting their influence.

Oco added that Jovellano’s administering of oath on the supplemental affidavit of Ebreo even during the weekend when respondents could not even get copies of the records of the inquest proceeding is another indication of the impartiality of the investigating fiscal.

“The delay in the disposition of the inquest proceeding which constraint respondents to opt for a regular preliminary investigation also shows that indeed the complainant and the investigating fiscal have control over the outcome of the case,” the motion stated.

San Diego and Alibuzo were released from detention on October 16, 2023 or three days after police authorities arrested them without a warrant based on the complaint filed by Ebreo.

In a statement, Eternal Gardens said the employees were simply trying to assist Ebreo, who is their client, with her concerns about the missing marble marker, but were wrongly accused of theft and subsequently detained and subjected to inquest proceedings without the assistance of a counsel.

The company has urged the DOJ and the Philippine National Police (PNP) conduct an investigation into the alleged violations of established protocols and legal procedures.

Oco said the company is also readying to file charges against the policemen involved in the warrantless arrest of the two employees. seven countries entered the Philippine market on March 5, when Republic Act 11203 (the rice trade liberalization law) took effect, to October 4.

The BPI data showed over 208 rice importers were behind the volume of imports. Surprisingly, more than half of these are farmer-members of cooperatives or irrigators’ associations.

Industry sources told the BusinessMirror this is not the first time rice farmers have done so. They have been doing it for years now, even with the pre-RA 11203 era.

Mario Pilapil (not his real name), a long-time farmer-leader privy to the dealings of farmers’ cooperatives, told the BusinessMirror that importation of rice has been a regular “sideline” business for these cooperatives.

The full story of the BusinessMirror’s report can be viewed here: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2019/10/31/pre-andpost-rice-trade-liberalizationlaw-big-traders-gaming-farmergroups/.

Admiral John Aquilino, in a meeting with Brawner last month, signaled Washington wanted additional sites. On Thursday, Brawner said plans to add more EDCA sites are still being discussed.

Meanwhile, the Philippine military has halted sending personnel to China for trainings after a Chinese ship in August fired a water canon on a Philippine vessel in the SCS, Brawner said.

China has opposed the expanded military deal between the US and the Philippines, with Beijing’s envoy to Manila Huang Xilian in April accusing the US of seeking to “take advantage” of the new sites “to interfere in the situation across the Taiwan Strait.” Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has said the sites will not be used for “any offensive action.”

Brawner said the Philippine military does not have any engagements with Taiwan and does “not

see any future engagements” with the self-ruling island, which China regards as a renegade province.

Marcos’s administration is bolstering US defense ties as it pushes back against Beijing’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines has in recent weeks carried out resupply missions to a military outpost despite Chinese vessels’ “dangerous maneuvers.”

Last week, China’s coast guard said it drove away a Philippine Navy vessel near the disputed shoal, a day after its foreign ministry urged the Philippines to stop making “provocations.”

T he Phi lippine mi litar y is working to expand its cybersecurity unit by recruiting more IT professionals, Brawner said, amid recent hacking incidents in government agencies. Next year, its military drills with the US will involve a cybersecurity exercise he said. Bloomberg News

Ex-president Duterte’s flurry of remarks prompts solon to take defensive position

M

AJORITY Leader Jose Manuel Dalipe on Thursday declared that the House of Representatives would present a “united front” in safeguarding its members.

The lawmaker issued the declaration during an interview when Dalipe was queried about the House’s stance on the impending grave threat charge that ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro intends to file against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“I think the House will be united to stop all of these statements that are not really needed to be issued by any person,” he said.

“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator, to any congressman, or even to the President of the Philippines or Vice President of the Philippines. Hindi po puwede,” he added.

Dalipe likened the utterance of an intimidating remark to making a bomb hoax at the airport, which the law prohibits.

The former president allegedly issued the threat against Castro during a TV program in Davao City. Castro, along with her Makabayan bloc colleagues, who has been vocal in her critique of the Vice President Sara Duterte’s request for P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF),

comprising of P500 million for her Vice Presidential office and P150 million for the Department of Education, which she heads.

The House of Representatives reallocated the P650 million, alongside CIFs from various civilian offices, to agencies responsible for safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity, particularly in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), as well as supporting Filipino fishermen and intelligence information collection and assessment efforts.

Furthermore, funds were allocated for the development of Pag-asa Island, situated in the WPS, as a testament to the government’s resolve to fortify its presence in the region—a territory contested by China, which also controls a significant portion of the strategic South China Sea trade route.

Dalipe expressed his disappointment regarding the former President’s statements, highlighting the House’s unwavering support during Duterte’s Palace term.

During the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said Congress stood by him and ensured that the administration had the necessary budget for providing aid and addressing health-care needs.

MOST PINOY WORKERS ABROAD EYEING RETURN

economy is more stable overseas. Other factors contributing to this hesitancy, the study noted, included a “more favorable” salary-to-costof-living ratio abroad (60 percent) and better government initiatives and incentives in foreign countries that are provided (47 percent).

The survey noted that salaries in the Philippines continue to be a“significant concern,” with 75 percent of respondents hesitant to return owing to the differences in compensation and benefits as a major issue, and 56 percent highlighting lower living standards in the Philippines, based on public facilities, security concerns, and community resources.

Moreover, 33 percent of all respondents said they would only accept a Philippine compensation package that is “market-aligned” for their experience and the role being offered.

In relation to this, Perez-Higuero stressed that as business priorities undergo continuous transformations, it becomes “imperative” to address the ongoing shortage of highly skilled talent in the country.

“Hiring managers should explore creative strategies to secure talent that aligns with their organisation’s needs. Through our Balik Bayan programme, we offer a solution to identify and secure Filipino talent returning from overseas, catering to specific timelines,” the Director of Robert Walters Philippines said.

“We also provide support in managing candidate expectations, ensuring a seamless recruitment from start to finish. This program serves as a valuable resource connecting returning Filipino professionals with suitable job opportunities, aligning their skills with the needs of local businesses,” Perez-Higuero explained.

Walters Philippines said the poll was conducted among over 120 overseas Filipino professionals across various industries, including Banking & Financial Services, Information and Communication Technology, Consumer & Retail, Manufacturing, Digital and E-commerce. Andrea E. San Juan

Continued from A18

These returning professionals often possess “enhanced” technical skills and a “more adaptable” mindset, which had been honed through their experiences in diverse international environments, he said.

“Their agility in responding to the changing business landscape can provide a significant advantage to organisations as they are able to come up with innovative strategies to help achieve business objectives,” PerezHiguero said in a statement on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the poll conducted by the firm showed 56 percent of those willing to come back cited the “desire to take care of their aging parents/to be closer to family/ spouse/partner” as the top reason for wanting to return to the Philippines.

This was followed by 44 percent who retained a“strong emotional, social, and cultural connection” to the country.

The poll also revealed that 65 percent of overseas Filipinos considered the current economic situation as a factor when deciding whether to relocate back to the Philippines.

Of the Filipino respondents with a positive outlook on returning, 46 percent cited confidence in the Philippines’s economic stability, growth prospects, and opportunities for entrepreneurship or business projects as encouraging factors for returning.

In contrast, the survey showed only one in three or 30 percent of the respondent overseas Filipinos have no intention of returning to the Philippines.

Among the “challenging factors” they cited for returning is the low confidence in the country’s economic stability, with 38 percent expressing “reluctance” to return due to economic concerns.

The poll noted that 80 percent or a “significant” majority of them believe the

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

BusinessMirror

Friday, October 20, 2023

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Republic of the Philippines

10

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. IV-A 4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362

LITTLE V MOBILE TECH INC. Unit-Lower Basement, Andenson Building 3, National Road, Parian, City of Calamba, Laguna

October 20, 2023 NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S) Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s:

www.businessmirror.com.ph SUN, DI

Basic Qualification:

Administrative Supervisor

Brief Job Description:

Can speak Mandarin language, and must have work experience as Administrative Supervisor

Responsible for the direct supervision and coordination of the activities and administrative support staff

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

NO. 1

ESTABLISHMENT 3A FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Centenial Road, Marulas, Kawit, Cavite

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CHEN, QIANJIN

Basic Qualification:

Mandarin Field Service Coordinator

Must have experience as a Field Coordinator; Must be familiar, knowledgeable, and aware of machinery and heavy equipment used by the company.

Brief Job Description: Manage their work teams’ schedules that ensure they complete all their jobs on time

11

LOONGER TRADING CORP. Lot 9 Blk 1 Samalabanan Subd,, Medicion II-C, City of Imus, Cavite

12

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 2

3A FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Centenial Road, Marulas, Kawit, Cavite

SAI, ZONGXIA

Basic Qualification:

Mandarin Marketing Specialist

Must have Bachelor’s degree in business or marketing and have a good understanding of market research techniques, statistical and data analysis methods and should be fluent in Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habits and trends

Salary Range: 3A FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Centenial Road, Marulas, Kawit, Cavite

TIAN, XUQING

Basic Qualification:

Mandarin Project Coordinator

Must be College graduate and fluent in Mandarin and familiar with risk management and quality assurance control

Brief Job Description: Assist the Project Manager in the development of project management documents such as project budgets, project schedules, scope statements and project plans

4

HYS METAL PLASTIC AND ELECTRONICS (PHILIPPINES) INC.

13

Amplefield Sme Park, J.P. Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, Bugtong Na Pulo, City of Lipa, Batangas 5

HYS METAL PLASTIC AND ELECTRONICS (PHILIPPINES) INC. Amplefield Sme Park, J.P. Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, Bugtong Na Pulo, City of Lipa, Batangas

6

HYS METAL PLASTIC AND ELECTRONICS (PHILIPPINES) INC. Amplefield Sme Park, J.P. Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, Bugtong Na Pulo, City of Lipa, Batangas

7

JFE SHOJI STEEL PHILIPPINES, INC. 107 Trade Avenue, Laguna Technopark, Loma, City of Biñan, Laguna

8

LANDSAFE TRAVEL AND TOURS AGENCY Ground Floor, Paseo De Bacoor, Molino III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

9

LEADWAY TRAVEL CONSULTANCY CORPORATION Ground Floor, Paseo De Bacoor, Molino Boulevard, Molino III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

CNC Technical Consultant

Knowledgeable in operating and monitoring computerized controls

Brief Job Description: Monitor, repair and perform maintenance on equipment to ensure that it continues to run smoothly

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

14

15

Quality Engineering Consultant

Must have experience in manufacturing of metal stamping industry

Salary Range:

LIU, XIAOXING

Basic Qualification:

Quality Engineering Consultant

Must have experience in manufacturing of metal stamping industry

Php60,000 - Php89,999

Salary Range:

TAKIGAMI, ARISA

Basic Qualification:

Assistant Section Head

Must have five (5) years’ work experience in sales and purchasing role.

16

ONYEAKA, KENNEDY NNABUIFE

Basic Qualification:

Training and Development Officer

Must be good in oral and written communication skills

17

18

Must be able to join and attend cultural group meetings of African Community in the Philippines

Brief Job Description: Conduct annual training and development needs assessment of the employees

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Brief Job Description:

HO SENH NIN

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description:

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

HOANG TIEU THO

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

HOANG XUAN HUY

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

HTOO AUNG THU

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

LU BACH HOA

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

LUU THI BAY

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Basic Qualification:

HOANG THI KIM HANG

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

22

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

21

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Training and Development Officer

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range:

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Salary Range: Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

20

Php30,000 - Php59,999 Basic Qualification:

Brief Job Description:

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

19

Salary Range:

CHE LONG MAN

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

AZUBUIKE, CHICHEBEM

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Burmese language

Php60,000 - Php89,999

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description: Conduct annual training and development needs assessment of the employees

Burmese Customer Service Representative

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Php60,000 - Php89,999

Act as a leader and mentor developing a stable and proficient team, ensures compliance with local laws, policies, and procedures

AUNG NAING

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description: Utilize the Quality Management System methods, including but not limited to quality system

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description: Utilize the Quality Management System methods, including but not limited to quality system

Develop and implement sales strategy, new business, membership, client, develop negotiation of contract

DOS SANTOS RODRIGUES, VINICIUS YAN

Php60,000 - Php89,999 Basic Qualification:

Brief Job Description:

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Salary Range:

DANG, YIYONG

Must have relevant experience as Buyer and Sales Manager

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999 Basic Qualification:

Buyer and Sales Manager

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Burmese language

Salary Range:

ZHANG, SHENGQIANG

Basic Qualification:

Brief Job Description:

Php30,000 - Php59,999 3

SHAO, JUNHUA

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

GAO, GUOJUN

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

T

HE Board of Investments (BOI) has issued amendments to specific guidelines to register for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Projects under the 2022 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP), as it announced the inauguration of a solar power generation project in Cebu, the first project to avail of the incentive.

BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo on Monday said the investment promotion agency signed Memorandum Circular No. 2023-006 or the Amendments to BOI Memorandum Circular (MC) no. 2022-008 providing for the Specific Guidelines to Register Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Projects under the Special Laws Listing, Republic Act No. 11285 of the 2022 SIPP.

News BusinessMirror

Friday, October 20, 2023

BOI tweaks guidelines on energy efficiency, conservation projects At a virtual media briefing on Thursday, Rodolfo highlighted some key amendments included in the MC No. 2023-006. Among which is for “self-financed” projects, “the energy efficiency project [EEP] shall only be entitled to the income tax holiday [ITH] incentive and duty exemption on importation of capital equipment, raw materials, spare parts or accessories.”

MC No. 2023-006 also noted that the ITH incentive shall be limited to the prescribed ITH entitlement period under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act or until the recovery of 50 percent of its capital investment, excluding cost of land and working capital of the registered EEP, whichever comes first.

Rodolfo mentioned the said amendment on “self-financed” projects on Thursday, the same day MinebeaMitsumi, a Japanese manufacturer of mechanical components and electronic devices, inaugurated a Solar Power Generation project at its Danao City, Cebu Factory.

According to Tatsuya Mori, president of

MinebeaMitsumi, their firm is the “first case to have this incentive which can be applied on the own use like what we are doing in Danao.”

“So we believe in having our own solar farm, which is generating a part of our power consumption is contributing the deduction of the brown energy consumption. So this will be exactly the same direction as the

A7

previous government wants to achieve,” Tatsuya said.

Tatsuya added that the solar power generation project has a capacity of 7.9 megawatts.

Based on the project profile of MinebeaMitsumi sent by the BOI to reporters via Viber, once energized, this project will become the “largest” Solar power generation among all Japanese companies in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the project profile also noted that the solar power generation is expected to reduce carbon dioxide of around 6,833 tons per year.

In terms of economic benefits of this project, Rodolfo said MinebeaMitsumi is one of the biggest employers when it comes to export manufacturing in the country.

“They are employing 18,500 workers just here in Danao and they have two other factories, one in Batangas which employs 1,000 workers and 3,000 in Bataan,” the BOI managing head said.

A6 A8

BusinessMirror

Friday, October 20, 2023

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

3D ANALYZER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. 7-8/f Double Dragon Plaza, 255 Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City CHEN, JINFENG Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking 1.

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

CHU KIEU YEN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

2.

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

DENG, MINLI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

3.

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

DERRICK LOH WEI JIE Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

4.

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

HA, VAN CHUNG Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

5.

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

HAI TUAN TU Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

6.

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

HO CAM LONG Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

7.

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

HOANG VAN DEO Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

8.

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

JANG, YOUNGIL Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

9.

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

KIM, CHANGHUN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

10.

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

LELI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

11.

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

LING WUI HOW Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking 12.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions and 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.

MUHAMMAD SAFRI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking 14.

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

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

13.

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

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

NGO TET SIN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

15.

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

RIKI HANDANI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 16.

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

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

RIO VIALLI PRATAMA Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 17.

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

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

RISMANTO Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking with at least some secondary education.

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

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

RIVALDI AHMAD SYAFRAN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

18.

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

19.

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

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

20.

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

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

21.

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

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

TRINI WULANDARI KAPAHANG Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

22.

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

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

TIANG JIIN WEI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

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

SYARU RAMADHAN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written Mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

HAN, JI YU Buyer Analyst (Korean) 23.

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

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking with at least some secondary education.

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

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

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

Brief Job Description: Perform transactional buying activities for a specific assigned country/ies, region or area.

TRINH QUANG TRUNG POS/CB Analyst - Vietnamese 24.

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

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.

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

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

28.

29.

30.

31.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for compiling and analyzing sales data to providing valuable feedback and actionable insights to the sales organization and 3M channel partner.

AHMAD PRATAMA JULIANSYAH Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

FIRMAN HANJAYA Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

26.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

SRI SINDI RAHAYUNINGSIH Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

32.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

SYLVIANA Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer 33.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

GIL CEREZO, FRANCISCO Site Superintendent 34.

Brief Job Description: Supervision of construction structures at the company’s projects, coordination between different entities of the project, cost control, monthly closing, elaborate earn values, exits and explain all deviations.

BAI, XUETAI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Manager

36.

Brief Job Description: Accomplishes customer service human resource objectives by recruiting.

CHAYWAT, NICHAPAT Mandarin Speaking Product Specialist Brief Job Description: Analyze competitive marketplace.

KE, NAI-YU Mandarin Speaking Technical Support Specialist 37.

Brief Job Description: Achieves computer system objectives by gathering pertinent data.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Minimum 5 yrs. experience in a superintendent role in a multinational construction company, and extensive experience w/ engineering procurement, & construction of complex structures.

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

Basic Qualification: Good verbal and written communication skills in Mandarin.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Good verbal and written communication skills in Mandarin.

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

Basic Qualification: Good verbal and written communication skills in Mandarin.

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

ALTERA KARNA BUSINESS CORP. 5th, 6th, 7th Flrs. Eighty-one Newport Blvd., Newport City St., Barangay 183, Pasay City

38.

FOO CHEIT GUAN Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Provide customer service to clients.

39.

NONG MAI LAN Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Provide customer service to clients.

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

ACSTREAM MANAGEMENT INC. 9/f Sterling Centre, 131 Dela Rosa Cor. Ormaza Sts., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ACCIONA CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES INC. 23/f Tower 2, The Enterprise Center Tower 2, Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

35.

Basic Qualification: Professional communication and excellent documentation skills.

Leadership skill (managing, engagement and motivating skills). Good in English, Microsoft & Power BI.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

MUHAMMAD RAFLI PRATAMA Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any Business, Engineering or Finance. For roles that require non-English language, candidate must have completed at least 2-year course related to any fields.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

MELY Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

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

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

MAHARANI CHENG Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking with at least secondary education.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amount of calls, and handle customers concerns.

KRISTIANI GORAT Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

7 PRIME TECH, INC. 10/f Ewestpod, Eton Westend Square, Yakal St. Cor. Don Chino Roces Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

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

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

27.

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 JAMES FREDY HARISON Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer

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

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

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

No.

3M SERVICE CENTER APAC, INC. 17th, 18th, 19th Floors, Bonifacio Stop Overcorporate Center, 31st Street Cor., 2nd Avenue, E-square Information Technology Park, Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

25.

LIU, JUNWEI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

40.

PHAM THI O SA Customer Service Representative (Chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Provide customer service to clients.

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Detail-oriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

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

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ANANI, AKOUVI ESSIAGNON OLIVIA Finops Analyst - AP

41.

Brief Job Description: Liaising with internal team to understand vendor issue and working towards resolution. Contacting internal stakeholders and coordinating with them on vendor queries.

PHAM VIET TRINH Seller Onboard ASC - RCO [VNM] 42.

Brief Job Description: Investigates suspicious merchant and buyer activity.

Communicates informed decisions about risk to external and internal customers. Be aware of and identify new fraud patterns and trends. Participate in other special projects/assignments as necessary.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Fluency in French/Spanish/ Italian language. Experience of working on time crucial/ time bound processes.

Working knowledge of outlook, excel and word.

Basic Qualification: Fluency in Vietnamese language. Business proficient, fluency in written and verbal, and 12 months in a customer service environment, preferably within a contact center.

Ability to maintain high levels of confidentiality and data security standards.

QUANG NGOC TRINH Seller Onboard ASC - RCO [VNM]

43.

KITWA, PASCALINE KASONGO Sr. Finops Analyst - CA Payroll 44.

Brief Job Description: Process payroll utilizing Ceridian or similar payroll software. Audit payroll related data. View and manage human resource data in Peoplesoft.

54.

Basic Qualification: 4 plus years of relevant payroll experience.

Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Word. Flexible to work in shifts.

Brief Job Description: Support our financial consultants in providing excellent customer service to our clients.

YU, YI Client Care Associate Mandarin Speaking 55.

Brief Job Description: Support our financial consultants in providing excellent customer service to our clients.

ZHANG, TIANQI Client Care Associate Mandarin Speaking 56.

Brief Job Description: Support our financial consultants in providing excellent customer service to our clients.

KARTONO Operations Analyst 57.

Brief Job Description: Providing data analytics and data management for the company.

KONG WOAN CHIAN Operations Analyst 58.

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

Brief Job Description: Providing data analytics and data management for the company.

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

45.

PATIL, HARSHADA SUDHIR Software Developer Brief Job Description: Responsible for team and people management.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree holder with demonstrable experience in Spring framework components.

NGU SIONG HO Operations Analyst 59.

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque CHEN, ZHINENG Chinese Customer Service Representative 46.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

XU, MENGQIN Chinese Customer Service Representative

47.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

VO HUYNH THANH NHA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

48.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

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

VUONG DIEP BANH Operations Analyst 60.

49.

Brief Job Description: Use various types of communication devices and systems to reach to customers and verify account information.

XIONG, RUIQI Mandarin IT Support Specialist

50.

Brief Job Description: Use various types of communication devices and systems to reach to customers and verify account information.

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: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or any related field of study.

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

VANDY CUHADY Operations Supervisor 61.

51.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for leading and expanding our organization’s operations in Taiwan. This position requires a seasoned leader with a deep understanding of the local market, exceptional strategic thinking, and the ability to build and manage a high-performing team.

Basic Qualification: Proven work experience with similar role, postgraduate degree in business administration, management, finance or similar, fluency in Mandarin or Cantonese, both written and verbal is often preferred, strong knowledge and experience in the field of e-commerce, particularly in the Chinese market, and with industry-related expertise.

62.

BUI DO QUYNH DUYEN Associate 52.

Brief Job Description: Provides support from global team regarding IT related concerns.

63.

LIU, RUI Client Care Associate Mandarin Speaking 53.

Brief Job Description: Support our financial consultants in providing excellent customer service to our clients.

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

ZHAO, ZIXI Marketing Staff Brief Job Description: Managing and developing marketing campaigns.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing the equipment being used to its maintenance and safety aspect.

QU, HUIBIN Chinese Equipment Supervisor

64.

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

69.

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

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

70.

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

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Has extensive experience in data analytics and data management; is proficient and able to communicate in Mandarin or any Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Has extensive experience in data analytics and data management; is proficient and able to communicate in Mandarin or any Chinese language.

71.

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

Basic Qualification: Must know how to speak Mandarin and English languages.

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

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing the equipment being used to its maintenance and safety aspect.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin language.

72.

LIANG, ZHIXIONG Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor

73.

74.

75.

76.

77.

65.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing all aspects of a project from start to finish, including planning and scheduling task, managing personnel, monitoring budgets, and communication with local and foreign clients.

LIANG, JINGBIAO Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst 66.

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

WANG, JINBAI Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst 67.

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

WU, JUNYI Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst 68.

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

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

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

83.

84.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

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

YU, HUADONG Chinese Speaking HR Associate Brief Job Description: Responding to HR-related queries within the company.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months of experience. Good in verbal communication and written.

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

LIANG, PEIJIN Translator Brief Job Description: Expert language translation from Mandarin to English.

LIANG, YAKUAN Translator Brief Job Description: Expert language translation from Mandarin to English.

LIN, YIBING Translator Brief Job Description: Expert language translation from Mandarin to English.

TAN, HAIHUA Translator Brief Job Description: Expert language translation from Mandarin to English.

ZHENG, YUHAN Translator Brief Job Description: Expert language translation from Mandarin to English.

Basic Qualification: At least 2 years of experience working as translator.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years of experience working as translator.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years of experience working as translator.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years of experience working as translator.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years of experience working as translator.

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

DAXIFA CORPORATION 1466, Gen Luna St. Ermita, Barangay 673, Paco, City Of Manila

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

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking, excellent skills in time management, communication and a team player.

DAHUA VENTURES INC. 2/f Bachrach Bldg. Ii, 23rd St. Cor. Railroad Sts., 068, Barangay 653, Port Area, City Of Manila

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin language.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CRONYX INC. 6-12, 15-19/f Royal Peak Tower A, 485 Quirino Avenue, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Has extensive experience in data analytics and data management; is proficient and able to communicate in Mandarin or any Chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

ZHANG, JIANGPING Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Has extensive experience in data analytics and data management; is proficient and able to communicate in Mandarin or any Chinese language.

Brief Job Description: Perform, design, analysis, build and test of advanced hardware utilizing composite and metallic materials.

YU, MINGMING Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst

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

Basic Qualification: Has extensive experience in data analytics and data management; is proficient and able to communicate in Mandarin or any Chinese language.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

WU, RULI Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst

CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY 5/f Section E Ramon Magsaysay Center, 1680 Roxas Blvd., 076, Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila

C&I MARKETING CORPORATION 4/f 6780 Bldg., 6780 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

Brief Job Description: Provide data analytics and data management job in actual business operation, monitor the efficacy of the department and improve operating processes for the company.

GUAN, ZHAOXIA Chinese Equipment Supervisor

Basic Qualification: At least 6 months of customer service associate experience, and basic to advance MS application skills.

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

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

No.

CHEN, KUNLONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

CENTURY PEAK CEMENT MANUFACTURING CORP. Units 17-b & 17-d 17/f Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 BOSCH SERVICE SOLUTIONS, INC. 23rd Flr W Fifth Ave. Cor., 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CEEC TOWER INC. Unit 3208 & 3209, 32nd Floor High Street South Corporate Plaza Tower 2, 26th St. Cor. 11th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

BETTZEIT SOUTHEAST ASIA INC. 11th, 12th, 14th And 15th Floor The Brilliance Center 11th Avenue, 40th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

LIU, CHIA-JUNG Country Manager - Taiwan

Brief Job Description: Providing data analytics and data management for the company.

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

B2B ANALYTICS AND MARKETING SERVICES CORPORATION 28/f Tower, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati FAN, SHUYUAN Mandarin IT Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Providing data analytics and data management for the company.

A9

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

CASPO INCORPORATED 43/f, 45/f, 49/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Fluency in Vietnamese language.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION WANG, LEI Client Care Associate Mandarin Speaking

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

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

Brief Job Description: Communicates effectively via email and/or telephone in both Vietnamese and English languages with our customer base buyers, merchants and internal customers. Takes appropriate action to identify and help minimize the risk posed by fraud patterns and trend. Consistently achieves/exceeds weekly productivity and quality standards.

No.

Friday, October 20, 2023

85.

GUO, YANAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

HOU, JUNXI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LI, ZHIGUO Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LIU, QIONGSHENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LIU, SHIBO Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LIU, YUNPING Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LU, SHANGTING Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

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

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

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

BusinessMirror

A10 A6 Friday, October 20, 2023

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

86.

87.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QI, HAIPING Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

QU, ZHIMENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

TAN, ZENGRONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative 88.

Brief Job Description: Addressing customer concerns and issues through phone calls and emails.

ZHU, ZEDONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative 89.

Brief Job Description: Addressing customer concerns and issues through phone calls and emails.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

No.

YANG, CAIBIN Senior Chinese Customer Service Specialist (Virtual) 101.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service representative.

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

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service work experience.

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

102.

VUONG THI MAI LOAN International Consultant 90.

Brief Job Description: Provide information and advice about international business development and marketing.

ZHANG, CAIMEI Management Consultant 91.

92.

93.

Brief Job Description: Helping organizations solve issues, create value, maximize growth, and improve business performance.

CHEN, ZONGHE Marketing Executive Brief Job Description: Preparing and delivering marketing plans.

LI, PENGCHENG Marketing Executive Brief Job Description: Preparing and delivering marketing plans.

OUYANG, WEILUN Operation Supervisor 94.

Brief Job Description: Oversee all activities within a specific department or area of an organization.

QIN, AORAN Resource Planning Manager 95.

Brief Job Description: Assigning available employees to projects in accordance with their skillsets, previous experience, and availability.

XU, SIWEN Resource Planning Manager 96.

Brief Job Description: Assigning available employees to projects in accordance with their skillsets, previous experience, and availability.

ZHOU, WANGJING Resource Planning Manager 97.

Brief Job Description: Assigning available employees to projects in accordance with their skillsets, previous experience, and availability.

103.

98.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for overseeing daily operations in the sales department.

ZENG, SIYU Chinese Marketing Management Associate 104.

99.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

WANG, JIN Chinese Retail Sales Associate 105.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

100.

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

Brief Job Description: Cooperate with the marketing and sales, and provide retail business plans based on retail perspectives.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

TAGA, HIROKI Manager 106.

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

107.

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

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

EFS DOCUMENTATION SERVICES INC. Unit 1102-b 11/f Aic Center, Escolta St., Barangay 291, Binondo, City Of Manila

116.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and write Mandarin language and translate to English language.

Brief Job Description: Build customer relationships with the inverter business, explore customer requirements, and guide the investment budget. Take responsibility for the success of key projects, manage share and opportunity, and take responsibility for strategic indicators and order indicators. Take charge of market insight, lead nurturing, customer requirements, and opportunity management. Support the development of standards for centralized procurement. Plan and implement marketing activities in the domain.

QIN, YINGRUI Product Manager For PLDT Project

117.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree in business Administration/ Management or equivalent.

Should have at least 5 years working experience in the same filed. With an excellent network of connection in mobile industry.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for improving brand of the product, efficiency and increasing department profit.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. With previous work experience as manager. Excellent organizational and project management skills.

HO JIA HUI, DANIAL Business Development Chinese Speaking

Brief Job Description: Responsible for enterprise networking products presales support and network solution. Require to provide high level network solution/design to local office/ channel partner/key account customers. Require to work as a team with either regional/headquarter or local team. To provide BOQ and high-quality proposal.

Require to be able to present solution professionally.

Require to provide BOQ and high-quality technical proposal. Regular reporting to enterprise network solution director.

Brief Job Description: Contacting potential clients to establish rapport.

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

RIAN MURYANTO Indonesian Quality Control 108.

CHEN, YONG Product Manager For PLDT Transmission Inspire Project

118.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the order achievement of the Philippines PLDT WDM market. Achieve the key objectives of PLDT metro WDM. Responsible for transmitting customer schedule visits and new technology capability presentation. Formulate the WDM design plan. Gain insight into the problems and challenges of the customer’s live network. Identify industry trends, market opportunities, and threats, and align with key customers. Gain insight into the industry environment, competition, customer strategies, and pain points of network business solutions.

109.

110.

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

AGUNG LAKSA DWI ARYA Indonesian Trainer

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Brief Job Description: Supervises the performance of training activities.

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

MICHAEL JORDY Indonesian Trainer

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Brief Job Description: Supervises the performance of training activities.

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

ING HUBS B.V. PHILIPPINE BRANCH 18/f - 29/f One Ayala East Tower, Ayala Ave., Ayala Center, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati GUZEK, AGNIESZKA Lead KYC Investigations III 119.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for interviewing & training crew candidates, coordinate w/ crew management company to daily work.

Basic Qualification: Experience with budget management, consulting w/ a focus on operations management.

CHEN, DOUDOU Mandarin Warehouse And Logistics Manager 120.

113.

114.

Brief Job Description: Assist customers through chat or email.

LIN, EN-CHENG Mandarin Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Assist customers through chat or email.

PAN, TSUNG-CHI Mandarin Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Assist customers through chat or email.

HUANG, CHEN Mandarin Warehouse And Logistics Manager 121.

115.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Head Operation Project supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

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

Brief Job Description: The mandarin warehouse and logistics manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin warehouse and logistics manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin warehouse and logistics manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

JEBSEN & JESSEN INGREDIENTS (P) INC. 5th Orion Bldg., 11th Ave. Cor. 38th St., Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking and skilled in using MS office.

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

FAJAR PRASETYO General Manager For Regional Business Unit 122.

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking and skilled in using MS office.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking and skilled in using MS office.

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

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Head Operation Project Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

Brief Job Description: The general manager for regional business unit (RBU), as head of company for Philippines, has overall accountability, and authority of the executive function of the company.

Basic Qualification: A degree in chemical or relevant field within JJIP industry segment and 10 years of successful track record in a management role.

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

KNW TECHNOLOGY INC. 103 Equinox Plaza, Sierra Madre, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong

DO DUY THANG Account Coordinator 123.

GUANGXI HYDRO ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION BUREAU (GHCB PHILIPPINES CORPORATION) #58, Road 1, Project 6, Quezon City

DENG, DAHAI Mandarin Head Operation Project Supervisor

Brief Job Description: The mandarin warehouse and logistics manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

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

GLVICTORY TECHNOLOGY INC. Unit 1, 14/f 6789 Tower, Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati CHEN, CHIA-JU a.k.a. WANG, CHIA-JU Mandarin Customer Service Staff

Brief Job Description: Responsible for developing your team’s craftsmanship and overall performance management.

Basic Qualification: Experience in conducting KYC. Has training in project management and AML TM.

INSPIRINGPG INC. Unit 1708-t 17th Floor Sm Aura Office Tower, 26th Street Corner Mckinley Parkway, Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

GLOBAL PROCESS MANAGER, INC. 17/f Times Plaza Bldg., Un Avenue Cor. Taft Avenue, Barangay 666, Ermita, City Of Manila XIE, SHUBIN Chief Representative

Basic Qualification: Must have at least 3 years work experience as product manager for sales and marketing management of WDM products. Extensive insight into customer network, and planning capabilities. Proficient in preparing WDM BOQS and quotations. With good office software application capability. With technical skills in product solution optional component capabilities. Preferably graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management/ sales and marketing or other related discipline.

With Master’s degree is an advantage. Highly proficient in Chinese and English languages.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Brief Job Description: Track main industry trends in Indonesia through blogs, micro blogs and forums.

Basic Qualification: Must have minimum of 3 years work experience as product manager. Preferably with pre-sales experience in FSI or ISP industry.

With solid background in networking products such as switch, WIFI, router, system integration. With technical knowledge of switch, router, WLAN, security or IT servers/ storage. Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Information Science and Technology or other related degree.

With Master’s degree is an advantage. Highly proficient in Chinese and English languages.

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

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

Basic Qualification: With business development experience.

Basic Qualification: With at least 5 years of work experience as business development director. With impressive knowledge on renewable energy market and has engage in solar business, with focus on solar panel and inverter solution.

With full of experience of project operation and building of ecosystem of channel partner in solar sector. Can lead a mixed team of Chinese and Filipino employees. With technical skills on digital energy smart photovoltaic development.

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

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

GIGA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INC. 2/f Lipam’s Building, 40 Presidents Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque

112.

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

ZOU, XUELIANG Business Development Director For Solar Project

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

Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/ Management or equivalent.

Should have at least 1 year working experience in the same field.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. 53/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and write Mandarin language and translate to English language.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

GAMMA INTERACTIVE INC. 21/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and write Mandarin language and translate to English language.

No.

ENDO LIGHTING (THAILAND) PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED PHILIPPINES BRANCH Unit 1 Bldg. 11 La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Bangkal, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

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

XUE, PING Marketing And Sales Agent

Brief Job Description: Assist department head in managing departmental matters to ensure that each sector completes the work on time and with quality.

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

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St., Barangay 289, Binondo, City Of Manila

WANG, YUAN Marketing And Sales Agent

Brief Job Description: Manage communication and answer emails from the Chinese client.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

EMERALD WIRELESS TECH INC. 28th/f Arthaland Century Pacific Tower, E-square Information Technology Park, 25th St. Cor 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

111.

CHEN, YAWEI Sales Consultant

Brief Job Description: Manage communication and answer emails from the Chinese client.

ZUO, SHUAI Senior Chinese Customer Service Specialist (Virtual)

DGM BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. Rm 210 2nd Floor Manila Times Building, 409 A. Soriano Ave., Barangay 654, Intramuros, City Of Manila Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Excellent communication skills verbal or written.

Brief Job Description: Manage communication and answer emails from the Chinese client.

ZHANG, ANCHENG Senior Chinese Customer Service Specialist (Virtual)

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking customer service work experience.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

LUONG MONG PHUONG DUNG Account Coordinator 124.

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

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

Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

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

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION NGUYEN QUOC VU Account Coordinator

125.

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

NGUYEN THI NGOC MAI Account Coordinator

126.

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

NGUYEN THI THOA Account Coordinator

127.

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

TRAN THANH TAM Account Coordinator

128.

129.

130.

131.

132.

Brief Job Description: Communicating with clients, reviewing and composing correspondence, receiving requests and complaints, liaising with internal sales and marketing teams, and managing account budgets.

DINH, MINH HOANG Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Addressing queries, complaints and recommendations furnished by customers.

DO, VAN ANH Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Addressing queries, complaints and recommendations furnished by customers.

LAM THI ANH THU Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Addressing queries, complaints and recommendations furnished by customers.

LE THI LINH CHI Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Deferring to management in instances of uncertainty.

133.

134.

LE, MINH THU Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Addressing queries, complaints and recommendations furnished by customers.

NGUYEN, THI MY HANH Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Deferring to management in instances of uncertainty.

135.

136.

NGUYEN, THI TRUC LINH Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Addressing queries, complaints and recommendations furnished by customers.

VU, THI THANH XUAN Customer Service Representative - Vietnamese Speaking Brief Job Description: Deferring to management in instances of uncertainty.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

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

137.

Brief Job Description: Defines, designs and implements process improvement.

Ensures integration and alignment vertically and horizontally across the organization.

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

Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

138.

Brief Job Description: Deliver prompt and professional solutions for customer inquiries via phone, email, online chat etc.

Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

139.

Brief Job Description: Identify, develop, and/or acquire new business and potential players.

Brief Job Description: Develop, establish, maintain relationships with new & existing non-Japanese customers.

Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

141.

142.

143.

144.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

145.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

146.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

147.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

148.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

149.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

150.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 151.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. With at least 5 years of work experience in a related field.

152.

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

Basic Qualification: Previous experience in customer service is preferred.

153.

154.

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

Basic Qualification: Tertiary education, preferably a degree holder in business administration or marketing field, at least 1 yr. experience in sales or customer service field, preferably in gaming marketing.

155.

156.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 157.

MIZUHO BANK, LTD. - MANILA BRANCH Units 1-8, 25/f Zuellig Bldg., Makati Ave. Cor Paseo De Roxas, Urdaneta, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related course, at least 10 yrs. of experience in a Japanese bank, preferably held an executive-level role, native Japanese speaker and with excellent English communication skills.

No.

158.

159.

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills (Vietnamese-English).

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

MELCO RESORTS LEISURE (PHP) CORPORATION City Of Dreams Manila, Aseana Ave. Cor. Roxas Blvd., Tambo, City Of Parañaque

LI, YU-PING Senior Host, Global Marketing

140.

BUI NGOC TUYET VAN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

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

MARKETROLE ASIA PACIFIC SERVICES, INC. 27/f & 28/f The Enterprise Center Tower 1, 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

WANG, WEN Customer Service Representative

SUGANO, YOSUKE Vice President & Manager, Corporate Banking

BUI THI HUYEN TRANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

CHEN, GUIZI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

DANG QUOC DINH Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

DINH HUY HOANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

DUONG THI THUY DUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

GUAN, SHIWEI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

HA DUY CHI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

LI, BING Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

LIU, HUI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

NGUYEN THI THOM Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

NGUYEN, THI HOANG YEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

NI, XIAOLIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

NONG THI HIEU Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

PHAN TU ANH Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

PHONG NGOC LINH Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

TRAN NGOC LOC Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

A11

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Basic Qualification: Problem solving skills to help clients who may experience issues.

LOCAD SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES INC. 8/f Liberty Plaza Bldg., 102 H.v. Dela Costa, Bel-air, City Of Makati

KEMKES, JULIAN Office Project Manager

No.

Friday, October 20, 2023

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

160.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

161.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

162.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

163.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

164.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

165.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

166.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION TRAN THANH MANH Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

TRAN THI NGOC ANH Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

TRAN XUAN TUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

TRIEU VAN HUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ZHAN, ZHENDONG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

ZHANG, XINQIAN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

LIU, SHAOXING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ZHONG, SHIQIN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

VU KIM CHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ALMONDO ABEDNEGO SANJAYA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 167.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

ANDRY SETIA PUTRANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative 168.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English.

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

169.

170.

171.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

BENNY EKA PUTRA LIYAS Indonesian Customer Service Representative 172.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

BELLA JUNIVIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

AYU Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

ANTON SETIAWAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

CAHYA SEFTIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 173.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

CHANDRA DWI LINGGA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 174.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

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

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 2/f 331 Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

CHRISTIANTO GUNAWAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative 175.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

BusinessMirror

A12 A6 Friday, October 20, 2023

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION CHRISTOPHER Indonesian Customer Service Representative

176.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

DARIUS CULVER Indonesian Customer Service Representative 177.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

DAVID Indonesian Customer Service Representative 178.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

FAKHRIE ABDUL MUIZ Indonesian Customer Service Representative 179.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

HENDRIK Indonesian Customer Service Representative 180.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

HERA REVIANA RIDWAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative 181.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

ISMI SEPTI PRIHATINY Indonesian Customer Service Representative 182.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

JIMMY ANDREAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative 183.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

LAILAN ZIKRIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 184.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

MANASYE KHRISNADI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 185.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

MARIA ULI TRESIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 186.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

MEDI ZULIANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative 187.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

MIKAEL LOUIS RADJA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 188.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

MUHAMAD IQBAL Indonesian Customer Service Representative 189.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

NANDA RISKY PRATAMA Indonesian Customer Service Representative 190.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

PINEHAS Indonesian Customer Service Representative 191.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

RESKI SUNDARI Indonesian Customer Service Representative 192.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

No.

RISKA FAJRI AULIYAH Indonesian Customer Service Representative 193.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

194.

195.

196.

197.

198.

199.

200.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

VIEGAS, CLYDE Talent Acquisition Operations Analyst 201.

202.

203.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Operations Supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

ZHANG, HAILIN Mandarin Site Supervisor 204.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

No.

207.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

208.

209.

210.

211.

212.

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

NANG HTWE LIN Myanmar Customer Service 213.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

NANDAR AUNG Myanmar Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

LAHPAI KHUN TONG Myanmar Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

HTET AUNG Myanmar Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

MAH QI LOONG Malaysian Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

MWIINGA, RICHARD Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHANG, HONGHUI Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

NAY THU HLAING Myanmar Customer Service 214.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in any field.

Experience in Human Resources Operations/ Administrations in a matrix, internal organization. Multicountry or regional career background is a plus.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Site Supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

NGINN OO Myanmar Customer Service 215.

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

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

ILLESCA ANTEZANA DE OLIVOS, EVELIN GIOVANA Project Site Administrator 205.

Brief Job Description: This position will work closely with the project coordinator and the project team, strong communications skills on English, Spanish, and Italian are a must since most of the team members are Spanish & Italian.

216.

206.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

NANG SHWE EAIN Myanmari Customer Service 217.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Operations Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

BUI, VAN PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service 218.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Site Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Graduate of any bachelor’s degree, preferably in business, management or engineering. Minimum of 3 yrs. project management experience.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

CHU THI LIEN Vietnamese Customer Service 219.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

DIEP, THI MAI Vietnamese Customer Service 220.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

DINH, THI NGOC THUY Vietnamese Customer Service 221.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 1331 Pearl Plaza Bldg., 133 Quirino Ave., Tambo, City Of Parañaque 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f Sapphire Seaview Park, Pacific Avenue, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque Sky Garage Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

WANG, XUEMIN Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

NANG KHAM HOM Myanmari Customer Service

NES GLOBAL TALENT LIMITED Regus 9/r. Filinvest One Building, Northgate Cyberzone Filinvest, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

CHEN, HUAIBEI Mandarin Operations Supervisor

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

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

Brief Job Description: Collaborate with the talent acquisition team and crossfunctional stakeholders. Contribute to the development and implementation of recruitment strategies and best practices. Support team members with talent acquisition operations.

JIANG, ZIHAN Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

NEPC POWER CONSTRUCTION CORP. 15/f Cyber One Bldg., Eastwood Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

MSCI HONG KONG LIMITED U-1,2,3,4,7 & 8 29/f Zuellig Bldg., Makati Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, Urdaneta, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

WINNY WINATA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

WIDIE ANGGRAINI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

WELY Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

SUSAN SUSANTI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

SHELVY NAFIRLIE Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problem.

ROBERT ROBIANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, and information, answer questions, and resolve emerging problem.

RIVALDO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 years’ bachelor degree with critical thinking and problemsolving skills.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

HOANG, VAN CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service 222.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

LA THI ANH Vietnamese Customer Service 223.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

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

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LE THI KIM NGAN Vietnamese Customer Service

224.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

LUONG NGOC LINH Vietnamese Customer Service 225.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

LUONG, THI HONG NHAT Vietnamese Customer Service 226.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

LY, THI AN Vietnamese Customer Service 227.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

LY, VAN TUNG Vietnamese Customer Service 228.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

NGUYEN, THI TRA MY Vietnamese Customer Service 229.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

PHAM THI LUONG Vietnamese Customer Service 230.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

SAM, THI CUC Vietnamese Customer Service 231.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

VI, TRUNG HIEU Vietnamese Customer Service 232.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Preferably 1-year experience in the same field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

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

No.

LEE, JEONGWOO Data Analyst Officer 240.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

241.

242.

233.

Brief Job Description: Advise or suggest improvements to achieve the objectives of the organizations.

LIU, YANGFENG Consultant

234.

Brief Job Description: Advise or suggest improvements to achieve the objectives of the organizations.

XIN, MINFU Consultant 235.

Brief Job Description: Advise or suggest improvements to achieve the objectives of the organizations.

XU, HUIHUANG Consultant 236.

237.

Brief Job Description: Advise or suggest improvements to achieve the objectives of the organizations.

WANG, JIANGMING Designer Brief Job Description: Study design briefs and determine requirements.

243.

238.

Brief Job Description: Study design briefs and determine requirements.

239.

Brief Job Description: Provide assistance to the general manager, collect necessary information for engineering project, bidding and maintain relationship with other consulting firms.

Brief Job Description: Assist in planning of the organization’s daily operation.

Brief Job Description: Communicates the parent company’s directives and acts as its link to all shareholders.

244.

Brief Job Description: Works with Account Managers and contract management support for standard and non-standard contract set up.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

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

BIAN, JINGHUI Chinese Construction Technician 245.

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

246.

247.

Brief Job Description: Manage and supervise facility development and image enhancement projects. Coordinate logistics and communication between clients, vendors, and stakeholders. Follow all state and safety requirements to implement good safety conditions at work site.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English and Japanese languages (verbal and written), and 10 years of experience in oversea projects.

248.

Brief Job Description: Manage delivery of overall accounts.

GUPTA, PRASHANT System Developer Brief Job Description: Manage the order management system design.

Brief Job Description: Developing key performance goals and managing the performance of staff. Creating and implementing strategies for business growth.

ZHOU, YOUBAO Manager 249.

256.

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

Basic Qualification: Degree holder with 10 years of experience.

257.

258.

Basic Qualification: Minimum of 4 years of experience in software development and detail-oriented backend developer.

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

Brief Job Description: Developing key performance goals and managing the performance of staff. Creating and implementing strategies for business growth.

Basic Qualification: 1 year of experience as Manager.

Excellent organizational and project management skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 1 year of experience as Manager.

Excellent organizational and project management skills.

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

PAGARIA, ABHISHEK Chief Operating Officer/Resident Agent Brief Job Description: In-Charge of entire operation of the General Insurance company (Manila Branch).

Basic Qualification: Experience as Resident Agent.

259.

251.

252.

253.

HUANG, KEDONG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service.

JIA, XIAODONG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service.

LEE, INGI Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service.

Brief Job Description: Provide cost estimates for body damage and internal repairs. Create and maintain a process to effectively manage warranty, customers paid, and internal repair orders.

Brief Job Description: Provide cost estimates for body damage and internal repairs. Create and maintain a process to effectively manage warranty, customers paid, and internal repair orders.

Brief Job Description: Provide cost estimates for body damage and internal repairs. Create and maintain a process to effectively manage warranty, customers paid, and internal repair orders.

Brief Job Description: Provide cost estimates for body damage and internal repairs. Create and maintain a process to effectively manage warranty, customers paid, and internal repair orders.

YIN HU Service And Parts Director 260.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide cost estimates for body damage and internal repairs. Create and maintain a process to effectively manage warranty, customers paid, and internal repair orders.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study. Excellent communication skills. He shall have been proven to possess integrity and probity.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study. Excellent communication skills. He shall have been proven to possess integrity and probity.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study. Excellent communication skills. He shall have been proven to possess integrity and probity.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study. Excellent communication skills. He shall have been proven to possess integrity and probity.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study. Excellent communication skills. He shall have been proven to possess integrity and probity.

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

VERTEX DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1439 Adriatico Cor. Sta. Monica St., 072, Barangay 669, Ermita, City Of Manila

261.

NGUYEN THU CHAM IT Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain the operations of electronic gaming devices.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate with experience in maintaining gaming devices, and fluent in Mandarin and English languages.

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

YOUBIN CONSULTANCY INC. 7c Westgate Tower Condominium, Investment Drive, Mbp Ayala, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

262.

ZHOU, QINGPENG Chinese Consultant Brief Job Description: Provides professional and knowledgeable consultation.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months of customer service experience and with good in verbal, written and reading skills.

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

ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. Unit Aro1-03 B,c,m,n,o,p,q 28th/f & 14/f U-c, B, Ar03, Ar02, Q,p,o,g,h,i,j01,02,03, K&l, Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati THEO DWI PRASETYO Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 263.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on the daily operations of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties.

Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written.

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

ZERO 1 STORY SALON INC. 2f Uptown Parade-cluster 2, 36th St. Cor. 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig JEON, CHANGMIN Hair Stylist

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

UNLAD SILANGAN CORP. P2 4f 24 Diosdado Macapagal Ave., Mall Of Asia, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently.

BAE, GYURYUL Chinese Speaking Customer Services Staff

WANG, HAINING Service And Parts Director

Basic Qualification: Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Exposure as Project Manager.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service.

NGUYEN QUANG TRUNG Service And Parts Director

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and communicate using Mandarin is an advantage.

Able to explain problems simply and clearly.

Proficient in MS Office.

Able to follow health and safety regulations. Excellent mathematical and problemsolving skills.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently.

SEO, KI WOONG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

LIN, WEI-LUN Service And Parts Director

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

Basic Qualification: Tertiary education.

Experience in customer service or operations. Able to act as a Shell Brand Ambassador in a ‘voice of Shell’ role with Live Chat and social media platforms.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

KOUK KHAN KYAL Service And Parts Director

THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE COMPANY, LTD. Room 405 & 4 (itc Industrial Timber Corp.), 337 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave. Cor. Jupiter St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

PACIFIC SEA BPO SERVICES, INC. 16/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

HANSEN, BETTINA TAPIA Operations Manager

HUANG, YANG Manager

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

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian language.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

VEHICLE MASTER SERVICE CORP. #27, T. Santiago St., Canumay West, City Of Valenzuela

TCL SUN, INC. 4/f Zen Tower, 1111 N A Lopez St., 071, Barangay 659, Ermita, City Of Manila

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

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

Basic Qualification: Fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian language.

TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (PHILIPPINES) INC. 8th-12th, 14th & 15th Floor, Panorama Tower, 34th Street Corner Lane A, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

255.

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

Basic Qualification: Creative and strategic thinking skills.

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

254.

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

STC BUILDERS AND DEVELOPMENT CORP. 15th Floor, Ramon Magsaysay Center, 1680 Roxas Boulevard, Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila

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

NIPPON ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS CO., LTD. - MANILA BRANCH OFFICE Unit C509 5/f Cityland Pasong Tamo Tower, 2210 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

KIMURA, HIDEKI Sales Manager

ABRAM GOPAS SIAGIAN Indonesian Language-support Supervisor

SAMBA NDONDOK, MARIE GAELLE Customer Success Specialist - French

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. Fluent in Korean and English languages. With at least 1-year work experience as a Data Analyst.

No.

SHELL SHARED SERVICES (ASIA) B.V. 16/f-25/f Solaris One Bldg., 130 Dela Rosa St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

250.

XU, XUPENG Designer

Brief Job Description: Assist in planning of the organization’s daily operation.

TSUJI, DAISUKE Technical Specialist

NEW PBY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION 21st Floor Menarco Tower, 32nd Street Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHEN, WEIZHAO Consultant

HENDRA SETIAWAN Indonesian Language-support Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

RIOFIL CORPORATION U-1704-1706, 1708, 1709, Hanston Square, San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good verbal and written communication skills.

Brief Job Description: Multilingual customer support, specifically for other Asian languages.

A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

PHOENIXFIELD, INC. 7/f Iacademy Plaza, 324 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: College Graduate.

Preferably 1-year experience in the same field. Speaks and write (native language).

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Friday, October 20, 2023

264.

Brief Job Description: Hair stylists make customers look and feel good by providing appealing and fashionable haircut and hair color services. They also educate customers about proper hair and scalp care.

Basic Qualification: Can communicate Filipino and foreign national clients.

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

*Date Generated: Oct 19, 2023 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.

The World BusinessMirror

A14 Friday, October 20, 2023

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

Israel will allow Egypt to deliver some aid to Gaza, as doctors struggle to treat hospital blast victims

By Najib Jobain, Isabel Debre & Ravi Nessman

K

The Associated Press

HAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip— Israel said Wednesday that it will allow Egypt to deliver limited humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The first crack in a punishing 10-day siege on the territory came one day after a blast at a hospital killed hundreds and put immense strain on Gaza’s struggling medical system.

The announcement to allow water, food and other supplies happened as fury over the blast at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital spread across the Middle East, and as US President Joe Biden visited Israel in hopes of preventing a wider conflict in the region.

There were conflicting claims of who was behind the explosion on Tuesday night, but protests flared quickly as many Arab leaders said Israel was responsible. Hamas officials in Gaza blamed an Israeli airstrike, saying hundreds were killed. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was instead due to a rocket misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim.

The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence.

Israel shut off all supplies to Gaza soon after Hamas militants rampaged across communities in southern Israel on October 7. As supplies run out, many families in Gaza have cut down to one meal a day and have been left to drink dirty water.

The bloody devastation at alAhli threw the siege’s impact

into sharp relief. Video from the scene showed the hospital grounds strewn with torn bodies, many of them young children. Hundreds of wounded were rushed to Gaza City’s main hospital where doctors, already facing critical supply shortages, were sometimes forced to perform surgery on the floors, often without anesthesia.

A steady stream of ambulances, taxis, cars and at least one motorcycle also arrived at a hospital in Khan Younis. Men jumped from the vehicles and scrambled to open doors, with hospital staff and bystanders helping carry the injured.

One man rushed in carrying a limp child in his arms. A girl with her head wrapped with a makeshift bandage was helped from a car. Many injured had to be carried by multiple men or hoisted onto gurneys.

As soon as one vehicle was unloaded, another arrived to take its place.

Biden said Egypt’s president agreed to open the crossing and to let in an initial group of 20 trucks with humanitarian aid. If Hamas confiscates aid, “it will end,” he said. The aid will start moving Friday at the earliest, White House officials said.

PALESTINIANS rescue a child from under the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, October 18, 2023. AP/ABED KHALED

Egypt must still repair the road across the border that was cratered

by Israeli airstrikes. More than 200 trucks and some 3,000 tons of aid are positioned at or near the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt, said the head of the Red Crescent for North Sinai, Khalid Zayed.

Supplies will go in under supervision of the U.N., Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Al-Arabiya TV. Asked if foreigners and dual nationals seeking to leave would be let through, he said: “As long as the crossing is operating normally and the (crossing) facility has been repaired.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was approved after a request from Biden. It said Israel “will not thwart” deliveries of food, water or medicine from Egypt, as long as they are limited to civilians in the south of the Gaza Strip and don’t go to Hamas militants.

The statement made no mention of fuel, which is badly needed for hospital generators.

Relatives of some of the roughly 200 people who were taken hostage and forced back to Gaza during the attack reacted in fury to the aid announcement.

“Children, infants, women, soldiers, men, and elderly, some with serious illnesses, wounded and

President Biden’s whirlwind Israel trip fails to calm fears of wider Middle East conflict

By Jordan Fabian & Jennifer Jacobs

P

RESIDENT Joe Biden’s 7.5-hour trip to Tel Aviv signaled full US backing for Israel but fell short on another key goal: winning over Arab leaders.

Amid growing signs the conflict may be spinning out of control, Biden made plain that the US will protect its ally, sending a clear message to rivals in the region like Iran to stay out of the fight. With one US aircraft carrier in the area and another on the way, Biden promised a new package of “unprecedented support.”

He also tried to allay concerns about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel gears up for a ground invasion to wipe out Hamas after its October 7 attacks killed 1,400 Israelis. On his way home, Biden said he’d won agreement from Egypt to allow 20 trucks of aid across the border but they may not move before Friday, when the road is due to be repaired. Israeli officials said they would allow supplies in only if they could be sure they weren’t diverted to Hamas, which the US and EU have designated a terrorist group.

Biden’s challenge in winning Arab acquiescence to the Israeli offensive deepened Tuesday after a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza. The US president sided with Israel, which blamed a failed missile launch by a Palestinian militant group. But Arab leaders believed Hamas-

controlled Gaza authorities that had already pointed the finger at Israel. They canceled a meeting with Biden in Jordan planned for Wednesday.

Biden did manage to speak by phone with Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on his way back to the US about allowing aid access. The Egyptian president, who was among the leaders to pull out of the Jordan meeting, “was not at all reluctant,” Biden told reporters. Biden also said he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue.

“His visit today was seen as full-throated support of the Israeli government without caveats,” said Sarah Parkinson, political science and international studies professor at Johns Hopkins University. “That is rapidly eroding relationships in the region.”

It wasn’t just Biden’s decision to accept Israel’s explanation for the deadly blast, but also how he did so that’s likely to grate in the region. By saying the “other team” was responsible for the incident, the US president aligned himself even more squarely with Israel.

“To a lot of people in the region that doesn’t seem like it’s fact-based, it seems like it’s a political decision,” Parkinson said. “It’s putting a lot of US allies into an incredibly difficult position.”

Biden said he decided to take Israel’s side after seeing data from the Pentagon.

The information, which came from satellite imagery of the hospital and electronic intercepts of Hamas conversations, was shared

with Biden during the flight to Israel, according to people familiar with the matter. The White House later announced its intelligence analysis confirmed Israel’s claim that it was not responsible for the blast.

“At a time when Israelis are traumatized seeking leadership and hope, Biden gave it to them,” Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Middle East negotiator, wrote on social media.

Biden said he would propose an “unprecedented” package of aid for Israel to Congress this week. Boeing Co. is speeding delivery of GPS-guidance kits for bombs to Israel, officials said.

But after meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet, Biden had a warning for Israeli leaders as they plan their response.

“I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes,” Biden said, an apparent reference to the US’s long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He departed for Washington with only limited assurances about the relief supplies that could enter Gaza, which could further inflame tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors. He announced the US is dispatching $100 million in humanitarian aid but it will go both to Gaza and the West Bank.

With most supplies of food and medicine

shot, are held underground like animals,” said a statement from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. But “the Israeli government pampers the murderers and kidnappers.”

Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel resumed Wednesday after a 12-hour lull. Israeli strikes on Gaza continued, including on cities in the south that Israel had described as “safe zones” for civilians.

In his brief visit, Biden tried to strike a balance between showing US support for Israel, while containing growing alarm among Arab allies. Upon his arrival, Biden embraced Netanyahu, said the hospital blast appeared not to be Israel’s fault and expressed concern for the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.

He also announced $100 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

The Israeli military held a briefing Wednesday laying out its case for why it was not responsible for the explosion at the al-Ahli Hospital.

Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military was not firing in the area when the blast occurred. He said Israeli radar confirmed a rocket barrage was fired

by Islamic Jihad militants from a nearby cemetery at the time of the blast. Independent video showed one rocket in the barrage falling cut off, the borders closed and Israeli airstrikes continuing, the situation in Gaza is getting more dire by the day.

“An unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Gaza is being strangled and the world seems to have lost its humanity,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said Wednesday.

Protests against Israel and the US broke out in cities across the Arab world after the hospital blast.

Biden’s aides said his heartfelt support for Israel in the wake of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust compelled him to continue on with the visit. At the same time, it allowed the 80-year-old leader to appear active and engaged to the voters back home.

Winning over the Arab leaders was always going to be a tall order, even before the hospital blast.

“Arab leaders across the region are worried about their own national security first and are not going to be willing to contradict public sentiment that is so strongly anti-Israel,” said Jonathan Panikoff, a Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council.

But with Israeli officials saying they remain resolved to go ahead with plans to eradicate Hamas from Gaza and Iran and the Hezbollah militant group it backs threatening to attack Israel from the north if they do, risks of a wider conflict continue to grow.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are likely to visit Israel themselves in the coming days, potentially winning a bit more time before a ground invasion of Gaza. With assistance from Peter Martin and Tony Capaccio/Bloomberg

out of the sky, he said.

The misfired rocket hit the parking lot outside the hospital, he said. Were it an airstrike, there would have been a large crater there; instead, the fiery blast came from the misfired rocket’s warhead and its unspent propellant, he said.

Hamas called Tuesday’s hospital blast “a horrific massacre” caused by an Israeli strike.

Islamic Jihad said Israeli orders issued days before for al-Ahli to be evacuated, and a previous strike at the hospital, proved the hospital was a target. The group added that the scale of the explosion, the angle of the explosive’s fall and the extent of destruction all pointed to Israel.

The Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, said the hospital, run by the Episcopal Church, received at least three Israeli military orders to evacuate in the days before the blast. Israeli shelling hit it Sunday, wounding four staff, he said. Israel ordered all 22 hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate last week. The Israeli military accuses the militants of hiding among civilians.

Hundreds of Palestinians had taken refuge in al-Ahli and other hospitals in Gaza City, hoping to be spared bombardment after Israel ordered all residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south.

On Wednesday morning, the blast scene was littered with charred cars. One man who had been sheltering there with his family, Mohammed al-Hayek, said he was sitting with other men in a hospital stairwell Tuesday night when he stepped away for coffee.

“When I returned, they were torn to pieces,” he said.

The death toll was in dispute.

The Health Ministry initially said at least 500 had died, but revised that number to 471 on Wednesday.

Al-Ahli officials said the toll was in the hundreds.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 3,478 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, and more

than 12,000 wounded, mostly women, children and the elderly.

Another 1,300 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ deadly incursion. Militants in Gaza have launched rockets every day since toward cities across Israel.

Israel has been expected to launch a ground invasion into Gaza, though military officials say no decision has been made.

More than 1 million Palestinians have fled their homes, roughly half of Gaza’s population. Those fleeing the north and Gaza City to move south have crowded into U.N. schools or the homes of relatives.

With Israeli airstrikes relentlessly pounding the Gaza Strip, displaced Palestinians increasingly feel that no place is safe.

The Musa family fled to the typically sleepy central town of Deir al-Balah and took shelter in a cousin’s three-story home near the local hospital. But at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, a series of explosions, believed to be airstrikes, rocked the building, turning the family home into a mountain of rubble that they said buried some 20 women and children.

The dead body of Hiam Musa, the sister-in-law of Associated Press photojournalist Adel Hana, was recovered from the wreckage Wednesday evening, the family said. They don’t know who else is under the rubble.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Hana said. “We went to Deir al-Balah because it’s quiet, we thought we would be safe.”

The Israeli military said it was investigating.

Debre and Nessman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press journalists Amy Teibel in Jerusalem; Samya Kullab in Baghdad; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Samy Magdy and Jack Jeffrey in Cairo; and Ashraf Sweilam in el-Arish, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Oil rises as hospital blast in Gaza ratchets up Middle East tensions

By Alex Longley, Grant Smith & Julia Fanzeres

O

IL rose after Iran called for an embargo against Israel by Muslim countries, following a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital that raised the risk of wider hostilities in the Middle East.

West Texas Intermediate settled above $88 a barrel after earlier leaping to $90 on increased geopolitical tensions. Iran’s foreign minister called for a full and immediate boycott of Israel by Muslim countries, including an oil embargo on the country. While Israel’s oil imports are small in the context of global supply, and little of them come from the Middle East, the comments marked a verbal escalation over the war between Israel and Hamas.

The comments follow a blast at a hospital in Gaza City that killed hundreds. Leaders of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority canceled a summit with US President Joe Biden, complicating his push to ensure the Israel-Hamas conflict doesn’t widen across the region. Biden arrived in Israel early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, traders are assessing dwindling US stockpiles. Inventories at the largest storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, dropped to 21 million barrels, the lowest since 2014. Supplies at the location are nearing minimum operating requirements, and many traders consider the inventories to already be at the lowest levels that allow

tanks to function normally.

The global oil market has been rocked by the Middle East crisis. Iran, which supports Hamas and is a key crude supplier, had already been warning of the possibility of escalation. For now, though, oil price spikes are limited by a relative abundance of spare capacity that could come online in the event of any disruption as well as by concerns about slowing global growth and its effect on demand.

“Traders are watching closely for any sign the conflict is spilling over in ways that could have a big supply impact,” said Richard Bronze, an analyst at consultant Energy Aspects, adding that Israel mostly gets its oil from outside the Middle East and North Africa region. “But calls for an embargo will add to the comparisons to the 1970s crises that were already being discussed in the market, even if the impact is mostly symbolic for now.”

The increasingly global nature of the oil market gives Israel plenty of scope to overcome any embargo, although much of its supply comes from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, two majority-Muslim nations. It also imports from West African producers.

Gaza authorities said the hospital blast that left hundreds dead was caused by an Israeli airstrike. Israel, meanwhile, pointed the finger at a failed missile from the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. President Joe Biden suggested the Israeli military was not responsible. Bloomberg News

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Friday, October 20, 2023 A15

Troops hurt after three drones attack US bases in Iraq as tensions flare after Gaza hospital blast

By Abby Sewell, Tara Copp & Qassim Abdul-Zahra

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The Associated Press

EIRUT—Coalition forces were slightly injured in Iraq in a spate of drone attacks over the last 24 hours at US bases in Iraq as regional tensions flare following the deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

Two drones targeted the al Asad airbase in western Iraq used

by US forces and one drone targeted a base in northern Iraq, a US official told The Associated Press. US forces intercepted all three, destroying two but only damaging the third, which led to minor injuries among coalition forces at the western base, according to a statement Wednesday by US Central Command.

The US official were not authorized to speak publicly on the attacks and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region. US forces will defend US and coalition forces against any threat,” Central Command said in the release.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened to attack US facilities there because of American support for Israel.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranianbacked militias, issued a statement afterward claiming responsibility for the two attacks and saying it “heralds more operations” against the “American occupation.”

The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conf lict in the wake of the latest HamasIsrael war.

Since the beginning of the war on October 7, much attention has been focused on Hezbollah, the powerful Hamas ally across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon, and its formidable arsenal. The group has traded so-far limited strikes with Israel on the border in recent days.

But Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have also threatened to attack US facilities over American support for Israel.

“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American

IN this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via their telegram channel, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui shake hands during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea on Thursday, October 19, 2023.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE TELEGRAM CHANNEL VIA AP

Russian and North Korean foreign ministers meet amid Western suspicions about weapons transfers

By The Associated Press

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HE foreign ministers of Russia and North Korea met Thursday in Pyongyang for talks expected to focus on how to boost their military ties, days after the United States accused the North of sending fresh shipments of munitions to Russia to support its war efforts in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to Pyongyang on Wednesday for a two-day trip. During a reception speech later in the day, Lavrov said he thanked North Korea for its strong support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The focus of outside attention to Lavrov’s visit is whether the two countries would provide any hints of how they would solidify their security cooperation or announce the timing for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s promised trip to Pyongyang to reciprocate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia’s Far East last month.

During his travel to Russia, Kim met Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s most important domestic space launch center, and inspected other key Russian weapons-making sites.

That triggered intense speculation that K im seeks sophisticated Russian technologies to

modernize his nuclear arsenal in return for supplying conventional arms to refill Russia’s exhausted weapons inventor y.

“After the historic summit between President Putin and Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on September 13, we can confidently say that the relations have reached a qualitatively new strategic level,” Lavrov said at the start of his meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui on Thursday, according to Russia’s state-run Interfax news agency.

Neither country immediately released details of the meeting.

But Lavrov said Wednesday that his visit was meant to discuss implementing the unspecified agreements between Putin and Kim that were reached during their September summit.

During a dinner banquet held for him, Lavrov said Russia deeply values North Korea’s “unwavering and principled support” for its war on Ukraine as well as Pyongyang’s decision to recognize the independence of Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

“We are fully aware that many countries worldwide share similar viewpoints and assessments, but only a select few, such as

IRAQIS hold a mass rally supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, October 13, 2023, in Baghdad, Iraq. AP/ANMAR KHALIL

enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, head of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement last Wednesday. He also threatened to launch missiles at Israeli targets.

Following Tuesday night’s blast that killed hundreds at a hospital in Gaza, the group issued another statement in which it blamed the US and its support for Israel for the catastrophe and called for an end to the US presence in Iraq. Hamas has said the explosion in Gaza was from an Israeli airstrike, while Israel has blamed a misfired rocket

by Palestinian militants.

“These evil people must leave the (North Korea), explicitly declare their solidarity with Russia and can express it openly,” Lavrov said.

According to North Korea’s state media, Lavrov also praised North Korea for “remaining unfazed by any pressure of the US and the West,” and said that Russia fully supports Kim’s push to protect its security and economic interests.

Choe said at the dinner banquet that Pyongyang and Moscow were building an “unbreakable comradely relationship” under the “strategic” decisions and leadership of Kim and Putin, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

The White House said Friday that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

The White House released images that it said show the containers were loaded onto a Russianf lagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia.

The containers were shipped between September 7 and October 1 between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, according to the White House.

Since last year, the US has accused North Korea of providing ammunition, artillery shells and rockets to Russia, likely much of them copies of Soviet-era munitions. North Korea has steadfastly denied it shipped arms to Russia, but South Korean officials said North Korean weapons provided to Russia had already been used in Ukraine.

The recently flurry of diplomacy between Moscow and Pyongyang underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States.

In July, when Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea, Kim took him to an arms exhibition and a military parade, where some of the North’s newest and most powerful weapons were displayed.

country. Otherwise, they will taste the fire of hell in this world before the afterlife,” the statement said.

A US defense official, who wasn’t authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the attack on the al-Asad military base in western Iraq.

Tashkil al-Waritheen, one of the Iranian-backed militias making up the larger group, claimed responsibility in a statement for a second drone attack, which it said had targeted the al-Harir airbase in northern Iraq. US officials did not immediately comment on the claim of a second attack.

The government of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in

northern Iraq said an intercepted drone crashed in an open area near the village of Batas.

Also on Wednesday, Iran-allied groups in Iraq announced that they had formed a “joint operations room” to help Hamas in its war effort.

Two officials with Iranianbacked militias in Iraq, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the issue, confirmed the attacks on the two bases Wednesday. They said the armed groups were on alert and prepared to join the wider battle against Israel, but that Iran had not yet given approval for them to open a new front. Leaders from

some of the factions are now in Lebanon and Syria in case they get orders to proceed, one of the officials said.

Officials with the US Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment.

Lahib Higel, a senior analyst for Iraq at the International Crisis Group, said in the short term, the Iraqi groups allied with Iran and Hamas are not likely to open a new front in the war, but that could change if the Hamas-Israel war escalates or becomes protracted.

“Geographically, obv iously, they are several steps removed, so they’re not going to be the first to react” and are likely to serve in a supporting role, she said.

Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at the Chatham House, said the Iran-backed groups in Iraq are split between those that are also political parties and have a stake in the Iraqi political system and the “vanguard” groups that are purely militant and tend to be more tightly controlled by Iran.

The latter, he said, have been used in the past as foot sodiers in regional conflicts, including in Yemen and Syria.

“This is what they’re designed to do,” Mansour said. “The question is more, will Iran and some of the leaders of these groups decide it’s in their interest to escalate?”

Copp reported from Washington and Abdul-Zahra from Boston. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Salar Salim in Erbil contributed to this report.

Protesters in Lebanon decrying hospital blast clash with security forces near US Embassy

By Kareem Chehayeb The Associated Press

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EIRUT—Hundreds of protesters clashed Wednesday with Lebanese security forces in a Beirut suburb near the US Embassy during demonstrations in support of both Gaza’s civilian residents and the militant group Hamas in its war with Israel.

The protest in the Aukar neighborhood came as US President Joe Biden made a show of solidarity with Israel during his visit there Wednesday, a day after an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital killed hundreds of people and prompted mass protests.

Biden offered his assessment that the explosion was not the result of a strike by the Israeli military. The Palestinian group Hamas, which rules Gaza, and many Arab countries accuse Israel of striking the hospital, while the Israeli military claims it was a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Gaza.

Demonstrators holding Palestinian flags and the flags of various Palestinian factions took down a security wall and cut a barbed wire barrier on a winding road that leads to the US Embassy outside of Beirut.

Riot police lobbed dozens of teargas canisters and fired water canons to disperse the protesters, eventually pushing them back.

Several protesters were injured.

Meanwhile, in a southern suburb of Beirut, the Hezbollah group, a key ally of Hamas, held its own rally Wednesday. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters and Palestinians waving Palestinian flags protested against the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza the day before.

“The time has perhaps come for the peoples of the region to declare

PROTESTERS try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the US embassy, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Hundreds of angry protesters are clashing with Lebanese security forces in the Lebanese suburb Aukar near the United States Embassy to support Gaza in its ongoing war with Israel. AP/BILAL HUSSEIN

their word in the face of American tyranny,” senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech at the rally.

Chanting “death to America,” protesters burned an American flag in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where the violence has left more than 3,000 people dead since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, leaving more than 1,000 people dead or kidnapped.

Hezbol la h and Israel have clashed along the Lebanon-Israel border, though the skirmishes remain mostly contained along a handful of border towns. The militant group announced another death among its ranks Wednesday, its 11th since the conflict began.

Israel has threatened to aggressively retaliate should Hezbollah escalate, while Hezbollah has promised to do the same should Israel decide to launch a ground incursion into Gaza.

As the clashes continue, Saudi Arabia became the latest country to ask its citizens to leave the tiny Mediterranean country of Lebanon. The US State Department warned its citizens not to come and urged those in the country to “make appropriate arrangements to leave,” while commercial flights

are still available.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Lebanese Red Cross collected the bodies and remains of four slain Hezbollah militants, a spokesperson for the group told The Associated Press.

An Associated Press photojournalist saw the three bodies and bag of remains transferred from the Lebanese Red Cross to Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Unit at the Hiram Hospital near the southern city of Tyre.

The Hezbollah spokesperson said the bodies belonged to militants whose deaths were announced the day before, without giving additional details. Hezbollah announced the death of five of its fighters Tuesday.

The spokesperson commented on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

It was unclear why there was a 24-hour delay in collecting the bodies.

The initial death announcement came hours after the Israeli militar y announced they had killed four militants near the border carrying an explosive device in what they suspected was an attempted cross-border operation.

The Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

A16 Friday, October 20, 2023 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

editorial

‘The threat of this war expanding is real’

W

hen Israel ordered more than a million Palestinians to move south as the military prepares for a ground offensive in Gaza, hundreds sought shelter at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital thinking the place can protect them from the bombs.

On Tuesday, a massive blast rocked the Gaza City hospital packed with wounded patients, killing at least 500 people. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Tuesday night. “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”

After the deadly blast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed out of a scheduled meeting with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and King Abdullah II of Jordan, leading the Jordanians to cancel the meeting.

The 22-member Arab Group at the United Nations expressed “outrage” at the hospital deaths and called for an immediate cease-fire to avoid further Palestinian casualties. The group pressed for the opening of a corridor to deliver aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza.

“The whole region is at the brink of falling into the abyss that this new cycle of death and destruction is pushing us towards,” Jordan’s King Abdullah II said after a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday. “The threat of this war expanding is real.”

Brad Dress, defense reporter for The Hill, said the risk of wider war in Middle East is “very, very high.” He said: “The risk of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East is growing by the day as Israel continues to bomb Palestinians and trades fire with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran, which funds Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has issued several warnings to Israel in the past few days that if the attacks on Gaza continue, an escalation of the conflict will become inevitable.”

“Israel is seeking to destroy Hamas in retaliation for a surprise attack that killed some 1,400 of its people, but it’s facing a serious threat from other groups across the Levant region while it pursues that mission. Besides Hezbollah, rocket attacks have also come from Syria, where Iranian-backed militia groups have been operating for years,” Dress said.

Before the Hamas attack, the regional outlook was bright and full of optimism. In his address to the UN General Assembly on September 22, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that the Abraham Accords, the agreements in which four Arab states—United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan—normalized relations with Israel in 2020, were a “pivot of history” that “heralded the dawn of a new age of peace.”

Netanyahu added that Israel was “at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough”—a historic normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, which has been one of the Biden administration’s top foreign policy priorities. In committing to the deal, Saudi had asked for a US defense pact and aid in establishing a civilian nuclear program, as well as a substantial concession to the Palestinians that the Saudis have yet to spell out.

Experts said the carnage in the Gaza hospital has superseded all the highlevel diplomacy, most likely giving pause to the Saudis and other governments that were considering normalization with Israel.

Israel on Wednesday released an alleged intercepted voice recording of Hamas operatives admitting to accidentally bombing Al-Ahli Hospital with failed rocket. Army Spokesman Daniel Hagari said an IDF probe concluded that a rocket launched from a cemetery near the hospital had misfired and crashed into a parking lot adjacent to the hospital, where civilians were taking shelter. He said the rocket warhead and its propellant fuel then ignited, causing the explosion.

The world is waiting for the United Nations and world leaders to mount an urgent effort to prevent enormous loss of civilian lives in Gaza. It is feared that global inaction will allow the conflict to snowball into an even greater geopolitical crisis.

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Equipping the poor: Its impact on humans and the natural environment Thomas L. Lazaro III

EAGLE WATCH

T

he Philippines has made some progress in alleviating poverty. From a 49.2 percent poverty rate in 1985, it decreased to 18.1 percent in 2021. This is attributed to structural transformation and the robust growth of the country’s GDP in recent years leading to the pandemic. However, the decrease in the country’s poverty rate is not at par with its contemporaries in the Asean region, with Thailand from 67.0 percent (1986) to 6.8 percent (2020), and Vietnam from 58.1 percent (1992) to 4.8 percent (2020).

As the World Bank pointed out in 2022, this is mainly due to the persistence of economic inequality in which not everyone, especially the ultra-poor, have the same level of opportunity to access proper nutrition, health care, quality education, jobs, and skills, which are essential in ending poverty and creating inclusivity.

In other words, the Philippine economy, despite its rapid growth, does not have much inclusivity for it to move out of poverty at a faster pace.

So, how do we reduce poverty?

One of the most common poverty interventions is the cash transfer program. A cash transfer is a direct transfer of payment of money to an eligible individual for humanitarian assistance, which provides a lifeline for poor families facing threats to their health and well-being.

The Philippines had its own cash transfer program called “Pantawid

Pamilyang Pilipino Program” (4Ps).

The goal of the program is to alleviate the immediate needs of the poor and break the intergenerational poverty cycle. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) executes the program that is designed to meet health, nutrition, and educational needs of vulnerable households.

A study by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) in 2014 revealed that the 4Ps has no significant negative impact on work effort of household heads, it has increased school participation of children, and resulted in increased consumption of education-related goods. On the succeeding wave of the study in 2021, PIDS found out that it has a long term positive impact on health and well-being. However, these impacts can be extended further if recipients can be equipped and

trained on how they can maximize the cash transfers given to them.

Many organizations around the world, aside from governments, have found ways on equipping the poor aside from the cash transfer program. One of the most effective is the “graduation approach” or the graduation from poverty program, which was pioneered by BRAC, a nonprofit organization based in Bangladesh. The graduation approach is an innovative, holistic, and proven approach to addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequality. The program combines social assistance or cash transfers with technical, life skills and health training, financial inclusion, coaching and mentoring, which targets people living in ultra-poverty.

In a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2021, they found out that despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic especially on the poor and vulnerable households in the Philippines, the group of poor people who trained under the graduation approach by BRAC were made resilient across a range of dimensions including financial security, food security, and mental health. They also found out that households that received the graduation program on top of the government cash transfers (4Ps) fared significantly better than those who received only the government cash transfers. This proved to be an effective way of raising human capital among the ultra-poor.

Equipping the poor also had its impact on the natural environment.

Taking care of the natural environment is one of the key elements in poverty reduction. Climate change and poverty are deeply intertwined because climate change disproportionately affects poor people in lowincome communities and exposes existing inequalities. BRAC with its graduation approach provides training for climate resilient livelihoods and support for the ultrapoor. Meanwhile, The Village Enterprise (VE), a nonprofit organization, trains the ultra-poor in Uganda not only for their livelihood but also in protecting their environment. By doing so, they are able to develop human capital and well-being without harming the environment. VE also trains their program participants in doing environmentally friendly livelihood.

To sum it up, the key to reducing poverty is not only limited to giving cash transfers to the poor but also equipping them with the right knowledge, training, proper coaching and mentoring. The poor may be given capital be it in cash or tangible assets. But if not given the proper guidance, they may not be able to use it properly or worse they may use it in unproductive ways. Poverty may be addressed specifically in the Philippines given the right policies having in mind that the poor should be equipped instead of just being given cash transfers by a “reactionary” government.

Mr. Thomas L. Lazaro III is a graduate student at the Department of Economics of Ateneo de Manila University.

US vetoes UN resolution condemning all violence against civilians in Israel-Hamas war

By Edith M. Lederer | The Associated Press

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NITED NATIONS—The US vetoed a UN resolution Wednesday to condemn all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and to urge humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, saying it was too early to craft an appropriate Security Council response to the crisis.

US Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield said the council needs to allow current diplomatic efforts, including by President Joe Biden, to unfold and to find out more facts on the ground first. She also criticized the measure for failing to underline Israel’s right to self-defense.

The resolution sponsored by Brazil had wide support and would have condemned all violence against civilians, including “the heinous terrorists attacks by Hamas” against Israel.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor and the

US against, with Russia and Britain abstaining.

Thomas-Greenfield said that Biden was in the region engaging in diplomacy hoping to protect civilians, secure the release of hostage and prevent the conflict from spreading. “We need to let that diplomacy play out,” she said. She said the Security Council must speak out, but should be “informed by facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy efforts that can save lives—the council needs to get this right.”

The American ambassador criti-

cized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to selfdefense following Hamas’ surprise October 7 attacks that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry says nearly 3,500 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 12,000 wounded. Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward also criticized the resolution’s failure to mention Israel’s right to self-defense.

Brazil, the current council president, plus France, China, the United Arab Emirates and several other council members expressed regret and disappointment at the US veto.

The voting and debate followed Tuesday’s huge explosion and fire at a Gaza City hospital packed with patients, relatives and Palestinians seeking shelter, in which the hospital said hundreds of people died. Hamas said it was from an Israeli airstrike,

while Israel blamed a misfired rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad denied any involvement.

Council members rejected two proposed Russian amendments to the resolution, which failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes. One called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and the other would condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” in Gaza, which include hospitals and schools.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Brazil resolution, which called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid, wouldn’t have helped to avoid Tuesday’s explosion at the Gaza hospital. “It is only a ceasefire that will help to do this,” he said.

He told council members who abstained or opposed the Russian amendments—the US voted against See “US,” A17

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Ruth Madoff: The high price of wrong choices

Opinion BusinessMirror

In the eye of the beholder Tito Genova Valiente

annotations Beauty is a short-lived tyranny—Socrates

A E

very day, we make choices—some regular and superficial and, on a few occasions, life-changing. The price can be mundane and negligible for most of these choices, but we pay a high cost for some.

Ruth Madoff, the widow of the world’s most extensive Ponzi schemer, Bernie Madoff, learned this too late. Not only did she lose the lavish lifestyle she was accustomed to for nearly 50 years while married to Bernie, but she also squandered her reputation in the community and became a pariah—despised by the public and the press.

At 82, Ruth Madoff now lives in Greenwich, Connecticut in a house owned by her former daughter-inlaw. Her two sons, Mark and Andrew, predeceased her—Mark by suicide in 2010 because of the scandal, and Andrew four years later to lymphoma.

Her husband died in prison seven years after Andrew’s death. That is way too many family deaths in 13 years for any septuagenarian at that time.

What wrong choices did she make?

First off, it is not asking questions. When you get accustomed to immense wealth, complacency becomes the norm. Ruth and her children enjoyed steady cash flow until the House of Cards collapsed in 2008.

We are talking here of properties in Manhattan, Montauk, Palm Beach and France, $17 million in cash, $45 million in securities, $700 million in net ownership interest in the Madoff investment business, four boats and pieces of jewelry worth $2.6 million.

Second, she clearly could not condemn Bernie for the stock and securities fraud he confessed to his family on December 10, 2018. She stuck it out with him that day with these words: “What is a Ponzi scheme?”

Her sons, on the other hand, were aghast—both Mark and Andrew walked out of the family meeting when they found out what Bernie has done to investors. They eventually turned their father in to the FBI, which arrested Bernie the following day.

Third, not only did she side with the main culprit for the scam, she asked her son Andrew to sign the bail bond for $10 million so Bernie could stay out of jail after his arrest. Andrew refused because he turned his father in and found it ludicrous that Ruth would ask him that favor. Andrew told her, “It is either him or us.”

Ruth chose Bernie in a swift decision that left her sons completely livid.

Fourth, Ruth and Bernie tried to kill themselves on Christmas Eve of 2008. In a 60 Minutes television interview, she said things were so horrendous that she and Bernie wanted to escape this world by suicide. So both took several pills of Ambien, but woke up the following day.

That act is quite challenging

US . . .

continued from A16

both—that they will have to “bear responsibility” for what happens now to people in their own countries, the region, “and the people who are living under this deadly threat.”

Nebenzia accused the United States of “hypocrisy” and “double standards,” saying the Americans didn’t want a solution in the Security Council.

Brazil’s UN Ambassador Sérgio França Danese called the defeated

It is unnatural to outlive an offspring, more brutal if it involved suicide, and heartbreaking if you were forbidden to attend the funeral based on that child’s last wishes. For a son to have that kind of contempt for a mother is perhaps Ruth Madoff’s most severe punishment for her wrong choices. to comprehend. Bernie Madoff scammed investors by using his sons, who were running the legitimate part of his business, as frontmen, or, in the words of Andrew, “human shields.”

And when the shit hit the fan, his solution was to have a suicide pact with Ruth (which she agreed to). That would have left their sons to face the authorities and the victims on their own. No parent should ever do that to his or her children.

Fifth, Ruth broke a court order freezing all their assets and stopping them from doing any transfer to hide assets. She sent her pieces of jewelry to her son Andrew, purportedly for her sons and grandchildren to have what little money she could manage to hand down.

Sixth, after Bernie was arrested and all their assets frozen, she attempted through a lawyer to detach $70 million in her assets from his $65-billion scam. Ruth would not have been able to acquire that amount purely on her own endeavors, and it shows clearly that she has zero empathy to the victims of the fraud.

Ruth eventually gave up the claim to keep $70 million in assets held by her and her children in exchange for $2.5 million in cash.

These are six of the many wrong choices Ruth Madoff made in the aftermath of Bernie’s arrest for the world’s largest Ponzi scheme.

Not only did investors lose their lifetime savings to fraud, but there were also four suicides linked to the scam, including Bernie’s eldest son, Mark, who hanged himself in 2010 on the second anniversary of his father’s arrest.

Wrong choices or bad decisions will eventually go back to you and bite you in the ass, like what Ruth realized.

It is unnatural to outlive an offspring, more brutal if it involved suicide, and heartbreaking if you were forbidden to attend the funeral based on that child’s last wishes. For a son to have that kind of contempt for a mother is perhaps Ruth Madoff’s most severe punishment for her wrong choices. resolution “robust and balanced.” stressing that it also called for the immediate release of all hostages, protection of civilians in Gaza from forced relocation, and “the ethical necessity” to provide them with food, fuel, water and medicine.

“Sadly, very sadly, the council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said. “Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community.” The US will have to explain its veto to the 193-member General Assembly within 10 working

N early morning online post from a nephew woke me up with this: “I just fell asleep, when I woke up, I could not recognize my friends anymore; they all have become beautiful.”

What is wrong with beauty? With transformation?

Altering parts or removing details on photographs had long been done.

Online, there is a document titled “Photo Tampering Throughout History,” where it states: “Photography lost its innocence many years ago.”

Explaining further, it claims how “as early as the 1860s, photographs were already being manipulated, only a few decades after Niépce created the first photograph in 1814.”

“Niépce” was Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who is known as one of the first photographers. Using lithographic stones with bitumen, and placing it right behind a camera obscura, he created the first ever fixed landscape, as viewed from a window.

From then on there was no turning back. In fact, in this essay about photo tampering, the examples given are no less astounding. One example is classic: the photo of the great US president, Abraham Lincoln, where the body of another person, that of John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832, was attached to the head of the said president. The photo was said to have been made around 1860.

Move the line of history closer to contemporary times and we see a photograph of Stalin circa 1930. The note to the photo says: “Stalin routinely air-brushed his enemies out of photographs.” In this situation, a commissar who fell out of favor with the dictator was removed forever

from memory and posterity.

It seems dictators are fond of altering realities, not only histories but also images about them. A medical term would soon enter the lexicon when photographs began to be “doctored.” An amusing example is that of Benito Mussolini in a very heroic stance, his sword raised high, the ultimate in monumentalism. The truth as claimed by this online site: the horse handler was removed from the scene, leaving only this gallant knight in whatever-armor.

Coloring black-and-white photographs was a less drastic way of changing what the cameras had captured. Still, the changes wrought upon the persons and the background radically improved the faces and the flowers or diminished that unique emotion when one was entering a world awash in sepia, the color both of remembering and forgetting.

Who still remembers Photoshop? Or Adobe Photoshop, where complexions were whitened or, in some unusual political conditions, tanned? The technology was so well accepted it became a verb, i.e., to photoshop, to be photoshopped.

And now this Photo Lab, a technology that has seduced a critical

Friday, October 20, 2023 A17

mass of our friends and acquaintances, which, according to its announcement, offers some 800 awesome effects. It offers an arsenal of iconic looks, each more devastatingly attractive than the other. One can inspect the storage of Photo Lab and be amazed by the possibilities of one’s transmutation. Not even the poor chrysalis can hold a candle (anyway, it cannot in reality) nor a tadpole can swim against the current to be a froglet if one has to contend with the power of Photo Lab to bring about a metamorphosis.

We have seen them all: sagging shoulders are restructured into the broadest frame of manhood; lips grow pouts; breasts are heaved once more with passion; waistlines are wasp-like; hairs for both men and

women are perpetually blown away from faces interminably shifting from savage to civilized, from the submissively lovely to domineer-

ingly lascivious. This is Faust once more; the only relief is the Devil of a technology is under our sweet command.

It is addictive. While Photoshop has been employed in great use on celebrities whose distance from us suspends our judgment about the veracity of their newly found allure or, let’s be blunt, beauty, Photo Lab offers us what other enhancing applications had not – Youth, and not only Youth but the beauty that comes when age has not set in. Photo Lab is almost immortality.

Who contests that? No one. As shown in the endless reincarnations online. When before individuals were content with a set of four stunning transmogrifications, at present, be prepared to witness each day as our friends exhaust all the potentiality of exquisiteness. With that is the newfound ability to embrace this new face, this new figure, this tremblingly radicalized essence.

We might hasten to ask: how on earth did we recompose the truth in this manner? In his book of winning essays called The Secret Life, Andrew O’Hagan writes in the Foreword: “We were addicted to the ailments of the web long before we understood how the technology would change our lives. In a sense, it gave the tools of fiction-making to everybody equally, so long as they had access to a computer and a willingness to swim into the Internet’s deep well of otherness.” O’Hagan talks of millions of ‘invented’ names on Facebook, adding to that ‘invented’ faces, “many of them clearly living another life, less ordinary, or at any rate less checkable.”

We have become, in O’Hagan’s words, “a ghost…an alias, a simulacrum, a reflection.”

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov pledges support for North Korea

By Jon Herskovitz

ussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed support for North Korea’s policies in a speech commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency.

“Russia fully supports all the policies of the DPRK government” that leader Kim Jong Un has adopted to defend his national interests, KCNA cited Lavrov as saying, referring to North Korea by its formal name.

Lavrov is in North Korea for his first visit in about five years.

Lavrov flew to Pyongyang on Wednesday from Beijing where he took part in the Belt and Road Initiative forum along with President Vladimir Putin, Russian Tass newswire reported. Lavrov will spend two days in North Korea, according to North Korean state media. The trip could also facilitate a possible visit

by Putin after he accepted an invitation from Kim to make the journey to the isolated Asian state when the two met for a summit in Russia in September.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said details of Putin’s visit to North Korea will be discussed during Lavrov’s time in the country, Tass reported earlier.

On his last trip to Pyongyang in 2018, Lavrov met Kim to discuss a visit by the Russian president and delivered a letter from Putin, North Korea’s official media reported. The latest trip comes as US President Joe Biden is visiting Israel in a show of solidarity for the US ally after it was attacked by Hamas, although those plans have already begun to unravel after an explosion at a Gaza hospital.

The fact that Lavrov is following through on his promise to visit Pyongyang in the middle of a major crisis in the Middle East, where the Russians also have a vested interest, “is a strong indicator of how badly the Russians need North Korea right now,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a regional issues manager at the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network.

“The ongoing Middle East crisis could well reinforce their thinking that they would make a good team in what they view as an increasingly fragmented world where the US

is growing weaker,” said Lee, who worked as an analyst for the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise for almost two decades.

The Lavrov trip is part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Pyongyang for an anniversary marking the end of Korean War fighting in 1953. Shoigu was guided by Kim through a collection of North Korea’s latest weaponry and stood next to the leader at a military parade in Pyongyang as nuclear-capable ballistic missiles rolled down the capital’s streets.

That was followed by Kim’s trip to Russia, which was one of his longest ventures outside the country since he took power about a decade ago.

Putin pledged to help Kim with his space program. This could finally allow North Korea to reach its longheld goal of placing spy satellites in orbit to keep an eye on US troops in the region.

The sanctions imposed by leading democracies on Putin and Kim have drawn the two closer in ways that could make the world a bit more dangerous. North Korea has huge stores of artillery shells and

Brian Fowler / Bloomberg

days under a resolution its members adopted in April 2022. Supporters of the defeated Brazil draft could go to the assembly, where there are no vetoes, to win approval for a resolution on the Israeli-Hamas war. But unlike Security Council resolutions, which are legally binding, assembly resolutions are not.

Immediately after Tuesday’s votes and speeches, the council started an emergency meeting—called for by Russia, the United Arab Emirates and China—to discuss the Gaza hospital blast. The council’s actions took place amid frantic diplomatic

efforts to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from spreading, including Biden’s lightning trip to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths noted in a video briefing from Doha, Quatar, that Tuesday’s massive explosion deprived Gaza of a hospital that cared for more than 45,000 patients a year.

After the hospital blast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed out of a meeting with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSissi and King Abdullah II of Jordan,

leading the Jordanians to cancel the meeting.

The 22-member Arab Group at the United Nations expressed “outrage” at the hospital deaths and called for an immediate cease-fire to avoid further Palestinian casualties and the opening of a corridor to safely deliver aid to millions in Gaza.

Egypt’s UN ambassador, Osama Mahmoud, told reporters that a summit will take place Saturday in Cairo as scheduled with regional leaders and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The five permanent Security Council nations are also invited,

he said.

Mahmoud said the summit will address the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to achieve a cease-fire, and whether “any serious attempt to have a political horizon” exists to tackle the issues blocking an IsraeliPalestinian peace agreement.

UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told the emergency council meeting, “I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole.”

R

rockets that are interoperable with the weaponry Russia has deployed to the frontlines of Ukraine. While the US said the weapons won’t alter the battlefield, they could add to the grinding attacks from the Kremlin’s war machine on its neighbor.

North Korea and Russia have denied the US accusations.

North Korea might be looking at technology transfers of dual-use materials that could be delivered under the guise of helping its civilian space and nuclear programs, and still appear to be in accordance with international norms. But the materials could also be used to further North Korea’s ability to build missiles and nuclear bombs—in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Siegfried Hecker, a professor emeritus at Stanford University and one of the few American scientists who has participated in inspections of North Korea’s main nuclear facilities, said Russia could offer aid to Kim to get the Asian state’s long-planned experimental light water reactor operational under the premise of peaceful electric power generation. With assistance from

A18 Friday, October 20, 2023

Israel envoy: Missing OFWs likely hostages of Hamas

A

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

@maloutalosig

NOTHER Filipino worker died in Israel, the fourth Filipino identified as killed by Hamas militants in their daring attacks in southern Israel last October 7, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.

This, as Israel’s top envoy to Manila said the two other missing Filipino workers have likely been taken “hostage” by Hamas.

“I regret to inform the nation that we have received confirmation from the Israeli government of another casualty in Israel,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in his X account.

The fourth victim is a Filipina caregiver whose last place of work was in Kibbutz Be’eri, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said.

She is one of the three Filipinos declared missing from the attacks.

This leaves to two the number of Filipinos still missing in Israel.

Israel Ambassador to Manila Ilan Fluss said they are now assuming that the two missing Filipinos have

been taken as hostages by Hamas.

“We are assuming they are kidnapped. We are awaiting for confirmations,” Fluss told BusinessMirror in an exclusive interview.

4th fatality

THE details of the death of the fourth Filipino victim were not disclosed -- whether she was taken hostage or shot dead.

Survivors from Kibbutz Be’eri told CNN that their village is located only a few kilometers away from Gaza border and have been used to frequent Hamas targets coming from the enclave. But on October 7, Hamas militants stormed Be’eri and murdered more than 120 of its residents, including children.

Some were kidnapped. Houses were

also set on fire.

Ambassador Fluss explained that the number of fatalities from the October 7 attacks continues to rise as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to recover all the bodies massacred at different sites.

At present, 1,400 people have been counted dead in southern Israel; and, he said, due to the “massive scale of the attacks, so many burned bodies, it is so difficult to identify the bodies and put things in order.”

The envoy could not say whether such was the case of the fourth Filipino fatality when BusinessMirror pressed him for more details.

The identity of the Filipina caregiver is being withheld out of respect for the wishes of the family, Secretary Manalo said.

2 missing Filipinos

TWELVE days after the attack, Fluss said it is possible that two other missing Filipinos in Israel have already been taken as hostages.

IDF estimates 199 hostages were taken by Hamas militants from southern Israel.

Fluss lamented that until now there is no communication between the hostages and their families. The International Committee of the Red

Cross has not been given access yet to the hostages in Gaza Strip.

DFA Undersecretary De Vega also said Wednesday that the two missing Filipinos “may have been kidnapped, but we don’t know for sure.”

Financial aid to victims of terror Fluss said all the families of four Filipino victims of the October 7 attacks will be joining the “Family of the Victims of Terror.”

“Unfortunately, this is a big number (of families of terror victims).

This is unprecedented. It is important to say that we will give the (families of Filipino victims) the same support as the Israelis would receive. No discrimination,” Fluss said.

As such, the families of the four Filipino victims will be entitled to “generous compensation” which includes the National Insurance, education for all their children left behind, health care for spouses or spouses, and funeral expenses. Since all the four OFWs are documented workers, he said, they are covered

by Israel’s National Insurance.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said the families of four OFWs will also receive financial assistance, i.e.

P200,000 cash and P20,000 for funeral expenses.

WITH ROTARIANS Major General Delfin Lorenzana (Ret.), Chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and former defense secretary, was the guest of honor and speaker of Rotary Club of Manila’s 16th weekly meeting on Thursday, October 19, at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. With him is RCM President Rafael Alunan III (standing). NONOY LACZA

MOST PINOY WORKERS ABROAD EYEING RETURN

A

T least 62 percent of overseas Filipino professionals are keen to relocate back home within the next five years due to personal reasons such as to take care of aging parents and be closer to family, according to recruiting firm Robert Walters Philippines.

The recruitment firm said this is an increase from 2021, which saw 54 percent of respondents keen to consider coming home.

According to the recruitment firm, these are among the findings of a recent poll it conducted among overseas Filipino profes-

sionals this year.

However, the “disparity” in compensation and benefits offered locally and a perceived lower standard of living conditions are making these professionals think twice about relocating back, the firm noted.

Alejandro Perez-Higuero, Director of Robert Walters Philippines, emphasized that as the number of overseas Filipino professionals returning home continues to grow, it presents a “valuable opportunity” for local employers.

Continued on A5

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Friday, October 20, 2023

B1

SMC share sale, bond offer Nokia plans to cut jobs to shave costs of Vista Land get SEC nod N

T

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the public offerings of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. for as much as P65 billion and P35 billion, respectively.

During its en banc meeting, the SEC approved the registration statements of San Miguel covering 866.66 million Series 2 preferred shares, and of Vista Land covering fixedrate bonds to be offered in tranches within a three-year period.

San Miguel and Vista Land completed their registration processes within 33 and 32 days, respectively,

the SEC said.

For the initial tranche, San Miguel will offer 400 million in preferred shares at P75 apiece for a total of P30 billion, with an oversubscription option comprising up to 266.66 million preferred shares worth P20 billion.

San Miguel expects to net as much as P49.62 billion from the initial tranche, assuming the oversubscrip-

tion option is fully exercised.

The company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds to repay the peso-dominated short-term loan facilities and previously issued bonds and to invest in airport and airportrelated projects.

San Miguel has picked Bank of Commerce, BDO Capital and Investment Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp. as joint issue managers for the offer, as well as a joint lead underwriter and bookrunners Asia United Bank Corp., BPI Capital Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Commercial Capital Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., RCBC Capital Corp., SB Capital Investment Corp. and Union Bank of the Philippines.

The preferred shares will be listed and traded on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, Vista Land will initially offer P6 billion worth of fixed-

rate bonds, with an oversubscription of up to P4 billion, consisting of Series F bonds due 2026 and Series G bonds due 2028. This is part of its shelf registration of a debt securities program in the aggregate principal amount of P35 billion.

The company estimated the net proceeds at more than P9.83 billion, assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised. It intends to primarily use the net proceeds to refinance maturing obligations and for general corporate purposes.

Vista Land engaged China Bank Capital, SB Capital and Union Bank of the Philippines as joint lead underwriters and bookrunners for the offer with China Banking Corporation Trust and Asset Management Group being identified as the trustees.

The fixed-rate bonds will be listed and traded at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

Ninja Van bullish on growth prospects

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

T

ech-enabled logistics company Ninja Van Philippines aims to match the growth of the local e-commerce industry in the next five years, as it diversifies its business beyond last mile deliveries.

In a news briefing on Thursday, Ninja Van Philippines Country Head Jose Alvin Perez said the company, which is celebrating its 7th anniversary in the Philippines, “see significant growth in the next five or even longer years.”

“There was a bit of a slowdown when people started to go out after the pandemic. But it was still growing nonetheless. People are now getting used to e-commerce and it has become a habit. We are still quite bullish about the future growth in the next several years,” he said.

Perez added that the company expects to continue to grow with

the continued expansion of the domestic e-commerce landscape.

“We do expect it to at least be at pace with the e-commerce landscape. We do hope to expand a bit more,” Perez said.

A ccord i ng to a E - conomy SEA 2022, a study conducted by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Co., the Philippine e-commerce industry is expected to post a compounded annual growth rate of 17 percent to $22 billion by 2025.

Over the past seven years, Ninja Van Philippines has achieved 100-percent coverage across the country, reaching more than 18 million Filipinos with its logistics services. It employs 8,000 employees, serving micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and global e-commerce platforms and brands.

Perez noted that the company is diversifying its business beyond last mile deliveries, highlighting “value-added services that aim

to supercharge the growth of ecommerce businesses.”

These include Ninja Direct, an end-to-end procurement solution with comprehensive supplier management and negotiations, crossborder logistics, and customs clearance; as well as Ninja Fulfillment, an all-in-one storage, order, and inventory management solution that enables online sellers and business owners to save on additional operational costs such as manpower and warehousing.

Perez said the company is strengthening its operations by continuously investing in new innovations and tech solutions.

Ninja Van Philippines is currently utilizing its hub in Cabuyao, Laguna. Beyond full automation, the hub sports fully integrated measurement and sortation services which can automatically weigh and scan parcels - making parcel sorting and tracking more accurate and efficient.

Villar Group bags corporate governance awards

T

he Villar Group's corporate governance practices have earned recognition and awards from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).

The group's listed companies, including property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., AllDay Marts Inc., AllHome Corp., Golden MV Holdings Inc. and Vistamalls Inc., have been honored for their corporate governance practices. “This accolade is more than just a symbolic achievement; it reflects our unwavering pursuit of excellence in every aspect of our operations and our unwavering commitment to the future. We pledge to continue pushing the boundaries of corporate governance, transparency, and responsible business practices across all our companies. We are embarking on a journey filled with renewed determination to create a brighter and more sustainable future for all,” Manuel B. Villar Jr., the chairman of the group, said.

Vista Land received the prestigious Golden Arrow Award, a 2-arrow recognition, at the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) Golden Arrow recognition event, which took place at Okada Manila. This accolade is presented to Philippine publicly listed companies and insurance companies that have achieved a minimum of 80 points in the 2022 ACGS Assessment. VG Cabuag

okia Oyj plans to cut as many as 14,000 jobs, or 16 percent of its workforce, as a dearth of investment in fifth-generation mobile infrastructure forces it to take cost-cutting measures.

The move is expected to save as much as €400 million ($421 million) next year and an additional €300 million in 2025, the Espoo, Finlandbased mobile network company said in a statement Thursday.

Makers of 5G equipment are struggling as their clients in the United States and the European Union cut capital spending after building out their networks. The substantial job cuts came after Nokia posted weaker-than-expected earnings and said the slump in the mobile networks market would be deeper than it previously forecast.

“Operators have found it challenging to monetize their 5G investments,” Chief Executive Officer Pekka Lundmark said in an interview after the earnings. “It will come, but it seems to be taking longer than originally thought.”

Swedish rival Ericsson AB also delivered a disappointing outlook this week, saying market weakness will persist into the fourth quarter

and beyond.

Growth in the India market “is no anymore able to compensate fully for what we are losing in North America,” Lundmark said. “But what comes down, will go back up again and we do not know what the timing is. That’s why we are taking action.”

Shares fell 1.3 percent to €3.22 at 10:25 a.m. in Helsinki.

Lundmark declined to provide additional details on who would be affected by the job cuts, but said “it’s really important to protect R&D.” Adjusted operating profit was €424 million in the third quarter, according to a separate statement.

That compares to an average analyst estimate of €545.2 million, according to a Bloomberg survey.

Nokia cut its forecast for the total addressable market, expecting a 9-percent slump for the mobile networks market overall in 2023.

It had previously expected a 2-percent decline.

Nokia missed sales and profit expectations “across the board,” Citi analyst Andrew Gardiner said in a note. “While anticipated directionally following Ericsson’s similar miss, we think the magnitude of the shortfall is greater than reset expectations.” Bloomberg News

Friday, October 20, 2023

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Companies BusinessMirror

Cebu Pacific inks sustainable aviation fuel pact with Neste

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

B

udget carrier Cebu Pacific said on Thursday that it has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with oil refinery Neste “to explore” the supply and purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Cebu Pacific Chief Strategy Officer Alex Reyes said the airline’s partnership with Neste “signifies

its steadfast commitment to minimizing its environmental impact and providing more sustainable travel for its passengers.”

“Carbon emissions are a pressing concern in the aviation industry. To this end, Cebu Pacific has laid out initiatives to address our emissions footprint, with a primary focus on integrating SAF in its operations.

This will consequently minimize the environmental impact generated from our flights,” Reyes said.

He added that this initiative aligns with the global aviation industry's long-term aspirational goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is a readily available solution for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from air travel. We are proud that we are going to support Cebu Pa-

cific’s commitment to reduce their environmental impact by using our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and we look forward to build the cooperation with CEB in the future,” said Sami Jauhiainen, acting Executive Vice President of the Renewable Aviation business unit at Neste.

SAF is said to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 80 percent.

However, the caveat is that sustainable fuel is two to eight times more expensive than conventional aviation fuel.

The Gokongwei-led carrier aims to transition to an all-new-engineoption (NEO) fleet by 2028 and will incorporate the use of blended SAF for its entire commercial network by 2030.

Cebu Air Inc., the operator of Cebu Pacific, reported last August that posted a net income of P3.75 billion in the first half, a reversal of

the P9.5-billion net loss it incurred a year ago.

According to a stock exchange filing, Cebu Air saw its revenues soaring by 110.6 percent to P43.55 billion in the first six months of the year from P20.68 billion the year prior.

“The overall increase in revenues was primarily driven by significant increase in passenger volume and flight activities due to the increased demand for travel,” the disclosure read.

Passenger revenues surged by 158.2 percent to P30.13 billion from P11.66 billion last year, as it increased passenger volume by 63.3 percent to 10.3 million from 6.3 million.

It also raised the number of its flights by 47.5 percent, while also posting positive results for average seat load factor, which was at 84.8 percent as of end-June.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

October 19, 2023

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

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

73,240 407,713,026 7,955 94,513,169 2,296,515 1,531,714 107,328,768 15,132 460,754 34,900 4,750 725,485 12,128,409 10,261,302 1,440 1,554,430 1,140 326,140 758,775 905,250 1,520

-129,309,891 740 -18,353,968 -378,165 843,994.00 -26,987,893.50 -805,462 -5,036,691 -436,500 300,070 612,000 -

INDUSTRIAL ACEN CORP 5.08 5.09 5.17 5.17 5.07 5.08 11,696,100 59,687,748 0.86 0.88 0.86 0.88 0.86 0.88 1,349,000 1,172,250 ALTERNERGY HLDG ABOITIZ POWER 36.65 36.8 36.9 36.9 36.3 36.8 1,100,400 40,374,480 1.37 1.38 1.45 1.48 1.38 1.38 374,000 523,860 RASLAG 0.198 0.202 0.204 0.204 0.198 0.198 430,000 85,850 BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN 18.1 18.16 18.5 18.5 18.1 18.1 107,800 1,959,416 60.9 62 60.9 62 60.9 62 270 16,597 FIRST PHIL HLDG 375.6 378 380 384.4 375.6 375.6 151,200 57,296,412 MERALCO MANILA WATER 18.04 18.26 18.3 18.46 18.04 18.04 666,300 12,135,204 3.4 3.46 3.4 3.4 3.38 3.4 304,000 1,031,600 PETRON 4.35 4.65 4.69 4.69 4.32 4.32 512,000 2,216,960 PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM 6 6.39 6 6 6 6 35,000 210,000 5.85 6 5.8 6.2 5.8 5.85 190,500 1,122,903 REPOWER ENERGY 7.84 7.85 7.96 7.96 7.73 7.84 2,326,000 18,156,842 SYNERGY GRID SHELL PILIPINAS 13.1 13.34 13.5 13.5 13.06 13.34 212,600 2,800,692 7.88 7.9 7.92 8 7.87 7.88 21,000 165,701 SPC POWER VIVANT 14.5 15.48 15.3 15.3 15 15 2,100 31,530 AGRINURTURE 2.47 2.5 2.55 2.57 2.46 2.5 386,000 968,990 1.91 1.93 1.95 1.95 1.93 1.93 20,000 38,800 AXELUM CENTURY FOOD 29.6 29.95 29.9 29.95 29.2 29.95 1,021,700 30,538,470 DEL MONTE 7.6 7.7 7.52 7.8 7.5 7.7 12,900 100,062 6.34 6.35 6.42 6.48 6.28 6.35 10,730,500 68,140,217 DNL INDUS EMPERADOR 20.75 20.8 20.9 20.9 20.7 20.8 4,474,900 92,874,190 SMC FOODANDBEV 51.6 52 52 52 50.85 51.6 35,660 1,847,100.50 0.65 0.66 0.67 0.68 0.65 0.66 25,005,000 16,379,160 FIGARO COFFEE ALLIANCE SELECT 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.52 60,000 30,640 1.1 1.11 1.11 1.12 1.08 1.11 7,799,000 8,569,340 FRUITAS HLDG 168 170 170.9 170.9 167 170 240 40,768 GINEBRA JOLLIBEE 220.8 221 223 224 220.4 220.8 1,089,160 240,881,194 1.43 1.44 1.44 1.44 1.41 1.43 1,455,000 2,075,440 KEEPERS HLDG 13.12 14.98 14.96 14.96 14.96 14.96 500 7,480 LIBERTY FLOUR MACAY HLDG 7.74 8.18 8.08 8.2 7.72 8.18 20,034,200 154,678,526 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.15 4.3 83,000 355,530 MAXS GROUP 0.101 0.111 0.101 0.101 0.101 0.101 10,000 1,010 MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN 8.57 8.7 8.7 8.8 8.55 8.7 3,089,900 26,814,225 9.31 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 2,300 21,850 SHAKEYS PIZZA 0.5 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.495 0.5 1,523,000 763,720 ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP 3.02 3.09 3.08 3.09 3.01 3.09 17,000 52,020 0.6 0.71 0.63 0.63 0.62 0.62 20,000 12,500 ROXAS HLDG 113.5 113.7 113.9 114.5 112.5 113.7 1,177,290 133,842,429 UNIV ROBINA VITARICH 0.52 0.54 0.54 0.54 0.52 0.54 147,000 78,730 3.55 3.6 3.63 3.64 3.6 3.6 8,000 29,010 VICTORIAS CONCRETE B 37.5 49.85 37.35 37.35 37.35 37.35 100 3,735 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.92 0.91 0.91 1,125,000 1,030,710 CEMEX HLDG 0.85 0.86 0.85 0.87 0.85 0.86 723,000 621,010 EC VULCAN CORP EEI CORP 5.2 5.21 5.5 5.5 5.06 5.2 447,600 2,343,200 3.15 3.2 3.15 3.2 3.13 3.2 132,000 415,780 MEGAWIDE 20 20.4 20 20 20 20 200 4,000 PHINMA TKC METALS 0.5 0.55 0.5 0.55 0.5 0.55 6,000 3,050 1.53 1.59 1.59 1.59 1.56 1.56 106,000 168,100 CROWN ASIA 5.2 5.22 5.2 5.22 5.2 5.22 2,100 10,928 PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION 14.48 15.18 15.28 15.28 14.78 15.2 2,400 36,250 GREENERGY 0.425 0.435 0.445 0.45 0.43 0.435 22,200,000 9,748,400 3.65 3.71 3.64 3.64 3.64 3.64 1,000 3,640 INTEGRATED MICR IONICS 1.3 1.32 1.32 1.35 1.3 1.32 445,000 591,890 2.15 2.19 2.17 2.21 2.15 2.15 667,000 1,451,910 SFA SEMICON 1.9 1.94 1.93 1.95 1.89 1.94 182,000 348,220 CIRTEK HLDG

3,429,554 -3,559,075 -7,100 4,000 -330,858 -17,448,846 -4,882,142 -67,800 186,000 8,253 -3,267,768 -1,379,964 -30,000 -75,700 12,229,275 -17,940 -3,167,930 89,197,720 -561,266 197,970 -336,330 -7,825,048 14,100 -154,400,000 -180,800 -2,227,412.00 0 7,500 -3,090 6,237,281 21,810 39,800 40,430 44,100 -1,604 547,900 -107,720 -432,670 38,000

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A KEPPEL HLDG B LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS

44.25 131.3 7.15 106.7 30.5 9.35 52.55 8.4 18.5 54.5 95 23.4 77.05 61.95 1.41 2.9 0.57 2.85 174.8 2,550 0.76

1.11 610.5 49.1 11.64 10.94 0.46 0.38 4.81 10.28 4.91 1.6 0.2 558 38.05 6 6 0.45 4.31 8.81 2.91 0.91 816 103 114.2 0.23

45.95 131.4 7.4 106.8 30.55 9.52 53 8.5 18.7 55 100 23.95 77.4 62 1.44 2.95 0.69 2.99 175 2,650 0.81

1.12 611 49.45 11.66 11 0.49 0.39 4.86 10.3 5.59 2.24 0.27 560 38.2 6.4 6.9 0.47 4.4 8.84 2.93 0.92 820 104 120.9 0.25

45.6 134.5 7.8 107.6 30.5 9.53 53.95 8.41 18.5 55 95 23.5 79.5 62.2 1.44 2.88 0.57 2.83 177 2,550 0.76

1.13 619.5 49.85 11.8 11.04 0.49 0.38 4.8 10.34 5.59 1.6 0.22 564 38.45 5.99 6.49 0.45 4.3 9.01 2.9 0.96 815 104 120.9 0.25

45.95 134.9 7.8 107.6 30.55 9.55 53.95 8.41 18.78 55 95 23.95 79.5 62.2 1.44 2.95 0.57 3 177.5 2,550 0.76

1.14 619.5 49.85 11.8 11.04 0.49 0.38 4.89 10.38 5.59 1.6 0.22 564 38.5 6.5 6.93 0.465 4.3 9.12 2.93 0.96 824 104 120.9 0.25

45.6 131 7.15 106.5 30.4 9.35 52.55 8.4 18.5 54.5 95 23.4 77.05 61.65 1.44 2.88 0.57 2.83 175 2,550 0.76

1.11 610.5 49.1 11.62 11 0.49 0.38 4.8 10.26 5.59 1.6 0.2 555 37.8 5.99 6 0.45 4.3 8.76 2.9 0.92 808 102.8 120.9 0.25

45.95 131.3 7.15 106.8 30.5 9.52 52.55 8.4 18.7 54.5 95 23.95 77.05 62 1.44 2.95 0.57 2.99 175 2,550 0.76

1.12 610.5 49.1 11.66 11 0.49 0.38 4.86 10.28 5.59 1.6 0.2 558 38.05 6.5 6 0.465 4.3 8.81 2.93 0.92 820 104 120.9 0.25

1,600 3,092,150 1,100 884,960 75,300 162,000 2,037,340 1,800 24,900 640 50 31,000 156,620 165,520 1,000 533,000 2,000 111,000 4,320 355 2,000

4,708,000 90,410 765,200 641,300 5,000 2,740,000 100,000 67,000 3,989,500 3,000 30,000 680,000 170,400 799,300 131,400 16,900 20,000 20,000 11,009,500 56,000 2,310,000 234,570 27,360 900 200,000

5,287,960 55,319,070 37,685,760 7,480,122 55,040 1,342,600 38,000 325,230 41,041,632 16,770 48,000 138,290 95,360,515 30,475,050 810,096 114,055 9,150 86,000 97,283,750 162,850 2,125,600 191,796,675 2,823,251 108,810 50,000

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.445 0.455 0.445 0.445 0.445 0.445 210,000 93,450 29.45 29.5 29.35 29.55 29.1 29.5 3,393,200 99,943,465 AYALA LAND AYALA LAND LOG 1.8 1.82 1.83 1.83 1.78 1.82 707,000 1,274,790 8.86 9.49 9.47 9.49 9.47 9.49 1,000 9,472 ALTUS PROP 1.05 1.07 1.07 1.08 1.05 1.07 111,000 119,240 ARANETA PROP AREIT RT 33.75 33.8 33.05 33.85 32.95 33.8 386,900 12,919,410 0.67 0.7 0.67 0.67 0.67 0.67 1,000 670 A BROWN 0.071 0.074 0.074 0.074 0.074 0.074 80,000 5,920 CROWN EQUITIES CEB LANDMASTERS 2.52 2.53 2.55 2.55 2.52 2.52 511,000 1,291,030 0.315 0.32 0.325 0.325 0.32 0.32 1,300,000 418,000 CENTURY PROP 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.55 2.53 2.54 677,000 1,717,550 CITICORE RT DOUBLEDRAGON 7.01 7.03 7.04 7.04 7.01 7.03 123,800 868,623 1.27 1.28 1.28 1.28 1.27 1.28 2,683,000 3,416,640 DDMP RT 6.3 6.4 6.32 6.32 6.3 6.3 20,000 126,100 DM WENCESLAO EMPIRE EAST 0.149 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.147 0.15 3,460,000 515,150 0.29 0.295 0.285 0.3 0.28 0.3 1,300,000 381,950 EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST RT 2.99 3 2.99 3.02 2.98 3 3,582,000 10,740,060 FILINVEST LAND 0.6 0.61 0.62 0.62 0.6 0.61 24,981,000 15,181,810 8.96 9.36 9.38 9.38 9.36 9.36 70,000 656,160 8990 HLDG PHIL INFRADEV 0.57 0.59 0.58 0.61 0.55 0.59 1,124,000 646,120 CITY AND LAND 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.79 0.78 0.79 103,000 80,350 2.01 2.02 2.06 2.06 2.01 2.02 11,898,000 24,096,540 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.189 0.192 0.191 0.194 0.188 0.192 1,180,000 223,330 12.2 12.34 12.28 12.4 12.02 12.2 844,800 10,336,538 MREIT RT 0.305 0.33 0.305 0.305 0.305 0.305 20,000 6,100 PHIL ESTATES PREMIERE RT 1.52 1.53 1.54 1.55 1.52 1.53 209,000 319,090 PRIMEX CORP 2.8 2.87 2.75 3.07 2.75 2.88 21,000 60,790 4.78 4.8 4.87 4.87 4.75 4.8 1,719,000 8,222,200 RL COMM RT ROBINSONS LAND 14.7 14.74 14.72 14.8 14.68 14.7 1,173,900 17,279,886 0.16 0.184 0.16 0.16 0.16 0.16 230,000 36,800 PHIL REALTY 1.38 1.44 1.38 1.38 1.38 1.38 32,000 44,160 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 3.55 3.58 3.58 3.58 3.57 3.58 8,000 28,630 3 3.18 3.17 3.18 3.17 3.18 5,000 15,860 STA LUCIA LAND 31.35 31.4 31.3 31.65 31.3 31.4 3,956,800 124,330,575 SM PRIME HLDG SUNTRUST RESORT 0.78 0.81 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 3,000 2,340 1.65 1.66 1.67 1.67 1.65 1.65 583,000 967,110 VISTA LAND 1.66 1.69 1.69 1.69 1.65 1.69 98,000 164,870 VISTAREIT RT

SERVICES ABS CBN 3.92 3.95 3.95 4.07 3.92 3.92 287,000 1,154,810 8.3 8.34 8.35 8.35 8.3 8.3 437,700 3,644,927 GMA NETWORK GLOBE TELECOM 1,813 1,814 1,809 1,814 1,800 1,814 34,795 63,056,445 1,206 1,213 1,226 1,234 1,206 1,206 75,290 91,471,180 PLDT 0.016 0.017 0.016 0.017 0.015 0.017 131,900,000 2,107,400 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 9.6 9.68 10 10 9.6 9.6 14,820,300 143,632,307 3.07 3.14 3.08 3.08 3.07 3.07 107,000 328,520 DFNN INC 3.68 3.69 3.69 3.76 3.61 3.69 12,037,000 44,209,010 DITO CME HLDG NOW CORP 1.36 1.38 1.41 1.41 1.34 1.38 456,000 621,330 0.15 0.154 0.155 0.155 0.151 0.151 480,000 72,600 TRANSPACIFIC BR 1.34 1.36 1.28 1.35 1.28 1.34 765,000 1,010,030 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 33.15 33.2 33.8 33.8 33.1 33.15 96,900 3,222,260 210 211 213.4 213.4 210 210 552,640 116,280,468 INTL CONTAINER 3.88 3.97 4.01 4.01 3.85 3.97 104,000 406,780 MACROASIA PAL HLDG 5.2 5.27 5.28 5.28 5.2 5.2 700 3,683 0.76 0.78 0.76 0.78 0.75 0.78 205,000 154,860 HARBOR STAR FAR EASTERN U 557 630 570 570 570 570 30 17,100 6.52 7.39 7 7 7 7 2,100 14,700 IPEOPLE 0.41 0.415 0.415 0.42 0.415 0.415 1,540,000 641,000 STI HLDG BLOOMBERRY 9.99 10.02 10.06 10.16 9.99 9.99 3,377,000 33,830,540 PACIFIC ONLINE 3.62 3.7 3.75 3.81 3.59 3.7 266,000 978,230 0.95 0.96 0.8 0.95 0.8 0.95 17,315,000 15,479,550 PH RESORTS GRP PREMIUM LEISURE 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.58 0.56 0.56 4,061,000 2,304,940 DIGIPLUS 6.69 6.71 6.8 6.85 6.6 6.71 1,412,900 9,482,184 1.85 1.88 1.89 1.89 1.83 1.88 52,000 96,260 PHILWEB ALLDAY 0.178 0.181 0.183 0.183 0.178 0.181 4,760,000 854,240 1.65 1.68 1.67 1.68 1.64 1.68 771,000 1,280,280 ALLHOME 1.17 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.19 6,000 7,140 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 28.95 29.25 29.45 29.8 28.85 29.25 3,820,900 111,582,995 44.65 44.8 44.85 45 44.1 44.8 929,700 41,583,480 ROBINSONS RTL 76.1 79 76.1 76.1 76.1 76.1 30 2,283 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 2.81 2.83 2.86 2.86 2.8 2.81 700,000 1,969,140 1.68 1.69 1.7 1.7 1.68 1.69 63,000 106,100 UPSON INTL CORP 22 22.05 22.4 22.4 21.9 22 2,009,200 44,561,810 WILCON DEPOT EASYCALL 2.66 2.99 2.99 2.99 2.99 2.99 6,000 17,940 0.41 0.425 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.42 70,000 28,800 MEDILINES 1.05 1.18 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.04 7,000 7,280 PAXYS PRMIERE HORIZON 0.195 0.198 0.194 0.198 0.194 0.195 510,000 99,180

MINING & OIL ATOK 4.74 4.99 5 5 4.99 4.99 11,300 56,460 APEX MINING 2.63 2.64 2.67 2.69 2.6 2.64 2,630,000 6,928,440 3.34 3.44 3.33 3.44 3.33 3.34 7,000 23,660 ATLAS MINING 4.5 4.68 4.6 4.68 4.5 4.5 63,000 287,080 BENGUET A BENGUET B 4.5 4.63 4.63 4.64 4.33 4.63 22,000 96,770 3.11 3.2 3.15 3.2 3.15 3.2 210,000 662,000 CENTURY PEAK 2.63 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.63 2.7 671,000 1,785,580 FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE 0.038 0.04 0.039 0.039 0.039 0.039 1,400,000 54,600 0.087 0.09 0.09 0.092 0.087 0.09 10,720,000 935,840 LEPANTO A 0.0045 0.0046 0.0046 0.0047 0.0045 0.0045 85,000,000 389,800 MANILA MINING A MARCVENTURES 0.97 1 0.99 1 0.97 0.97 402,000 400,470 5.69 5.7 5.74 5.8 5.65 5.7 3,429,900 19,572,826 NICKEL ASIA 2.99 3.01 2.98 3.01 2.94 3 2,149,000 6,436,530 PX MINING SEMIRARA MINING 35.05 35.1 35.15 35.2 34.95 35.1 5,301,100 185,943,190 0.0083 0.0086 0.0083 0.0084 0.0083 0.0083 18,000,000 150,200 PHILODRILL PXP ENERGY 3.46 3.49 3.46 3.59 3.46 3.49 53,000 185,440

PREFFERED ACEN PREF A 1,030 1,035 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 100 103,000 1,031 1,035 1,035 1,035 1,031 1,031 1,920 1,985,250 ACEN PREF B AC PREF AR 2,450 2,468 2,450 2,452 2,446 2,450 1,685 4,127,890 499.6 499.8 499.6 499.6 499.6 499.6 120 59,952 AC PREF B1 476.8 490 482 482 476 476 100 48,080 AC PREF B2R CEB PREF 33.3 33.5 33.5 33.5 33.3 33.3 800 26,660 90.3 92.95 91 93 90 90 62,450 5,630,351.50 DD PREF 96 98.7 98.7 98.7 98.7 98.7 200 19,740 EEI PREF B JFC PREF A 930.5 957.5 930.5 930.5 930.5 930.5 40 37,220 920 925 920 920 920 920 110 101,200 JFC PREF B 90.15 93.85 90.1 93.9 90.1 93.9 1,010 91,039 MWIDE PREF 4 MWIDE PREF 5 100.6 101 101 101 101 101 1,100 111,100 971 995 995 995 995 995 30 29,850 PCOR PREF 3B 951.5 999 940 999 940 999 30 28,790 PCOR PREF 4A SMC PREF 2F 73 73.65 73 73.65 73 73.65 410 30,190 67.4 68.95 67.5 68 67.1 67.4 1,000 67,413 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 68 68.95 67 67 66.55 66.55 500 33,347.50 48.5 48.95 49 49 48.95 48.95 1,500 73,450 TECH PREF B2D

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR GMA HLDG PDR

WARRANTS

TECH WARRANT

3.57 3.8 3.56 3.57 3.56 3.57 26,000 7.48 8 0.35

0.375

-

-

-

-

-

-2,707,480 -18,376,675 20,219,310 -2,499,678 -101,800 -15,367,504 -47,619,490 -5,947,905 -78,719,566 35,880 31,093,565 -216,026 108,810 8,900 14,609,005 158,500 -3,124,590.00 -127,000 -93,934 -73,560 -147,500 2,980 382,040 -11,800 -4,187,070.00 -121,678 -30,540 -1,186,380 4,660,152 44,160 46,343,040 -96,020 33,800 14,565,650 -24,642,925 -56,199,381 -6,201,190 4,140 24,160 -724,205.00 -52,594,934 -512,250 -12,399,144 -48,210 -45,450 62,100.00 705,712 -106,430 -8,011,195 -39,683,340 -432,760 -45,490 8,904,685 227,580 3,340 -4,630 662,000 -138,630 -5,013,920 3,206,050 4,226,205 -17,300 -59,952 918,010 -

92,740 -

-

-

-

SMALL, MEDIUM & EMERGING

0.45 0.47 0.45 0.47 110,000 51,000 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 303,000 236,340 0.9 0.91 0.9 0.91 20,000 18,100 0.77 0.77 0.74 0.77 104,000 78,510 1.17 1.18 1.16 1.16 605,000 705,570 -90,540 0.232 0.233 0.231 0.233 120,000 27,820 -

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

98.9 98.9 98 98 9,950 977,847 31,440

BALAI FRUITAS CTS GLOBAL HAUS TALK ITALPINAS MERRYMART XURPAS

FIRST METRO ETF

0.445 0.77 0.88 0.74 1.16 0.233 97.7

0.46 0.78 0.91 0.77 1.17 0.247 98

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Business tax forms bulk of Makati’s big Q3 take

T

HE local government of Makati City announced having surpassed its 2023 revenue target by 13 percent and posted a 41-percent increase in business tax collection in the third quarter of the year.

A statement issued by the city last Thursday cited the latest report from the Office of the City Treasurer revealing a total collection of roughly P20.05 billion as of September 30.

The amount is a 21-percent increase from the same period last year, the city government’s statement read.

Its business-tax collection also increased by 41 percent, reaching roughly P11.21 billion as of endSeptember.

“Clearly, Makati’s local economy has regained its vibrancy and is now growing by leaps and bounds,” Makati Mayor Mar-len Abigail “Abby” S. Binay was quoted in the statement.

“We are again posting double-digit growth in revenues from local sources, especially from business tax, which nearly doubled even before yearend.”

The city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office reported a total of 3,791 new businesses registered and 35,440 with renewed business permits as of end-September. The new enterprises chalked up a total of P25.47 billion in capital investments while total gross sales of existing businesses reached P1.65 trillion this third quarter, the city government’s statement read.

“It is gratifying to see how fast businesses in the city are recovering, and how investor confidence has rebounded in the past months,” Binay said through the statement.

“We are inspired all the more to pursue innovations in the way we serve our stakeholders to make the experience as convenient and seamless as possible.”

The mayor said that with her city government’s robust revenue growth, “the city can sustain its enhanced social programs while promoting a transparent and digitallytransformative governance.”

City Treasurer Jesusa E. Cuneta reported that business tax comprised the bulk of the revenue collection, followed by real property tax with roughly P6.01 billion, which is 125-percent of target and 4 percent higher than the same period last year.

Cuneta was quoted in the statement as saying that collections from business and realty taxes have also been driven by the continuing intensive drive of the city’s Finance Department to serve notices of delinquent payments to business owners and real property owners in the city.

The city’s local revenue sources, which posted a 24-percent increase overall, include fees and charges with P753.72 million and economic enterprises with P289.59 million. From other sources, the city got P1.25 billion in National Tax Allotment (formerly Internal Revenue Allotment), P232.41 million as share from economic zone and P297.49 million from interest income. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

R

@butchfBM

AISING urgent concerns over looming cybersecurity threats, a lawmaker stressed the need to “tackle preemptively” the factors that could heighten risks to financial institutions and public utilities in the wake of the hacking spree targeting government institutions.

A statement quoted Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian as saying the incidents of hacking appears to be “organized.” Gatchalian added, in Filipino, that the incidents of hacking seems not a coincidence.

“Pero ang tingin ko posibleng umpisa lang ito ng mga makikita pa nating mga problema,” said the lawmaker. [But I think it’s possible that this is just the beginning of the problems we

B3

Smart loses petition in Makati tax case

S

By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

MART Communications Inc. lost its petitions before the Court of Appeals (CA) to prevent the Makati City government from shutting down its head office and branches within the city.

This, after the CA affirmed with finality its November 2021 decision denying the petition for a writ of mandamus and a writ of preliminary injunction filed by the PLDT Inc. subsidiary.

In a 23-page decision penned by Associate Justice Myra Garcia-Fernandez, the CA’s Eleventh Division held that the telecommunications firm failed to raise new arguments in its consolidated petitions that would warrant the reversal of the 2021 decision.

“The motion contains mere rehash of petitioner’s argument in the consolidated petitions that the respondent judges of RTC [Regional Trial Court] Makati Branches 138 and 59 committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction when they denied petitioner’s applications for writ of preliminary Injunction in the cases for mandamus pending before them,”

the CA declared.

“This issue was already given due consideration and found to be without merit in the issuance of the questioned decision. Thus, this Court finds no new or substantial matter presented to justify a modification or reversal of the assailed decision,” added the CA. In its November 2021 ruling, the CA found no grave abuse of discretion on the part of RTC Makati City Branch 138 Presiding Judge Ethel Meraco-Gutay and Branch 59 Presiding Judge Ester Orda-Caise in denying Smart’s plea for the issuance of writs of preliminary injunction in two separate petitions for mandamus with consignation.

In both petitions for mandamus, Smart prayed that the RTC direct Makati Mayor Mar-len Abigail “Abby” S. Binay and City Treasurer Jesusa E. Cuneta to process and act on its 2019 and 2020 applications

for renewal of business permits and receive, by way of consignation, the amounts of P16.27 million and P16.25 million as its payment of the local business taxes and fees of its head office and branches in the city for the years 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Likewise, Smart also sought the trial courts’ issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction to enjoin the city government from shutting down the operations of its head office and branches in the city.

The company claimed that it submitted its applications with the complete requirements for renewal of the business permits of its head office and Makati branches on January 11, 2019.

The telco said it has tendered to the Makati City Treasurer’s Office its payment for said billing assessments for its Makati branches and its head office on January 16, 2019, and January 18, 2019, respectively.

However, Smart claimed that the Makati City Treasurer’s Office refused to accept the payments in view of a local franchise tax assessment for the year 2018. The latter still has a pending petition for review with the Makati RTC. On January 30, 2019, Smart again attempted to tender payment of the assessments that was, however, also refused.

The firm subsequently sent a notice of consignation to the respon-

Associations and positive psychology

M

Y interest was piqued by an article “Is Purpose Running Us into the Ground?” by bestselling author and consultant Daniel Goleman on the Korn Ferry Institute website. He cites the field of positive psychology, a discipline that focuses on what causes human beings to flourish and the related work of Dr. Martin Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, considered the founder of positive psychology.

Dr. Seligman coined the acronym “Perma,” a framework of five individual elements in life that can help cultivate greater overall happiness and wellbeing, which I thought is worth sharing with associations: 1. Positive emotions. Associations can foster positive emotions by organizing events and activities that elicit joy, excitement and satisfaction. Whether it’s a social gathering, celebration of achievements or simply providing a supportive and uplifting environment, associations can create opportunities for members to experience positive emotions.

These positive experiences contribute to overall happiness, satisfaction and a sense of belonging within the association.

2. Engagement. Associations can facilitate engagement by offering opportunities for members to actively participate in initiatives aligned with their interests and

Association World Octavio Peralta passions. By organizing workshops, conferences and interactive sessions, associations can encourage members to contribute their skills, knowledge and creativity. Engaged members are more likely to feel a sense of meaning and connection to the association and its objectives.

3. Relationships. Associations inherently provide a platform for individuals to connect with like-minded peers who share similar interests and aims. Associations can foster relationships by organizing networking events, mentorship programs and collaborative projects. By nurturing an environment of trust, support and camaraderie, associations enable members to build meaningful connections, expanding their social networks and creating a sense of community within the association.

4. Meaning. Associations can contribute to members’ sense of meaning by aligning their activities with a higher purpose or a cause that resonates with their values. By clearly communicating the association’s mission and emphasizing the positive impact it seeks to achieve, associations can help members con-

nect their individual contributions to a larger, meaningful purpose. This sense of meaning and contribution enhances members’ fulfillment and motivation to actively participate in the association’s programs.

5. Accomplishment. Associations can create opportunities for members to set and achieve goals, recognizing their efforts and accomplishments along the way. By offering professional development programs, certifications or organizing competitions, associations encourage members to strive for personal growth and excellence. Acknowledging and celebrating members’ achievements reinforces their sense of competence and self-efficacy.

Associations have a unique opportunity to promote well-being and create thriving communities by integrating the PERMA model into their operations and initiatives and become catalysts for personal growth, social connection and collective impact. Ultimately, by prioritizing the holistic well-being of their members, associations contribute to building resilient, fulfilled and a thriving community.

Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), the “association of associations.” PCAAE will hold its 11th Associations Summit at the PICC on December 20, 2023. E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.

Solon flags cybersecurity risks to financial institutions

By Butch Fernandez

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Friday, October 20, 2023

will encounter.]

He aired concerns that “certain institutions including banks and public utilities and critical services such as airports, water distribution, and power transmission lines are at risks if they are caught off-guard.”

The senator stressed the need to promptly address the issue, warning that “nakikita dito na hindi talaga tayo ready.” [This shows the government is unprepared.]

“We need to act right away. This is a clear and present danger that we need to address right now,” Gatchalian added.

The solon cited that there is a “series of cybersecurity attacks against government agencies, which hold crucial databases.” He listed these as the Philippine Statistics Author-

ity (PSA), the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) and the House of Representatives.

Gatchalian said these attacks “underscore the government’s lack of readiness to fend off such cybersecurity attacks.”

Moreover, the senator recalled that even the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) “has admitted that the government is ill-prepared” for such incidents.

Gatchalian earlier said he favors providing DICT with confidential funds to help enhance the agency’s capability to help shield the country from cybersecurity attacks.

He added, speaking partly in Filipino, that “this is a concerted effort.

They are deliberately attacking and

testing the government’s capability.

We should be concerned that this could get worse.”

At the same time, the senator reiterated his proposed legislation designed to strengthen the cybersecurity capabilities of organizations in the country.

“Specifically, the proposed measure will require organizations to have their own cybersecurity officers and develop cybersecurity plans.”

As filed, he noted that Senate Bill 2066 (Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Act) mandates all covered critical information institutions to adopt and implement adequate measures to protect their ICT systems and infrastructures and respond to and recover from any information security incident.

dents to inform them of its intent to deposit to the court the said payment but the latter have not manifested their willingness to accept petitioner’s payment.

Consignation is the act of depositing the thing due with the court or judicial authorities whenever the creditor cannot accept or refuses to accept payment.

The Makati RTC Branch 59 denied Smart’s application for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction.

The denial was based on the grounds that there is no imminent danger of closure of petitioner’s business and that the alleged damages are quantifiable.

The Makati RTC Branch 138 also junked Smart’s application for issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction. This was after the Makati city government claimed that their refusal to accept payment from the company is based on non-payment of deficiency tax due to the city government. The latter is based on notice of assessment dated March 1, 2018 issued by the City Treasurer’s Office.

The City government added that the non-payment of tax deficiency will result to non-renewal of petitioner’s business permits due to violation of the Revised Makati Revenue Code.

The Makati City also said that Smart does not have a vested right to be issued a business permit in Makati City since the application for the same requires submission of the required documents and payment

of local business tax including tax deficiencies.

After its motions for reconsideration were both denied by the trial courts, Smart elevated the issues before the CA. The latter ordered the consolidation of the motions as both petitions involve the same parties and question similar issuances of the two courts.

In denying the consolidated petitions, the CA pointed out that Smart failed to prove that the two judges “capriciously denied” its applications for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction.

In fact, the appellate court said, the judges exhaustively discussed and evaluated the arguments and evidence presented by the parties during the hearings on the application for a writ of preliminary injunction.

The CA also agreed with the trial courts that there is no evidence of imminent threat that the Makati City government is “doing, threatening or attempting to close petitioner Smart’s head office and Makati Branches and that the potential damage that the petitioner may suffer in terms of loss of contracts can be quantifiable and compensable.”

“Finally, this Court finds the issuance of the assailed orders and resolutions denying petitioner’s applications for a writ of preliminary injunction were not arrived at arbitrarily or oppressively,” the CA said.

Loan growth, Q3 income expand BPI’s bottomline

This undated photo courtesy of the Bank of the Philippine Islands shows (left to right): BPI Marketing, Systems, Product and Campaigns Head for Business Banking Maricris L. San Diego, BPI Business Banking Distribution Head Rhodora Adelaida C. Pagulayan, Burket.PH Inc. Co-Founder and CEO Herbert L. Bactong, Burket.PH Co-Founder and CTO Jeff Turla and Co-Founder and COO Roy Julian. According to the publicly-listed lender, it struck a partnership with the operator of the online business to business (b2b) marketing networking platform. The BPI announced its investment in technology was one of the reasons for the increase in its operating expense in the nine months ending September. CREDIT: Bank of the Philippine Islands

By Cai U. Ordinario

A

@caiordinario

MID high interest rates, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) saw its bottomline in the January-to-September period grow by 26.4 percent due to faster loan growth and record-level income in the third quarter.

In a statement, the BPI announced a net income of P38.6 billion in the nine months. With this, its return on equity reached 15.6 percent.

In the third quarter, the lender posted a net income of P13.5 billion, rising 33.3 percent year-on-year. This is the bank’s highest quarterly net income in the past decade.

“Sustained loan and margin growth, as well as tempered provisions, were the main drivers of the strong financial performance,” BPI’s statement read. “(Third-quarter growth was) boosted by the 18.3-percent jump in revenues to P35.3 billion, on the back of higher net interest income and non-interest income,” it added.

Between January and September 2023, BPI’s total revenues grew 15.3 percent to P100.9 billion on the back of the 24.5 percent increase in net interest income to P76.8 billion.

The bank also said its average asset base expanded 8.1 percent, and net interest margin widened 54 basis points to 4.07 percent.

However, this was partly offset by the 6.6 percent decline in non-interest income to P24.1 billion due to the property sale gain recognized in the prior year.

“Removing the impact of this one-off transaction, non-interest income would be higher by P3.3 billion or 15.7 percent, on higher fees from credit cards, bancas-

surance, various service charges, and trading gains,” the lender said.

The bank said its operating expenses for the nine months increased 21.3 percent to P48.6 billion—due to larger spending for manpower, technology and marketing—resulting in a cost-toincome ratio of 48.2 percent.

Asset quality slightly weakened from last year and the previous quarter, with an NPL ratio of 1.97 percent, while coverage remained adequate with a 158.95 percent NPL coverage ratio.

Year-to-date, the country’s thirdlargest lender in terms of asset booked provisions of P3 billion, 60-percent lower than the P7.5 billion recognized over the same period last year.

Meanwhile, in the third quarter, the bank’s total assets rose 7.2 percent to P2.7 trillion year-on-year, with return on assets at 1.95 percent.

Total loans of P1.7 trillion were 8.8 percent higher year-on-year, driven by the loan growth in the corporate, credit card, and auto portfolios of 5.3 percent, 37.7 percent, and 22.3 percent, respectively.

Total deposits of P2.2 trillion also climbed 6.7 percent year-on-year, bringing the loan-to-deposit ratio to 80.2 percent.

Total equity stood at P349.6 billion, with an indicative Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 16.1 percent and a capital adequacy ratio of 17 percent. Both are well above regulatory requirements.

As of September 30, 2023, major international agencies have reaffirmed the bank’s credit ratings: S&P at BBB+ (same as the Philippine Sovereign); Moody’s at Baa2; and, Fitch at BBB-. All three also have a “stable outlook” for the bank.

B4

Relationships

Friday, October 20, 2023 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

Tips for a successful sustainable business

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IKE most people, the pandemic allowed us to explore our local communities as we were stuck working from our homes. The two-year period gave rise to many micro-enterprises and small businesses, giving our fellow home-bound citizens opportunities to delve into new livelihoods, or earn additional income from side hustles. I started relying on these small retailers and food purveyors, wary of making the short but daunting trek to the mall to purchase my food and material needs.

Through it all, I was glad to find more and more of these small, community-based businesses on the Grab app. Little-known retailers, small eateries or carinderia (even pop-ups/food carts and grill stations), mom-and-pop groceries, meat and seafood suppliers, among others, were gradually becoming favorites on my app.

They were near my home and cost little to have their goods delivered. Also, it felt good to be supporting many of these home-based businesses, as we all tried to survive the pandemic. I’m happy to note that many of them continue to operate to this day, with some growing and adding more branches.

Hopefully, they are on their way to becoming medium-scale enterprises.

Recently, I found out that Grab Philippines doesn’t merely sign up new merchants then leave them to their own devices to either sink or swim.

The company does have a special focus on MSMEs, training their owners to have sustainable successful businesses. For one, the superapp has a Grab Merchant Masterclass, a capacity-building program geared at enhancing the “digital prowess” of MSMEs across various dimensions of their enterprise.

The masterclass is the flagship initiative for merchant-partners under the Skills Development pillar of the GrabAsenso Program, the social

empowerment campaign of Grab Philippines. The knowledge-sharing sessions are led by subject matter experts from Grab and partner organizations, covering topics such as digital advertising, costefficient digital marketing, and accessible microfinancing.

The hybrid training program for merchantpartners had four face-to-face sessions in Manila, Bacolod and Iloilo in the first half of the year, welcoming more than 250 enterprises. In a bid to reach more merchant-partners across the country, the masterclass also recently launched online episodes on Grab social media channels and Grab’s dedicated Merchant App. Capping the masterclass season was a hybrid session held at Commune Makati, led by Frances Cruz of Bayan Academy, a social entrepreneurship and human resource development organization. Along with Erica Suerte of Grab Finance, the masterclass zeroed in on branding and advertising through digital marketing, and enterprise financing with business loans.

At the event, food cart owner Arnold Pagulayan Jr. shared the importance of capacity-building programs for MSMEs like him: “Through Grab Merchant Masterclass, I was able to learn more about digital marketing and social advertising, which I now leverage as I personally handle my business’ social channels. MSMEs like us make sure to take part in learning opportunities such as this to stay abreast with the latest trends in the industry – especially since we have lean teams taking on multiple hats within the organization.”

Meanwhile, I asked Cruz and Suerte to share some tips from their masterclass that other MSMEs can also learn from.

From Bayan Academy’s Cruz, he said: ■ Know your story. Use your story or the story of your business, so that consumers can relate to you.

■ Define your business objectives.

■ Know your audience, in terms of demographics and interests.

■ Know your unique selling point. What makes your business different from others?

■ Use the information to sell your business and brand to your market.

From Suerte, Grab Philippines Growth and Fulfillment Head-Lending: ■ Align loan purpose with business needs. Ensure

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Alona Tal, 40; John Krasinski, 44; Snoop Dogg, 52; Viggo Mortensen, 65.

that the loan is geared at fueling specific and strategic business objectives, whether for expansion, working capital, or other investments.

■ Evaluate cash flow: Carefully analyze your cash flows to ensure that loan repayments fit comfortably within your budget. Understanding your financial capacity is key to successful loan management.

■ Select optimal financing solution. Choose the right financing facility to secure the terms that best fit your business requirements. Thoroughly research and opt for financing that suits your unique needs.

GrabFinance, for instance, has rolled out products with high caps and low interest rates, making critical financial lifelines available for MSMEs on the Grab platform.

For his part, CJ Lasican, Grab Philippines Head of Operations, shared why Grab is so heavily invested in these training programs for its merchant-partners.

“The resilience and vitality of our economy are deeply rooted in the MSME sector, which not only sustains the livelihoods of thousands of Filipinos but also invigorates commercial activity within their local communities and neighborhoods,” he said.

Last year, the Philippine economy expanded by 7.6 percent, marking one of the strongest post-pandemic recoveries in Southeast Asia. As of 2022, there were some 1.1 million business enterprises in the country, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Of these, 99.6 percent (!!!) were MSMEs, while only 4,541 were large enterprises.

Lasican added, “Grab’s architecture has been purposefully crafted to uplift these essential contributors – enhancing their productivity and amplifying their prospects for success. Beyond nurturing a robust marketplace, our commitment extends to ensuring MSMEs have access to cuttingedge technology and the critical knowledge for them to thrive amid the increasingly digital business environment.”

The next season of the Grab Merchant Masterclass will commence in January 2024, with speakers coming from various partner marketing agencies and leading social-media platforms. In the meantime, Grab merchant-partners can continue to stream the online episodes of the knowledge-sharing sessions via the Grab Merchant App and Grab’s social media pages.

Now, let me order my favorite bagnet with garlic fried rice special.... ■

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Keep an open mind and heart when dealing with loved ones, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you this year. Pay attention to detail and timelines, and take care of what’s important to you before taking on someone else’s tasks. A domestic change will alleviate some of your hardships and shine a light on something that will make your life easier. Your numbers are 5, 12, 22, 28, 31, 40, 43.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put emotions aside and focus on what others expect of you. The hard work you put in early will pave the path to a celebratory evening. Precision, detail and preparation will keep you out of trouble and on the way to victory professionally and financially. ★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Put your energy where it counts and don’t stop until you are happy with the results. A passionate approach to your pursuits will give you an advantage and encourage exciting encounters. Romance is favored. ★★★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Network, but keep your plans private until you are ready to launch.

The element of surprise will give you the edge you need and keep competitors in your rearview mirror.

Friendly chatter will buy you time, build confidence and attract allies. ★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You have more choices to consider. A partnership looks inviting, but stipulations are necessary before you agree to take part. Don’t forgo what’s important because someone wants jurisdiction over your decisions. Equality is the path to new beginnings. ★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Make decisions before someone steps in and makes them for you. Don’t lose sight of what’s important to you and how you want to live. Put your energy into making things happen instead of anger and upset. ★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Look, and you will discover an opportunity that offers a positive change to location, routine or personal appeal. Stretch your mind, explore the possibilities and head in an exciting direction. Live in the moment, use what’s available and harness your dreams. ★★★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Offer what you can. Offering suggestions rather than money or hands-on help will benefit others and leave you free to reach your goals on time. An emotional situation will improve with understanding and a show of affection or approval. Romance is favored. ★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you want something done, do it yourself. The results will make a difference to your routine, how you live and to those closest to you. Stifle your complaints, don’t try to change others and pay attention to looking and doing your best. ★★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Learn through observation and doing things yourself, and you’ll gain momentum. Take the opportunity to get out and enjoy community events and reunions or learn something that will help you excel.

Walk away from no-win situations. ★★★

Up to 70% off on October Groceries Day FOODIES, mark your calendars. Your go-to online food and grocery platform, foodpanda is back with the eagerly anticipated Groceries Day sale from October 20 to 22, 2023. As the ultimate shopping event of the season, Groceries Day is packed with thumb-stopping deals that will make both firsttime shoppers and loyal app users keep coming back for more.

“Every quarter, we look forward to Groceries Day—it’s our special way of rewarding our loyal shoppers. By teaming up with top brands and providing irresistible deals, we aim to make grocery shopping not just convenient but also budget-friendly,” shares Danielle Eleazar, head of marketing at foodpanda Philippines.

This time around, shoppers can bag groceries at discounts reaching up to 70 percent. Plus, there’s an extra treat: an additional P300 off using the code: GROCERDAY. With an array of popular brands joining the sale, including Nivea, PepsiCo, URC, and

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Johnson & Johnson, there’s something for everyone.

Be it skincare products from Nivea or refreshing beverages from PepsiCo, the Groceries Day offers the best of the best.

“Our vision with Groceries Day is twofold.

Firstly, we want to introduce the seamless and budget-friendly shopping experience of foodpanda to new users. And secondly, we want to embed a habit of quarterly bulk-shopping among our regulars. After all, who doesn’t love big savings?” emphasizes Eleazar.

“Every Groceries Day is more than just a sale; it’s an event, a celebration of smart shopping. In the age of instant gratification, we bring you an instant solution to your grocery woes. No long queues, no crowded aisles, just pure shopping bliss from the comfort of your home,” Eleazar further adds.

More information about foodpanda and the incredible offers available can be found at www. foodpanda.ph.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Invest time and money in yourself, your living quarters and your relationships. Incorporating a healthier lifestyle will encourage spending time with people heading down a similar path. Discipline, hard work and resisting temptation will lead to beneficial results. ★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Make your skills and money work for you. Propose what you have to offer for something in return.

Choose the barter system to reduce overhead and make your desired things less expensive. Think outside the box and make your dreams come true. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Follow through with your intentions, and don’t spend more than what you set aside. Discuss your plans with those affected by the decisions you make. The suggestions you receive will help you keep the peace and reach your goal. ★★★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are intense, original and chatty.

You are demonstrative and reliable.

‘moving in’ BY JAKE HALPERIN

The Universal Crossword • Edited by David Steinberg/Anna Gundlach/Jared Goudsmit ACROSS 1 ___ Mahal 4 Posed a query 9 Brits call them “court shoes” 14 Aussie bird 15 “Perhaps” 16 “Not this ___!” (“Stop bringing it up!”)

17 Eatery’s fancy tableware?

20 ___ the Woods (musical) 21 Gives the go-ahead 22 KFC piece 23 That’s what you think!

25 Iraq-to-Iran direction 27 Bouncer at a wine bar?

31 They include “L, M, N, O, P” 35 Lucky Hank channel 36 Group of goats 37 Narrow waterway 39 “Scram!”

41 “Thanks a ___!”

43 Split fifty-fifty 44 Painters’ stands 46 Silver Dollar City attraction 48 “Bald-faced” statement 49 1 1 1

50 Young S.F. football fan?

53 Overflow (with) 55 Female bleaters 56 “I’m astounded!” feeling 59 Responds to an allergen 62 Bug irritating Spot 65 Contemporary fabrics?

68 Story used for storage 69 Totally hyped up 70 Org. that regulates cheese 71 Publicity ___ (flashy bit of marketing) 72 “Good” or “dastardly” actions 73 Psychic “skill,” for short DOWN 1 Actress Hatcher 2 “Couldn’t agree more!”

3 “Simply to be on the safe side” 4 Doctors’ org.

5 It’s the wurst!

6 Actress Sedgwick 7 Where a Dorito shaped like the pope’s hat sold for $1,209 8 More compact 9 Prepares to move 10 “How stomach-churning!”

11 USPS delivery 12 Aromatic tree 13 Minor setback 18 Kind of list 19 Croaking creatures 24 Merman who sang “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” 26 Strong of “Teen Titans” 27 Modern “ancient” diet 28 “That is to say...”

29 www.fandom.com, e.g.

30 Cover with sparkly beads, say 32 Mantra akin to “Eat, sleep, hoops, repeat” 33 Word before “rights” or “engineer” 34 Ye olde horse 38 iZombie network 40 Life ___ (pool garment) 42 ___ the knot (wed) 45 Smile contemptuously 47 Not naked 51 New father’s joyous exclamation 52 Weightiness 54 Construct 56 “What a tragedy!”

57 Power unit 58 Caesar’s words to Brutus 60 ___ clean (revealed the truth) 61 Write a blog post, say 63 Doesn’t continue 64 “Now!” letters 66 Mint container 67 Pepsi pop-ups, perhaps

Solution to today’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

GMA flapship radio stations remain top choice of Mega Manila listeners

DATA from Nielsen’s Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) show that from January to September 2023, Super Radyo DZBB 594 and Barangay LS 97.1 dominated the airwaves on AM and FM, respectively.

Super Radyo DZBB 594 drew a total audience share of 31.66 percent, ahead of its closest competitor DZRH, which got 28.75 percent.

Barangay LS 97.1 remains on the No. 1 spot among FM stations, averaging a total audience share of 41.37 percent during the same period, taking the lead against its nearest competition, Love Radio, with 15.68 percent.

For September alone, both DZBB and Barangay LS 97.1 remained the top choice of Mega Manila listeners. DZBB garnered a total audience share of 35 percent against DZRH’s 23.9. Listeners of Barangay LS 97.1 kept the FM station in the lead with a total audience share of 36.8 percent over Love Radio 90.7’s 16.2 percent.

DZBB’s morning block still dominated the station’s highest-rating daypart with programs Saksi sa Dobol B, Super Balita sa Umaga Nationwide, Melo Del Prado sa Super Radyo, Pinoy MD, Buena Manong Balita, Executive Summary, and Dobol Weng sa Dobol B. GMA’s flagship AM radio station further strengthens its programming lineup with its latest roster of shows: Markado anchored by Mark Makalalad and airs weekdays at 3 am and Saturdays at 4 am; Bangon Na Bayan, the news and commentary program anchored by Melo Del Prado and Joel Reyes Zobel which airs weekdays at 6:30 am; and Hataw sa Hapon anchored by Rene Sta. Cruz which airs weekdays at 2 pm.

Meanwhile at the 11th Makatao Awards of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), Arnold Clavio and Connie Sison were recognized as Best Radio Public Affairs Program for their show One on One: Walang Personalan, while Dobol Weng sa Dobol B was named Best Radio Public Affairs Program. Joey Reyes Zobel and Melo Del Prado completed the awards by winning Best News Program Hosts.

Broadcast journalist and radio host Mike Enriquez also received posthumous honors from the two organizations.

Live audio streaming is also available for online listeners on www.gmanetwork.com/radio. New episodes of Barangay LS shows air every week on YouTube.

More information can be found at www.gmanetwork.com.

FEELING THREATENED

BECAUSE of recent developments in the fashion industry, the celebrity had been agitated and maybe feeling threatened.

She has urged her home studio to hype her on their socials.

She also hired a PR person to send out press releases full of superlatives about her. The “praise” releases were so bad that those who published them had to edit them thoroughly.

What is surprising about the celebrity’s career is that she barely earns from it aside from a few endorsements. Many of her endorsements are exchange deals for services and goods. While she is well-liked in the industry, what happened recently and how the celebrity has behaved is changing the way people look at her. She is apparently not a good sport and is not as amiable and friendly as they thought she was.

FRIENDS NO MORE

A RECENT controversial interview made a lot of people recall how the actor never showed that he liked an actress, with whom he worked a lot in the past. There are even rumors that the actress shed a lot of tears because she fell in love with the actor, who didn’t reciprocate her feelings. There reportedly came a point when the actor became contemptuous of the actress. It got to a point where the actress drew the line to save her dignity. She started treating the actor as a colleague instead of a special friend and it was the best decision she ever made.

WELL-FUNDED

WHICH aesthetic center is the talk of the town, because of how much it spends on publicity and marketing? The center is said to be owned by a powerful politician. The budget for publicity and marketing is said to be unlimited, which is why the center is able to sponsor a big difference, and even buy huge advertising spaces and glossy magazines. The center also has big big stars as ambassadors. Despite all that spending, the aesthetic center is not in debt. It pays its obligations on time. In fact, during a recent big event, the aesthetic center complained that it wasn’t given enough space despite the fact that of all the sponsors, it paid first. It’s not clear why a politician would own an aesthetic center but it could be in connection with beauty queens.

AGGRESSIVE INFLUENCER

THE influencer is so powerful that she works with almost all beauty brands but not all of them want to work with her. In fact, some of them don’t send their products to her deliberately because they feel that she is already overexposed.

However, the influencer is also quite aggressive. If the brand doesn’t reach out to her, she uses her connections to reach out to them and ask them to send her their products. Of course, no one will refuse such an offer. So to the public, it appears that brands would do anything to work with the influencer.

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • Friday, October 20, 2023

B5

Ena Regachuelo Aldecoa: Because the soprano is a scholar

S

HE has become almost a member of this small group of writers, artists and cultural workers that whenever the cultural hub called Savage Mind and its art gallery component, Kamarin, both located in Naga City, have an event, she is there. As a singer. Online. Onscreen. It must have been her friendship with the group’s leader, Kristian Sendon Cordero. But, people always asked, how is this group able to request her to sing the songs anytime? For those who know her credentials—being the first Filipino invited to be Artist-in-Residence at the Brahmshaus, Baden-Baden, Germany, for one, and Europe-trained, having studied Art Song Performance from 2010 to 2014 at the Hochschule fȕr Musik Karlsruhe, Germany—her continuous appearance in a local happening has become a bragging right of this group. And rightly so.

Her rendition of Potenciano Gregorio’s “Sarung Banggi,” a song that is almost a default anthem for the entire Bikol region, has been used many times by the group. Far from being used to it, the varied audiences have applauded Aldecoa’s singing, as it proves how classical vocal technique does not necessarily mean the plaintive lyrics of a song could not be as lucid as the night the composer celebrated love.

However, Ena Aldecoa to the group is, foremost, a Bikolana. And one balmy evening in Makati, the Savage Mind group led by Cordero was in Alliance Francaise office in Makati. They traveled, all the way from Naga City, some 380 kilometers from Manila, just to watch and celebrate the music of their very own soprano.

I had the privilege to be invited by this group to join them that night.

The last time I listened to Ena Aldecoa was at the UP Abelardo Hall where she also presented a recital years ago. But this time, I would be watching her a mere few feet away, with a sense of naivete in my heart as I contended with one critical information— the soprano would not be only singing to a crowd, more than half of which was exposed to her kind of music and almost all of them speaking the languages in which she would offer her arts, but to persons from a small city of Naga where it all began.

The program was called “When Music Speaks,” a recital of art songs, folk songs and piano pieces. It was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and the Philippines. The evening, the program notes stated, was featuring works of Filipino and Polish composers “who championed love of country and used folk music in their works.”

The program opened with three excerpts from “Seven Songs to Poems of James Joyce, op. 54.” The

composer is Karol Szymanowski.

From behind the audience at the back, Ena walked in. Earlier, she told Kristian and the group how there was no time for a brief talk. “Shouldn’t I give a few words about the night, and the songs...,” her voice trailed. But, soon, she was there in front about to start singing the three excerpts from Szymanowski’s music. Somehow, the choice of cycle songs resonated with the crowd. The first song was “Strings in the Earth,” and the lines were: “Strings in the Earth as air make music sweet/Strings by the river where willows meet.” There was a slight pause between “music” and “sweet,” a lovely nuance in such a simple but tricky melody. Then a surprise high note reminded us here was a singer with such a marvelous range. Next was “Winds of May,” like the month as it happened in this part of the globe, the music was buoyant and lilting. Came the third and the last of the cycle songs, “Rain has fallen.” This piece was more lambent and sentimental. At her lower register, Ena was sonorous and yet tender.

In all of the songs, Ena Aldecoa barely lifted her arms and never stretched those hands. She was almost immobile, a grace in stillness. Came next the the songs of Mieczysław Karłowicz, with the words from Kazimierz Przerwa Tetmajer, a poet who was considered an icon of the Young Poland literature.

Both Karłowicz and Tetmajer were members of the Young Poland movement. Many accounts have been recorded of how the composer was making those

songs with Tetmajer’s lyrical lines in mind. Ena, that night gave to “‘I remember quiet, bright, golden days,” “Speak to me again,” and “He goes to the fields” the same longing born for a Poland that these artists must have conjured. We sat there privy to songs so brief the grandeur it possessed was like a divine gift.

Aside from Ena, there was another artist on that occasion: Jerzy Michał Maciejewski, on the piano. Maciejewski is currently the professor at The Warsaw Academy and is known for the workshops and seminars at the Master’s Training Programs in Poland and other places abroad. Through him, Chopin was revisited and, once more we were reminded the composer was never the facile composer we wanted him to be.

But that night, with due respect to the genius of Maciejewski, the travelers from down south of this country were there to thank Ena for her generosity and talent. And as she ventured into songs from this country’s composers, the group held their breath when she reached the arrangements for solo voice and piano that she created for the songs “Atin Cu Pung Singsing,” “O Naraniag na Bulan,” and “Sarung Banggi,” a suite commissioned for a film project titled Mga Awit ni Pina: Mga Bagong Pagbasa, Mga Bagong Pagasa (Songs of Pina: New Readings, New Hope), written and directed by Kristian Sendon Cordero, who sat there, with his team, enthralled and thankful because his work has gone global due in no small measure to this soprano who is also a scholar. n

Prosecutors seeking to recharge Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on set of Western movie ‘Rust’ SANTA FE, New Mexico—Special prosecutors are seeking to recharge actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in 2021, describing on Tuesday their preparations to present new information to a grand jury.

New Mexico-based prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said they’ll present their case to the grand jury within the next two months, noting “additional facts” have come to light in the shooting on the set of the film Rust that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin, a co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal inside a rustic chapel on a movie-set ranch near Santa Fe when the gun went off on October 21, 2021, killing the cinematographer and wounding director Joel Souza.

“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” Morrissey and Lewis said in an email. “We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel

of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”

They declined to elaborate on the additional information they may present to the grand jury.

Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer—but not the trigger—and the gun fired.

Attorneys for Baldwin said the latest move by prosecutors is misguided.

“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court,” Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in an email.

Special prosecutors initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.

The recent gun analysis from experts in ballistics and forensic testing based in Arizona and New Mexico relied on replacement parts to

reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin— after parts of the pistol were broken during earlier testing by the FBI. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.

The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, “given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”

The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.

In March, Rust assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation.

He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.

In the revived case against Baldwin,

first reported by NBC News, a grand jury would “determine whether probable cause exists to bind Baldwin over on criminal charges,” special prosecutors said.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who provides legal commentary as head of West Coast Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles, said prosecutors reserved the right to reopen the case by dismissing charges “without prejudice,” and that he’d be surprised if a grand jury didn’t return an indictment. AP

Soprano Ena Regachuelo Aldecoa PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

B6 Friday, October 20, 2023

SAFC celebrates 20 years of partnerships for Impactful Economic, Social Progress

IN the photo are, from left, SAFC President and Managing Director Joel C. Cruz, SAFC Director Antonia Y. Lugtu, Pasig City Councilor Marion Rosalio “Maro” M. Martires, SAFC Vice Chairman William S. Uy, and SAFC Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Raul Paul U. Mendoza

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ELEBRATING its 20th milestone year, SAFC, one of the leading and fast-growing non-bank financial institutions in the Philippines, is thrilled to announce a significant partnership with Pasig City Government. This collaboration focuses on aligning the community development programs of SAFC Heroes, the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, with its local community. This alliance cements SAFC’s dedication to giving back and shaping a brighter future for the Filipino community - a testament of SAFC’s commitment of making Filipinos’ lives better.

Over the past 20 years, SAFC has been unwavering in its commitment to make Filipinos’ lives better. By aligning with organizations that echo SAFC’s spirit of compassion and progress, the company is reinforcing its commitment to drive impactful change which gave birth to SAFC Heroes. Just this year, through the efforts of SAFC in collaboration with the Pasig City Government, SAFC was able to donate 150 school supplies and 150 medicine kits for Pasigueños, participate in Pasig City’s tree planting activity where SAFC employees planted 100 trees and donated shovels and trowels to Pasig City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), and helped 55 at-risk Children of Special Protection (CNSP) by initiating a community outreach program at Bahay Aruga - Rescue Center and

Barangay Sto. Tomas Pasig City.

In line with SAFC’s ongoing commitment to the community’s well-being, the current project involves a one-day basketball and volleyball league spanning eight barangays in Pasig City. This initiative underscores the company’s dedication to promoting physical fitness, fostering community engagement, and igniting the spirit of friendly competition for a healthier a more vibrant and Pasig City.

Together, SAFC continues to be the catalyst for positive change in the lives of Pasigueños.

During the momentous 20thanniversary celebration at Marco Polo Ortigas, the highlight of the event was the presentation of specially crafted “Love Hero Tokens.” SAFC reached out to two esteemed foundations - Tahanang Walang Hagdan and KILUS (Kababaihang Iisa ang Layuning Umunlad ang Sambayanan) Foundation - for the tokens.

The recycled bags generously provided

by KILUS Foundation not only empower the women of Barangay Ugong in Pasig by supporting their livelihoods but also promote the principles of a circular economy. Nestled within these bags are exquisite wooden items meticulously crafted by Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) or the orthopedically handicapped individuals from Tahanang Walang Hagdan. These items stand as powerful symbols of the strides SAFC is making towards a more eco-conscious and radiant future.

SAFC pointed out that these Love Hero Tokens are not merely tokens of gratitude but living testaments to our unwavering dedication to sustainable living. They transcend mere gifts; they are profound representations of the values and principles we hold dear.

“Through the collective efforts of our dedicated employees and in synergy with the Pasig City Government, we have been able to make strides in community development and outreach,” stated Joel C. Cruz, President and Managing Director at SAFC. “Institutions like Tahanang Walang Hagdan and KILUS Foundation have always been champions in their respective fields.

Their dedication to empowering the orthopedically handicapped and advocating for sustainable practices resonates with our mission. As we look back on our 20-year journey, we’re filled with gratitude for these collaborations and partnerships that have made our commitment to the Filipino community even more impactful. Our 20th anniversary is not just a celebration of our past but a promise of an even brighter future, two decades and beyond of enhancing the lives of Filipinos.”

Present during the October 12 celebration was Pasig City Councilor Marion Rosalio “Maro” M. Martires.

Martires has consistently championed the cause of SAFC Heroes, specifically in the realms of sports, wellness, community development, and environmental initiatives.

His attendance symbolizes the strong synergy between local governance and private enterprises, working in unison to uplift the well-being of all Filipinos.

Councilor Martires shared his perspective on SAFC’s contributions, stating, “SAFC has undertaken many projects in Pasig City that often go unnoticed. Upon my visit here, I saw the magnitude of SAFC’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. So, I am thankful to SAFC for addressing crucial programs and projects that require immediate attention.”

Providing entertainment for the evening was SAFC Brand Ambassador, comedian Alex Calleja. Esteemed bank partners and representatives who partnered with SAFC its humble beginnings also marked their presence, showcasing a united front committed to a vision that transcends business norms. This alliance, centered around enriching lives and fostering community growth, is just the beginning.

Megaworld Lifestyle Malls to take part in DOLE’s 2024 Job Fairs

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EGAWORLD Lifestyle Malls is excited to announce its participation in the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Job Fairs in 2024 with a Memorandum of Understanding signing at the DOLE Central Office in Intramuros, Manila, on October 13, 2023.

In this collaborative initiative, the premier lifestyle mall developer pledges to use its townships as venues for nationwide job-seeking events, aligning with its commitment to support the national government’s goals for economic growth and increased employment opportunities, expanding platforms, and broadening the avenues through which job seekers can explore diverse career opportunities.

Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma personally attended the signing, along with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls AVP, Corporate Operations Group, MOSD Michael G. Lao, formalizing the partnership.

“We believe that this partnership will make a significant impact on the nation’s employment landscape and are looking forward to working closely with

MEGAWORLD Lifestyle Malls AVP, Corporate Operations Group, MOSD Michael Lao, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, and DOLE Undersecretary Carmela Torres formalized Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ participation at the DOLE’s 2024 Job Fairs with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at the DOLE central office last Friday, October 13.

DOLE to provide job seekers with valuable opportunities,” shared Lao. For more updates on the latest happenings, visit megaworld-lifestylemalls. com or call their hotline at 8-462-8888

or follow their social media accounts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ megaworldlifestylemalls), Instagram (@ MegaworldLifestyleMalls), and TikTok (@ megaworldlifestylemalls).

MERALCO UNIT SET TO BECOME THE LARGEST RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY IN THE COUNTRY. MGen Renewable Energy, Inc. (MGreen), a subsidiary of Meralco’s power generation arm Meralco PowerGen Corporation, is set to invest P15.9 billion in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC). Upon closing, MGreen’s common and preferred voting shares will make MGreen the controlling shareholder of SPNEC with a total voting interest of 50.5 percent. Seen in the photo are from left, Meralco EVP and COO Ronnie L. Aperocho, MGen-GBP EVP and COO Dominador M. Camu, Jr., SPNEC CEO Leandro Leviste, Meralco Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, MGen-GBP SVP and CFO Donato R. Gloria, and MGen-GBP SVP for Commercial and Planning Marcos V. Yorobe. “This will be one of the largest solar projects not just in Asia, but in the world,” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman and CEO of Meralco. “The Department of Energy’s vision is to have about 35 percent of the country’s energy come from renewable energy, and this is one of Meralco’s major contributions to this goal.”

Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod Stages a Tribute to the Maskara Festival with ‘Festive Faces’

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M Hotels & Conventions Corporation’s (SMHCC) Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod announced the successful launch of “Festive Faces” at Art Cove, which pays homage to the vibrant and lively Masskara Festival, an iconic celebration that lights up Bacolod, known as the City of Smiles, throughout October.

This exhibit by Jojo Vito, Bacolod City’s renowned mask maker, symbolizes the rich tapestry of human expressions, feelings, and experiences. “Each mask serves as a reflection of not only myself but also the diverse spectrum of humanity,” expressed Jojo Vito, whose dedication to the art and profound ties to the Negros community resonates within all 14 meticulously crafted pieces within this collection.

One of the standout pieces in this exclusive collection is the “Haciendera Mask,” an embodiment of luxury and opulence during Negros’ golden era with its vibrant red and gold hues. In contrast, the “Esmeralda Mask” is inspired by the strength of Bacolodnons. This mask serves as a powerful

symbol of resilience and equilibrium in the face of adversity.

“Festive Faces” is displayed at Art Cove until November 19, 2023, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the festive spirit and creativity of the Masskara Festival.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held during the exhibit’s grand opening, was led by the visionary artist himself, Vito. He was joined by Bacolod City Councilor Israel “Ising” Salanga, former Masskara Queens Agnes Marie Therese Chang and Jan Nicole Puentevella – Uy, adding a touch of royalty and local charm to the event.

“Come and explore the transformation of Jojo Vito’s artistry and immerse in the vibrant spirit of the Masskara Festival at Art Cove.

‘Festive Faces’ offers a unique opportunity to experience the enchantment of Bacolod through the lens of one of its most esteemed artists,” expressed Sherwin Lucas, General Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod.

Those interested in purchasing Jojo Vito’s art pieces can approach the hotel’s front desk or contact us at +63 34 706 8888.

THE ribbon cutting ceremony

Victory Liner celebrates 78th anniversary with launch of Royal Class Sleeper Bus Line

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ICTORY Liner Inc. celebrated its 78th anniversary with the launch of its royal class bus units as it brings European standard bus transportation to the Philippines.

Among those present during the celebration were Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunsborg; Emmanuel Jupet, Managing Director, Region APAC North Volvo Bus and Gerarda Villa, Chairman Emeritus, Victory Liner Inc. The Royal Class bus line features bestin-class Volvo B8R bus coaches, powered by Volvo D-8 engine and has 28 passengers’ suites and one crew bed. Passengers can enjoy amenity kits, individual air-conditioned vents, room lamps, premium leather beds with footrest. Additionally, each suite comes with its own USB & C-Charging ports.

What makes the Royal class buses stand out are its cutting-edge safety features, including Volvo’s Electronic Stability Program (ESP). This technology pro-actively prevents skidding and loss of control by monitoring vehicle speed, steering angles, and wheel speeds. In case of instability, the ESP automatically applies brakes to specific wheels and adjusts engine power to ensure the driver maintains control, ensuring not only comfort but paramount safety on every journey.

Victory Liner, President and CEO, Marivic Del Pilar said, “We thought about launching a Royal class bus line and to spring back from the pandemic with a big bang. Travelers nowadays are more discerning. We asked

them what they wanted and what their dream road trip was like. And through that we came up with this Royal class edition which is in a class of its own.”

“I belong to the 3rd generation of running our family business. The launch of this Royal class line symbolizes the evolution of Victory Liner. Innovation is the key for the survival of a business that span generations, many of our valued passengers are also grandchildren of people who have preferred riding Victory Liner through the years. We learned to our customers seeking for newer and more exciting ride,” she added.

With Victory’s Royal Bus line, trips to Baguio and Cagayan become both effortless and unforgettable. The Royal bus fleet features automatic transmissions, enabling bus drivers to focus solely on the road, reducing risk of distractions and enhancing their ability to respond to potential hazards.

More so, Royal buses are equipped with hill-start assist features, minimizing jerking during gear shifts and contributing to a stable and comfortable ride for our passengers.

Smooth gear changes also help maintain traction and stability, particularly during acceleration or deceleration. It has also, an artificial intelligence emergency alert system for driver fatigue symptoms.

“We invite you all to ride on our Royal class buss, rejuvenated and pampered and feel the difference, experience the unique and desirable travel experiences. Victory Liner is setting a new standard in premium travel.”

Del Pilar said.

Line them up

Laures, Crossovers smother Highrisers for solo lead in PVL All-Filipino tourney

Sports BusinessMirror

A ballboy opens a tub of balls on the side of the court during the recent Shanghai Masters won by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8), against Andrey Rublev recently at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai. AP

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Friday, October 20, 2023 B7

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HERY TIGGO disposed of Galeries Tower, 25-14, 25-18, 25-21, to wrest the solo lead in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan Thursday.

The Crossovers—coming off a scrambling 25-21, 25-23, 25-22 over unfancied Farm Fresh last Tuesday, logged their second straight-set victory for early control in the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

The Highrisers, in contrast, absorbed their second straight defeat after yielding an 11-25, 24-25, 22-25 loss to the Petro Gazz Angels also Tuesday.

“We were able to stick to the plan.

We’re not actually looking after the result but in building chemistry,” said Chery Tiggo coach Aaron Velez.

“Whoever is brought in, it’s not necessarily that they deliver but more on to keep pace with our lead players.”

With sisters EJ and Eya Laure on the firing end, the Crossovers found little trouble handling the Highrisers throughout their one-hour and 17-minute encounter, ending up with 43 attack points for a glaring 16-hit edge over their rivals still working on their cohesion, reception and net defense.

Galeries actually mounted a late rally in the third behind the heavyhanded Dimdim Pacres, whose power hits and clever drop balls helped pull the Highrisers to within one twice, the last at 20-21. But the Crossovers simply warded off the threat, scoring four of the last five points capped by Cess Robles’ stinging back-to-back kills.

Robles, who anchored Chery Tiggo’s win over Farm Fresh with a 10-point blast in a two-set stint, also saw limited action against Galeries but the former National University stalwart delivered and ended up with three points in a late third set appearance.

“Every conference, we need to improve. It’s all about connection,” said playmaker Jasmine Nabor, who produced 14 excellent sets, the bulk of which set the tone for the Laure’s assaults, leading to their second straight combined 27-point output.

A summer to remember EJI’MOBIENA: CLEAN

AUSTIN REAVES says the FIBA World Cup in Manila provided him valuable benefits. AP

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

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USTIN REAVES intends to spend this season competing for a championship. And that’s why he thought it made perfect sense to spend his offseason competing for one as well.

For about 50 National Basketball Association (NBA) players—including 12 from the US—this was not an ordinary summer filled with workouts and vacations.

The Basketball World Cup was

held in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia in August and September, and for those who were there playing for their country it could serve as a serious springboard into this NBA season.

Between training camps, exhibition games and the tournament itself, the World Cup players got to play highly competitive basketball for six weeks or more. And that sort of preparation has obvious benefits, Reaves said.

“I’ve been able to learn a lot from a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches that basically just see that I belong,” said Reaves, the sharpshooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. “Obviously, there’s things to work on, but I think I can hit the ground running from the start of the year…and attack the NBA season.”

From a results standpoint, the summer didn’t go as planned for the Americans. The US finished fourth

in the World Cup, good enough of a finish to qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics but obviously not good enough to come home with a medal.

Germany won gold, Serbia (with Bogdan Bogdanovic leading the way) silver and Canada (paced by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett) beat the Americans for bronze.

That means a whole lot of players ret urned to their NBA teams with a major sense of accomplishment from the summer—certainly different than what would have been the case had the summer been about just playing 1-on-0 or in 5-on-5 workouts with guys from a local gym.

“I definitely learned a lot and what I learned, I want to bring to this,” said Orlando forward Franz Wagner—who helped lead Germany to the gold medal, by far the country’s biggest team basketball accomplishment yet. “At the end of the day, this is basketball. We’re trying to build a winning culture. Being part of that team, there are certain things that I learned from them that we can apply to our group.”

Ganapin embarks on inspired Para Games bid

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EYA LAURE and the Crossovers breeze through the one-hour and 17-minute encounter.

ONE-ARMED jin Alain Ganapin (left) with coach Gershon Bautista.

Pacquiao’s MPVA gets going Sunday with 8 LGU-based squads competing

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IGHT teams are seeing action in the Maharlika Pilipinas Women Volleyball Association (MPVA) which debuts this Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

Caloocan, Negros, San Juan City and Rizal kick off action, according to league commissioner Mike Tavera, a former varsity at University of Santo Tomas and national juniors player in the 1990s.

“The way I see it, all teams are balanced and capable of winning,” Tavera said. “It’s going to be exciting and interesting.”

“This is a community-based volleyball league that will encourage the volleyball players to play and show their skills,” he added.

Caloocan battles Negros at 3:30 p.m. while San Juan City meets Rizal at 6:30 p.m.

The league, an offshoot of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and launched Wednesday at Club Filipino in Greenhills, include teams

from Marikina, Biñan, Nasipit (Agusan del Norte) and Bacoor (Cavite).

The teams will present their official team rosters before game day.

Tavera said heritage players are welcome to play in the league which will have a home-and-away single round robin format.

Former senator and boxing Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao is expected to grace the opening ceremony.

“It started his desire to form a strong based regional volleyball league after we started the junior MPBL [Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League] to promote the sport,” said Atty. Glenn Gacal, Pacquiao’s legal general counsel. “He really loves to support the sport.”

Tavera said teams must have at least three homegrown talents and sign a maximum of five former professional players but only three ex-pros can play simultaneously in a match. Josef Ramos

TRUCK hard during the pandemic was one-armed taekwondo jin Alain Ganapin, whose bid to compete in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 was derailed after he got the virus a few days before he was to fly to the Japanese capital.

That painful what-might-have-been experience was etched in the memory of the Marikina City native, who vowed to work hard and rekindle his Olympic dream, no matter the cost and sacrifice required.

The grinding journey to the Paris Par alympic Games began in May 2022 when he ruled the men’s -70-kilogram division of the Asian Para Games Qualification Tournament held in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, punching a ticket to the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

“You just couldn’t imagine what we went through, especiallt for Tokyo,” said Ganapin in an interview with

personal coach Gershon Bautista by his side. “That’s why I got so emotional when I won in the qualifying for the Asian Para Games.”

Bautista said that the athlete has not only been undergoing rigorous training the last three months at the Philippine Taekwondo Association Central Gym inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, but also intense physical conditioning for this meet.

“He [Ganapin] is better off now compared to three months ago. Alain gives his spar mates a though time,” Bautista noted of his tune-up matches with some of the able-bodied national team members, among them celebrated veteran and Southeast Asian Games champion Samuel Morrison.

“We believe he [Ganapin] has achieved a good fitness level for him to perform well in this Asian Para Games,” said the coach, adding that the athlete’s strength and stamina levels were at par

Wagner and brother (and Magic teammate) Moritz Wagner played for Germany, which beat the US in the semifinals—a team that just happened to have Magic forward Paolo Banchero on its roster.

Banchero probably could do without the ribbing that the Wagners can throw his way because they won gold this summer. But the reigning NBA rookie of the year was thrilled by one part of what he saw from Germany at the World Cup—a penchant by Franz Wagner for taking over games at the biggest times.

“He was a star. He took that joint over. Best player on the floor, every game he played in,” Banchero said.

“For him, just bringing that same attitude here, you want to see Franz be aggressive. Not many guys can stop him. Him taking that mentality of being the best player on the floor, I would love to see him bring that mentality to our team.”

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, another player for the US this summer, said he went into his first World Cup knowing it would make him better.

before being stricken by the virus, if not better.

“Hopefully his strength and conditioning for this event will be more than enough,” added the coach in the maiden outing of his ward in the sportsfest backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Proof that Ganapin was back in competitive shape was last July when he bagged a bronze in the Australian Open, an Olympic ranking qualifying competition.

Hence he will be killing two birds with one stone in achieving a podium finish in his debut here.

“If Alain makes the podium, it’ll be grear for his world ranking,” explained Bautista, who revealed that his ward is currently ranked No. 24 in the world ratings. “He has a bigger chance of making it to Paris if he is within the top 20 in the world because this event has more qualifying points.”

The country has never had a taekwondo jin competing in the Paralympic Games, and should everything go according to plan, Ganapin is keen on being the one by going all-out for golden glory at the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games here.

AND I’M NOT LYING A

By Josef Ramos

S if 34 anti-doping tests—11 of them administered this year—weren’t enough, Ernest John “EJ” Obiena subjected himself to a polygraph test to prove to the whole world that he’s clean.

“It’s very clear that I am pissed,” Obiena told an online press conference on Thursday afternoon from Dubai, where his supposed to be on R&R from the rigorous indoor and outdoor season that saw him clinching silver at the world championships and gold at the Asian Games.

“The accusation is baseless and it affects me and my coach,” added Obiena, who preferred to skewer his online basher, the wife of a former top pole vaulter from France, instead of keeping his silence.

Jim Lafterty, Obiena’s confidante, arranged the online press conference in his residence in Dubai. They were joined by Obiena’s coach and trainer, Ukranian Vitaly Petrov, who was also a subject of Anais Lavillenie—wife of London 2012 Olympics gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie—bashing in her comment on the Facebook page Vaulter Magazine-Vaulter Club Inc. “That comment had damaged my reputation that I built for the past few years,” Obiena said.

The comment was deleted Monday after BusinessMirror broke the story in its print and online editions.

Hester duPlessis, a certified South African polygraph examiner, facilitated the test Wednesday morning in Dubai.

“He [Obiena] 100 percent passed the polygraph for the absence of any use of PEDs [performance enhancing drugs] or any banned substances, and he also passed 100 percent both doping and match-fixing test areas within eye detect,” said duPlessis, who has conducted more than 5,000 polygraph examinations in the last 15 years.

All of the in- and out-ofcompetition tests were under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations.

Obiena had to undergo those dozens of tests because he made the podium in 22 of the 24 competitions he took part in this season.

Decathlon in Santa Rosa territory

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Excellent cycling

The Excellent Noodles Jamu Booster Cycling Team of sportsmanentrepreneur Alexander Billan makes its mark in the recent Tour Of Matabungkay 2023 in Lian, Batangas with Jomar Camingao ruling Category 26 to 35 and the overall championship. Resty Aragon and Remeo Camingao (father of Jomar) also shone in Category 45 to 56, while Vernon Amaranto has one stage and two runner-up honors and so does Juancho Bumagat. Joining the team photo are Jessica Louise Etorma, Austin Billan, Vernon Amranto, Aljhon Billan and Ethel Erika Robeves.

ECATHLON, one of the world’s largest sports brands, expanded its presence in the Philippines with a new store at the SM City Santa Rosa in the City of Santa Rosa in Laguna.

The retail facility is Decathlon’s ninth in the Philippines and will officially open on October 20.

Santa Rosa Mayor Arlene BArcillas and Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas led a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony with Supermalls South Division Senior AVP Jason Terrenal.

With its purpose of moving people through the wonders of sport, the France-based sports brand seeks to serve more sports lovers and fitness

enthusiasts from every walks of life, offering quality, innovative, and affordable gear, apparel and accessories for over 70 sports and outdooractivities.

“Santa Rosa has such a vibrant sporting community which makes it a perfect place for our newest store,” said Hans Iff, President of Decathlon Philippines.

“And by making products for over 70 sports available to everyone, we would also like to be an avenue for first-timers and adventure seekers to discover their sports passion in our new store.”

Decathlon Santa Rosa is the fifth store in partnership with SM Supermalls, the biggest mall chain in the country.

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Motoring BusinessMirror

Friday, October 20, 2023

Editor: Tet Andolong

Bigger, bolder and better Ford Territory

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Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

Alert, Hill Launch Assist and Hill Descent Control, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System. The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid, Forward Collision Warning, and Autonomous Emergency Braking are exclusive to the Titanium X.

AUNCHED during the Manila International Auto Show, the NextGeneration Ford Territory is a complete departure from its predecessor.

Behind-the-wheel

The top-spec Next-Gen Ford Territory Titanium X in Blue Metallic color

The Titanium variant’s all-digital dashboard with Peacock Blue and Domino dual-tone

It is bigger, bolder, and undoubtedly better in many ways. The latest version has grown to a sizeable family mover from a smaller couple’s ride. It looks like Ford filled in the lacking elements to satisfy every rod trip, whether driving alone or with passengers.

Recently, Ford Philippines hosted an experiential drive for automotive media members to showcase this five-seater crossover SUV’s driving dynamics. The two-day drive included traversing Rizal’s zigzag roads, Laguna’s highways, and Tagaytay’s hills to arrive at the picturesque Anya Resort.

Bigger, bolder and better

Utilizing a new platform, the Next-Gen Territory has grown to a seemingly over-sized compact crossover SUV. Thanks to the pronounced integrated honeycomb grille with slim and headlights-like daytime running lamps, the fascia has a commanding look. The full-LED headlights were fitted lower in the bumper area. The roofline is higher towards the rear end, providing a larger tailgate with

a hands-free function.

The two versions have minimal exterior variations except for the apparent rim size/ design and the panoramic moonroof (Titanium X). The entry Titanium variant has 18-inch multi-spoke rims, while the top-spec Titanium X sports 19-inch rollers.

Inside, the first to impress is the absolute improvement in space. The higher roofline created enough head space for rear passengers. The longer wheelbase resulted in more legroom, particularly in the back area. Comfort-wise, the leather seats are perforated and ventilated (Titanium X), with 10-way power adjustments for the driver and four-way manual adjustment for the front passenger (standard). Cargo-wise, the vehicle has storage compartments and a big trunk that can hold up to 448 liters. That is enough to fit two large-size luggage and some sporting gear.

Perhaps the main highlight is the alldigital dashboard with a single broad display panel for drive information, function settings, and entertainment systems. The

The longer route via Rizal and Laguna going to Tagaytay has enough varying scenarios to test the Next-Gen Territory’s capabilities.

On straights, acceleration was swift and effortless, as expected from the boosted motor. However, the new transmission played a significant role in keeping the engine within its optimum ranges. The torque registration was smooth, thanks to the seamless and timely upshifting.

When switched to Sport or Mountain mode, the gear shifting retains at higher optimum rpm ranges and does the same for engine braking. That is why climbing the winding ascents was the least to worry about.

Entering and exiting tight turns were manageable, with good steering feedback and the right braking point. At the same time, the stability control took over in maintaining the vehicle’s form despite the large frame.

However, there was a hiccup in switching between drive modes as it needed to be accessed via the center display panel. A physical button would have been a better choice for switching on the fly easier. On the other hand, the combination of Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid was at best in terms of being reactive in real-time.

Parking made (super) easy

The Titanium variant in Ruby Red color

tech-loaded dash highlights a large 12-inch central touch screen, spread to the sides, incorporating a seven-inch (Titanium) or 12inch (Titanium X) digital instrument cluster.

There is a rotary gear e-shifter and another knob clustered with other buttons to access audio and other function controls. Even the dual-zone aircon is touch-operated.

Other premium tech features include push-button ignition, electronic parking brake, wireless charging, USB Type C and Type A charging (rear passenger access), and Wireless Apple Carplay® and Android Auto™ capability.

More powerful, convenient, and safer

Another primary enhancement is the powertrain. Motivation comes from a Ford EcoBoost 1.5-liter turbocharged engine.

Even better, it is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission seven-speed wet-clutch DCT, ditching the predecessors’ CVT. Power bumped to 157 hp and 248 N-m of torque.

Various drive modes are Eco, Normal, Mountain, and Sport.

Of course, there is a suite of Advanced Driver-Assist Technologies such as Active Park Assist, 360-degree Camera, Blind Spot Information System with Rear Cross-Traffic

Emphasis is on ‘Japan’–Toyoda

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HE eagerly awaited 2023 Japan Mobility Show (JMS) will unfurl next week and will end on November 5 in Tokyo’s famed Big Sight, finally completing the colossal birth of the show’s predecessor known for 69 years as the Tokyo Motor Show starting 1954.

The change in the motor show’s name was done to be attuned to the fast-changing times brought about, in large part, by the COVID-19 pandemic that brutalized the world in 2020-2022, in the process sideswiping the Tokyo Motor Show for the first time in 2021.

This time, it is not simply the unveiling of concept cars that will titillate the minds of JMS visitors but what the future holds in the autoworld as well in this most challenging epoch when even AI (Artificial Intelligence) is seriously making a dent on humanity’s survival.

Let’s listen to Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, who chairs the JMS: “Let me wind the clock back a little and start with the situation in May 2018, when I was appointed JAMA Chairman for the second time.

“The auto industry had just entered a once-in-a-century period of profound transformation sparked by the CASE revolution.

Could cars continue to play a leading role in our mobility society over the next 100 years?

“This was the challenge that confronted us, symbolized by the steady decline in attendance at the Tokyo Motor Show.

“As JAMA Chairman, I first tackled revamping the Tokyo Motor Show for the 2019 event.

“I had just one message for the team involved: ‘Let’s put on a motor show that will attract visitors.’

“The theme for this year is: ‘Discover a future you can’t wait to navigate!’

“We teamed up with the Economic Council to organize FUTURE EXPO, where visitors could experience the future through cuttingedge Japanese technology.

“From drone shows to e-motorsports competitions, we gave the green light to every exciting idea that the team wanted to try.

As a result, we received 1.3 million visitors and brought smiles to many faces.

“Just two months later, however, we were faced with an unprecedented crisis: COVID-19. Our daily lives were upturned as travel and gatherings were shunned.

“But it was not all negative.

“We came to appreciate that the mobility everyone took for granted was, in fact, sustained by the work of many people.

“This brought the 5.5 million people in Japan’s auto industry closer together. We began to connect and act as one.

In everyday life, our need for alternative communication methods led to dramatic advances in new technologies and services that allow us to connect, such as virtual meetings and food delivery.

Participants d e mo n s t r at e d t he 360-degree camera at the destination resort by going through tight courses and blind spots to mimic tight spaces. The large center display was a plus, displaying various view angles. Next was the Active Park Assist. As expected, when engaged, the vehicle autonomously and effortlessly handled parallel and perpendicular parking situations through the touch of a button.

Sales milestone

Meanwhile, the Ford Territory has once again proven that it is one of the best-selling SUVs in the country today with its recent achievement of back-to-back sales milestones. The Next-Generation Territory has sold over 5,000 units since its introduction last summer. It brings Ford Territory’s overall sales to over 25,000 units since its launch in August 2020.

“Now, on the other side of the pandemic, we are committed to taking the Tokyo Motor Show to new heights. This year, we are transforming the event into the Japan Mobility Show. From cars to mobility. From Tokyo to Japan.

“The emphasis is on ‘Japan.’ This country possesses many incredible technologies and many business leaders who continue to take on the challenge of creating the future.

“We want to provide a platform where such people and technologies come together and connect. We want to share Japan’s vision for the future with the world. That was the idea behind the new name.

“This year’s show will feature more than 400 participating companies, the most ever.

“By matching startups with established companies, we also hope to provide opportunities for new business ventures.

“At the same time, we have planned many exciting sessions, including the Tokyo Future Tour, where visitors can experience how mobility will shape our future cities, and entertainment powered by hydrogen energy.

“We look to exceed one million visitors once again.

“I myself want to spend as much time as possible at the venue, helping to create the cycle of smiles and gratitude.

“I believe that the auto industry stands united as one, and the future is something we create together.

“We hope the media will support us in our efforts to make a brighter future for Japan.”

I can't wait to set foot again on Big Sight.

PEE STOP Glad to know that the recent launch of MG Philippines’ electric models MG Marvel R EV SUV and the MG 4 EV Hatchback went well as planned. Chino Subido was too ecstatic of it, the success earning profuse praises from MG boss Albert Arcilla. Cheers!