BusinessMirror September 02, 2022 by BusinessMirror

of the year will

Experienced economist BALISACAN will draw from his experience in crafting a new economic development plan. Before taking helm of the antitrust body, he served as economic planning secretary of the late president Benigno Aquino from 2012 to 2016. To sustain economic growth of at least 6 percent, the next administration must address red tape and build infrastructure needed to attract investment in manufacturing and agriculture, said Balisacan, who holds a PhD in Economics from the University of GivenHawaii.abudget deficit infl ated by pandemic-era support programs, companies and multilateral development agencies may be tapped to fi nance roads, rail and irrigation, he said. Balisacan helped manage the Aquino administration’s fl agship public-private partnership infraBRP Melchora June its maiden voyage the Revolution during the Spanish colonial period, is part of the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project of the Coast Guard. ROY DOMINGO performance of the Philippine economy in the second half of the year will rest squarely on the shoulders of the incoming administration’s economic team, according to a local think tank. sions” of the chamber, a feat made remarkable by the fact that much of it was in a pandemic. His peers heaped praise on Sotto for his leadership, and laud-

cabinet can handle the emerging scenario,” the reportOnestated.ofthe major risks that post the most uncertainty to the economy is the Russia-Ukraine war which will mark its rst 100 days. The war began in February 24 this year and will reach THE House of Representatives on Wednesday ended the 18th Congress, highlighting its 3-year achievements, including laws to help the country navigate through and emerge stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic. In his valedictory speech, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the 18th Congress was a key and and strengthened our political and governmental institutions. “Despite the many challenges that happened during my tenure as your Speaker, we have risen and proven ourselves to be One Congress, ready to serve our people,” Velasco told his colleagues. “One Congress, ready to scrutinize the national budget, to pass laws, to conduct hearings, to provide oversight on the implementation of laws, and to generally make

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

PHILIPPINES’S incoming economic planning secretary Arsenio Balisacan plans to bolster the economy’s weak spots as he targets at least 6-percent annual growth throughout the term of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. e next administration must boost investment in agriculture and manufacturing and build infrastructure to grow the economy between 6-8 percent annually to 2028, Balisacan said in an interview Wednesday.Farm and industry output currently account for less than 40 percent of gross domestic product, while services contributes the majority. “I would like to see those weakest points as the priority of the administration,” said the 64-year-old, who’s currently chairman of the nation’s antitrustConsistentlycommission.growing at the rate of 6 percent for six years will make Philippines a half-a-trillion dollar economy, according to Bloomberg calculations.enation’s fi rst-quarter expansion of 8.3 percent is already among Asia’s fastest, thanks to the reopening from the pandemic. Still, Marcos’s team faces immediate challenges: infl ation is at its fastest in three years, budget deficit has widened and the global outlook has dimmed. Still, Balisacan said the economy can expand by at least 7 percent this year, within the official growth estimate, riding the recovery from the record contraction in 2020 due to the pandemic. He said he will push for more targeted support measures to ease infl ation’s burden on the poor while ensuring “tight” government fi nances are managed properly. “We can achieve more with less,” he said, adding that a review and streamlining of beneficiaries are needed. e nation also cannot afford removal of certain taxes on goods as proposed by some sectors, he said.

ROY DOMINGO B C U. O @caiordinario THE performance of the

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By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario T HE pandemic was not the “great equalizer” that many believed it to be, as it hurt the poor more and exacerbated existing inequalities in the coun try, according to the Philippine I nstitute for Development Stud ies A(PIDS).tthe launch of the Devel opment Policy Research Month ( DPRM) on Thursday, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep said more poor Filipinos than those belonging to higher-income households saw a decline in their income and lost their jobs. Ulep said more Filipinos be longing to poor households also s uffered moderate and severe food insecurity during the pandemic. “The Covid-19 pandemic exacer bated the long-standing inequities of society,” Ulep said in a presenta tion. “These disparities in human c apital outcomes reflect the struc tural inequities that persisted even b efore the pandemic.” In another presentation, Nation al Economic and Development Au thority (Neda) Undersecretary for Planning and Policy Rosemarie G. Edillon said the pandemic displaced 2.2 million Filipinos and 60 percent of enterprises stopped operation. While the unemployment rate of the bottom 40 percent and higher income households were at 10 per cent in 2020, some 52.7 percent of t he bottom 40 percent were wage and salaried workers compared to 60.4 percent among higher income households, Edillon said. Further, 10.4 percent of the bottom 40 percent of households worked in family farms and en terprises without pay; and 34.8 p ercent of those in the bottom 40 percent were self-employed with out any paid employees.

B S A  A C Bloomberg News

In its latest Market Call report, First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia and the Paci c (FMIC-UA&P) Capital Markets Research said the growth momentum which gave rise to the 8.3-percent growth in the rst quarter will spill over to the second quarter. However, the performance of the economy in cabinet can handle the emerging scenario,” the reportOnestated.ofthe major risks that post the most uncertainty to the economy is the Russia-Ukraine war which will mark its rst 100 days. The war began in February 24 this year and will reach 100 days on June 3. FMIC-UA&P Capital Markets THE House of Representatives on Wednesday ended the 18th Congress, highlighting its 3-year achievements, including laws to help the country navigate through and emerge stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic. In his valedictory speech, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the 18th Congress was a key and steady partner of President Duterte and strengthened our political and governmental institutions. “Despite the many challenges that happened during my tenure as your Speaker, we have risen and proven ourselves to be One Congress, ready to serve our people,” Velasco told his colleagues. “One Congress, ready to scrutinize the national budget, to pass laws, to conduct hearings, to provide oversight on the implementation of laws, and to generally make it easier for the next Congress and

Experienced economist BALISACAN will draw from his experience in crafting a new economic development plan. Before taking helm of the antitrust body, he served as economic planning secretary of the late president Benigno Aquino from 2012 to 2016. To sustain economic growth of at least 6 percent, the next administration must address red tape and build infrastructure needed to attract investment in manufacturing and agriculture, said Balisacan, who holds a PhD in Economics from the University of GivenHawaii.abudget deficit infl ated by pandemic-era support programs, companies and multilateral development agencies may be tapped to nance roads, rail and irrigation, he said. Balisacan helped manage the Aquino administration’s fl agship public-private partnership infrawelcomed by Philippine Coast Guard at the Port Area in Manila on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, completing its maiden voyage from Japan. by Mit after Tandang Grand Woman of Revolution during the Spanish colonial period, of Maritime Safety Capability Project of the Coast Guard. Philippine second half rest squarely on the shoulders of the incoming administration’s economic team, to local think tank.

economy in the

Drilon moved to elect Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri as the acting Senate President Pro Tempore from noon of June 30 until July 25, when the 19th Congress Earlier in the day, colleagues signaled that Zubiri had secured the “votes” of majority of senators who will sit in the 19th Senate, a matter conﬁ rmed by Drilon. Zubiri appears now to be the only likely candidate to stand for election as the next Senate Presi-

Social justice I N o rder to address these inequali ties, especially in light of the pan demic, Ulep cited a need to promote s ocial justice which assures equal access to rights and opportunities, as well as “taking care of the least advantaged members of society.”

PANDEMIC CHALLENGE MARKS 18TH CONGRESS BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business www.businessmirror.com.ph P.  |     | 7 DAYS A WEEK■ Thursday, June 2, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 237 2006 National Newspaper of the Year 2011 National Newspaper of the Year 2013 Business Newspaper of the Year 2017 Business Newspaper of the Year 2019 Business Newspaper of the Year 2021 Pro Patria Award PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY 2018 Data Champion EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS PHL to fix weak spots in path to $500-B dream ‘PHL’S H2 GROWTH RESTS ON NEW ECONOMIC TEAM’ S “PHL,” A THE BRP Melchora Aquino, the second of two multi-role response vessels procured by the Philippine government from Japan, is

from Japan. Constructed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. in Japan, the ship, named after Tandang Sora, the Grand Woman of

PESO E xchangE ratES n US 56.1710 n jaPan 0.4039 n UK 65.2763 n h K 7.1568 n ch I na 8.1504 n SI nga P O r E 40.2083 n aUS t ral I a 38.4210 n EU 56.4687 n KO r E a 0.0418 n S aU DI arab I a 14.9470 Source: BSP (September 1, 2022) PIDS: Pandemic deepened income gaps, hurt poor A broader look at today’s business www.businessmirror.com.ph n Friday, September 2, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 329 P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 22 pages | 7 dayS a week BusinessMirror In its latest Market Call report, First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia and the Paci c (FMIC-UA&P) Capital Markets Research said the growth momentum which gave rise to the 8.3-percent growth in the rst quarter will spill over to the second quarter.

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Bloomberg News

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B J M N. D C @joveemarie

THE Cabinet-level Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) said Philippine Economic Zone Authority’s (PEZA) decision to extend work-from-home arrangements (WFH) for the information technology and business processing management (IT-BPM) sector until March next year “lacks legal basis.”

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“ There are actually less percent age of workers who are employed a s wage and salaried workers, es pecially if you consider those work ing for private establishments, in w orking for governments. And that’s also one of the reasons why they are more vulnerable to eco nomic risks,” Edillon said.

B J M N. D C @joveemarie

IT and Business Process Asso ciation of the Philippines (IBPAP) m embers were earlier told by PEZA that they can extend WFH arrange ments until March 2023. However, t he FIRB clarified on Thursday that the extension of the WFH arrange ment of the sector is "still up for d iscussion."TheFIRB is the government agency that oversees the adminis tration and grant of tax incentives b y the Investment Promotion Agen cies (IPAs).

Aquino, the second of two multi-role response vessels procured by the Philippine government from Japan, is welcomed by the Philippine Coast Guard at the Port Area in Manila on Wednesday,

I n a position paper submitted to Finance Secretary and FIRB Chair person Benjamin E. Diokno, Finance A ssistant Secretary and FIRB Sec retariat Head Juvy Danofrata said, neither the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises [CRE ATE] Act nor the previous FIRB reso lution gives any of the investment promotion agencies [IPAs], such as PEZA, the power to unilaterally allow the adoption of WFH arrangements.” She added: “To date, the current and effective resolution issued by the FIRB states that the WFH ar rangement for the IT-BPM compa nies within the ecozones is only u ntil September 12, 2022.”

Sotto closes ‘productive’ session; Zubiri next SP?

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OWednesday as adjourned sine die the third regular session of the 18th Congress on the part of the Senate, capping what Minority Leader Franklin Drilon described as “one of the most productive sessions” of the chamber, a feat made remarkable by the fact that much of it was in a pandemic. His peers heaped praise on Sotto for his leadership, and lauded and thanked as well the seven matter conﬁ rmed by Drilon. Zubiri appears now to be the only likely candidate to stand for election as the next Senate President, after Sen. Cynthia Villar, ear-

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM T HE local manufacturing sector recorded an im proved performance in A ugust this year, particularly on the rate of hiring for new employ ment in the sector. I n its monthly report on the country’s purchasing managers index (PMI), S&P Global said the Philippines hit a PMI of 51.2 in August, “marginally” improving from the 50.8 PMI recorded in July. “While this signalled a stron ger improvement in the health o f the sector, the uptick was weaker than the series average,” S&P Global said. A country’s PMI is meant to gauge the health of its manufac turing sector. It is calculated as a w eighted average of five indi vidual subcomponents. Readings a bove 50 show growth in the in dustry while readings below the 5 0 threshold signal a contraction in the manufacturing sector. A reading of 50, meanwhile, showed no change to the sector. “August PMI data signalled an improvement in operating con ditions across the Philippines m anufacturing sector. Encour agingly, employment increased

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

S ENATOR Cynthia A. Villar on Thursday ordered the Depart ment of Agriculture (DA) to s treamline its bureaucratic proce dures to accelerate the implementa tion of its rice mechanization pro gram and the usage of the coconut l evyThefund.heads of two attached agen cies of the DA were at the receiving e nd of senators’ ire and disappoint ment during a Senate Committee o n Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform hearing on Thursday. The chiefs of the Philippine Cen ter for Postharvest Development a nd Mechanization (PhilMech) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) were grilled by the commit tee for the slow implementation of t heir respective banner programs. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, the com mittee’s chairperson, questioned repeatedly the creation of an adviso ry body to provide guidance on Phil Mech's mechanization programs. V illar argued that the creation of such a body was neither man dated nor stipulated in Republic A ct 11203, or the rice trade liber alization law that paved the way fo r a rice mechanization program lodged under PhilMech.

THE WORLD A10 WHO: NEW COVID CASES, DEATHS KEEP FALLING NEARLY EVERYWHERE

FIRB: PEZA WFH REPRIEVE FOR IT-BPM HAS NO BASIS jObS grOWth FaStESt SIncE 2017 FOr ManUFactUrIng Slow uptake in coco fund, rice mechanization scored See “FIRB,” A2 See “Jobs,” A2 See “PIDS,” A2

Continued on A11 PEacE bEll (From left) at ty. joahna Paula Q. Domingo, Undersecretary, Office of the Special assistant to the President; Quezon c ty Mayor Maria josefina “joy ” belmonte; Presidential adviser on Peace, reconcilia tion and Unity carlito g galvez; and abang-lingkod Party-list representative joseph Stephen S. Paduano lead the ringing of the World Peace bell at the opening ceremony of national Peace consciousness Month at the Quezon Memorial c rcle in Quezon city on thursday. the bell, donated by the World Peace bell association, a japanese organization raising awareness of the world peace movement by casting and installing japanese temple bells in locations around the world, was inaugurated at dawn on human rights Day, December 10, 1994, by the late President Fidel V. ramos. NONOY LACZA

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BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.phFriday, September 2, 2022A2 News

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas F ARMERS have been reel ing from the steep rise in fertilizer prices that have swelled production costs, yet a P1.1-billion program to set up composting facilities, to boost local organic fertilizer supply, has barely moved. The snail-paced implementation angered Senate Agriculture committee chief Sen. Cynthia Villar, who ordered those in charge to carry out the pro gram by year-end at least, “or resign.” Senators grilled the head of the Bu reau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) at Thursday’s organizational meeting of the panel led by Villar, who stressed that the program would at least help farmers cope with rising produc tionMemberscosts. of the Senate Commit tee on Agriculture, Food and Agrar ian Reform expressed disappointment over the dismal implementation of the BSWM’s composting facility program, given their funding of about P1.137 bil lion this year to set up what are called composting facilities for biodegradable (CFBW) to beenthatHowever,farmer-beneficiaries.VillarreceivedreportsBSWM’sCFBWprogramhasdelayedandmarredbyvarious

Downside risks “ H OW EVER growing downside risks to growth challenge the sec tor. Already we have seen output failing to expand during the latest survey period, and factory orders falling for the second consecutive month. Furthermore, prices pres sures remained persistently high,” the economist warned. In particular, Baluch said some growth headwinds heighten con cerns that inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, the weak ening of the peso and a high inter est rate environment, with further hikes expected, will squeeze de mand as clients’ disposable income will take a hit. “While the Filipino economy showed strong growth post-Covid, the following months will challenge momentum, with the PMI data already recording softer output expectations for the year ahead,” BaluchRizalsaid.Commercial Banking Cor poration (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said while the continued pick-up in foreign direct investments in recent months could support increased production and manufacturing activities in the coming months, various “offset ting factors” that may pull down these“Offsettinggains. risk factors that could be drags for manufacturing growth for the coming months: Relatively higher prices, rising in terest rates, risk of recession in the u S , some continued lockdowns in China, and the continued Russiau k raine conflict.

Any move to extend the WFH arrangement beyond September 12 would need the approval of the Cab inet-level interagency body through a resolution, Danofrata said. Moreover, she said the resolution must be anchored on the extension of the State of Calamity or a declaration of the President of an exceptional cir cumstance, with Rule 23 of the CRE ATE Act IRR prevailing as its legal basis. n o netheless, Danofrata said the FIRB Secretariat is already coor dinating with the Board of Invest ments (BOI) in studying options to allow the WFH arrangements for the PE z A’s locators in the IT-BPM sector, adding that the matter will be delib erated in the FIRB's next meeting in mid-September.

Social justice has five pillars— equal opportunity to access resourc es; voice; diversity; human rights; and equity. g i ven the impact of the pandemic on the Philippines, the country should focus on social jus tice in health; education and labor; and environment, u l ep said.

PIDS...

These were exacerbated by the pandemic, Epetia said, mainly be cause of the country's digital divide as well other socioeconomic chal lenges. She stressed that education remains critical in ensuring access to decent work as well as social mobility.

“Social mobility is the ability of people to move from poverty to great er prosperity, or vice versa, within a society,” Asian Development Bank (ADB) statisticians Arturo Martinez and Joseph Bulan said in an Asian Development Blog. “With more equitable distribution of economic opportunities, those born into lower social classes can more easily reach higher status as their prospects are not strongly an chored to their initial socioeconomic status,” they added. Epetia said addressing inequali ties in education and employment means making quality education inclusive, relevant, and democratic. Efforts to formalize work and expand social protection schemes can pave the way toward creating decent jobs. In terms of social justice in envi ronment, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Sonny n. Domingo said this means ad dressing the country's vulnerabilities to disasters such as cyclones, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, terrorism, and pandemics like Covid-19. Domingo said the Philippines ranked 1st in the 2022 I n F ORM Risk Index for vulnerability to natural disasters and 4th in the 2021 g l obal Risk“TheIndex.poor and the marginalized are seen as the most vulnerable in terms of disaster risk and climate change impacts. u n fortunately, we see very limited bottom-up repre sentation and participation from our communities and from stakeholders outside government services,” Do mingo said. “In everything that we do, in ev erything that the government ini tiatives, we go forward and try to augment our capacities within our communities,” he also said. To address these vulnerabilities, Domingo said, the government must increase investments on climatesmart and green infrastructure across sectors, including agricul ture, as well as mainstream tenets of environment and climate justice in economic development blueprints. He recommended that marginal ized groups be empowered and com munity representations in institu tional decision-making platforms be bolstered.Domingo also cited a need to improve national and subnational planning and fiscal management for climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM). He also recommended efforts to maintain and strengthen transpar ency and accountability mechanisms in development projects, including extractive industries.

Not a single centavo Du R I n g the hearing, it was revealed that BSWM has been unable to obli gate nor distribute a single centavo of the CFBW program, leaving the P1.137 billion untouched to date.

Achieving social justice in health means addressing infant mortal ity in the Philippines where infant mortality among poor households remain higher compared to richer households.Infantmortality in poor house holds is around 30 percent while child mortality is around 40 per cent. However, in the richest house holds, infant mortality is below 10 percent and child mortality, around 10 percent.“Thehealth outcomes, for exam ple, among the poorest population in this country is similar to most countries in Sub Saharan Africa while the richest quintile, for example, is similar to many vibrant emerging economies,” u l ep said. In order to address these, u l ep said cited a need to expand popula tion coverage; health benefits such as primary care; and increase the support value and financial protec tion for healthcare. u l ep also flagged the need for an equitable allocation of subsidies to the local government and addressing the social determinants of health in theIncountry.terms of education and labor, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Ma. Christina F. Epetia cited significant disparities in education outcomes which revealed inequalities in ac cessing quality education.

The “turtle-paced” implementation

concerns and difficulties, forcing the senator to file a resolution that led to Thursday’s inquiry regarding the pro gram’s status. “I want the DA through BSWM to invest in composting and vermicom posting facilities to allow farmers to produce their own organic fertilizers which is good for our soil, which is now 38 percent degraded based on studies,” she“Ifsaid.[asignificant percentage] of our waste kitchen garden waste can be re cycled into organic fertilizer, which is important now since chemical fertilizer has tripled in cost,” that would improve the lot of farmers, the senator pointed out. “We are helping in waste manage ment and producing free fertilizer for our farmers,” she added.

They said if Asian economies were able to do this, the extreme and moderate poverty rate in developing economies in Asia could be reduced to less than 1 percent and 7 percent, respectively. However, Martinez and Bulan said, about a quarter of the region’s population may remain so cioeconomically vulnerable.

“It is also important to note that there are a number of uncertainties surrounding these projections. First, economic growth may be affected by looming threats of stagflation, food insecurity, energy price shocks, debt burden, geopolitical tensions, and other risk factors,” they explained. Other uncertainties include lon ger-term consequences from the pan demic that have yet to come to light. One example would be the full impact of learning losses caused by school closures—such could threaten social mobility prospects of these students in theLastfuture.year, n eda said the Philip pine economy will take a decade to go back to its prepandemic growth path due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the lockdowns. n eda said the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by the govern ment are expected to cost the Philip pine economy a total of P41.4 trillion in the next 40 years. n eda estimated that in 2020, the economy lost P4.3 trillion and is ex pected to continue to lose another P37 trillion in the next 10 to 40 years. In terms of human capital in vestment and returns, the losses are P11.025 trillion in education investments and P4.503 trillion in health for Covid-19 and non-Cov id-19 diseases. she“Why?said. What was the instruc tion of Dar to you? Do not buy the composting facilities so that we will buy more overpriced fertil izer? Do your job properly, or else I myself will be the one to file a case against you,” she added. Soriano committedto complete BSWM’s procurement process for the CFBW units by n o vember. Villar dared Soriano to submit a courtesy resignation should he fail to do this. “Will you submit a courtesy resignation if you fail?” Villar“Weasked.willdo our best [to imple ment the program],” Soriano re sponded.“Youwill file a courtesy resig nation if you fail. Can you commit to me that you will resign if you will be unable to do it? If you are really determined to implement it, then commit your resignation,” VillarMarcossaid.asked BSWM to submit all pertinent documents regarding the procurement and implementa tion of the CFBW program to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform. Villar said the committee would schedule another hearing regard ing the matter in n o vember.

In a previous meeting, Diokno stressed the importance of ensur ing compliance with the CREATE Act among FIRB stakeholders, includ ing the IT-BPM locators, to achieve an effective tax incentives regime in the“Itcountry.iscrucial that the locators in economic zones comply with the on going terms and conditions of their registration in order to continue receiving tax incentives as IPA-ac credited businesses,” Diokno said. To recall, the FIRB earlier allowed registered business enterprises (RBEs) in the IT-BPM sector to con tinue implementing WFH arrange ments without adversely affecting their fiscal incentives from April 1 until September 12 this year subject to certain conditions. These conditions include having the number of employees under a WFH arrangement not exceeding 30 percent of the RBE’s total work force.

Continued from A1 Jobs... Continued from A1 FIRB... Continued from A1 strongly and at the sharpest pace since mid-2017,” Maryam Baluch, Economist at S&P global Market Intelligence, said. The report further said strong gains in workforce numbers helped boost the latest headline PMI figure during“FirmsAugust.hired additional staff for the fourth consecutive month as firms hoped for expansion in production in the coming months. Additionally, the rate of job creation was the fastest since June 2017,” the report read. S&P global also reported that sentiment across manufacturing firms in the Philippines remained strongly positive during August, with around half of survey respon dents hopeful of an expansion in output in the coming 12 months.

Idle ₧1.1B for composting program angers Sen. Villar

BSWM OIC-Director Junel B. So riano, who noted that he took over only last August 1, told lawmakers that the procurement for the CFBW program is currently ongoing with the bureau “completing” the “neces sary” documents for the procurement.

Licking poverty M A RTI n E z a nd Bulan said crises such as pandemics can disrupt the drivers of upward social mobility. These drivers include human capi tal investments, credit markets, and publicTheinvestments.ADBstatisticians said poor households experience greater dif ficulty moving up the income ladder due to shocks compared to well-off households. However, if economies are able to get back to their pre-shock growth prospects, in this case, prepandemic growth path, poverty re duction remains possible.

of the CFBW program easily earned the ire of Villar and Sen. Imee R. Marcos, the vice chairperson of the Senate Com mittee on Agriculture, Food and Agrar ian Reform. Ni isang kusing wala pang nabibili for composting facility [You have not bought even a single unit of compost ing facility.],” Marcos said. Villar said the CFBW program can boost production of domestic organic fertilizers that local farmers can use amid skyrocketing prices of inorganic fertilizers like urea. The P1.1-billion BSWM can procure some 1,100 units of CFBW.Soriano disclosed that the bureau only sought the authority to procure the CFBW units from the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Secretary last February. The agriculture secretary that time was William D. Dar. Soriano’s explanation did not sit well with Villar, who demanded to know why Soriano needed to secure an authority from Dar before proceeding with the procurement process for the CFBWVillarunits.threatened to file a case against Soriano for alleged “incompe tency” as bureau chief. “The previous BSWM chiefs, even without the budget, were able to per form. You, you were just appointed by Dar and you are unable to perform,”

T he Court did not give merit to the argument of the bank that petition er’s marriage to her fellow employee places the bank’s funds at risk for possible embezzlement. Such, assertion, according to the Court, must be based on facts and not on mere speculations. “Friends, lovers and couples share secrets. Any bank employee may poten tially craft elaborate schemes to embez zle the bank’s funds. While a bank must observe high standards of diligence, en forcing an arbitrary no-spouse employ ment rule that directs the immediate dismissal of an employee who marries a coworker cannot be justified. That is illegal dismissal,” the SC said. Based on record, Cagampan mar ried her coworker Audie Angelo, who served as a loan specialist in ONBI, on October 31, 2009, or five years after she was hired as an accounting specialist. On November 4, 2009, the couple requested permission from ONBI Presi dent Alex Buenaventura to continue working for the bank, similar to that given to other couples in its office. T hey even suggested that Augie Angelo be transferred to other ONBI branches. The request, however, was denied and Cagampan was terminated from her work. T he petitioner sought reconsid eration, pointing out that the nospouse policy cannot be applied to her case because she was employed prior to its effectivity. She stressed that the policy contra dicts Article 134 of the Labor Code, which prohibits practices that discrimi nate against marriage. However, ONBI did not entertain pe titioner’s appeal prompting her to file an illegal dismissal case with the NLRC. T he NLRC eventually declared that Cagampan was illegally dismissed and ordered ONBI to reinstate her. T he bank elevated the case before the CA, which in turn, reversed the NLRC decision. T he appellate court declared that ONBI’s policy was a valid exercise of management prerogative. Since ONBI must observe the high est degree of diligence in handling its affairs, the CA explained, the policy is necessary to protect the confidential information of its clients and minimize risks from married co-employees whose communication is privileged. In reversing the CA’s decision, the SC stressed under the Magna Carta of Women, the state commits to eliminate discrimination against women and en sures their right to freely choose a spouse. It noted that in implementing its nospouse policy, ONBI decided to termi nate the petitioner’s employment and retained her husband. In particular, ONBI’s policy states, “When two employees working for One Network Bank are subsequently married through Church or Civil Court rites, one must terminate employment immediately after marriage.”

T he 2023 proposed budget for the Judiciary is higher than its P46.98 billion budget for 2022. For his part, 1-Pacman Rep. Mi kee Romero said the entire Judiciary would receive a total of P5.7 billion in additional funds next year. H e said the huge increase is included in the proposed P5.268trillion 2023 “Agenda for Recovery” national budget President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. submitted to Congress last August 22. The additional funds are in the President’s proposal.

Samuel P. Medenilla

T he PET, which is the Supreme Court itself, will get P167.3 mil lion next year, up from this year’s P157.3 million.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, September 2, 2022 A3BusinessMirror

T he said measures, the President said, would augment the in-service post-graduate scholarship program and e-learning program, which pro vides free online continuing profes sional development already being enjoyed by nurses.

BSKE preps 80% Comelecdone,says Senator pushes satellite-based tech for Internet connectivity Judiciary asks lawmakers to restore ’23 budget cuts MMDA enforcers apprehend 636 traffic violators after NCAP freeze SC rules ‘no spouse’ employment policy discriminatory, violates Labor Code

ATOTAL of 636 traffic viola tors were apprehended on Wednesday, August 31, as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) strengthened its physical apprehension following the suspension of the no contact appre hension policy (NCAP).

T he adjustment of more than P2 billion in the CA’s capital outlay, from P532.3 million this year to P2.678 billion in 2023, largely accounts for the huge increase in its budget.

MARCOS also said his administration plans to roll out additional programs, which will further boost the compe tencies of nurses through a Nursing Certification Program, Primary Care Workers’ Certification Program as well as leadership development cours es for public health nurses.

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573 THE Supreme Court (SC) has de clared that the “no spouse” em ployment policy of employers is “discriminatory” unless there is a rea sonable business necessity. T hus, the Court’s Second Division through Associate Justice Marvic Le onen issued a decision ordering the rein statement of petitioner Catherine dela Cruz-Cagampan to her former position in One Network Bank Inc. (ONBI).

THE President noted the said initia tives are part of the government’s recognition of the valuable contri bution of nurses in nation building, especially during the pandemic. Marcos recalled he was among the hundreds of patients who re ceived world-class health care from Filipino nurses after being afflicted with Covid-19 in 2020. Because of you and the sacrifices that you made knowing that there was a risk involved but because of that sacrifice, because of that com passion, because of that professional ism, our nation has survived the most difficult moments of this pandemic,” Marcos said. To show its support to healthcare workers, including nurses, the government disbursed a total of P25.82 billion worth of benefits during the pandemic.

PBBM vows to back passage of new nursing law

“ To stress, they opted to terminate petitioner’s employment sans any rea son why she must leave, in lieu of her husband. An employer’s dismissal of a female employee solely because of her marriage is precisely the discrimination that the Labor Code expressly prohibits. This Court cannot countenance respon dents’ unlawful act,” the SC declared.

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM DETERMINED to promote satellite-based technologies for faster Internet connectiv ity, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian refiled a bill envisioned to improve Internet access by expanding the existing digital infrastructure using satellitebased technologies. R eviving his original remedial legislation now embodied in Sen ate Bill 814 to be known as the Satellite-Based Technologies for Internet Connectivity Act of 2022, Gatchalian originally filed it in the 18th Congress, aiming to “promote the use and development of satellite services, especially in critical areas to ensure universal access to the In ternet to support e-government and the delivery of basic services, educa tion, health, trade, finance, disaster preparedness, and public safety.” T he lawmaker lamented that use of digital technologies in the Philip pines remain below its potential as 45 percent of Filipino citizens and 74 percent of public schools remain unconnected, according to the 2019 paper from The Asia Foundation. She also cited the Ookla Speedtest Global Index Report that noted the country’s average download speed for fixed broadband connections in the first quarter of 2022 was only 52.16 megabytes per second (Mbps) com pared to the global average of 113.25 Mbps as of September 2021. In a news statement, Gatchalian clarified that through satellite-based technology, the Internet service provider (ISP) sends fiber Internet signal to a satellite in space, adding the satellite dish is connected to the modem of the user, which then con nects the user to the Internet. A s filed, Gatchalian’s remedial legislation allows direct access by value-added service (VAS) provid ers and ISPs to all satellite systems to promote the expansion of satel lite-based networks. It also allows government organizations, public and non-profit private institutions, volunteer organizations engaged in education, health, finance, agricul ture, environmental management, climate change management, disas ter preparedness, and crisis response to own and operate satellite-based technology in order to aid and aug ment their activities. In order to aid in disaster prepared ness and emergency response, each local government unit (LGU) shall be required to set up a satellite-powered communication tool such as satellite phones and satellite-powered por table cell sites, among others. T he Gatchalian bill, at the same time, also broadens the mandate of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to include responsibilities, such as the issuance of satellite policies and regulatory and administrative supervision over the ISPs and VAS.

T he Court directed the respondent ONBI to pay her backwages, her pro portionate 13th month pay for 2010, allowances and other benefits or their monetary equivalent from the time she was illegally dismissed on Febru ary 17, 2010. T he SC also said Cagampan is also entitled to attorney’s fees of 10 percent of the total monetary award, subject to legal interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum from the finality of the decision until full payment.

A mong courts, the CA will receive the highest increase of P2.988 bil lion, with its outlay jumping from P3.504 billion this year to P6.492 billion in 2023.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Mar cos Jr. on Thursday joined the call for the passage of the new Philippine Nurses Act to further ad vance the nursing profession.

I have no doubt that the House will support the adjustment, which we hope would allow the judiciary to meet its re quirements for a quicker disposition of cases and faster dispensation of justice,” Romero said. In the proposed national bud get, the Supreme Court, regional trial courts and lower courts, which are lumped together, are allocated “new appropriations” amounting to P41.923 billion, P2.203 billion more than this year’s P39.720 billion. T he Sandiganbayan, CA, CTA, and Presidential PET have their own separate funding allocations. New funds for the Sandiganbay an will go up by P482 million, from P1.593 billion this year to P2.074 billion next year.

T his despite calls from some lawmakers to reset the date for the electoral exercise to allow the gov ernment to spend over P8 billion budget for the said activity for its pandemic response. Comelec Commissioner George M. Garcia bared they are already about to start the final stages of their preparations for the BSKE. In the coming days, we will come out with the resolution and guide lines. In relation to this, we will be starting the printing of the ballots to be used in the polls,” Garcia said in Filipino in a television interview on HThursday. enotedthat even if Congress does decide to defer the BSKE, he said their preparations for the said activity would not be wasted. We will have no problem for our countrymen because all of our procurement, awarded contract for the delivery of election parapher nalia or equipment, which will be used if the 2022 [BSK] elections on December 5, 2022, will be reset,” Garcia said. Even the ballots, which they will soon start to print, can still be used even if the upcoming BSKE is post poned, according to the poll official. Currently, the bills to move the December BSKE to a new date is still pending in Congress. Garcia, however, said in a Con gressional hearing last week that the delay in the conduct of the BSKE next year may entail an additional cost since they would have to resume with the voter registration.

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T he MMDA said it also adjusted the deployment of its traffic person nel on-the-ground after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary re straining order (TRO) on August 30 on the implementation of the NCAP on a petition filed by trans port groups. A lthough the MMDA is not a re spondent of the case, it announced that it would no longer implement NCAP following the statement of SC spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka that the agency is “covered” by the TRO. W ith the TRO, MMDA acting spokesperson and head of Legal Ser vice Atty. Cris Saruca Jr. said on-theground apprehension will continue and deployment of traffic enforcers shall be adjusted to cover the areas where NCAP cameras are located like Edsa, Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, C-5, and Macapagal Boulevard. W hile Saruca said the NCAP has contributed to behavioral shift of mo torists, he stressed that the agency will do its best to efficiently perform its mandate on traffic and transport management sans the policy. Rest assured that the MMDA, through the leadership of Acting Chairman Engineer Carlo Dimayuga III, will do its best to carry out our traffic management mandate by ap prehending physically and directing traffic physically, as we await final resolution on the NCAP case,” he said. Meanwhile, collection of NCAP fines shall also stop for those who have been apprehended by the policy after the issuance of the TRO. Ap prehensions which happened prior to the TRO shall still be subject to corresponding penalties.

T he SC also ruled that ONBI failed to demonstrate the reasonable business necessity for its no-spouse employment policy since it is not related to the bank’s essential operation of business. It unduly discourages all employ ees from marrying a fellow worker under the pain of termination,” the SC pointed out.

T he SC’s decision set aside the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling issued on July 31, 2014, which reversed the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) findings that Cagampan was illegally dismissed.

The Nation

Speaking at the Philippine Nurs ing Association’s (PNA) 100th an niversary, the President said no amount of monetary compensation or citation could equal the sacrifice, professionalism and dedication of Filipino nurses amid the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. T he Chief Executive assured he would back the passage of a new legislation to amend the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002. I have taken special note of the clamor to address issues in the nursing profession by the passage of the new Philippine Nursing Practice Act,” Mar cos said. “This Executive department, together with Congress, will work with you to achieve this goal,” he vowed.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

Better working conditions

Currently, the Philippine Over seas Employment Administration has limited the deployment of some health-care workers, including nurs es, to 7,500 this year to ensure the country will have sufficient man power for its Covid-19 response.

T he Court also reminded employ ers that while they may have discre tion and judgment in managing their affairs, “their exercise of this right to management prerogative must be in accord with justice and fair play.”

Important sacrifice

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie THE Judiciary on Thursday asked the House of Represen tatives to restore some of the amount slashed from its proposed 2023 budget. Court Administrator Raul Villan ueva said the Judiciary would receive a total of P52.72 billion next year. However, he said the 2023 P52.72 billion allocation for the Judiciary, as approved by the Department of Budget and Management, is lower than its recommended budget of P74.18 billion. “ The variance from our original proposal is P21.46 billion,” Villan uevaOutsaid.of the [original budget pro posal], P21.46 billion were not con sidered as proposed by the Judiciary. We are asking for consideration of [only] P2.1 billion or 13 percent of the items not considered in 2023 NEP [National Expenditure Pro gram],” he added. T he Judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court (SC), Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), Court of Appeals (CA), Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA). Villanueva said the P2.1 billion would include P1.87 billion for the SC, P567 million for CA, P239 million for the Sandiganbayan, and P124.8 million for the CTA. A ccording to Villanueva, the P1.87 billion for the SC will include P410 million for the digitalization for the 2023 Bar examinations. He added the P2.1 billion would also include personnel benefits and creation of new positions.

Marcos also vowed to address the uneven distribution of nurses in different areas around the country by improving their health facilities, benefits and security of tenure. A s for nurses who want to work abroad, the President said the gov ernment would increase the slots for their deployment.

T HE Commission on Elec tions (Comelec) on Thurs day reported that has al ready completed 80 percent of its preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in December.

THE

By Andrea San Juan Commonwealth Secretariat in London is looking at the Philippines’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as basis for a case study for its Trade Competitiveness Section, according to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).

Peza eyed as model for ecozone best practices

I n a news statement issued on Thursday, Peza said the Trade Com petitiveness Adviser of the Common wealth Secretariat in London, Qazi Yawar Naeem, paid a visit to Peza. The Commonwealth Secretari at’s Trade Competitiveness Section [TCS] of the Trade, Oceans and Nat ural Resources Directorate [TONR], provides technical assistance to 56 member-countries of The Com monwealth to improve their trade competitiveness in global markets,” said Naeem. T he Trade Competitiveness Ad viser added, “Interventions are tar geted at the national level, and where requested, escalated to the regional and pan-Commonwealth levels.” W ith this, Peza said, “they are currently studying how they can strengthen the ecozones of the Com monwealth member-states especial ly in the IT sector and e-commerce and they are looking for the success stories and best practices of SEZs [Special Economic Zones] that they canNemulate.”aeemunderscored that the Phil ippines is at the forefront of devel oping economic zones. In fact, he added, Peza’s name was specifically mentioned in the “previous invest ment reports as well as your success stories for developing ecozones and in attracting foreign direct invest ments in those ecozones.” T he 2019 World Investment re port released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop ment (UNCTAD) recognized the Philippines, along with China, India, and the United States, among others as the countries having the highest numbers of SEZs. The Philippines was second to China.

A4 BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.ph Economy Friday, September 2, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Peza said it is worth mentioning that the top Commonwealth mem ber-countries’ Britain and Singa pore are among the highest inves tors contributing to 6.88 percent and 3.97 percent of Peza’s total investments, respectively. It is both humbling and inspir ing that Peza continues to be attrib uted as one of the success stories in ecozone development in the Asean region. We assure you that we will not rest our laurels but continue to im prove our best practices and come up with innovative ways to enhance our ecozone competitiveness also amidst increased use of e-commerce,” Peza Officer in Charge and Deputy Direc tor General for Policy and Planning Tereso O. Panga said.

T he Peza OIC also noted that the Authority is eyeing to attract “hightech industries and emerging tech nologies in the fields of industrial manufacturing transport, technol ogy media and telecommunications, health and life sciences including mineral processing of green metals” as it aims to be aligned with the new strategic priorities of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). In a separate statement released on Thursday, Peza revealed that it has organized a three-day benchmarking activity in its ecozones for the delegates from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Re gion in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Peza said this is to guide the offi cials and staff from the autonomous region in their pursuit of establish ing their own ecozones that can be registered under the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority (Beza). “ With BARMM’s increasing per formance and growing economy among the regions, BARMM can take advantage of the tonomy. efitseconomicpeopleBangsamorotime”thatemphasizeddiquiager(PPRG)lationsandPromotionstheportunitieseconomicnues,nationalports,neededtractprogramecozoneandatthemuch-jobs,exlocalandreveandotheropforregion,”saidPublicReGroupManAleemSidGuiapal.Guiapalitis“highforthefeelthebenofitsau

V ICE President and Education Sec retary Sara Z. Duterte had already met with the department’s Child Protection Unit to enhance programs for the safety and protection of students following the reported harassment of learners by seven teachers of the Baco or National High School’s Molino main campus in Cavite. DepEd spokesperson Atty. Michael Tan Poa also said that a fact-finding report of the case would be submitted today, Friday.

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies are seeking a P251.18-billion budget for next year to hire more cops, firefighters and build jails. During the budget hearing of the DILG, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the agency also wants to strengthen local governments (LGU) capacity to recover from the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19 pandemic. A balos said the 2023 budget of the DILG is higher compared to the P249.4-billion budget this year. T he 2023 budget of the DILG will include Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) P22.3 billion, Bureau of Fire Protec tion’s (BFP) P26.772 billion and Philippine National Police’s (PNP) P191.496 billion. We want to step up the fight against insurgency, criminality, and illegal drugs to ensure people’s safety,” he added. Eighty-seven percent or P217.3 billion of the DILG’s total budget will go to personnel service, while 12 percent or P31.15 billion will go to maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and 1 percent or P2.6 bil lion for capital outlays.

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

T he DBM recalled that they sent a letter to DOH on June 8, request ing the latter to address the lack in the documentary requirements they submitted for their P63 billion budgetary request for the Covid-19 allowance of HCWs. “ Essentially, we requested them to substantiate their request by sending us the budget break down, segregation, actual names of claimants, and other relevant documents for us to clearly de termine the universe of eligible beneficiaries. Subsequent meet ings were held between the de partments relative to the data requirement until the request was finally returned by DBM, on June 29, reiterating the required data from the DOH,” it said. “As long as DOH can address the deficiencies in the documentary re quirements, DBM will immediately process the request to release funds, based on available budget,” it added. T he DBM issued the statement after DOH Officer in Charge Ma ria Rosario Vergeire said they are “still trying to negotiate” with the budget department regarding the release of funds for the allowances of HCWs. Wewill be informing the pub lic, and we would like to inform the PGH [Philippine General Hospital] and other hospitals wala po tayong pinipiling ospital pagmayroon tayong budget sa DOH kung ano po yung mabibigyan natin atin pong nire -re lease ’yan, nagkataon lang po ngayon we have long been requesting for this budget for DBM and up until now we had not been granted for the release of this funds kaya wala pa rin po kaming maibigay sa inyo ngayon,” Vergeire said. I n February this year, the DBM released P7.92 billion to DOH for the OCA of more than half a mil lion HCWs. T he DOH’s implementation of OCA starting this year followed President Duterte’s pronouncement that HCWs should be given higher Special Risk Allowance. G iven the implementation of a “more inclusive and responsive” OCA, the DOH said benefits previ ously enjoyed by a limited number of HCWs—Active Hazard Duty Pay for Public Health Workers; Meals, Accommodation and Transportation Allowance; and the Special Risk Al lowance, for HCWs directly catering or exposed to Covid-19 patients— shall be discontinued. However, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) and the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) earlier op posed the implementation of the OCA program. T he FNU earlier said that imple menting a singular allowance for HCWs amid the pandemic is an “ill conceived and a heartless move” be cause this will effectively reduce the present package of monetary benefits. U nder OCA, each HCW and non-HCW shall receive Covid-19 benefits depending on their level of Covid-19 exposure as prescribed under DOH Administrative Order No. 2022-0001. S pecifically, HCWs who are identified to be at high risk shall receive P9,000 a month while those who have been determined to be at medium and low risk are entitled to a monthly benefit of P6,000 and P3,000, respectively. The benefit shall be given in full amount provided that the health professional physically reports for work for at least 96 hours per month, otherwise the benefit shall be pro-rated. by DOH delay release of OCA allowance for HCWs–DBM

“Kami kasi sa DepEd ay more on the ad ministrative side,” he explained.

The Vice President already had a meet ing with the DepEd Child Protection Unit. There were major directions given to the unit to strengthen their programs at the division office and regional office level,” Poa said, adding Duterte really wanted to resolve such problems in schools. Poa said that it was earlier reported that six teachers did the alleged sexual advances. The investigation, not only of six, but seven teachers identified through social media posts is continuing. By tomorrow, the fact-finding report will be submitted to the regional office and from then on, we will determine the administrative proceed ings against the said teachers,” Poa said in a news briefing. T he teachers were also placed on “float ing status” and were not given teaching load while the probe is ongoing, it was learned. A Twitter user who uses the name @eex presso shared the alleged sexual advances made by the teachers against the students.

Friday, September 2, 2022 A5BusinessMirror News

‘Deficiencies’

T he budget for personnel services will include the retirement and gratuity for the retirees of the PNP, BFP and BJMP, terminal leave benefits of 1,447 compulsory retirees, and loyalty pay. It will also include creation of 2,000 Fire Officers 1; 2,000 Jail Officers 1; 1,000 Pa trolmen and Patrolwomen, as well as 200 Philippine Public Safety Cadets and filling up 18,509 unfilled positions in the PNP, BFP andMBJMP. eanwhile, the budget for MOOE will be for the implementation of projects that will enhance the governance and service deliv ery capacity and efficiency of LGUs, main tenance and operating costs of fire stations, fire trucks, jail buildings, prisoners vans, police stations, police vehicles and police patrol operations. T he MOOE budget is also for the provi sion of subsistence and medicine allowance for the projected 182,556 persons deprived of liberty, quick response fund for PNP and BFP and rice subsidy for the uniformed per sonnel of the tri-bureau. For capital outlays, the DILG budget will be for the construction of 60 fire stations, 1 district jail and perimeter fences in four jails and 11 police stations, procurement of 41 fire trucks, six ambulances, three collapsed rescue trucks, 14 BJMP transport vehicles, 461 patrol jeeps and 120 carriers.

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) mobilized its disaster response units to Northern Luzon as Supertyphoon “Henry” (international code name Hinnam nor) moves closest to the country’s northern portion within the Philip pine Area Responsibility. U pon instructions of PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., police disaster response units, person nel and equipment were rushed to the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley Regions and some parts of the Cordilleras for swift reaction to possible contingencies. At the same time, government relief resources were prepositioned within the proximity of designated evacuation centers for possible re lief operations in areas threatened by the effects of Henry. At the National Headquarters, the PNP high command activated the NHQ Disaster Incident Management Task Group (DIMTG), an updated and enhanced plan of action of the PNP on disaster preparedness and response management in support to other concerned agencies. Azurin said the DIMTG supports the government’s disaster risk re duction and management efforts in accordance with the PNP Critical Incident Management Operational Procedures (CIMOP). He said the DIMTG has alerted PNP disaster response-capable units such as Special Action Force, Mari time Group, Highway Patrol Group and Police Community Affairs and Development Group. Regional Mobile Force Battalions (RMFB) and Provincial and City Mo bile Force Companies were instructed to coordinate closely with local Disas ter Risk and Reduction Management Offices and local government units for possible enforcement of forced evacuation in areas threatened by storm surge, flooding and landslide. Azurin said regional, provincial and city or municipal PNP units in af fected areas were instructed to keep all national highways and major thor oughfares clear of obstructions and debris to allow unhampered passage of troops, rescue units, emergency vehicles and relief supplies. Police Regional Offices in Cen tral Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Metro Manila were also alerted for possible disaster response opera tions in perennial geo-hazard areas in these regions in anticipation of torrential monsoon rains induced by Henry in the north. By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the Department of Health (DOH) is yet to submit required documents necessary for the immediate process ing of request for the release the One Covid-19 allowance (OCA) for healthcare workers (HCWs). I n a news statement issued on Thursday, the DBM explained that since early June this year, it has repeatedly been asking DOH to submit a number of documents but the health department was only able to “substantiate documents that are related to unpaid Covid-19 sickness and death claims for 2020 and 2021 worth P570 million,” prompting them to release the said amount in August.

PNP disaster response units deployed to Northern Luzon Report on Cavite student harassment case to be released today, DepEd says DILG, attached agencies, seek ₧251.18-B budget for 2023

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T he thread was originally posted on Face book but was deleted for allegedly violating community standards. On the said Twitter thread, one of the teachers even posted photos of his students on his social media accounts while making sexual innuendos. W hile the investigation is proceeding, Poa appealed to those who experienced sexual advances or abuse at the hands of the teachers to come out and file their com plaints to boost the case against them. A s to what penalty can be imposed against the teachers if they are found guilty in the administrative proceeding, Poa said the “most severe punishment” is dismissal from the service. T his, he added, does not preclude the lodging of criminal cases against the teach ers by the victims.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz B y Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

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Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 21. DU, XIAOYU Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

ADDRESS

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

31. YIN, MandarinLONGCustomer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 33. BUI VAN KHANG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

2. MAC CUN PHUNG Mandarin Speaking Online Payment Specialist

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 27. DOAN TRONG DUNG Mandarin Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 34. CHU HOANG ANH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 32. ZENG, MandarinLINGFUCustomer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

ALLRAY FASHION INC. Unit No. U-42 3/f Baclaran, Bagong Milenyo Plaza, Barangay 76, Pasay City

6. PUTHUKULANGARA, JOY Marketing Coordinator Brief Job Description: Markets products by developing and implementing marketing and advertising campaigns.

Brief Job Description: Assist internal and external customers with questions related to payments Basic CommunicationGoodQualification:OralandWrittenSkillsin Mandarin; at Least 6 Months of Related Experience in This Field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 3. CHANG, CHIH-YUN Mandarin Speaking Operations Specialist

5. YEN, YU-FENG Mandarin Speaking Operations Specialist Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthemanagement of workflow throughout all departments within a business; the purpose of this position is to optimize daily activities and performance of the business across the board

Basic Qualification: Experience in internal management / fluent in Chinese and English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Mandarin and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 23. LIANG, JIE Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 28. LI, MandarinYULONGCustomer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

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

35. HA DUY HUNG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

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

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phFriday, September 2, 2022 ESTABLISHMENT

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION 3rd Floor, E Six West Campus Le Grand Avenue, Mckinley West,, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 20. CHEN, YUANZHONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ESTABLISHMENT / No. NAME OF POSITION BRIEF QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 66. AYE NYEIN HAN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

71. KYAW SAN WIN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

PHAM HAN QUOC Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

VO QUOC TA Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

78. HOU, YOUCHUAN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 39.

KAJIMA PHILIPPINES INCORPORATED 12/f, Makati Sky Plaza 6788 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 61. KAGIWADA, KATSUYA Treasurer And General Manager For Finance And Admin Brief Job ApprovesDescription:alltransactions of the Accounting and Administrative Section

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

NGUYEN VAN BO Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

80. LI, PING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries

81. LU, GUANGJUN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries

51. PHAN DUC CUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 54.

VO TAN VIET Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 41.

Basic CollegeQualification:Graduate,Good in Oral and Written Communication, Fluent in Japanese and English PhpSalaryLanguageRange:150,000- Php 499,999 JACOBS PROJECTS (PHILIPPINES), INC. 16/f South Tower, Rockwell Business Center Sheridan, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong 57. RUSU, RADU Owner’s Representative Lead Brief Job LeadershipDescription:andhealth and safety planning, project management Basic PhpSalaryBachelor’sQualification:DegreeRange:500,000andabove

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 68. HLYO YI SHA Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

73. MYINT THAN NAING Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

82. LYU, ZHEN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

NGUYEN THI ANH HONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 40.

Basic Qualification: Must be expert in planning, organizing and directing the completion of project Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

AND

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , AND BRIEF SALARY

70. KYAN EAIN KYONE Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND

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

Basic ProficientQualification:inspeaking, reading and writing in English and their respective Native Language for the position applied for; Fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an PhpSalaryadvantageRange:30,000-Php 59,999 60.

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

76. CUI, SHIBO Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

FOREIGN NATIONAL

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

JACCS FINANCE PHILIPPINES CORPORATION U-3806-3810, 38th Floor, Robinsons Equitable Tower, Adb Ave. Corner Poveda St., San Antonio, City Of Pasig 56. MAEDA, KEISUKE Executive Vice President Brief Job Description: To Plan, Organize, Direct, Coordinate and Manage the overall operations of the company.

RANGE BusinessMirror A7www.businessmirror.com.ph Friday, September 2, 2022

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

TRUONG CONG HUNG Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 65. AUNG THU KYAW Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 48. NGUYEN VAN THIEU Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

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

VO QUOC CUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 47. DOAN MINH TUAN Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 53. TRAN VAN MANH Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 25/f Robinsons Summit, Jg Summit Center, Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 59. MA, ChineseCHING-ANTechnical Support Representative Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

Basic communicationGoodQualification:andeffectiveskills both verbal and written Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above LEEKIE ENTERPRISES, INC. 8/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati 62. HENDRIK ONG Software Control Specialist Brief Job Description: Provide support in troubleshooting the daily operational issue related to the software Basic BachelorQualification:DegreeWith 3 Years Work PhpSalaryExperienceRange:30,000-Php 59,999 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City 63. ARR BurmeseKWINCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 64. AT BurmeseCHWINTCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

77. HOU, DAJUN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries

83. MA, XIAOPENG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries

ADDRESS

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 42. PHAM THI THAO LY Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

45.

POSITION

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 43.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 69. HTAY AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

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

TRAN HO DIEM NGOC Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 44.

MIAO, ChineseFU-NANTechnical Support Representative Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services Basic ProficientQualification:inspeaking, reading and writing in English and their respective Native Language for the position applied for; Fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an PhpSalaryadvantageRange:30,000-Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 52. TRAN THI THANH TAM Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

37.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 38. NGUYEN THANH THIEN Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 49. NGUYEN XUAN AN Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

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

67. EI EI PHYU Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

74. NYI LI Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires

75. YAN YONE TEL Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

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

72. LAUK BurmeseKYWINCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 79. JIANG, ZE Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 50. NGUYEN XUAN KHAM Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

46.

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 and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 55. VU DUC ANH Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

DESCRIPTION

JANGHO CURTAINWALL PHILIPPINES INC. Level 40 Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 58. ZHANG, HOULU Project Manager Brief Job ConstructionDescription:

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

LE THI NGOC PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

ORRO GROUP PHILIPPINES INC. U-6d 6th Floor Multinational Bancorporation Centre,, 6805 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 131. BOE, PATRICK SHAN Country Manager And Treasurer Brief Job Description: To manage and oversee the whole local Philippine Operations which includes support services, recruitment, budgets, planning, logistics, and all other. He ensures a cost-effective operation and high output. Lead and manage the support services operations, ensuring that customers receive a high level of customer service within service level agreements, Basic Qualification: The job demands a broad range of organizational and business skills including excellent networking skills, able to deliver the highest standards of customer service, excellent interpersonal skills at all levels, people management and leadership skills. He might also require specialized skill sets and IT-related product knowledge, technical and non-technical support Salaryoperation.Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

OUTWIT, INC. 2/f Marvin Plaza, 2153 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 132.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque 118. HUANG, ZHOUWEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of 4 Years Bachelor Degree With Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 86. DAVID Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

JACKSON WONG SIE KAI Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 91. KHOR ZHE HAO Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 119. JIANG, ChineseCHUNWUCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

AND

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 105. NGUYEN CONG LY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 103. LA KHONG THANH HUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic GoodQualification:socialandpresentation skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

POSITION

QUALIFICATION

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 92. MOHAMMAD VOON WU SIN ABDULLAH Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 93.

Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 114. JENNY Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 110. NGUYEN TRUNG HIEU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

111. YOHAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

DESCRIPTION

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 128. NGUYEN THI HONG NHUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 125. HOANG ANH TUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

PATRICK CHAN LEE ONG Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native 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

112. DEA NADILA Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 113. FERNANDO REDONDO Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 121. ELEN PHANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 97. DANG HOANG HAI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 98. DAU GIANG KHANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 99. HA XUAN CHIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

NOKIA SHANGHAI BELL PHILIPPINES, INC. Penthouse W Fifth Bldg., 5th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 129. CHEN, QIANG Cto Of Globe Telecom Project Brief Job Description: Technical leader of the project Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree, excellent communication skills, technical SalaryexpertiseRange: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 122. AUNG NAING SOE Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 106. NGUYEN DINH NHAT Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 117. WIMPY RAHMAT ABIYYU Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 120.

LE DINH DINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 126. LUC TIEU VietnamesePHUONGCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

CHUA KAI WEN Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 90.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 104.

100. HOANG VAN THACH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 101. HOANG VAN THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 102. HUA THI DIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 108. NGUYEN THI LAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 109. NGUYEN THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

CHEN, TZU-YU Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION BRIEF QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CONG CIN LIUNG Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 124. ZAW MyanmariOO Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 123. TUN TUN MyanmariOOCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 87. JULIO ANDREAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 88. ANGELY CHANG Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

OPTIMUS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS INC. 8/f Alphaland Makati Tower 3, 7232 Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 130. BEH MEI MalaysianTIENGAssistant Treasury Manager Brief Job SuperviseDescription:accountsofficers and leaders, allocate new accounts and tasks to team members

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 89.

Brief Job Description: Help gain the customers’ loyalty to the company and its services

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phFriday, September 2, 2022 84. WEI, LIMING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 85.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 107. NGUYEN NANG TUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 2/f 331 Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 47/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 94. SUEBWONGSA, ATHITAYA Thai Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 95. BUI THI PHUONG THAO Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 96. BUI VAN TRUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 115. KEVIN STEVANUS Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 116. RATU NIAGARA Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 127. MUNG THI BAO NGOC Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

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

THINK SUPPORT SERVICES, INC. ( DBC PHILIPPINES ) Lower & Upper Penthouse, Bank Of Makati Bldg., Bel-air, City Of Makati 158. LABUSCHAGNE, WESSEL Head Of It Operations Brief Job Description: Have a strong ability to influence and gain buy-in front buss. Stakeholders, etc.

XU, XINGZHU Chinese Construction Technician 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.

PH SUNTON TRADE IN CORP. 641 T., Santiago St., Lingunan, City Of Valenzuela 137. FU, JIANHUI Warehouse Manager Brief Job AnalyzingDescription:andreporting on performance and translating into the Chinese language.

Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forcoordination of raw materials as well as other parts and resources that are need to manufacture products. Execute core material planning process to ensure material availability (overstock, understock) Order all necessary components or raw materials to support the MPS (Master Production Schedule) plan utilizing the standard operating Basic PhpSalarylanguagefluentpresentationStrongthinkingandAbilityofKnowledgeableQualification:inplanningconsumergoodsindustry.tothinkstrategicallyanalytically.Strongcriticalandnegotiationskills.communicationandskills.MustbeinEnglishandMandarinRange:30,000-Php59,999

VICCI BUSINESS CONSULTANCY CORP. 10/f Liberty Plaza, 102 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 160. HSIEH, CustomerI-LINGRelation Representative (mandarin Translation)

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

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. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 149. ZHAO, CHEN Marketing Specialist Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:fordeveloping and managing all aspects of the company’s marketing strategy.

Brief Job Description: Ability to formulate, develop, improve, and reformulate products. Knowledge in product testing (raw material and packaging material) and sensory evaluation. Develops constantly new product profiles, Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. Must be fluent in English and Chinese language Basic PhpSalarylanguagefluentandandtimelessoftowithhardworking.tasking.PositiveQualification:towardsmulti-TrainableandResponsiblesoundjudgementAblemanageelevatedlevelstressalongsidewithdeadlines.Honesthardworkingandflexibleopentochanges.MustbeinEnglishandChineseRange:30,000-Php59,999 153.

Basic KnowledgeQualification:incomputer and experience as Chef Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZHANG, YONGYONG Product Development Specialist Brief Job ConductsDescription:researchand keep the track/ logs pertinent information and findings. Report update/ result of efficacy testing done on exploratory raw materials/ concepts to the Product Development Supervisor. Review the product stability and testing results. Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. Must be fluent in English and Mandarin Language Basic Qualification: Must be able create prototypes for the new materials. Knowledgeable in research and keeps track/ logs pertinent information and findings for product development. Must be fluent in English and Mandarin PhpSalaryLanguageRange:30,000-Php 59,999 152. WANG, XIU Research And Development Specialist

MARIMUTHU, PREMNATH Service Desk Manager

YUE, FENGMING Research And Development Specialist

PhpSalarylanguagefluentandandtimelessoftowithhardworking.tasking.PositiveQualification:towardsmulti-TrainableandResponsiblesoundjudgementAblemanageelevatedlevelstressalongsidewithdeadlines.Honesthardworkingandflexibleopentochanges.MustbeinEnglishandChineseRange:30,000-Php59,999

Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin and English language both written and Withverbalworking knowledge in the field of construction.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA

S&P CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT CO., INC. U-1168b G/f Veca Bldg., Chino Roces Ave. Cor. Estrella St., San Antonio, City Of Makati 142. CHEN, YOUQIANG Chinese Construction Technician 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.

Basic ofandMaintainingQualification:documentationkeepingaccuraterecordswarehouseactivities,fluent in Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati 138.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and/or customers through mandarin to English translation.

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

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

TREASURE CUISINE INCORPORATED Unit No. L7 B. Flr 2/f Oceanaire Condo., L7 B Central Business Park, Barangay 76, Pasay City 159. ZHANG, QIN Chinese Cuisine Specialist Brief Job SupervisesDescription:andparticipates in cooking and baking and preparation of food

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE A9www.businessmirror.com.ph Friday, September 2, 2022 133. TRINH THI CAO DANG Mandarin Speaking Marketing Specialist

SUMITOMO METAL MINING PHILIPPINE HOLDINGS CORPORATION 24th & 25th Floor Nac Tower, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

PANG, ZHENYANG Product Development Specialist Brief Job ConductsDescription:researchand keep the track/ logs pertinent information and findings. Report update/ result of efficacy testing done on exploratory raw materials/ concepts to the Product Development Supervisor. Review the product stability and testing results. Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. Must be fluent in English and Mandarin Language Basic Qualification: Must be able create prototypes for the new materials. Knowledgeable in research and keeps track/ logs pertinent information and findings for product development. Must be fluent in English and Mandarin PhpSalaryLanguageRange:30,000-Php 59,999 151.

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. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 144. LIU, YANG Chinese Construction Technician 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.

135. TRAN KHAY SIU Mandarin Speaking Operations Specialist

Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and/or customers through mandarin to English translation.

145. QIAN, CHENG Chinese Construction Technician 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.

Basic Thorough,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and PhpSalarycharacters.Range:30,000-Php 59,999

Brief Job OrganizingDescription:andadministrating the strategies and programs of the company and setting up the machineries and equipment along with experimenting on the same.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 139. NING, YOUBOTE Chinese Equipment Installation Specialist Brief Job OrganizingDescription:andadministrating the strategies and programs of the company and setting up the machineries and equipment along with experimenting on the same.

Basic PhpSalaryrelevantskills.ExcellentQualification:communicationAtleast1yearexperiencetotheposition.Range:30,000-Php59,999

Basic Thorough,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and PhpSalarycharacters.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 161. SINTIADY TANIAR CHANDRA Customer Relation Representative (mandarin Translation)

155. NAKAMURA, KOICHI Executive Vice President Brief Job Description: Assist the president in achieving corporate goals, direct execution of corporate objectives, communicate corporate strategies to stakeholders, ascertain the compliance of company policies and procedures, oversee strategic plans and annual reporting and analyze financial standing of the company Basic relevantmanagementadministrationDegreeQualification:inbusinessororsimilarfields,withhigh level of competence in corporate management and office administration, with good communication skills in oral and written forms, that is, in both the english and japanese languages, must have at least 5 years of experience in a similar position at management level, willing to be assigned in BGC Taguig city Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Brief Job Description: Enforce strict safety guidelines and company standards. Tran new employees on how to safety use machinery and follow procedures

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. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 146. WANG, FENG Chinese Construction Technician 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.

TECHMAVE SERVICES INC. 11/f Liberty Plaza Bldg., 102 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 156. KRISDAYANTI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relation Representative Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and / or customers through mandarin to English translation.

Basic Qualification: Must be graduate of Bachelor’s Degree in Buss. Administration, commerce IT or any equivalent course Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin and English language both written and Withverbalworking knowledge in the field of construction. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

PHOPSIRA, NICHANAN Thai Customer Service Representative

Basic ProficientQualification:inspeaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent in Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 164. BUI NGOC QUE ANH Vietnamese Marketing Specialist

Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:inthemanagement of workflow throughout all departments within a business Basic PhpSalaryskillsGoodQualification:socialandpresentationRange:30,000-Php59,999 136. WANG, MandarinYAO-JIUSpeaking Product Supervisor

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 162. ZHONG, Mandarin-speakingHONG-KAI Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Prepares product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information. Basic PhpSalaryForeignQualification:languagespeakingRange:30,000-Php59,999

154. LIN, SeniorCHENG-HUNGAssociate& Supply Planning (non-finished Goods/ material Planning)

BusinessMirror

WANG, QUN Chinese Construction Technician 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.

Basic Through,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and PhpSalarycharacters.Range:30,000-Php 59,999

MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic ProficientQualification:inspeaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent in Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WIPRO PHILIPPINES, INC. 7th Floor Eton Centris Building, Edsa, Corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City 165.

Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forglobal service desk and remote desktop support services which consist of team size 120 members which include 6 Team Leads. Responsible for the day to day resolution of incidents of the Service Desk Team & Remote Desktop Support Team operating from Manila delivery center.

CHENG, YONGHU Chinese Construction Technician 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.

141. MU, FUNA Mandarin Team Leader Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forbusiness consultancy practice. Accountable for the succesful delivery of complex project implementation, in which the team leader also acts as project manager. Basic CollegeQualification:graduate.Fluent in cantonese, taiwanese and mandarin language. Excellent communication skills. Atleast 1 year experience relevant to the PhpSalaryposition.Range:30,000-Php 59,999

Basic PhpSalaryskillsGoodQualification:socialandpresentationRange:30,000-Php59,999 134. LAY DIU HUNG Mandarin Speaking Operations Specialist Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:inthemanagement of workflow throughout all departments within a business Basic PhpSalaryskillsGoodQualification:socialandpresentationRange:30,000-Php59,999

Basic PhpSalaryskillsGoodQualification:socialandpresentationRange:30,000-Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Can Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habits and trends; Can Brainstorm and develop ideas for creative marketing campaigns; Can Assist in outbound or inbound marketing activities by demonstrating expertise in various areas. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SPRING DRAGON TRADING LTD. INC. 35th Flr. Penthouse 1,2 & 4 Manila Eco Tower, 9th Ave. Cor. 32nd St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 150.

WANFANG TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 6-9/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza, Edsa Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City 163.

CHEN, GAOYANG Chinese Equipment Installation Specialist

REVON MOTION BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. G/f Pmj Bldg., Evangelista Cor. Cuangco Sts., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 140. WANG, DAFU Mandarin Coordinator Brief Job Description: Works under a mandarin manager to maintain office equipment, physical space and telecommunications sustens for single building. College graduate. Fluent in cantonese, taiwanese and mandarin language.

Brief Job Description: Help develop, execute and monitor marketing programs across a variety of channels

Basic Qualification: 9 years of experience Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 *Date Generated: Sep 1, 2022

Basic Through,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and PhpSalarycharacters.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 157. WU, MandarinCHIA-JUNGSystem And Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and / or customers through mandarin to English translation.

THIS August 2022 photo provided by Pfizer shows vials of the company’s updated Covid-19 vaccine during production in Kalamazoo, Mich. US regulators have authorized updated Covid-19 boosters, the first to directly target today’s most common Omicron strain. The move on August 13, 2022 by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. PFIZER VIA AP By Bharatha Mallawarachi The Associated Press C OLOMBO, Sri Lanka— The MonetaryInternationalFund will provide Sri Lanka $2.9 billion over four years to help salvage the country from its worst economic crisis under a preliminary agreement the agency announced Thursday.

GENEVA—The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally continued to fall nearly everywhere in the world in what the World Health Organization described as a “welcome decline” at a media briefing on Wednesday.

The economy has been in turmoil since the military toppled the Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government in the 2021 coup. International or ganizations including the Interna tional Monetary Fund and World Bank said they don’t have the latest data on Myanmar’s forex reserves. But Commerce Minister Aung Na ing Oo told Bloomberg News that Myanmar’s foreign reserves have improved a bit, compared to $6.04 billion recorded last October. Last week, the authority warned of effective action against illegal forex traders under the Foreign Exchange Management Law and regulations, while urging people not to panic and not to trust ma nipulators. The central bank has also ordered licensed banks to re port sales of foreign currencies to importers of fuel and edible oils on a daily basis, starting from thisTheweek.cost of the basic food bas ket in Myanmar was 34 percent higher in July than the same time last year, the UN’s World Food Pro gram said in a report. Fuel prices remain significantly higher than one year ago, and reports of fuel shortages in early to mid-August have led to renewed price increases outside the monitoring period, it said. Bloomberg News

The new budget came amid a relative calm following months of public protests that ousted the once-powerful Rajapaksa political dynasty.

The island nation has suspended repayment of nearly $7 billion in foreign debt due for this year. The country’s total foreign debt amounts to more than $51 billion of which $28 billion has to be repaid by 2028.Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to shrink by 8.7 percent in 2022 with inflation rising above 60 percent, the IMF said, adding that the impact has hit the poor and vulnerable the hardest. The lender said its package will focus on stabilizing the economy, protecting the livelihoods of citizens and help to spur growth. Key elements include major tax and energy pricing reforms, raising social spending, replenishing foreign exchange reserves, and introducing a stronger anticorruption legal framework.

dangerous new Covid-19 variant, experts expect to see a spike in hospitalizations and deaths. Tedros said vaccination rates, even in rich countries, were still too low, noting that 30 percent of health workers and 20 percent of older people re main“Theseunimmunized.vaccination gaps pose a risk to all of us,” he said. “Please get vaccinated if you are not and a booster if it’s recommended that you have one.” In the US, the Food and Drug Administration cleared its first update to Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday, booster doses that target today’s most common Omi cron strain. Authorities said shots could begin within days. Until now, Covid-19 vaccines have targeted the original corona virus strain, even as wildly differ ent mutants emerged. The new US boosters are combination, or “bi valent,” shots. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the new est Omicron versions, called BA.4 and BA.5, which are considered the most contagious yet. Earlier this month, Britain decided it would offer adults 50 and over a different booster option from Moderna, a combo shot targeting that initial BA.1 Omicron strain. On Friday, the European Medi cines Agency will consider wheth er to authorize the combination Covid-19 vaccine including BA.1 made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Another version of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine incor porating the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is also under review by the EU regulator.

The use of a harsh anti-terror law to detain a protest leader has led to the United States and European Union raising human rights concerns.

Sri Lanka’s crisis was made worse by global factors like the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but many have accused the Rajapaksas of severe economic mismanagement and corruption that pushed the country into bankruptcy. Rajapaksa is now in Thailand. Party leaders say he is expected to return from exile early in September and have asked Wickremesinghe to provide him with security and facilities to which a former president is legally entitled. Since becoming president, Wickremesinghe has cracked down on protesters and dismantled their main camp outside the president’s office.

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said talks with the IMF successfully reached final stages as he presented an interim budget aimed at obtaining a rescue package. Measures outlined covered raising some taxes, slashing capital expenditure, taming inflation and bolstering reliefWickremesingheprograms. delivered his first budget proposal after he was elected by Parliament in July to fill the rest of the fiveyear term of ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July and resigned after protesters who blame him and his family for the crisis stormed his official thetoincreaseprogramadministration’sWickremesinghecontroltoafterlongclosures,havehaveensurehaveinternationalUnitedWickremesingheresidence.saidtheNationsandotherorganizationslaunchedaprogramtofoodsecurity.Schoolsreopenedanduniversitiesresumedclassesafterlonghesaid.However,fuellineshavereappearedaquotasystemseemedhavebroughtthemunderoverthepastweeks.Inhisbudgetspeech,saidhisfiscalwillstrivetogovernmentrevenuearound15percentofGDPby2025,cutdown

Sri Lanka is in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis with acute monthslong shortages of essentials like fuel, medicine, and cooking gas due to a severe foreign currency dearth. Though cooking gas supplies were restored through World Bank support, shortages of fuel, critical medicines and some food items continue.

WHO: New Covid cases, deaths keep falling nearly everywhere

A PHARMACIST injects a patient with a booster dosage of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Lawrence, Mass., on December 29, 2021.

Still, “people have to realize this is a different kind of booster than was previously available. It will work better at protecting against Omicron,” said virologist Andrew Pekosz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Even people who had an earlier Omicron version still can get reinfected so “you should definitely go for the booster even if you’ve been infected in the last year,” added Pekosz. He thinks “if we can get good buy-in to use this, we might really be able to make a dent” in Covid-19 cases. The FDA cleared the modifications ahead of studies in people, a step toward eventually handling Covid-19 vaccine updates more like yearly changes to flu shots. FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks stressed the agency considered “the totality” of evidence. Pfizer and Moderna have previously brewed vaccine doses updated to match earlier mutants—including the Omicron strain named BA.1 that struck last winter—and tested them in people. Those earlier recipe changes were safe, and the BA.1 version substantially boosted virus-fighting antibodies—more than another dose of the original vaccine—although fewer that recognized today’s genetically distinct BA.4 and BA.5 strains. But instead of using those BA.1 shots, FDA ordered the companies to brew even more up-to-date doses that target those newest Omicron mutants, sparking a race to roll them out. Rather than waiting a few more months for additional human studies of that very similar recipe tweak, Marks said animal tests showed the latest update spurs “a very good immune response.”

By Lauran Neergaard AP Medical Writer

Myanmar plans $200-million forex intervention to ease fuel price crunch

The arrangement will work to restore financial and macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability as well as unlock the country’s growth potential, the IMF team visiting Sri Lanka said in a statement.Thepackage is contingent on approval from the IMF management and executive board, as well as on receiving assurances from Sri Lanka’s creditors, which include countries like China, India and Japan, that debt sustainability will be “Debtrestored.relieffrom

Sri Lanka’s creditors and additional financing from multilateral partners will be required to help ensure debt sustainability and close financing gaps,” the statement said.

US clears updated Covid boosters targeting newest Omicron variants

The big question is whether people weary of vaccinations will roll up their sleeves again. Just half of vaccinated Americans got the first recommended booster dose, and only a third of those 50 and older who were urged to get a second booster did so. Here’s the rub: The original vaccines still offer strong protection against severe disease and death from Covid-19 for generally healthy people, especially if they got that important first booster dose. It’s not clear just how much more benefit an updated booster will bring— beyond a temporary jump in antibodies capable of fending off an Omicron infection.

AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this report.

public sector debt, control inflation and increase value added tax to 15 percent from the current 12 percent.

AP/CHARLES KRUPA

There’s one more step before a fall booster campaign begins: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend who should get the additional shot. An influential CDC advisory panel will debate the evidence Thursday—including whether people at high risk from Covid-19 should go first. The US has purchased more than 170 million doses from the two companies. Pfizer said it could ship up to 15 million of those doses by the end of next week. Moderna didn’t immediately say how many doses are ready to ship but that some will be available “in the coming days.”

The hope, Marks said, is that a vaccine matched to currently spreading variants might do a better job fighting infection, not just serious illness, at least for a while. What’s next? Even as modified shots roll out, Moderna and Pfizer are conducting human studies to help assess their value, including how they hold up if a new mutant comes along. And for children, Pfizer plans to ask FDA to allow updated boosters for 5- to 11-year-olds in early October. It’s the first US update to the Covid-19 vaccine recipe, an important but expected next step—like how flu vaccines get updated every year. And the US isn’t alone. Britain recently decided to offer adults over 50 a different booster option from Moderna, a combo shot targeting that initial BA.1 Omicron strain. European regulators are considering whether to authorize one or both of the updated formulas.

“One needs to refresh the immune system with what is actually circulating,” Marks said. That’s why FDA also is no longer authorizing boosters made with the original recipe for those 12 and older.

By Khine Lin Kyaw M YANMAR’S military government says it will provide more than $200 million through the foreign cur rency market to ease a surge in basic commodity prices driven by high fuel prices. The six-member Foreign Ex change Supervisory Committee came up with the decision after the monetary authority’s meeting with local banks and fuel oil im porters last week, according to a statement late Wednesday by the Central Bank of Myanmar. This marks the financial au thority’s first sale of US dollars in nearly six months, government data show. The central bank last sold $15 million at its FX auction with an average exchange rate of 1,778 kyat per dollar on March 8, following only six auction sales of US dollars in early 2022. Last month, the central bank changed the reference exchange rate from 1,850 to 2,100 kyat per dollar as the national cur rency continues to weaken. But, a huge gap between the official rate and market price remains, as the black market rate became 90 percent higher than the ref erence exchange rate Wednesday.

IMF to provide $2.9 billion to help crisis-hit Sri Lanka

The World BusinessMirrorFriday, September 2, 2022 Editor: Angel R. Calso • www.businessmirror.com.phA10

The UN health agency said there were 4.5 million new Co vid-19 cases reported last week, a 16 percent drop from the previ ous week. Deaths were also down by 13 percent, with about 13,500 fatalities. WHO said Covid-19 in fections dropped everywhere in the world while deaths decreased everywhere except for Southeast Asia, where they climbed by 15 percent and in the Western Pacif ic, where they rose by 3 percent. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that with the coming onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the possible emergence of a more

W ASHINGTON—The US on Wednesday authorized its first update to Covid-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common Omicron strain. Shots could begin within days. The move by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. The hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet another winter surge—and help tamp down the BA.5 Omicron relative that continues to spread widely. “These updated boosters present us with an opportunity to get ahead” of the next Covid-19 wave, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.Until now, Covid-19 vaccines have targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as wildly different mutants emerged. The new US boosters are combination, or “bivalent,” shots. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest Omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet. The combination aims to increase cross-protection against multiple variants.“Itreally provides the broadest opportunity for protection,” Pfizer vaccine chief Annaliesa Anderson told The Associated Press. The updated boosters are only for people who have already had their primary vaccinations, using the original vaccines. Doses made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are for anyone 12 and older while Moderna’s updated shots are for adults—if it has been at least two months since their last primary vaccination or their latest booster. They’re not to be used for initial vaccinations.

AP journalists Krishan Francis in Colombo and Krutika Pathi in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Oil posts longest monthly slump since 2020 amid growth concerns

Alvindia even committed to resign from his post if the implementation of the mechanization program under his helm fails. “At least you have the principle [to resign] if you cannot do your work. [People] always commit [on doing things] but are afraid of resigning if they fail,” Villar said.

OIL registered its third straight monthly decline, its longest los ing run in more than two years, on concern that tighter monetary policy and China’s economic slowdown will impact crude demand. West Texas Intermediate lost more than 9 percent in August, the largest monthly decline since November. Bear ish sentiment is mounting amid slowing economic growth for major oil consumer China. Also, central bank officials reaf firmed their commitment to raising in terest rates to cool rapid inflation. The US oil benchmark settled Wednesday below $90 a barrel for the first time in two“Thisweeks. morning’s price weakness is a summation of overall sentiment for the month of August, in which rising central bank interest rates are seen as the brake pedals to oil demand growth,” said Harry Altham, an energy analyst for StoneX Group. Low liquidity has exacerbated crude’s steep price swings, frustrating oil bulls including hedge fund manager Pierre Andurand, who opined Thursday that the futures market is “broken.” In the past week, oil has traded in a range of close to $10 a barrel. The decline in futures comes even as the US supply picture has turned bull ish, with crude stockpiles dropping for a third week while inventories at the largest storage hub fell for the first time in over two months, according to the latest Energy Information Admin istration report. While there has been significant unrest in both Libya and Iraq in recent days, oil output in both Opec members appears to be unaffected so far. Sepa rately, talks to revive an Iranian nucle ar deal that may unlock greater crude exports have dragged on, and Russian output has been maintained at levels higher than prior expectations. An agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal is “not out of reach” if the text of the final accord is stronger with better guarantees for Iran, Iranian For eign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said at a press conference in Moscow. Oil’s decline in August marks the lat est chapter in a tumultuous year, with prices driven higher in the first half by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, then undermined as central banks shifted tack and Moscow managed to keep most exports flowing. Crude’s recent slump prompted Opec+ heavyweight Saudi Arabia to float the idea the alliance could cut output, although Russian media re ported the group wasn’t discussing such a move at present. The main theme “is pessimistic macro-economic expectations, cou pled with tight supply from low in ventories,” said Zhou Mi, an analyst at Chaos Research Institute in Shanghai, which is affiliated with Chaos Ternary Futures Co. Key time spreads suggest that tight ness in the market has eased. WTI’s prompt spread—the difference between the two nearest contracts—settled for the month at 52 cents a barrel in backwardation, compared with $1.87 a month ago. “This just seems like a violent retracement in prices and spreads in oil after they failed to maintain their strength yesterday in what is an extremely illiquid market,” said Scott Shelton, an energy specialist at ICAP. Bloomberg News

Continued from A1 Villar did not mince words and immediately threatened to file a case against PhilMech Executive Director Dionisio G. Alvindia if the advisory body continues to exist and work. I will file a case against you if you will continue that advisory council,” Villar said, referring to a certain DA order that created the advisory body on mechanization programs. “You have to suspend this committee or else I will file cases against all of you. This is against the law, this is against the spirit of the law,” she added. Villar also questioned the delays in the disbursement and utilization of the PhilMech’s P5-billion mechanization fund for rice farmers. Alvindia explained that PhilMech has disbursed P3.2 billion of its P5billion mechanization fund this year. Alvindia vowed that the whole fund would be obligated by the end of December.

Coco levy fund AFTER PhilMech, it was PCA Administrator Benjamin Madrigal’s turn to face the senators on his agency’s implementation of the utilization of the coconut levy fund. At the outset, Villar noted it has been 18 months since the law allowing the use of the multibillion-peso coconut levy fund was passed, and coconut farmers have yet to see a single centavo of benefit from it. The law was passed in February 2021. Why are you not implementing it? It has been 18 months. Are you stopping the implementation of this?” Villar said.Madrigal explained that the PCA had to wait for the approval of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) by the President, which only happened last June, before the release of the coconut levy fund could start. M adrigal added that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already released in July some P755 million to certain implementing agencies. Under the law, the government will utilize at least P5 billion of the coconut levy fund annually. DBM Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie L. Canda confirmed at the hearing that the agency has made certain disbursements to some implementing agencies of the CFIDP. C anda said there are no current pending funding requests from other implementing agencies of the CFIDP. Due to this, Villar questioned Madrigal on why there are no funding requests given the length of time that has passed since passage of the law. M adrigal explained that the implementing agencies should be the ones requesting for their fund under the CFIDP from the DBM. But Villar refuted Madrigal, arguing that the PCA should make the requests since it oversees the general implementation of the CFIDP. “If you cannot do that then resign,” Villar told Madrigal.

By Julia Fanzeres & Sheela Tobben

Friday, September 2, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph A11

Slow uptake in coco fund, rice mechanization scored

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deficit in our balance of trade. I raised this question to the DTI: Is this a sustainable direction for us as a country or do we want to reverse this? We need to find out if we are on the right track in terms of producing higher-paying jobs and higher-value industries. If the data shows we are not, then we have to reverse track at someThispoint.iswhat we are trying to achieve with our Tatak Pinoy advocacy. Through our office, we are rallying the public and private sector to achieve these goals: providing support to priority industries; helping create more high quality and globally competitive products and services; promoting Philippine products and services under a brand of quality to encourage global demand; highlighting the ingenuity, creativity, and innovativeness of Philippine workers, craftsmen, laborers and professionals; encouraging job-generating investments—both local and foreign; creating a new generation of highly-skilled Filipinos who are well-prepared for today’s fast changing world; reversing the phenomenon of brain drain; spurring innovation and encouraging active collaboration between the government, academe, and the private sector; pursuing legislation whenever appropriate; and instilling pride and optimism in every Filipino about the Philippines. This is all about making “Proudly Made in the Philippines” a compelling brand and value proposition that is well-known across the world. It was very encouraging to hear DTI Secretary Fred Pascual echoing our views and recognizing the need to move towards industrialization in order to sustain the growth of our economy and make it more inclusive. Sec. Pascual hit the nail on the head when he said that providing stable, better quality and higher paying jobs for our people is the only way to reduce, if not eliminate the constant exodus of talent to other countries and cut down our reliance on OFW remittances as a way to prop up our economy, which he said is unsustainable. The bottom line is that we need to strengthen our industries, move them up the value chain so that we can produce more jobs and increase the incomes of our people. We need a whole of government approach and have a laser-like focus on this effort in order to achieve results. The DTI should take the lead and meet with our manufacturers to determine why they are not occupying higher producing product spaces. If they say they lack the skilled manpower or technology or partners, then there should be a corresponding push from the Department on this front. We should look in this direction of having more higher paying jobs and higher value products. Our GDP per capita has been increasing but only incrementally. If we’re looking for more dramatic increases, we need to make changes in this direction.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be a huge opportunity for the whole country, not just in terms of basketball, but also for tourism and business. Let’s start dumping all negative vibes so we will be ready to show the world what kind of basketball fans Filipinos are. Let’s root for Gilas, our national team, players and coaches and all team members included—win or lose. Let’s heed President Marcos’s message on National Heroes Day: “Let us not be stuck in conflicts or disagreement and pulling each other down. Instead, let us become an instrument of unity and peace.”

eaGLe WatCH Dr. ser Percival K. Peña-reyes and Priscile Minde y. Bahjin

Filipinos do not have the requisite height to become dominant in the sport, but basketball in the philippines is big. You can bet your hard earned peso one can find a basketball court in all of the country’s 42,046 barangays. During town fiestas, nearly all barangays have their own basketball team competing in the centerpiece sports event. no wonder Filipinos can’t have enough of basketball, which is played on both the amateur and professional levels.

An interesting trivia: The Americans first introduced basketball to the Philippine public school system as a women’s sport in 1910. The game was played in Interscholastic meets from 1911 until 1913. Women’s basketball met opposition from conservative groups, particularly the Catholic Church who view bloomers worn by women basketball players as inappropriate. By the time skirts were allowed to be worn above bloomers as a compromise, women’s basketball was already in decline and was only played in provincial and local interscholastic meets.

Deflating inflation

Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes is the Director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development. His coauthor, Ms. Priscile Minde Y. Bahjin, is a graduate student at the Department of Economics of Ateneo de Manila University.

Better Days sonny M. angara

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For starters, it is worth mentioning that the Philippine economy is growing in line with expectations. The Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office estimates Philippine GDP growth at 6.5 percent in 2022 and 2023. The country needs to grow by 4.5 percent in 2022 to get back to its 2019 GDP level. Sectorally, it is only the electricity, gas, and water sector that has already managed to exceed its pre-pandemic level; however, a welcome development is that consumer expectations have almost gone back to pre-pandemicInterestingly,levels.most of the high inflationary episodes in the Philippines can be traced to external forces that affect the supply side. Historically, since 1971, the country experienced four oil crises brought about by disturbances and wars in the Middle East, two financial crises (the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2007 Global Financial Crisis), and the ongoing global health crisis. From all these, inflation in the Philippine economyCommodityspiked.imports that are components of food and transport have greatly contributed to inflation. In 2020, for instance, four Asean members (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam) exhibited inflationary pressures for the food and beverages sector and the transport and communications sector. By the end of 2021 and during the early part of 2022, inflation in the transport and communications sector was at its highest for all countries. The inflationary effect of the delayed and suspended trade and economic activities due to Covid-19 has been compounded by the situation in Ukraine Take for instance mangoes. The Philippines is known to produce some of the world’s best mangoes and these are exported to various destinations. But more than just the fruits themselves, the country is also exporting processed mangoes in the form of dried mangoes and even candy. Unlike the fresh fruits, the processed mangoes last longer and can easily be transported to even more destinations that do not impose restrictions on the entry of certain agricultural products.Another example would be semiconductors. This segment of the electronics sector remains as the top export for the Philippines. These include integrated circuits, diodes and transistors that are being used by manufacturers around the world for the production of complex, high-value products that eventually end up being imported by the Philippines for domestic consumption. What can be done so that we export, instead of import, these high-value products? In 2020, we exported $106 billion worth of products. Imports, on the other hand, reached $130 billion, resulting in an overall trade deficit in goods and services. If we look at our Asean neighbors, most of them are already posting trade surpluses. Vietnam for one has moved to an export-led economy while Indonesia has focused its efforts towards industrialization. During a hearing conducted by the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship last week, the Department of Trade and Industry noted that while the Philippine economy is growing, there is still a huge reliance on imports of commodities such as steel, cement and petroleum that all contribute to the and Russia. The supplies of wheat from Ukraine and oil from Russia, both vital imported inputs by the Philippines and the rest of the world, have been difficult to access due to the war. In the Philippines, food imports account for 12 percent of imported goods, while oil imports account for 17 percent. It appears that global oil prices influence the prices of other commodities. Roughly, it is estimated that a onepercent increase in the price per barrel of oil leads to an increase of about 11 basis points in the overall inflation rate, an increase of about 11 basis points in food inflation rate, an increase of about 10 basis points in utilities inflation rate, and an increase of about 16 basis points in transport inflation rate. High inflation in the United States is largely driven by supply-side bottlenecks due to pandemic restrictions. There were three rounds of Fed stimulus at the end of 2021 that resulted in higher consumer demand. When the US began to open up and ease restrictions, demand for dining, travel, and entertainment increased at a rate that was difficult for the supply side to match. Inflation in the United States may result in an increase in interest rate, and narrowing interest rate differentials could drive further peso depreciation. Such depreciation could, in turn, feed into a cycle of higher prices. Globally, short-term challenges are largely dictated by international prices. Inflation may remain elevated as the Ukraine-Russia conflict threatens fertilizer and wheat production. The onset of the cold season could potentially increase the price of oil due to higher demand for heating. Interest rates in Western economies will likely be pressured to go up to tame demand-side pull. There is also a tendency for local currencies to depreciate, and this could lead to more expensive travel and import prices. Locally, food and oil prices will likely remain elevated and push the inflation rate up to double the government target. Importation of food cannot be overruled if no sufficient local production is available. For instance, in terms of volume of production of common agricultural products, a significant number of crops have had the same level of output for the past 15 years. Only eggplant, red onion, and papaya have shown improvements. Thus, it might be good to have a transparent inventory of all food production in the country to know which provinces have surpluses or shortages in certain crops, and then consider inter-provincial selling. Moreover, the completion of the national ID distribution within the year and the integration of all government databases into the national ID system could facilitate the targeting and distribution of social protection among vulnerable groups. Perhaps, now would be a good opportunity to rethink competitive land use for food security.

Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Since 2005 ✝

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www.news.businessmirror@gmail.comFriday, September 2, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso Opinion BusinessMirrorA12 editorial Are we inherently sore losers?

The Ateneo Center for economic Research and Development conducted a briefing on August 25, 2022 dubbed “Moving On and Moving Up: Bold New Directions for the Philippine Economy.” There were three presentations in that briefing, and this opinion article summarizes the first presentation delivered by Dr. Alvin p Ang. his presentation focused on the issue of inflation. o veR the past three years, i have been advocating for a transformation among our industries—from one that produces common, low-value goods to one that churns out complex, high-value products. We dubbed this Tatak pinoy (“proudly Filipino”), which embodies our vision and ambition to see philippine industries, entrepreneurs, professionals, workers, artisans and farmers becoming globally competitive so that the country can export more complex, high-value products and services.

Moving toward high-value industries and higher-paying jobs

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Enter men’s basketball: The country’s first men’s national team was organized in 1910. It won the first Far Eastern Championship Games in 1913. In all but one of the 10 editions of the games, the national team won the gold medal. The Philippines holds the distinction as home to Asia’s first professional basketball league, which is the second oldest league in the world. In the first Southeast Asian Games in 1977, the national team won the gold medal. In fact, the Philippines has dominated the men’s basketball events in the Southeast Asian Games since the sport was played, winning 18 of the 21 events. No wonder Filipino basketball fans have developed the mindset that the Philippines has the best basketball players in Southeast Asia. In the recently concluded 31st Southeast Asian Games, Indonesia upset Gilas Pilipinas to take gold, ending the Philippines’s 13-year reign. Indonesia won 85-81 to claim a first ever SEA Games men’s basketball gold. Social media was ablaze after the game, with rabid fans blaming Coach Chot Reyes for the loss. In the recent FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, fans mercilessly pilloried Reyes after he said that their 80-95 loss to Lebanon was a “great learning experience” for his young squad. The agony for the champion coach did not end there. Even during Gilas’ blowout win over India, Reyes was ruthlessly booed by Filipino fans in attendance. Amid the heckling against Coach Reyes from his countrymen no less, Jordan Clarkson, Gilas team captain Kiefer Ravena, and all the players were quick to defend their coach. “I mean, he’s part of us, he’s one of us. He got boos from the crowd.... I’m not here, you know a lot throughout the years, so I don’t really know what’s going on but from what I’ve seen in these last days, it’s kind of been some bullsh*t,” said Clarkson after the game. “Excuse my language...but yeah, he’s our coach, he’s one of us, he works hard, he puts all this together,” the Utah Jazz star said. Ravena can’t hide his displeasure over the boos directed at Reyes every time he was flashed on the big screen. “As one nation, you won’t appreciate that. We’d understand if we were playing abroad, but we are in the Philippines. Of course, I feel bad for what happened,” Ravena said. Despite being under fire on social media and at the games, Reyes remains focused on his mission for Gilas Pilipinas and the country, which is to assemble the best team for the FIBA World Cup 2023. After more than four decades, the Philippines will be hosting one of the biggest basketball events next year, the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. This will serve as a stage for the country to showcase itself as both a hoops loving nation and a tourism destination. This is the first time that the event will be held in three countries—Philippines, Japan and Indonesia—with the final phase to be held in Manila. With 32 teams participating, the 2023 FIBA World Cup will be held from August 25 to September 10, 2023. The country will likewise host the FIBA World Congress with about 500 delegates from all over the world.

T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 250 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate. E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

4. Noteworthy also is that arbitration sanctions flexibility of rules as the technical rules of procedure and evidence provided under the Rules of Court do not strictly apply in arbitrations. As mentioned, the parties may choose the arbitration rules that will govern the arbitration proceedings. The parties may consider adopting, in whole or in part, either specific rule of an arbitration institution or ad hoc rules. In arbitration, the parties have the flexibility in determining the procedure for resolution of disputes unlike in court litigation.

In the words of the US Supreme Court in Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, “arbitration is strictly a matter of consent and the task for the courts and the arbitrators is to give effect to the intent of the parties.” In this vein, parties may stipulate as to the strict confidentiality in arbitration, not only veering the public away from the dispute, but also keeping trade secrets and financial conditions from being disclosed. In other words, arbitration becomes a private avenue for dispute resolution. Considering that arbitration has its own defining character and upholds party autonomy from selection of arbitrators to adoption of rules and procedures according to their preference, arbitration guarantees that there is no backlog of cases. In turn, arbitration promotes a prompt, economical, unchallenging, and expeditious resolution of commercial disputes. Hence, it enhances the confidence of the parties to resort willingly to arbitration instead of traditional court litigation, since each party are given equal opportunity of presenting his/her case until the proceedings are terminated or final award is given. Also, the increase in facilities and institutions for ADR have made arbitration a better alternative to court litigation. It guarantees confidentiality in its processes to encourage parties to ventilate their claims or disputes in a less formal, but spontaneous manner. Verily, arbitration has advantages, which may not be found in court proceedings. This, however, is not to be construed as giving arbitration less success, but rather, it is an alternative mechanism that gives more importance to the end of settling disputes. Consequently, arbitration has created and proliferated advantages in terms of amicable forum for commercial dispute settlement. It should be emphasized that the law favors settlement of controversies out of court. (Federal Express Corporation, et. Al vs. Airfreight 2100, et. Al., G.R. No. 216600, November 21, 2016) Arbitration is a stepping stone of justice and fair play, and with the earnest collaboration of the State, ADR practitioners and parties, arbitration should be the norm for settling commercial disputes. After all, it has been said that “In the long history of humankind those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

TELLTaLEsMannyF.Dooc S eptember follows the month of August that, by folk reckoning, is an anomalous month. Never get sick in the month of August or it will be a long way to recovery. Be careful that you do not wound yourself in August for they do not heal easily in that month. even in the unpredictable weather brought about by climate change, the reputation of August precedes it. to Sylvia plath, August is the “odd uneven time,” although her reason for that is in her world, where the month brings in “the August rain: the end of the best of summer gone…” It is to her own season that the month derives its dreariness.

3. On the other hand, finality in arbitration promotes the legal maxim interest reipublicae ut sit finis litium or it is the interest of the state to put limit to litigation. The agreement to refer a dispute to arbitration necessarily entails that the arbitral award shall be final and binding. Once a final award has been rendered, a party to the controversy may apply for an order confirming the domestic arbitral award ‘at any time within one month after the award is made.’ For international commercial arbitration, any party may petition the court to recognize and enforce an arbitral award. The court shall not vacate the award of the arbitral tribunal merely on the ground that the arbitral tribunal committed errors of fact, of law or of fact and law, as the court cannot substitute its judgment for that of the arbitral tribunal. The arbitral award is expected to end the dispute as the right to appeal of the parties is foreclosed, save for a few exceptions. Hence, it sanctions a cost-effective measure to put an end to a controversy.

It can be said that there is no one form of arbitration—each case can stand on its own, and cases apply different set of rules. This is a factor that differentiates arbitration from the courts, which apply rigidity of court procedures. In Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc., the US Supreme Court recognized that when the parties’ contract delegates the arbitrability question to an arbitrator, not even a court may override the contract, even if the court thinks that the arbitrability claim is wholly groundless.

2. Moving on, neutrality places importance on the fact that a party need not feel disadvantaged litigating before the national courts of its adversary as no party is mandated to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the other which rules, they are unfamiliar with. Arbitration, thus, practically serves as a safe ground for all parties from across the world.

In the order of the month are the birth and death of persons and causes. It was in September of 1763 that Maria Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang continued the fight against the Spanish colonizers in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, months after her husband, Diego Silang, was assassinated through the order of the church and royal authorities in Manila. It was on September 11, 1917 that Ferdinand E. Marcos was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. The present president, Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., was born on September 13, 1957. On September 12, 1896, the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite were executed by the Spanish authorities. Macario Sakay, one of the last revolutionary leaders to surrender to the Americans, was hanged right inside the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila, on September 13, 1907. On September 21, 1944, Martial Law was declared in the country. The man behind this declaration was the wartime president, Jose P. Laurel. It was written that he made the decision when the Allied Forces began their bombing of Davao. The writ of habeas corpus was suspended. Some 28 years later, on September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law all over the country. The declaration abolished the Congress; civil rights were suspended. Marcos would stay in office for more than 20 years. More memories are found in the month of September, but many of them are not songs and poetry. E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

The remarkable life of Antonio Cabangon Chua

Among this generation, August is the “Ghost Month,” the time not auspicious for planning. September thus becomes a relief, a shift marker for a region not known for well-delineated changes in season. The “Ber” months are here, with September the mascot for the procession of months leading to December, ultimately the most festive of all “Ber” months. Where this notion of the “Ber Months” originates, no one has really a clear idea, except that it augurs the beginning of what many call the longest Christmas celebration in the world. That label is self-proclaimed as with all the many labels we attribute to our country. Like world-class. Who vets us for world-classness is one of the enduring mysteries of ourTheidentity.proclamation about the longest celebration of Christmas is suspect. Examine it and it doesn’t really have any solid proof to it. If sale and bargain offers are indicators, we always have them. If the symbols like lanterns and Christmas lights are to be considered, then remember how we never take down such decorations. The thing about blinking lights is that we seem to have made that part of our lifestyle, neurosis, and aesthetics. There is one indicator left, and that is the playing of Christmas carols as soon as the first of September marches in. Already, as I write this, the online conversation and blogs are filled with the photo of Jose Mari Chan and the obsessive joke among us about his song as ushering in the Yuletide carols. I am curious how Mr. Chan, a generous and genial person, takes all this. One thing we can tell those who are so unoriginal about their thoughts is that people are tired of these commentaries. But who are we to stop them? If there is one thing we have learned about ourselves after the election season is this truth: we all are natural trolls. We will die if we do not manifest our presence online. There is more to September than token celebrations. In history, it was in September of 1898 when La Independencia, the periodical organ of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, published its first issue. Founded and edited by Gen. Antonio Luna, the publication persisted until the Philippine-American War. This signaled, whether in raw form, the significance of newspapers in the political life of theIncountry.September of 1899, the Spanish lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem titled Filipinas came out in La Independencia. The author was Jose Palma, a poet, who was also part of the staff of the said newspaper. On September 18, 1891, the second novel of Dr. Jose Rizal, the El Filibusterismo, came out of Belgium.

5. Moreover, arbitration promotes equality of the parties as an arbitrator is required to treat the parties with equality, giving each party full opportunity of presenting his/her case until the final award has been rendered or the proceedings have been finally terminated.

Amba was too young to fight the war and he did not dabble in politics to capture popularity although politicians competed for his support and patronage. He was a friend to President Erap Estrada, and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo even named him as our Ambassador to Laos. He was a close chum of Mayor Fred Lim and he hobnobbed with the mighty and the powerful in the government and in the private sector. Despite all this, he remained a “taong lupa” as he loved to describe himself. Upon learning of his appointment to an ambassadorial position, it was reported that his own beloved wife, Benny Angeles, exclaimed: “What! A kanto boy being given an ambassadorial post?” Amba was tough—cursing was part of his colorful language. Even his children were not spared from Amba’s swearing, but this instilled fear and discipline among his children. His 3rd son, Edward, the younger half of twin sons, remembers that after cursing him or his siblings when Amba got mad for their mistakes, he would always say: “I love you, and that’s why I’m swearing at you. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t do that. I don’t want what happened to happen again.” Amba started teaching his children the ropes of business at a young age. Willie, the eldest, recalls that his father’s mind was always about business. And they were introduced slowly to his business concerns. They were asked to help at the pawnshop, and when they got older, the boys were even sent to the motels to do office work. One of the twins who was assigned to one of the motels in Pasay during school break was seen numerous times by his classmates living near the area and they thought he was a regular patron there. He had to explain that his family owns the business. Amba operated motels and nightclubs, which were shunned by many investors and denounced by some self-righteous groups. Yet he was a close friend of both Cardinal Jaime Sin and Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, two of our most loved Archbishops of Manila. He had given support to many of the Church’s projects and had even personally built the popemobile customized vehicle that Pope Francis used to secure his sorties in Tacloban and in Metro Manila. Once, while I was seated next to him as a guest in one of his company’s anniversary celebrations, he told me jokingly that none of his investments is as good as the motels. “Every customer pays in cash, nobody issues a check payment or pays in credit card, no one demands a receipt and it’s out of this world if an unhappy customer files a complaint.” However, his legendary business exploits contributed to our economy and the business conglomerate he founded had provided livelihood to thousands of Filipino families. Amba dipped his fingers in every business enterprise that churned out money and practically succeeded in all his endeavors. His extensive business interests covered pawnshop, restaurant, banking, life and non-life insurance, pre-need, healthcare, memorial gardens and chapels, hotels, motels, security services, printing and publication, car dealership, real estate and others. Amba also delved in movie production and produced top-grossing films that featured leading actors of his day like Fernando Poe Jr. At one point, he owned several movie houses where both local and foreign produced films were exhibited. He also went into the mining and lumber industry. He even tried oil exploration. To streamline the operations and management of his companies, he set up and headed the ALC Group of Companies, the umbrella organization of his business empire whose current chairman now is his second son, D. Edgard. It seems that Amba had a Midas touch when it comes to business. His man Friday, Boy Salazar, who served Amba for more than four decades, believed that Amba had an “agimat” or a talisman, which explained Amba’s uncanny business instinct. He had a gut feel for business like when he declined the chance to operate the Bingo Two-Balls as an alternative to the jueteng during President Erap’s time. About a month later, problems started for the former president, which eventually led to his ouster from Malacañang. This is seconded by his son’s Jun, Amba’s junior and namesake, who describes his father as a “gut-instinct guy. He does not read reports…but it works for him, so you cannot fault him.” His long time friend, Judge Pedro Santiago, said that Amba “does not believe in project studies. And the judge quotes him: “It’s only paper. If you want to sell an idea, you can always make it look good on paper. I trust my gut feel.” Amba’s range of businesses had grown that in the words of his best friend, National Artist Nick Joaquin, “has a little of everything, from erection to resurrection.” Helosthisfather and their concrete house built on a rented lot in Malate during the war. Homeless, Amba, an illegitimate child, and his mother moved to Bo. Namayan in Mandaluyong. Initially, a friend allowed them to board for free although the place was small and crowded. The kind hosts even shared their food with them as young Amba’s mother was still looking for menial jobs to earn a living. When his mom got some odd jobs, they rented a small place. Their house, a hole in the wall, was an entresuelo along Vergara St., which they shared with a couple. Amba was a product of his time. He grew up during the war without a father who was reportedly executed by the Japanese for helping the resistance. He was no stranger to poverty and hardship and knew how to sleep with an empty stomach. He was street smart and a survivor of life’s harshest trials. And he had a brave heart and an iron will to put his business ideas into action. For him, no sea was deep enough to fathom and no mountain was stiff enough to scale. His son Arnold, who’s the President & CEO of the family’s life insurance business, recalled that his father admonished all his children that in life, “hindi ka dapat manggulang, at hindi ka rin dapat magpagulang.” In his business dealings, it was his policy not to take advantage of others but neither had he allowed others to take advantage of him. Fairness was the name of the game and that was Amba’s guidepost in business. His family and friends believed that no man worked as hard as Amba to reach his goals. He promised himself and his mother that he would become a millionaire before he reaches age 40. This was the time when becoming a millionaire was one in a million, and he did that with years to spare. His life’s motto was: Whether you’re rich or poor, everyone has 24 hours in a day. It’s what you do with your 24 hours that counts. In life, you never give up.” People remember Amba for his humility and benevolence. He never bragged about his achievements and his wealth. His sense of gratitude is legendary. He never forgot the kind people who had helped him in the past. For instance, he tracked his old neighbor who gave shelter to him and his mother when they lost their house during the war. He visited them in their decrepit place and gave them money and jobs to the family members who needed work. He helped an old friend win a legal battle in court. The poor accused once lent him some money when Amba was just starting his pawnshop business. His ever loyal personal assistant, Boy Salazar, recounted that “every Christmas, Don Antonio (Amba) would have wallets with money in them that he’d go around and give to all the contemporaries of his mother who were still living. And if they had grandchildren looking for work, he’d find jobs for them… And they’d be hired on the spot.” And Boy added, “That’s his secret—he’s not selfish. He always tells us, ‘You have to spread the sunshine.’” That sums up Amba’s life. So, if it does not rain today, that’s Amba spreading his sunshine.

6. And lastly, arbitration permits confidentiality. As a purely private mode of dispute resolution, arbitration proceedings, including the records, the evidence, and the arbitral award, are confidential unlike court proceedings which are generally public. This allows the parties to avoid negative publicity and protect their privacy and reputations.

Few Filipino lives, particularly those who settled or lived in metro manila, would be left untouched by the diverse and manifold businesses of a self-made billionaire, Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, who was fondly called “Amba” by those who closely know him. were he alive today, Amba would have celebrated his 88th birthday anniversary on August 30. And had he been born a day earlier, he would be sharing birthday with all the heroes of our land, although he was no doubt a hero in the eyes of the common tao from whom he sprang. His Horatio Alger story has given inspiration to many, and his rise from humble beginnings has propelled the young and the poor to succeed in life. On the other hand, had he first seen the light of day a day later, he would have shared the limelight with the true icon of the Filipino masses, the late president ramon F. magsaysay. Fate gave him his own day since Amba had led a unique life typically his own.

By Justice Noel Gimenez Tijam (Ret.) Conclusion INDULGE me to elaborate on these principles:1.Iwould say that the core of arbitration is party autonomy. It suggests that the contractual nature of arbitral proceedings affords the parties substantial autonomy over the proceedings. The parties are free to agree on the procedure to be observed and are generally able to direct how the proceedings are to be conducted. This lends not only considerable flexibility, but also predictability to arbitration proceedings as compared to court litigation governed by the Rules of Court. (Fruehauf Case). Parties can participate in the choice or arbitrators and ensure that certain expertise, if need be, shall be possessed by the arbitrator. The case of ST Group Co Ltd v Sanum Investments Limited in Singapore bestowed prime importance to party autonomy in ruling that an award that resulted from a wrongly seated arbitration should not be recognized in consideration of the principle of party autonomy. Too in the case of CIZ v CJA, the Singapore Court was unequivocal in ruling that courts exceed jurisdiction if it awards a party based on grounds which are not found in the matters submitted for arbitration. Clearly, these rulings give supremacy to the will of the parties in submitting their conflict; thus, giving certainty to Moreover,arbitration.asitisessentially contractual, arbitration and its rules of procedure such as the determination of who the arbitrators will be or the ‘arbitrability’ of the involved subject matter, may be tailored to the dispute by the parties. Corollary, it must likewise be appreciated that arbitration gives confidence to the parties involved as they are part of the process in selecting the arbitrators. It also bears stressing that the arbitral tribunal has the authority to determine its own jurisdiction under the principle of competence-competence, limiting court interference. In relation to this, the principle of separability or severability. It means that the arbitration clause in a contract shall be treated as an agreement independent of the other terms of the contract of which it forms part. A decision that the contract is null and void shall not entail ipso jure the invalidity of the arbitration clause. In other words, as long as the arbitration agreement is validly entered into by the parties, the arbitrator retains jurisdiction to determine the effects of the invalidity of the contract although the contract itself was declared invalid.

Tito Genova Valiente annoTaTions

Arbitration as a fair, speedy, cost and effective mode of resolution of commercial disputes in the Philippines

Recalling the chaos and order of September

Friday, September 2, 2022 Opinion A13BusinessMirrorwww.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

It was also in wartime September of 1943 that the country, under Japanese Occupation, lived under a Japanese-sponsored 1943 Constitution. The document was signed and ratified in a general assembly. There was another organization that ratified the document and this was the member of the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (KALIBAPI), which was the only political organization allowed by the occupying forces. And yet it was also on September 15, 1898, that the Malolos Convention took place in Barasoain Church. The Congress drafted a Constitution, called the Malolos Constitution. On record, Apolinario Mabini was said to have opposed the draft. You see, we have a history of constitutions and ratifying them in conditions where freedom and patriotism are contentious. In September 1956, the LaurelLangley Agreement was ratified. This treaty took the place of the Bell Trade Act, which was perceived as generating the dependence of the Philippines on the United States. The treaty stopped the US from controlling the exchange rate of the peso and increased the sugar quota, among other things. Abolished in 1974, it is imperative to examine this treaty and observe whether we have indeed been released from the so-called “dependency.”

tax on their gross revenues as regulatory fees. Moreover, the law imposed a 25-percent final withholding tax (FWT) on these POGOs’ foreign employees assigned to the Philip pines, and a 0-35 percent graduat ed individual income tax on these aliens for any income earned from all other sources in the Philippines; and regular income tax on the net taxable income of these POGOs’ service providers. A s defined by RA 11590, off shore licensees are overseas gam ing operators duly licensed by the Pagco—or any special economic zone (SEZ) or freeport or tourism zone agency or tourism zon—to do offshore gaming operations and ac cept bets from bettors outside the Philippines.Pagcorreported that from P73.72 million in 2016, govern ment income from its regulatory fees alone collected from POGOs went up to P3.12 billion in 2017, P6.11 billion in 2018, and P5.73 billion in 2019. In the first quarter of 2020, POGOs already paid P1.80 billion in regulatory fees alone. Collections from POGO appli cations, processing and regula tory fees reached a total P20.83 billion from 2016 to March 2020, said Pagcor. ‘Marites-driven policymaking’ HOUSE Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Sal ceda, meanwhile, slammed Pagcor’s statement blaming the POGO tax regime for low tax collections from offshore gaming. S alceda, the principal author of the law, said “blaming a tax law that was only fully implemented in December 2021 for low tax collections, when all evidence points to a POGO revival by the later quarters is bizarre to say the Ileast.” can’tbelieve that people will use one quarter of performance of a tax law as the basis for amend ments. Doesn’t that look a little too agenda-driven rather than evidence-driven? It’s Maritesdriven policymaking,” Salceda said.Salceda also pointed to prop erty market data which shows that offshore gaming is due for a recovery in the succeeding quar ters of the year. “According to property market expert Leechiu Consultants, there were 21,000 square meters of new POGO office space leased by around Q2 of 2022. That means the POGOs have adjusted to our laws already, and they are now more comfortable with our regulatory regime. That’s what regulatory certainty does,” Salceda said. And because they are now taxed fairly, they are regulated well, and we imposed transparency stan dards on the sector, they are no lon ger stigmatized as much. Because of that, office leases for POGOs are up starting May, and we will likely see the tax consequence of that development by Q2 or Q3 of this year,” he added. O n the other hand, Salceda said that a look at the POGO transac tions for office space at the height of Covid-19 from Q2 2020 to Q4 2022 shows “that almost zero new office space was leased by POGOs. That should explain revenue per formance. So that’s the cause, not RA 11590, which gave them more solid footing.” C iting BIR Commissioner Lilia Guillermo, the lawmaker said the bureau is seeing POGO tax revenues pick up. ‘Obnoxious tax rate’ SALCEDA said RA 11590 “corrected an unfair and obnoxious tax rate which was suddenly inserted in Bayanihan 2 without prior con sideration of the Committee on Ways and Means, and which was correctly assailed as constitution ally impaired.” “And what happened during those dates when no POGO was leasing any office space? One, of course the pandemic slowed down the market, especially since China adopted very stringent lockdowns. Two, in Bayanihan 2, some legisla tors inserted a provision that taxed POGOs at 5 percent of gross bets, which are not sales, instead of 5 percent of revenues.

A14 Friday, September 2, 2022

D OT data showed, of the total arrivals, foreign tourists accounted for some 68.3 percent at 923,322, while overseas Filipinos made up the rest at 429,582. T he United States topped the list of markets at 257,508; South Ko rea at 165,167; Australia at 59,202; Canada at 54,912; and the United Kingdom at 52,782.

DTI to manufacturers: Tweak pricing so poor can buy basic items DOT ‘super app’ to link travelers, food hubs

By Andrea E. San Juan

T he rest of the markets that made the top 10 list were Japan at 45,411; India 24,084; Singapore 23,273; Vietnam 22,201; and Ma laysia 20,293. Arrivals from Europe were also coming in strong with Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Norway on the list of top 20 tourist markets for the period.

A part from Globe Telecom Inc., Smart Comm Wunications Inc., and Dito Telecommunity Corp., which were the telco pro viders present on Thursday, NPC said it is also coordinating with the National Telecommunica tions Commission (NTC) to share information and conduct con certed actions to the full extent of their respective mandates. Moreover, NPC said it will hold an open and public webinar on September 7 to discuss the risks and harm of receiving these text messages. NPC said it will also talk about the best practices to protect ourselves from being scammed. The country’s Privacy Commission also intends to share other useful information that “we can apply to our daily lives.” T he Commission also invites everyone to participate in the upcoming webinar. “Consistent with our thrust to empower our citizens, we urge vigilance in protecting personal data, whether online or offline, especially in activities that require the disclosure of names, numbers, and other information that could divulge our identities,” Naga said. S upreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said in his Twitter post on Tues day, “Unsolicited or scam text messages on our phones already contain our names. This means that there is a data provider out there that has leaked or sold or been careless about our informa tion. This makes all of us now vulnerable. Very dangerous.” O n Thursday, a network of digital advocates also asked the NPC to investigate spam texts with the names of the recipients included in the text. D igital Pinoys national cam paigner Ronald Gustilo, in a news statement, said the NPC should immediately address the concerns of the spam text recipi ents who are alarmed at how the sender was able to know their identity in what seemed like a “personalized spam text.” Gustilo also told the NPC that the agency should find out and immediately seek prosecution if there are cohorts based locally and whether local companies collecting personal information are selling these data to third parties. Andrea E. San Juan

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror T HE Department of Tourism (DOT) will be creating a one-stop shop app that will enable travelers to have an easier time making bookings for their visits to the country or its other destinations.InWednesday’s House Com mittee on Appropriations’ hearing on DOT’s budget for 2023, Tour ism Secretary-designate Chris tina Garcia Frasco told lawmak ers, “We will also create a tourist life cycle app which will serve as a super app that aims to connect tourists to accredited tourism es tablishments for accommodation, food, shopping, rides to accredited transportations, tour operators and tour guides.”

V illafuerte noted that since half of Pagcor’s gaming revenues are re mitted to the national government, a bigger revenue take—from sourc es like POGOs—will naturally let the Marcos administration spend more on its nation-building pro grams, particularly those uplifting the lives of marginalized sectors. We may have to take stock of RA 11590 and possibly intro duce amendments that could put a stopper to the exodus of POGOs and, hopefully, lure back those that have left and attract other online gaming firms currently based elsewhere,” he said, “as a potentially dramatic increase in revenues from Pagcor’s once booming sector would go a long way in helping the Marcos ad ministration set aside a lot more funds for its priority programs like social safety nets for the poor and marginalized.” V illafuerte, the president of the National Unity Party (NUP), said that with “a larger revenue take, particularly from the lucra tive online gaming, the govern ment could, for example, provide adequate funds for its planned social safety nets, such as the higher monthly pension for senior citizens, the cash aid for solo par ents and the Libreng Sakay free bus rides along EDSA.” T he former CamSur governor said RA 11590 signed by thenPresident Duterte imposed off shore licensees a 5-percent gam ing tax based on gross gaming revenue (in lieu of all other direct and indirect national and local taxes); a 25-percent non-gaming income tax on all taxable revenue sources in and out of the Philip pines if the licensee is based here, or 25-percent non-gaming tax on taxable income derived from the Philippines only, if the licensee is based abroad; and a 2-percent

S he said the app can also provide the agency with “the needed data for tourism intelligence, specifi cally regarding tourism spending and length of stay of tourists in a destination. The app will also have a tourist support feature as well as an e-commerce platform showcas ing Filipino products.”

House urged to work with Pagcor on POGO tax review

T he “super app” will build on the current Travel Philippines developed by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the DOT. Travel Philippines was launched in October 2020, which aimed to pro vide travelers up-to-date informa tion regarding quarantine and alert levels in tourism destinations, and create itineraries for their trips.

“ We shall be submitting a let ter to Secretary Pascual. It’s been more than two months wait,” Koa noted, explaining that their group held off from submitting the re quest “just when the new adminis tration came in. We thought that we still had enough resources to support, tame the inflation” level that the DTI secretary had wanted to see.Koa said DTI should take into account the change in the prices of raw materials, and other costs that justify the proposed price increase on Tbread.hePhilBaking chief added that “DTI would need to study, to look at the changes of price of flour, sugar, and cost of labor, electric ity, the cost of bringing the goods from factory to market, for ex ample, toll fees, traffic situation: all of these contribute to lowering ourCmargins.” oincidentally, Pascual also talked about cost and pricing scheme at a separate radio inter view on Wednesday, noting that manufacturers in general should consider balancing the prices of the premium goods and basic goods they sell. I tell the manufacturers, study your pricing very well, because you can tweak your pricing in such a way that you earn from the pre mium products, but for the basic necessities that many ordinary people buy, profit can be mini mal,” explained Pascual mostly in Filipino, pointing out that this is called “pricing based on direct variable cost.” He said the basic commodities “can be managed” in such a way that their contribution to the bottom line of business is not as much as that from premium products that are anyway being bought by those who can afford. “It’s like in effect, there’s a cross-subsidy,” Pascual stressed. Healso sought a balance in terms of the prices of different types of goods so that profitability can be maintained and at the same time expenses are covered.

The Bayani han 2 POGO tax was going to tax them 20 times the standard tax rate for casinos. So, that insertion was deemed egregious and was eventu ally halted by the Supreme Court,” he added.Andmind you, that insertion did not pass through my Commit tee, the Committee on Ways and Means, where tax policy is consti tutionally mandated to originate. So, there are legitimate concerns about the constitutionality of that insertion,” he added.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie IF lawmakers want to halt the exodus of foreign-based gaming firms, a senior lawmaker on Thursday said Congress may have to work with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) in conducting an early review of the law taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

NPC PROBES SPREAD OF

T HE National Privacy Com mission (NPC) said it is monitoring and investi gating the proliferation of un solicited text messages from anonymous numbers, with some containing the receiver’s names. The NPC held a meeting with telecommunications providers today, September 1,2022, where the participants committed to intensify their technological and security safeguards, including the blocking of numbers to curb the surge immediately, among others,” said Privacy Commis sioner John Henry D. Naga in a statement on Thursday.

T he DOT is seeking Congressio nal approval for its proposed bud get for 2023 of P3.57 billion, which covers allocations for the Office of the Secretary, the Intramuros Ad ministration, the National Parks Development Committee, and the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving. (See, DOT seeks P3.5-B budget; no full recovery till 2025,” in the BusinessMir ror , September 1, 2022.)

TARGETED SMS C amarines Sur Rep. Lray Vil lafuerte said an early review of POGO law will enable the Mar cos administration to raise more cash for its priority programs from this once booming online enterprise. Atthehearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Villafuerte said Pagcor admit ted that the high tax regime for POGOs under RA 11590 has led to the regulator’s lower revenue take from this sector, as half of the registered licensees have al ready shut down or left the coun try and transferred to new hostcountries with less prohibitive taxes like Cambodia, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).“With the new government in need of much bigger revenue streams to adequately fund its priority social welfare programs, among others, Congress may have to engage the Pagcor in an early revisit of the POGO law to find out if rationalizing the tax rates or offering additional incentives are necessary to prevent the re maining POGOs from leaving and enticing those that have left since RA (Republic Act) 11590 took ef fect to return to our country,” Vil lafuerte said.

T RADE Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual has appealed to manufacturers to carefully review pricing schemes so that basic commodities would remain affordable.Amidtalks on increasing the price of bread, particularly the Pi noy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal, the Trade chief said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is still as sessing whether or not to approve the bread makers’ request for a price increase. It’sundergoing a review, there are formulas that we follow on whether or not to adjust prices, how to adjust, who will be allowed to adjust,” Pascual said, partly in Filipino, at a radio show on Wednesday.Pascualnoted that there is a process for reviewing the prices of basic goods including Pi noy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal, which are also being monitored by DTI and are included in the Suggested Retail Price (SRP) bulletin. Hesaid the approved price in creases for 67 basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) in the SRP list released last August 12 also went through the same process.Based on the SRP bulletin, Pi noy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal were among the 151 Stock Keep ing Units (SKUs) of the goods that maintained their prices relative to the May 11 SRP list, while 67 prod ucts adjusted their SRPs due to ris ing prices of raw materials, among others. Based on the latest SRP list, the price of Pinoy Tasty is still P38.50 and Pinoy Pandesal, P23.50. Bakers’ plea FOR his part, Johnlu Koa, the President of Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) said in a televised interview on Thurs day that they will send a letter to the Trade chief on the P4-price increase on bread.

I n the agency’s desire to revi talize the tourism industry, Gar cia Frasco also said the agency is trying to make travel to the Phil ippines as “easy and convenient” as possible. “We have already pro posed the improvement of the One Health Pass (OHP) to convert it into an e-arrival and e-departure pass so as to omit all the unnec essary questions, and warnings you had to contend with before coming into the country.” She said the DOT is working with the Department of Health, Bureau of Quarantine, and Bureau of Immi gration on this matter. Netizens and travelers have been complaining about the tediousness of filling out the OHP, which some times gives both a bar code and QR code, or just a bar code even if they upload complete documents. BoQ of ficials said, however, the app wasn’t the problem, but the travelers them selves. (See, “Travelers blamed for entry delays,” in the Business Mirror , August 3, 2022.) 1.3M arrivals as of Aug. 28 THE DOT chief said that from February 10 to August 28, the Philippines received 1.35 million international travelers, making her hopeful that by yearend, arrivals would reach 1.7 million.

Fruitas to start cloud kitchen venture CEB taps IBS Software for crew scheduling3M plans to workforcereduce NEA under fire over Beneco leadership

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan & VG Cabuag @villygc

t he deals that have been terminated involve the following: the acquisition by a Bs CBN of 34.99 percent of total voting and outstanding capital stock in t V5 Network inc., a PLDt unit, for P2.16 billion; and the P2.86-billion investment by Cignal Cable Corp. into sk y Cable Corp. t he two contracts also carried 8-year maturing deals amounting to P11.5 billion in convertible notes and debt instruments. t hese have been terminated as well.

Photo shows Mathew Baby, IBS Senior VP and he ad of Airline o perations Business (left) and Alex Reyes, CEB Chief Strategy o fficer. contributed Photo

Bloomberg News

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM S EN a t O r r a fael t u lfo slammed officials of the National Electrification a dm inistration (NE a ) Wednesday for ignoring the right of Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) to self-governance in unilaterally replacing its general manager (GM) earlier elected by Beneco’s board of directors.atthese nate Committee on Energy organizational meeting, tu lfo vowed to review NE a Memorandum No. 2017-035, said to have been used to justify its allegedly anomalous appointment of Maria Paz r a fael as Beneco’s general manager. a s far as i m concerned, walang problema ang Beneco— mababa ang kanilang singil, maganda ang performance at walang brownouts sa areas na sakop nila. Ngayon, bakit pinalitan ng NE a ang general manager elected by their board of directors? Yan ang tanong ng consumers ng Beneco. ‘ i k a nga sa kasabihan, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he tsaid.ulfo added: “Yung memorandum order, i have to look into that, i will change that. i t has to be changed,” signaling intent to assert his prerogative as chairman of the s e nate Committee on Energy, noting how the memorandum is adversely affecting cooperatives’ right to elect its leader.

t h e senator added that NE a should focus on investigating if electric cooperatives have enough technical and enough financial capacity to continue operations.

“Dito tayo nagkaka-problema dahil kahit pala nakapili na ang board of directors ng kanilang general manager, pwede pala itong randomly palitan ni NE a i n a way, tinatanggalan ng halaga ang selection process ng isang kooperatiba.”tulfosuggested that instead of interfering with cooperatives with good performance like BENECO, “the NE a can do better by helping ailing cooperatives.”

After being publicly questioned by lawmakers and the telco regulator, media conglomerates ABS-CBN Corp. and PLDt Inc. have decided to end their investment deals that supposedly amounted to billions of pesos.

BusinessMirrorEditor: Jennifer A. Ng Companies B1Friday, September 2, 2022

t h is, he said, recalled a previous incident when the Beneco’s board of directors elected Melchor Licoben as GM after the a pril 2020 retirement of the late Gerardo P. Versoza. However, NE a , which supervises electric cooperatives, also appointed a n a Maria Paz r a fael as the cooperative’s GM. r e sponding to tu lfo’s query on the basis of the appointment of r a fael, NE a Deputy a d ministrator for Legal s e rvices r o ssan r o sero-Lee repeatedly invoked Memorandum No. 2017-035, which provides for the procedures on the selection of general managers for electric cooperatives tu lfo, in turn, admitted that he is concerned with how easy it is for NE a to reject and replace a GM elected by the cooperatives’ board of directors even if such cooperative is not ailing.

“ t he termination was formalized through a memorandum of agreement. t he parties confirmed that they have not implemented any of the transactions covered by the s a le and Purchase a g reement and the debt instruments agreement,” a disclosure read. Last week, the two companies said they decided to temporarily suspend the investment deals, as the National te lecommunications Commission (N tC) and lawmakers raised issues on the legality of the transactions. s a gip Partylist r e p. r o dante Marcoleta, who claimed during the elections that he killed the franchise of a Bs CBN, earlier called on the N tC and the Philippine Competition Commission to review the deals. Zamboanga si bugay r e p. Wilter Palma also filed a resolution to conduct a legislative inquiry on the franchise of t V 5 for possible violations.NtCCommissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said the agency will look into the partnership agreement, noting alleged violations of a B s C BN. ‘Alternate strategy’ W H EN sought for comment on the impact of the termination of the deals, r e gina Capital and Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan said the two groups can explore other methods to optimize synergies.“Well,i guess for one the two groups will not be able to share their respective programming yet, which would have been beneficial to s k yCable and Cignal probably. t hey may just have to look for an alternate strategy to do so,” he said. te rry r i don, i n frawatch convenor, said the termination of the deal was an “unfortunate development” and bodes ill for the future of business, governance and talent in the Philippines. it shows how extraneous factors can terminate initiatives which could have raised our standards of public service, culture and innovation. t h is also serves as a warning to business: that free enterprise will only be free if businesses align with the politics of those in power,” he said. “ t h is is not the governance climate that the country needs today, particularly at this time of great economic difficulty. With this development, investors looking at the Philippines as a prospective investment destination will might as well bring their funds to other emerging economies with a better governance outlook.”

Photo from the facebook Page of beneco

Fruitas Holdings i n c., the food and beverage kiosk operator, said it will start its cloud kitchen venture which will carry the Nube Kuxina brand to allow its units to reach customers more efficiently. “We have been strategically acquiring food brands over the past two and a half years. it makes sense to put all of our food brands together in strategic locations to provide access to as many customers as possible within reasonable distance,” said Lester Yu, the company’s president and tCEO.hese include Balai Pandesal, recently announced acquisition Ling Nam, and our sabroso Lechon, De Original Jamaican Pattie, and other products. Our traditional beverage offerings will be a perfect complement to these food brands.” Fruitas said it is also expanding the number of platforms on which its online store, Babot’s Mart, is available to boost its e-commerce business, while also using shopee and Lazada platforms. t he company said it has partnered with other third-parties to complement its own food and beverage offerings. its list of third-party partners now includes a l aska milk products, uCC Philippines for its 3-in-1 coffee, Villa socorro Farms for their banana and camote chips, favorite household snacks from Chef tony Popcorn and Nacho King, Bahay Pastulan (Good shepherd) in tagaytay City for their peanut butter and coco jam, Zesto Philippines for its fruit sodas, social-impact group Hope in a Bottle for its bottled water, Coconut King offering its virgin coconut oil, a B Foods for their tw inings tea and Ovaltine, and various sandwich spreads from Mondelez Philippines and Century Pacific Food. t he most recent addition to the list is the famous Japanese brand, Fuwa Fuwa, which will offer its wellloved sweet buns in 10 Balai Pandesal stores within Metro Manila. t he Japanese brand, owned by Nippon Premium Bakery, has been a staple in most Filipino households for the past years. t he sweet buns will be available starting this month. t he company said it is targeting to further expand the list to provide “a more complete and convenient buying experience” to its customers. a s of a u gust, the group has 720 stores nationwide. Of the figure, 106 community stores are operating under the Babot’s Mart, s o y and Bean, and Balai Pandesal brands. VG Cabuag

“Makialam po kayo kapag may problema o ailing ang isang kooperatiba and see how you can fix the problem, pero kung walang problema and the operation is good, huwag ninyong pakialaman.”

C EB u Pacific (CEB) has selected i B s s o ftware for its crew scheduling processes to further improve operational efficiency.asthe airline ramps up its domestic and international networks, the airline said more flights would entail better management of staff schedules.

ABS-CBN, PLDT terminate landmark investment deals

t h e move is part of Cebu Pacific’s digitalization journey. By implementing the i B s s o ftware’s cloud-based iFlight a D OP t solution, Cebu Pacific will replace manual processes with digital tools to implement new systems for crew pairings, rostering and crew preferential bidding, leading to increased employee satisfaction.“Cebu Pacific wants to ensure that it maximizes digital tools to improve the processes for its staff. Employee satisfaction is important to us and iFlight gives us the tools and insight we need to make proactive, data-led decisions to support crew with complex scheduling. i n i B s s o ftware, we have found the ideal partner to digitalize critical operations and we look forward to a long and productive partnership,” said Capt. s a m av ila, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Flight Operations. i F light will enhance Cebu Pacific’s existing crew rostering system by producing fair and transparent rosters, and helping staff manage their schedules more effectively.itisanhonor to be selected by Cebu Pacific, an innovative and highly progressive airline that is putting state-of-the-art digital platforms at the core of its operations as it continues to grow. t h e low-cost carrier segment is dynamic and fast-growing and this partnership is testimony to our vision and expertise in helping ambitious airlines like Cebu Pacific use latest technology to overhaul operational processes and put crew and customer experiences first,” said Guatam s h ekar, s e nior Vice President and r e gional Head of a s ia Pacific, i B s s o ftware.Builton the most modern and robust cloud native technical platform, iFlight is designed to optimize end-to-end airline operations and crew management, ensuring operational excellence, configurability and scalability. i t s modular architecture allows the world’s top airlines to add functionality as their operational complexity grows, helping them optimize resources, employ emerging technologies, and boost decision-making processes.

3M Co. plans to eliminate jobs as part of a broader cost-cutting drive in response to the slowing economy, according to internal communications. the move comes just days after 3M suffered a setback over a key legal strategy designed to mitigate mounting liabilities and as it faces an array of other challenges, ranging from inflationary woes to sluggish growth. Michael Vale, head of 3M’s safety and industrial division, disclosed the planned cuts in a message to employees of the unit. “ the business can’t avoid this tough necessity,” he said in the communication, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News. the scope of the workforce reduction couldn’t be immediately determined, but in the memo Vale said other parts of the company would see similar actions. 3M, which makes everything from dental adhesives to Post-it notes, employed about 95,000 people at the end of 2021, according to securities filings. “3M is taking decisive actions to position the company for continued growth, while also adjusting to the challenging macroeconomic environment,” the company said in a statement, without being more specific. “as we prioritize our investments and resources, we will be adjusting on an ongoing basis the roles and responsibilities needed for future growth.”

BusinessMirror Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Friday, September 2, 2022 B3www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Bernadette D. Nicolas By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM T HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced it is pushing for industry-wide initiatives to enhance the so-called “cyber resilience” of players in the local financial system. In a statement issued last Thursday, the Central Bank said it has recently completed the “Advanced SupTech Engine for Risk-Based Compliance, or “ASTERisC*,” which will soon be deployed among selected BSP Supervised Financial InstitutionsAccording(BSFIs). to the central bank, the “ASTERisC* is a unified regulatory and supervisory technology (RegTech and SupTech) solution that streamlines and automates regulatory supervision, reporting and compliance assessment of BSFIs’ cybersecurity risk management.” The program is aimed at raising banks’ and other financial entities’ level of protection against cybercrimes and, in the process, enhancing the level of public trust and confidence of the banking public. According to the BSP, the plan—will serve as the primary framework for policies and strategies to strengthen cyber defense in the financial services industry—is expected to bolster the regulatory and supervisory environment for cyber security. As Lead Computer Emergency Response Team covering all BSFIs, the BSP will be issuing the Financial Services Cyber Resilience Plan, spearheaded by the central bank’s Financial Supervision Sector- Technology Risk and Innovation Department. “The BSP continuously engages the BSFIs, relevant government agencies and industry associations for a cohesive and industrywide approach to addressing emerging threats and risks, as well as enhancing cyber incident response, threat intelligence and overall situational awareness in the country,” the BSP said. “The BSP constantly reminds the public to practice cyber hygiene under its cyber awareness and digital literacy program themed, ‘#E-Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility,” it added. By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio SINGAPORE-BASED technology company Bank-Genie Pte. Ltd. is bullish on its prospects in developing markets like the Philippines as demand for low-cost solutions will experience a great demand as its retail banking and consumer banking services will bank on their respective digitalization programs. “With [our] technology, banks can open branches that provide a suite of financial services with just ‘a tablet, a small Bluetooth printer and the card reader,’” Bank-Genie CEO Ram Sharma said. “We believe technology is the solution to enable financial inclusion and a more productive society in markets like theSharmaPhilippines.”said the company has successfully deployed its technology solution for banks including Union Bank of the Philippines Inc., East West Banking Corp., Philippine Savings Bank Inc. and Land Bank of the Philippines Inc. He added that BankGenie has currently 13 client banks in the Philippines alone. Bank-Genie Co-founder Raghu Nandan said there is a need for financial inclusion among the country’s rural population and, hence, it is quite important to boost their economic capabilities. It is estimated that roughly 7 in 10 Filipinos are financially excluded. According to data from the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP), more than half of borrowers source their loans from informal sources. Lack of access to financing is also a key barrier to the growth of SMEs and MSMEs, especially rural-based small enterprises. Without access to financial services, the poor will be trapped in a cycle of poverty.

BSP to deploy tech tool for BSFIs’ cyber strength Bank-software provider bullish on PHL tech push

Acting Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said last Thursday that the results of the investigation conducted by the Internal Inquiry and Prosecution Division of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) indicated “there was no negligence on the part of the BOC-Port of Subic personnel in the discharge of their duties.” Among the Port of Subic officials ordered by Ruiz to return to their previous posts were: District Port Collector Maritess T. Martin; Deputy Collector (Assessment) Maita S. Acevedo; Deputy Collector (Operations)

“Communication enables and achieves common understanding so different disciplines can work together in excellence for a desired purpose,” Ritzi said. It is a process by which people and organizations connect with and among each other. Public relations (PR), on the other hand, is a management function that builds harmonious and lasting relationships based on trust and truth and creates public acceptance and understanding of the advocacies of an association.

IC OKs group’s exit from conservatorship

L IKE the legendary phoenix, associations have begun to gradually rise from the ashes of the pandemic—from holding purely remote and virtual communication that kept the members at bay, to cautiously holding blended and in-person events. The question to ask in the context of communication is, “What communication approaches do associations need at this Thistime?”wasthe synopsis of a recent webinar developed and conducted by speaker Ritzi Villarico Ronquillo, fellow of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), for the Philippines Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE).Thephoenix is an immortal bird associated with Greek mythology known to cyclically regenerate or is otherwise born again. This rebirth made the phoenix a symbol of good virtues and each part of the bird symbolizes different attributes: the body for kindness, the wings for prosperity and the head for reliability. In like manner, associations are purveyors of virtues and sources of positive change. Among others, they provide diversity and reach, open horizons for growth, shape and influence policies, recognize exceptional works and prepare their members for change. In a way, they are enablers of communication and public relations.

2. People are social beings; communication is the nature of humans.3.PR is earned, nurtured and sustained. It builds and sustains positive relationships based on trust and truth so that messages are credible and the association is respected, accepted and understood.4.Communication in associations consists of the internal and the external. Strengthen your internal backbone and ensure your external linkages align with your core (purpose and mission).

5. Build on solid rock: your core. Have consistent and clear key messages. Walk your talk especially in times of duress.

6. Communication and leadership are inseparable. 7. Three pillars of association leadership: governance, relevance and8.viability.Prepare to manage issues and9.crises.Communication: why, for whom, to achieve what, with what focus, how and with what channels, track progress and improve continually.10.Amidst all the technology, people will remain ascendant. One last tip: Whether it’s communication and/or PR: it’s got to make sense; it’s got to fit; it’s got to be sustainable; and, it’s got to deliver results.

Giovanni Ferdinand A. Leynes; Assessment Division Chief Belinda F. Lim; Enforcement and Security Service District Commander Vincent Mark S. Malasmas; and, CIIS Field Supervisor Justin S. Geli, also a lawyer. In his Office Order dated August 22, Ruiz “temporarily transferred” the officials to the Office of the Commissioner from their current position. “The order shall take effect immediately and shall last until sooner revoked,” Ruiz said last August 24. Press Secretary Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles earlier said the BOC averted the possible smuggling of sugar from Thailand “after they learned that the import permit used for the cargo was recycled meaning it was already used for an earlier sugar shipment.” She added that heads might roll at the BOC if evidence shows that any of the bureau’s port personnel are in connivance with smugglers using recycled sugar import permits.

Upon orders of President and concurrent Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the BOC had recently raided warehouses where stocks of sugar were believed being hoarded for profit, in a bid to address the “artificial” shortage and bring down the price of theAsweetener.weekafterrecalling the six BOC personnel, Ruiz said the clearances from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) that were presented on the 140,000 sacks of imported refined sugar from Thailand that came into the country on August 12 were proven to be “authentic, not recycled as alleged.”“Clearly, the issuance of the Certifications by the SRA negated all the allegations of sugar smuggling and effectively cleared and/or absolved the BOC-Port of Subic from any irregularities with regard to the processing of the shipments,” Ruiz was quoted in a statement as saying.

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, the “association of associations.”

PCAAE is holding its Associations Summit 10 (AS10) on November 23 and 24, 2022. E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.

The phoenix and associations: communication and public relations

DATA IN POLICY This Tuesday, August 23, 2022, photo shows Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe M. Medalla speaking during the BSP Regional Macroeconomic Conference Series (RMCS) for North Luzon. Discussed during the conference was the role of regional data in policymaking. Medalla said that the Central Bank looks forward to hearing regional stakeholders’ insights, which are close to the ground, to validate data that BSP uses in its economic models. Photo courtesy oF Bangko sentral ng PiliP nas

Octavio PeraltaAssociation World

PR also makes sense of disorder, as well as finds focus, meaning and solutions in the midst of issues and crisis. So how can associations tap into communication and PR to move forward? Ritzi offers these ten1.tips:Communication has always been and will always be upon us in terms of introspection, verbal/ spoken word, non-verbal, visual, written, audio, digital, online, mobile, etc.

LGUs urged to rely less on natl allotmenttax

“Notwithstanding the lifting of the conservatorship status of PPSTA, it remains subject to continuing compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of this Commission for mutual benefit associations [MBAs],” Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa“Uponsaid.its exit from conservatorship, this Commission will be monitoring PPSTA’s observance of the Code of Corporate Governance for Insurance Commission Regulated Companies [CCG-ICRC] and the implementation of its digitalization program and its rationalization plan,” Funa added. Under its digitalization program, PPSTA aims to improve its operational efficiency through acquiring new information technology (IT) equipment, systems migration, strengthening IT security and training its personnel. Meanwhile, it also aims to boost the efficiency of its services to its teacher-members by eliminating operational redundancies and overlaps and improving its systems and procedures.Torecall, the professional association of public school teachers was placed under conservatorship in April 2005 due to its insurance reserve deficiencies. In 2018, lawyer Nasser A. Marohomsalic was appointed as the association’s present conservator. Established on April 5, 1947, the PPSTA is the biggest and foremost professional association of public school teachers in the Philippines with more than 200,000 teachermembers under the employ of the Department of Education, including administrators, supervisors, classroom teachers and nonteaching support personnel. PPSTA serves as a financial security provider for Filipino public school teachers through its retirement, life insurance and loan programs.

Banking&Finance BOC: Subic staff good guys, after all

Moreover, the total members’ equity as of 2020 amounted to P2.57 billion, a reversal from negative-P115.77 million as of 2013.

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM SIX public servants tagged as involved in “the possible smuggling of 7,021 metric tons of sugar from Thailand at the Subic Port in Zambales” were reinstated after their boss at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said the agency found no irregularities in their processing of sugar shipments.

Moreover, the Customs chief said there is “no prima facie nor substantial evidence to warrant the filing of administrative charges against the concerned BOC personnel.” The sugar shipments were exported by Ruamkamlarp Export Co. Ltd and consigned to Oro-Agritade Inc. were lodged by Malou. L. Buerano through E2M ARMS and the same was filed through CCPS Ticketing System and were tagged under YellowAccordingSelectivity.to Ruiz, these shipments were covered with the required documentation and were processed in accordance with Customs rules and“Theregulations.investigators found all documents presented were complete and properly complied. This means that the consignee complies with the regulations set forth by the Philippine National Trade Repository for the importation of sugar standards,” he said.

A S they are set to get a smaller revenue share from the national government next year, local government units (LGUs) were urged to break free from their dependence on National Tax Allotment (NTA) by unlocking potential fund sources. Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) Director Ricardo L. Bobis, Jr. said LGUs can generate more revenues by improving their tax collection, noting that many LGUs have not updated their local revenue“LGUscode.must break away from NTA dependence,” Bobis said in a recent virtual forum dubbed “The Mandanas Ruling and Prospects for NTA-dependent LGUs.” “There are ways to generate local revenues, such as improving real property tax collection and the process of collection,” he added. “Make delinquent taxpayers pay, improve business tax collection and regularly examine books.” The continued implementation of the Supreme Court’s Mandanas Ruling widened the revenue base used to determine the NTA share to be received by LGUs every year. However, lockdown measures resulted in an economic slowdown, which led to a revenue decline for the national government, particularly in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.Theprojected NTA share of LGUs next year will only amount to around P820 billion, 14.5-percent down from P959 billion this year given that the NTA is computed based on the collections in the third fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year. In this case, the base year was the collected revenues in Meanwhile,2020.Visayas State University Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management Head Venice B. Ibañez encouraged LGUs to look into tourism as an “opportunity to strategically allocate and optimize the use of its economic resources and“Itfunds.”isapotential revenue source and will bring about a vibrant economic environment,” Ibañez said. “People will book where to stay, will look where to eat and will travel for lookouts.” Barcelona, Sorsogon Mayor Cynthia Falcotelo-Fortes said tourism promotion and accessing programs of national government agencies and state-run Land Bank of the Philippines enabled their 5th-class municipality to break free from their dependence on “TheNTA. town has been reaping gains in tourism,” Fortes said. “Jobs were produced and publicprivate partnerships were created such as our banana lakatan production, duck production, cutflower shops and other businesses while trading posts were set up by theMoreover,LGU.” civil organizations should also actively participate in governance through participatory planning, according to “Bantay Kita” Mindanao Subnational Coordinator Beverly F. Besmanos. Besmanos cited the acquisition of royalty fees from corporations for the use of the resources of ancestral“Royaltydomains.fees can be allocated to emergency concerns, investments, including livelihood and educational projects, or capitalization for co-operative development and such,” she said. On top of these, local governments were also urged by the speakers to use information and communication technologies and digitize data collection to facilitate analysis for plans and policy developments and automate transactions.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

A FTER 17 years, financial security provider Philippine Public School Teachers Association (PPSTA) has finally exited conservatorship.Inastatement last Thursday, the Insurance Commission (IC) announced it had lifted the conservatorship status of PPSTA following its compliance with the Minimum Guaranty Fund and Risk-Based Capital (RBC) ratio requirements. The regulator said the PPSTA has complied with the Minimum Guaranty Fund requirement of P12.5 million as provided in Insurance Memorandum Circular (IMC) 2006-002 dated April 24, 2006, based on the results of the verification of its annual statement as of end-2020.Likewise, its RBC ratio of 402 percent as of 2020 was also more than triple the required ratio of 125 percent required under IMC 11-2006 dated December 8, 2006. This was also a significant improvement from a negative-24 percent RBC ratio as of 2013.

David

54 Be

ACROSS 1 Pride Month letters 5 Craze 10 Sheryl Sandberg’s deg. 13 “Tragic” 14 Female foxes 15 Word after “soup” or “spray” 16 Old-timey timepiece (In this clue’s answer, see letters 7-4) 18 Food additive that may cause vivid dreams 19 “A snake!” 20 Looking grim 21 Cry like a banshee 22 Pixar film about a boy named Miguel 23 Rhythm of speech 26 Protect financially 29 Flounders (about) 30 Actor Damon 31 Softener, at times? (letters 9-6) 35 De Armas in The Gray Man 36 Princess’s headpiece 37 Spanish cheer 38 Dessert made with a vegetable (letters 8-4) 40 Earthly angel’s backdrop 41 “___ after me...” 42 Mocked 44 Quality of dry humor 46 “How unfortunate” 47 Follow, as a warning 48 Batman : Wayne :: Superman : ___ 49 Veer quickly 52 Good name for a botanist? 53 Carbon emissions goal (letters 7-3) 57 Regret 58 Babbling streams 59 Loads and loads 60 Was in charge 61 Birds in a murder 62 “___, you owe me a Coke!” DOWN 1 Shoestring 2 Apt rhyme for “goo” 3 Support financially 4 “I’m disappointed!” 5 Itty-bitty: Prefix 6 Spinning car part 7 Lead-in to “Latin” 8 Food, ___ (2008 agri documentary) 9 Request 10 Large, tacky homes 11 Elementary 12 A 100-degree one is obtuse 14 Aye-or-nay processes 17 Skunk’s smell, e.g. Connect, as copper “Stop filming!” Falling dumbbell’s sound Gatherings in a 12-step program Carnivore ___ (controversial food plan) Apple product since 1998 Mom’s mom Ever the optimist Defy gravity Aquatic predators in a pod Sunburn balm Raunchy Deal with difficulty Tear apart Never ___ never Last” singer James Spin rapidly “Side by Side by Sondheim,” for a guy...” Pasta that’s totally tubular! giant that sells Glimmersticks Group after boomers America’s Got Talent network fallible Excessively 56 GOUDSMIT by Steinberg

one 46 Secretly looks 48 “I ___

Last CELEBRITIES

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ll have big ideas and the energy to turn what you want to pursue into a reality. A physical change will gain praise from peers and encourage you to make a difference. HHHHH TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A change will lift your spirits and give you hope for a brighter future. Participate in events encouraging you to get involved in your community or an organization you belong to, and you’ll make a difference and gain support from fellow members. HHH GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take any challenge you face, and implement rules that will offset negativity and setbacks. Set standards by initiating positive alternatives that encourage healthy lifestyle changes and friendships with people who can help you reach your goal. Romance is on the rise. HHH CANCER (June 21-July 22): Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. Focus on what puts a smile on your face and brings you closer to someone who shares your concerns. Don’t limit what you can do to help. Socialize with people who offer HHHHH LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Use your physical attributes to bring about positive change. Reorganize your space and get rid of items you no longer need. An opportunity to learn or to update your skills will encourage you to help others. Share intentions with someone you love.

The Universal Crossword/Edited

BORN ON THIS DAY: Zedd, 33; Tiffany Hines, 39; Salma Hayek, 56; Mark Harmon, 71.

50 Cosmetics

Relationships Gerard S. Ramos

Solution to today’s puzzle: ❶ LEMON CottaPassionfruitDeliceDarkisCheesecakeMascarponeflankedbyChocolate(left)andPanna ❷ THE main dining room of Pardon My French ❸ ChateaubriandROASOVEN-TED

HHH RICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Finish what you start. A change that allows you to enjoy your space and those you love will put your mind at ease and bring you comfort and joy. Live life your way, and take responsibility for your happiness. HHHH AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let anyone stand in your way. Look at your objective and set up a schedule conducive to completing things on time and to your satisfaction. An energetic approach will impress someone special and bring you closer together. HHHH PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Consider how you can get ahead financially. A plan that offers the lifestyle you want will give you something to work toward and look forward to achieving. A romantic gesture will bring you closer to someone you love. HH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are quick-witted, aggressive and disciplined. You are sensitive and creative. H: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. HH: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. HHH: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. HHHH: Aim high; start new projects. HHHHH: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Friday, September 2, 2022 • Editor:

IN line with the Filipino spirit of giving and its mantra of “Finance for All,” widely-used mobile wallet GCash has set up a donation drive to quickly help raise funds for the relief and recovery operations in areas devastated by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in North Luzon. GCash is encouraging its users to give through its #GCashGivesBack QR code and pay bill wallet. The donations collected through these channels will be equally distributed to partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) delivering immediate relief assistance to quake-hit areas particularly the province of Abra as well as nearby areas. “It’s important that we all come together in providing help to those affected by this calamity. We hope that through these accessible digital channels provided by GCash, we’re able to quickly gather funds to support relief and recovery operations in badly-hit areas. Let us all intensify our efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of one another,” said GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon. GCash users can send any amount to help the earthquake victims by scanning the #GCashGivesBack QR Code with the GCash app. They can also donate via the “Pay Bills” feature of the app by tapping “Others,” clicking “#GCashGivesBack” and typing their information, before clicking “Confirm.” Donations will be sent to GCash’s partner Non-Government Organizations (NGO) conducting relief operations in North Luzon including the Unicef, Philippine Red Cross, Ayala Foundation, ABS-CBN Foundation, GMA Kapuso Foundation, World Vision, Caritas Manila, and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation. Users can also opt to scan the GCash QR code of the various NGOs to directly send funds to them. Filipinos can download the GCash app for free on the Google Play or App Store.

B ACK in the days when our parents (or grandparents) still went out with their friends and socialized to meet new people, they would go to these entertainment-cumdining hubs that offered cocktails and a show, and then dine on an array of sumptuous international dishes. They were called supper clubs. And while I was too young to be brought to any of what was left of them in the 1970s, these supper clubs live in my mind through the eyes of Mad Men’s Don Draper, who would often meet with colleagues or flirt with women friends at these establishments. Fast forward to 2022, and Pardon My French (0917-8230091) opens along Jupiter St. in Makati, where the old Strumm’s used to be. It’s a place for friends and business colleagues to get together and gab over unique French-Asian dishes from the kitchen of celebrated Chef Ariel Manuel, or sip lovely cocktails while listening to live music from bands and handpicked talents. If the moment takes you, give in to a twirl or two on the dance floor with your favorite danceBestpartner.ofall,the atmosphere is now light, perhaps due the French blue walls and white-linen tables with plush seating, and slick but not sticky floors. (You know what I mean, Strumm’s patrons!) On the second floor, the walls are just splashes of bright, joyful colors, and dotted with eclectic art and prints, hosting private spaces for conversation, and a room for more intimate gatherings. I have been a long-time fan of Chef Ariel since his days at Lolo Dad’s, and dinner at his old Bistro Manuel, unknowingly then, was to be among the last semi-decadent meals I would have before the pandemic locked us all in our homes. So it was a quite happy opportunity to have lunch at Pardon My French, with the chef busy in a new kitchen, serving us choice items from the well-curated menu. The French Onion soup, hands down, was my favorite among the dishes served. It is the epitome of loving, comfort food, with the thinly sliced white onions so soft and the stock becoming so deliciously gooey as I gently swizzled in the grated raclette cheese topping. Of course, what is a French restaurant without Continued on B5

Donation drive launched for quake-hit North Luzon Take a twirl through time and fine food CELEBRATED Chef Ariel Manuel serves up delightful FrenchAsian dishes at Pardon My French IMAGES COURTESY OF PARDON MY FRENCH ❶ ❷ ❸

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Take nothing for granted. Reclaim what’s rightfully yours and keep moving forward. Speak on your behalf, and make your decisions clear to those trying to redirect your every move. Don’t hold back regarding your beliefs, concerns and plans to make a difference. Do things your way, and do what’s best for you and those you love. Your numbers are 9, 14, 20, 26, 35, 42, 48.

43 “At

www.businessmirror.com.phBusinessMirror

___ Mahal ‘switch jobs’ BY JARED

HoroscopeToday’s By Eugenia

HH VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Think matters through, and don’t let anyone interfere with your plans. Welcome those who want to join forces with you. An emotional change will help put you in a positive frame of mind. Romance will bring you closer to someone you love.

HHHH LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Tidy up loose ends. Be creative in approaching work, handling expenses and investments, and staying on top of your health and emotional well-being. The solutions you suggest will be well received and help you establish the best way to move forward. HHH IO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Plan to do something new and exciting. The people you meet along the way will encourage you to make changes, but don’t do anything that may put restrictions on you. It’s time to please yourself instead of trying to make everyone else happy. HHH SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Acknowledge what others do, but don’t be a follower because someone pressures you. Trust and believe in yourself, and arrange to do something that makes you feel good about how you look or what you know and can contribute.

The milestone event happened at the Ballroom of Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit last August 26 and was attended by the most reputable members of the industry. TheContentAsia Awards is operated by ContentAsia, a 15-yearold information platform curated to offer insights into Asia’s content environment.Itoffersprint magazines, digital newsletters, online videos and other materials that cover entertainment content creation, funding, financing, licensing, distribution, design and branding, and technology across the Asia-Pacific region.

publications of novenas and comedias of the Cecilio Press in Naga, and many others. But what about the two films shown? How do we connect them to each other? It was my privilege to make the commentaries about the two films that were to be screened that afternoon.Tome,cinemas are myths. In the absence of storytellers—blind bards, healers, shamans—the filmmakers are the new mythmakers. Hinulid is one such myth in the form of a film. As a Bikolano film, Hinulid, starring Nora Aunor, partakes of the power of cinema to blur boundaries, to leap over landscapes, to journey beyond time, with only language as a unifying factor. But even the unification of narrative is not simple: actors in the film were allowed by the director to use their own Bikol language. Nora in the film speaks her own Rinconada-Iriga language; Raffi Banzuela, the poet-historian who plays the priest, uses his own Albay-Camalignon language. Two academics from Ateneo de Naga who play Nora’s friends, Rico Raquitico and (Dr.) Noel Volante, each speaks the Bikol language from their respective towns. Rico uses Buhinon, a language in a lakeshore town a mere 14 kms from Iriga, the birthplace of Nora, and Noel the language of Bula. Nowhere is this passion for language more apparent than in the film Ari. Directed by Catu from the award-winning screenplay of Robby Tantingco, the film brings us to a land of poets, as experienced by a boy. Played by Ronwaldo Martin, Jaypee is the youth discovering the power and beauty of his own language.Foraregion that is noted for its celebration of its language and cultures, Ari does not romanticize the problem of languages in cultures. What the film does tell us is that it will be the youth that will truly help languages survive and with them, the continuous flowering of arts and cultures. In Hinulid, death is both a nurturing mother and a language. Death is there but not there. On that bridge, in a magnificent scene that only Nora Aunor can depict, her Sita faces Death. It is a fitting ending to a tale that tells us the myths are still with us. They are there onscreen, told by directors, writers and actors, subverting politics, bringing hope where there is only the empty horizon. n

RUMORS about the break-up of the celebrity’s marriage to a politician are going strong. Some of the rumors allege that the politician has another woman on the side while others say he is reportedly gay. Of course, no one knows the truth except the parties concerned. But here’s a fact. During a recent event, the husband was throwing a tantrum for some unknown reason and the celebrity told him, “You don’t have to come in.” But he still did. The whole night, the politician was just vaping and staring blankly into space, talking only when someone addressed him. The

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

HER ONE TRUE LOVE? SO everyone’s saying that the beautiful actress’ new boyfriend, a businessman, is gay. But the truth is, he isn’t. He was, in fact, with another girl for years to the point that people thought they were married. (They weren’t.) The businessman may seem gay but he loves women and is known as a playboy. The beautiful actress, meanwhile, has found true love to be elusive for her. Will she be the woman to get the businessman to finally settle down? Is he her one true love? At her (young) age, the actress has encountered many heartbreaks so her friends are hoping the businessman is the one who’ll make her happy forever.

A MARRIAGE IN TROUBLE?

Take a twirl through time and fine food

L AST August 19, 2022, a most unusual event took place in the historic Metropolitan Theater. Some people called it a convergence; some used the very social media-term “collab” to describe the happening. We call it a conversation between two cinematic traditions. This was the screening of two films—Carlo Enciso Catu’s Ari: My Life with a King and Kristian Sendon Cordero’s Hinulid. Catu’s film is from Pampanga and Cordero’s is from Bicol. Now, why these two places? But then again, why not? I know for a fact that Cordero, deputy director of the Ateneo de Naga University Press, has been in touch with Robby Tantingco, the director of the Center for Kapampangan Studies of the Holy Angel University as they explore possible academic and cultural partnerships. This year, Holy Angel University began a screening of Aria, a film also helmed by Catu, at the Met Theater. It was after this occasion that Tantingco extended formally to Cordero this idea of screening two films from each group. Things began to coalesce when August came and the impetus to have a singular event to celebrate the Buwan ng Wika that the idea of putting under one roof two films, seemingly disparate on the surface, was finalized. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, through the Holy Angel University with the academic vice president and head of the Center of Kapampangan Studies together with the NORA AUNOR as Sita the grieving mother with the ashes of her son

celebrity’s behavior on social media is also making people question whether she and the politician are still together. They are also asking the question: Should she have listened to her parents?

Continued from B4 escargot? The burgundy snails are tender to the bite, and served in a copper bowl, with a luscious swill of burgundy butter and garlic. A classic duck confit is also on the menu, served with duck au jus and cranberries, which has always been my favorite at Chef Ariel’s restaurants. The skin was still a bit crispy, and the meat tasting of its earthy goodness.Foranindulgent bite, there is a chateaubriand, an almost melt-in-your mouth tenderloin steak roasted medium in the oven. It is served with a bed of mashed potatoes and delicious duck-fat fries. (According to Chef Ariel, the restaurant serves beef only from Braveheart Foods, which raises cattle in the American Midwest, emphasizing humane practices and sustainability. To ensure the quality of Braveheart Black Angus Beef, the company uses a DNA traceback system to confirm the progeny of the Black Angus cattle, said to be the highest percentage in theTheindustry.)thickduck-fat fries, by the way, are also a must for bar chow, if you do decide to go for cocktails, along with their mushroom chicharron and beef shawarma. Harking back to his Asian phase at Pat Wong, Chef Ariel serves up a Pondicherry Prawn Curry Indienne, with prawns cooked in Indian curry, butter, wine, and cream. It’s a refreshing take on seafood and gives it a light, savory flavor. While Chef Ariel rules the mains, Chef John Lees, aka The Tattooed Baker, handles the desserts at Pardon My French. I had a trio of sweet treats starting with the elegant Dark Chocolate Delice served with coconut-whipped ganache and kaffir lime; a Lemon and Mascarpone Cheesecake, with a lemon curd macaron and ginger streusel; and Passionfruit Panna Cotta, with a saffronpoached pineapple and mango foam. The idea of Pardon My French as a supper club was borne out of my experiences of entertaining at home where I get to share my love for sumptuous food and great live music. We don’t have enough of these kinds of places now and I m hoping to open more in the near future,” says Jun Sy, president of PYC Foods Corp., a member of the Tao Community of Companies, which is engaged in food retail, restaurant, and licensing businesses. While live entertainment is featured nightly, from Tuesdays to Sundays, the restaurant also offers casual but elevated lunch sets (starting at P850) from 11 am to 3 pm. The menu changes every two weeks. Looking through the restaurant menu, I feel the need to return to taste their other dishes like the Classic Steak Tartare, an interesting-sounding Lamb Shank Curry, or the Entrecôte Rib Eye. Ooof. My heart just skipped a beat saying those out loud. n

GMA Network first vice president for program management Jose Mari R. Abacan was tapped to be part of the prestigious ContentAsia Awards 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. Abacan was chosen as one of the judges to review and evaluate entries from three categories, including Best Drama Series/Telefilm Made for a Single Asia Market, Best TV Format Adaptation (Scripted) in Asia, and Best Asian Feature Film or Telemovie. With more than 28 years of industry experience, he was instrumental in GMA’s introducing Koreanovelas, Lakorn, Turkish and Indian series in the country. He also oversees all program acquisition initiatives from both local and foreign producers. Aside from heading program management, he is also the current project director of GMA Network Films and leads the overall operations and programming of all GMA’s Digital Terrestrial channels: Heart of Asia, I Heart Movies, and HallyPop.

• Friday, September 2, 2022 B5 Show BusinessMirrorwww.businessmirror.com.ph

When two cinemas converse

This year, ContentAsia Awards held its first-ever face-to-face awards ceremony since the pandemic started.

GMA exec chosen as judge in ContentAsia Awards 2022

STAGE DAD THE stage father’s recent behavior on social media brings to mind why his son and an actress broke up. According to insiders, the parents of the actress, who was very young at that time, could no longer stand the stage father’s behavior. The stage father’s son is a kind and friendly guy while the actress is unproblematic. It is the stage father who is the problem. He has this tendency to make everything about himself. There’s this time when his son and the current girlfriend, also an actress, had a very public fight, and what people remember is that during the whole time, the dad was crying. So people were looking not at the arguing couple but at him. HE CHOSE LOVE OVER HIS CAREER THIS male starlet gets good breaks, even if he is not exceptionally handsome or talented. His role in a new drama should have been a good break for him but he had to quit the show because of his girlfriend. The starlet has had a string of girlfriends after he split from his longtime sweetheart and all his break-ups have been problematic. Well, he seems to have met his match in this girl, who is reportedly jealous and possessive. She is said to have made him quit the show because his ex is in it. Because the male starlet is so in love with his new girlfriend, he chose her over his career—or what there is of it.

V ALUEPLUS Auto Service Express (VPX), the franchising brand of ValuePlus Auto Services Philippines, Inc., and Astral Fuel Corporation, an innovative player in the retail fuel industry, recently signed a co-branding partnership to provide motorists in Lipa City with one-stop auto services, from fueling up to tuning up. With this partnership, Astral Fuel’s customers will be able to access ValuePlus’ top-of-the-line auto repair and maintenance services, including preventive maintenance, oil service, mechanical and electrical repairs, wheel alignment, and tire services at the Astral Service Center Powered by VPX. So, aside from refilling their fuel, drivers can have their cars checked at one stop, saving them money and time. This partnership paves the way for ValuePlus to serve more customers in Batangas province. In June 2021, ValuePlus opened its branch in Libjo, Batangas City through its franchise partnership with Jandusay and Sons. This is ValuePlus’ fourth branch in the country, with the other two in Metro Manila and one in Sorsogon in Bicol province. Mark Saberola, General Manager of ValuePlus, said of the co-branding partnership: “We are delighted to partner with Astral Fuel to provide more customers with ease and convenience. By bringing our car maintenance and repair services to the gas station, we help the drivers maximize their time and ensure smooth and safe travel.” The tie-up with Astral Fuel also marks a new milestone for VPX as its first cobranding partnership. The co-branding partnership is a new hybrid program offered by VPX to provide independent fuel companies and homegrown car repair shops with a more accessible option to carry and offer ValuePlus’ auto repair and

THE at-home consumption trend continues to see strong growth in Coca-Cola, Grab join hands to drive growth, digtilization in Southeast Asia maintenance services. This year, VPX aims to bring its co-branding partnership program to more fuel retailers in the country, like AstralAmalynFuel.

VPX and Astral Fuel to open one-stop car repair center and gas station in Lipa City

VOLUNTEER doctors, health experts and mental health advocates recently joined forces with mWell for the biggest nationwide online medical mission. mWell by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (PSE: MPI), the Philippines’ fastest-growing health app, brought healthcare closer to Filipinos nationwide as it provided free online consultation via the mWell app last August 27-28. The program was mWell’s response to the need for medical advice to help Filipinos rebuild their lives in the new normal.

L EADING beverage company Coca-Cola and Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading superapp, recently announced an integrated regional partnership that will build on CocaCola’s extensive offline retail presence and Grab’s large online network to unlock growth opportunities in a booming digital consumer market. Both companies will also collaborate on impact initiatives to accelerate digital skilling for merchants and promote convenience and an array of beverage choices for consumers.

Enchanted Kingdom holds 8th Brigada EsKwela 2022 at Macabling Elementary School

Southeast Asia, driven by deepening usage of food and grocery delivery services among consumers. To enable more merchants to ride on this trend, Coca-Cola plans to assist retailers within its distribution network to set up digital storefronts on GrabFood and GrabMart so that they too can market and sell their products to Grab’s large digital consumer base. Grab also plans to support interested merchants on its platform to become distributors of Coca-Cola, expanding their product offerings and increasing their sales opportunities. Both companies will also offer digital literacy and e-commerce training to enable merchants to upskill and further optimize their business for growth. Engaging consumers in refreshing ways through GrabAds GRAB’S superapp advertising capabilities offer exciting new ways for Coca-Cola to connect and engage with consumers and drive sales back to merchant-partners.

For example, Coca-Cola is now running an exclusive, multi-market “Treat Nights” campaign on Grab across Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Through a mix of offline advertising on the Grab fleet, online advertising in the Grab app, gamification, and product sampling, Coca-Cola is building more purchasing occasions with consumers to grow demand for home consumption of its beverages. Enhancing support for small, traditional merchants through digitalization COCA-COLA plans to leverage Grab’s platform solutions such as GrabExpress to address supply chain inefficiencies, and GrabPay in-store cashless payment to support small business digitalization and growth. Digitalizing in-store payments for small businesses will provide CocaCola with robust, near real-time insights to forecast beverage sales trends, restock shelves quickly via GrabExpress, and find growth opportunities for merchants.

Friday, September 2, 2022B6

Penix, Operation Director of Astral Fuel, remarked: “When we were seeking a partner for this endeavor, ValuePlus became our top choice. The company has a strong reputation for its quality services and after-sales care. We believe in providing our customers with the highest quality fuel products and services. ValuePlus is very much aligned with what we believe our customers deserve.” Motorists in Lipa City can start fueling up and tuning up at Astral Fuel Station Lipa City on September 15. Drivers may schedule or inquire about auto care services on ValuePlus’ website www.valueplusph.com or contact them via email at lipa@valueplusph.com or mobile at 0917-637-2122. If you want to learn more about VPX’s co-branding partnership program, contact 0917637-2085.

T HE Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) launched on National Aspin Day last August 18 Alden Richards as their newest celebrity spokesperson. He joins Heart Evangelista in the organization’s “I Love My Aspin” campaign. Aspin is a contraction of two words “Aso” (dog) and “Pinoy” (informal term for Filipino). PAWS coined this term in 2007 to replace the derogatory term “askal” which is short for “Asong Kalye” or street dogs. Native dogs, having no pedigree or are not purebred, are usually seen as having no value and are often left to fend for themselves in the streets, which led to them being called “askals”. Aside from changing the term, PAWS, the nation’s most respected animal welfare organization, has produced several campaigns through the years to uplift the image of the native dog. The “I Love My Aspin” campaign aims to encourage Pinoy aspin owners to be proud of their native dogs and to be responsible pet parents to them. Joining Alden for this campaign is his lovable seven-yearold aspin, Chichi, who will appear with the actor in various ads to promote aspins and aspinAskedadoption.whyhe agreed to do this campaign, the actor said that he could not imagine life without his dogs. “My family has always had dogs. May purebreeds, may aspins. We love them all equally and I can say na grabe din sila magmahal unconditionally. Pero napuna ko na merong talagang discrimination – pag may nagtatanong kung anong breed young aso nila, ang usual na sagot ‘Aspin lang’ or makakarinig ako minsan ng ‘bakit ka pa gumastos sa vet eh aspin lang naman yan?’ Pag naririnig ko yun, nasasaktan ako for Chichi. Napakalambing ng mga aspins. Pag may lumalapit sa aking mga tao or nag pe-pretend ako na umiiyak, lumalapit agad si Chichi to check on me – ganun syang ka-protective at kalambing, So I really feel bad pag nakakarinig ako ng mga comments na minamaliit ang aspin. Lahat ng aso, dapat tinuturing na part of the family. Common pa rin kasi yung maling pag-iisip na pag native dog, pwedeng hindi na masyado alagaan kase matibay naman sila. But that is so unfair. Richards says he has heard a lot of stories about rescued aspins from PAWS, “Marami silang naikuwento sa akin – na pag nag-adopt ka ng rescued aspins, sila talaga yung mas loyal, mas loving and mas grateful kasi nabigyan sila ng second chance sa buhay. Nakakalungkot isipin na marami tayong mga aspins na homeless or di kaya, may owner pero laging nasa kalye ang aso nila

MARK Saberola, General Manager of ValuePlus Auto Services Philippines Inc., and Amalyn Penix, Operation Director of Astral Fuel sign the franchise agreement as Zarah Lynn Peralta, VPX’s Admin and Finance Manager, and Alan Dimayuga, Operation Manager of Astral Fuel look on.

OFFICIALS from Enchanted Kingdom and the Macabling Elementary School inspect one of the newly repaired and painted kindergarten classrooms.

Animal welfare group launches ‘I Love My Aspin’ campaign with newest celebrity endorser Alden Richards

The event, first held in September 2021, was made bigger with a wider number of family doctors, specialists, and even mental health experts from all over the country—on call for free, for every Filipino. Doctors from Makati Medical Center Foundation and Makati Medical Center Wellness Center volunteered their time to Health sector rally behind National mWellness Day, conduct biggest nationwide online medical mission

“At Coca-Cola, we are transforming our business model for the digital age. This new multi-market partnership extends our online reach and enables us to stay ahead of changing shopper trends as we drive customer value and growth through digital enablement. We are thrilled to be collaborating with a forward-thinking company like Grab and we look forward to working closely to build new consumer connections and offer a new level of convenience to digital consumers in the region,” said Sam Way, Head of Offline to Online, Coca-Cola ASEAN & South Pacific. “We are very excited to be CocaCola’s preferred partner in Southeast Asia. This partnership also reflects our shared commitment to support merchants to further grow their business through digitalization and financial services. By enabling them to capture new and unmet consumer demand, we enable them to provide better services to our users. This in turn strengthens brand love for Grab and Coca-Cola,” added Saad Ahmed, Regional Head of Merchant, Grab. The landmark partnership spans six Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. It centers on four strategic pillars: Growing with merchants through GrabFood and GrabMart

Astral Fuel brings Astral Hub to Lipa City WHILE waiting for their cars to be serviced at VPX Astral Service Center, customers can visit the Astral Hub which offers a wide range of services all in one place, including a drugstore, motorcycle shop, medical clinic, and diagnostic center, among Committedothers.tobringing convenience to every Juan in the community, the Astral Hub in Lipa City is Astral Fuel’s first of several hubs being planned to open in Luzon in the near future.

ADVOCACY CHAMPIONS: Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Chief Finance, Risk and Sustainability Officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla and MPIC President, Chairman and CEO, Manny V. Pangilinan provide free online consultation via the mWell PH app. Recognizing the importance of holistic well-being, mental health experts from MindNation offered free counselling. Aside from volunteer doctors, National mWellness Day 2022 was made even stronger by diverse partnerships in one fully integrated platform. Among those powering up the advocacy were MPIC Foundation, as well as top insurance companies—PhilCare and Generali.Unilab, MedExpress, 24 Alkaline-C and PiCur antioxidant are also on board. Free video consultation NATIONAL mWellness Day, mWell’s flagship advocacy, is part of MPIC’s sustainability mission to make quality healthcare accessible for all. During those two days, participants consulted with experts from the comforts of home for free! Participants only had to download the mWell PH app, register, click the National mWellness Day banner, and use the Health Pass code: FREECONSULT. They chose from volunteer primary care doctors, specialists, and mental health experts. After the consultation, the doctor shall provide medical certificate,e-prescription, referrals for tests—all for free, right on the app. Pulling out all the stops, mWell also prepared additional health rewards for the first 100 patients who will consult for free: vitamin vouchers from MedExpress, with free shipping. They also received free laboratory exams including X-ray and complete blood count, and emergency outpatient coverage valid for one year from PhilCare. E NCHANTED Kingdom (EK) once again extended their support in providing a fun and healthy learning environment for students. Now on their 8th Brigada EsKwela, EK adopted the kindergarten classrooms of Macabling Elementary School in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and returned them last August 22 after they were repaired and repainted. The first Brigada EsKwela dated back to May 30, 2012 and due to its success, EK continued to promote education by adopting a school. This activity is coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd) through their Adopt-aSchool program. This year’s theme, “Tugon sa Hamon ng Ligtas na Balik-Aral,” emphasized the importance of having a safe and clean learning environment especially with the Covid-19 virus. Through this activity, EK aims to share and uphold Eldar the Wizard’s virtues of kindness, humility, patience, honesty, diligence, generosity, and love for God and family, and encourage the students to do the same. Cast members were on hand to help out during this special activity by bringing Eldar’s magic to the school and transforming the kindergarten classroom into an Enchanting Learning Zone through the designing of murals. The program started at 8 am with activities prepared by the cast members. Students and volunteers witnessed a special number from the Enchanted Kingdom Circle of Artists, Boulderville Buddies and EK Royalty Eldar the Wizard. The turnover ceremony will be led by EK President and CEO, Mr. Mario O. Mamon and was attended by DepEd City of Sta. Rosa Schools Division Superintendent and other officials.

Using our combined scale to do good in Southeast Asia GRAB and Coca-Cola are committed to drive digital-skilling for underserved businesses. Coca-Cola will also tap into Grab’s merchant-partner network and scale to drive trials of zero-sugar beverages to make it easier for consumers in the region to choose the beverages that fit their needs.

PSC PHOTO KELLY WILLIAMS

Expo, registration usher in Davao 5150

AP T NT Tropang Giga is on the brink of retaining the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup as it battles San Miguel Beer—a five-straight winner of the most prestigious trophy in the league—in Game 6 of their best-ofseven Finals series on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. But TNT Head Coach Chot Reyes admitted it won’t be an easy night for them. “ I have always said that the hardest game to win is the fourth game [win No. 4],” Reyes said. “We have no illusions about it. We know it’s going to be a huge, difficult war so we have to be prepared.” G ame 6 starts at 5:45 p.m. and a victory by TNT will give the Manuel V. Pangilinan franchise its ninth PBA crown. “All we can do is prepare ourselves, control the things we can control and just be ready for the game,” Reyes added. R eyes said the Beermen would definitely bounce back from back-to-back defeats—100-87 in Game 4 and 102-93 in Game 5. K elly Williams was at his powerhouse vintage self and produced 14 points and seven rebounds in Game 4 and 21 points and nine rebounds in Game 6. He will draw support from sophomore big time scorer Mikey Williams, who is averaging 16.6 points in the series. Jayson Castro, one of TNT’s veterans, is again expected to play through pain after spraining his ankle in the third quarter of Game 5. Josef Ramos

Stadiumwhoselikeshe’scapablearound,oldnight:WednesdayThe40-year-Williamsisstillshe’sstillofterrifictennis,stillwinning—and,theadoringspectatorsroarsfilledArthurAsheagain—she’sreadyfor more. W illiams eliminated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2, in the US Open’s second round to ensure that she will play at least one more singles match at what she’s hinted will be the last tournament of her illustriousThere’scareer.stilla little left in me,”

Touring ladies face tough test at Valley South T HE country’s touring ladies brace for a major challenge when the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) resumes with a rare stop in Antipolo City next week for the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Valley Golf Ladies Challenge at the treacherous South course.Chihiro Ikeda bucked a final round breakdown to thwart Sarah Ababa by two and rule the Eagle Ridge Aoki Invitational last July for her second LPGT championship in the last four legs before the circuit took a two-month break following clashes at Luisita, Hallow Ridge, Caliraya Springs, Mount Malarayat, Splendido Taal and Pradera Verde. But the Fil-Japanese shotmaker and the rest of the 20-player cast will be in for what could be their toughest test at Valley South, a daunting rolling, tight layout that repels anything less than accurate shots. The Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.-organized circuit first and last held a tournament at Valley in 2014 with Ladies Professional Golf AssociationEpson Tour campaigner Dottie Ardina edging Mia Piccio by two at the adjacent, hazard-laden Executive course. But the September 7 to 9 championship promises to be a far more daunting battle of shotmaking and wits given the makeup of Valley South, which hosted two Philippine Open Championships, the last in 2010 an all-Filipino edition won by Artemio Murakami—and the first in 1991 when American Dennis Paulson nipped Taiwanese Chen Tze Chung in sudden death. It will indeed be a different kind of challenge (at Valley) but we have prepared long and hard for the LPGT resumption, so we expect good competition,” said Ikeda, who also won at Mt. Malarayat.

THE 40-year-old Serena Williams is still capable of terrific tennis, she’s still winning—and, like the adoring spectators whose roars filled Arthur Ashe Stadium again—she’s ready for more.

N EWLY appointed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala targets a productive collaboration among the PSC, national sports associations (NSAs) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to strengthen the agency’ grassroots campaign aimed at a strong national sports program.

Eala thanked former PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez for giving him advice after learning about his appointment, saying that the 72-yearold Ramirez will serve as a good adviser to the commission because of his vast experience at the agency. “ We had a good talk yesterday so next week, we’re going to meet to discuss a lot of things,” Eala said. “His leadership was very successful and I don’t have the intention of reinventing anything successful. We are here to sustain and gain from that success of the last administration.” W ith only Eala and Coo as the only Palace appointees at the agency, the PSC couldn’t still function as a full board with three more commissioners needed to complete the mandated one-chairman and four-commissioner body. That’s my desire for now. The first order for us is to complete the board and there are many urgent matters to be resolved,” Eala said. “We have to get a full board soon, but that’s the discretion of the Office of the President, we’ll wait for it and I requested for it already.” B esides Coo, Eala also met with PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Deputy Executive Directors Merlita Ibay and Anna Christine Abellana and Chief Accountant Erik Mayores.

“ I was playing on Court 7 both of my matches so far at the same time as her, and I could hear the crowd. I’m like, ‘Court 7 isn’t that close.’ I kept thinking, ‘Oh, my God, that’s annoying me and I’m not even playing against her,’” Tomljanovic said. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it.” M aking Williams’s potential path possibly simpler if she can get past Tomljanovic: 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova both lost.

O n Wednesday, Williams hit serves at up to 119 mph, stayed with Kontaveit during lengthy exchanges of big swings from the baselines and conjured up some of her trademark brilliance when it was needed most. A fter pulling out a tight first set, then faltering in the second, Williams headed to the locker room for a bathroom break before the third. Something had to give, someone had to blink.

THE Nationals—behind 6-foot-6 Congolese middle blocker Obed Mukaba—start cold but finish hot.

TNT GOES FOR PHILIPPINE CUP CROWN IN GAME 6

CHIHIRO IKEDA is marked at Valley.

E ala was at the PSC Offices at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila for the first time on Thursday since the Palace’s announcement of his appointment on Tuesday night. Tops on Eala’s agenda was to meet with top organic PSC officials, plus Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo, he capped with a brief interview from a handful sports media.

A head by three, the Troopers finished off the first set with a 3-1 spurt capped by Benjaylo Labide’s kill for the early lead. But NU-Sta. Elena responded swiftly in the ensuing salvo for the equalizer, 25-20. The Nationals’ solid net defense and Army-Katinko Oil’s errors highlighted NU’s 7-1 closing run in the third set to take the lead, 25-16.

Tolentino said he looks forward to a more harmonious relationship between the country’s top sports bodies as he believes Eala will be as active in supporting the national team. I expect a good chemistry between the PSC and the POC in achieving common goals for the best of the country. I wish him all the best,” Tolentino said. E ala is the PSC’s 11th chairman. He was a former commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association and executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. E ala, 59, who already paid a visit to the PSC office at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila on Wednesday, joined bowling great Bong Coo who was appointed earlier as PSC commissioner. M alacañang has yet to appoint three more commissioners to complete the five-member PSC board.

The 59-year-old Eala said he is looking forward to meeting POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino for a productive discussions and vowed to reach out to the more than 56 NSAs “to find out their needs and what recommendations the government funding sports agency will tell them.” “Basically it will be a give and take approach between us and the NSAs, they will be our partners here,” he said.

smilesaidWilliamswithaduringher oncourt interview, then acknowledged during her postmatch news conference: ”These moments are clearly fleeting.” A fter beating 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic in straight sets Monday, then collecting her 23rd victory in her past 25 matches against someone ranked Nos. 1 or 2 against Kontaveit on Wednesday, the six-time champion at Flushing Meadows will play Friday for a spot in the fourth round.Her opponent will be Ajla Tomljanovic, a 29-year-old Australian who is ranked 46th. They’ve never met, but Tomljanovic, who said she considers herself a Williams fan, figures she knows what to anticipate from the American—and from those in the seats.

N ATIONAL University (NU)Sta. Elena bucked a slow start to dismantle Army-Katinko Oil, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-12, in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Thursday at the Paco Arena. The Nationals went on a rampage in the fourth set with a 16-6 salvo on the way to a 25-12 tally for the win. This is a new team, although we came from an international tournament, competing at home’s different,” NU-Sta. Elena Head Coach Dante Alinsunurin said.

Tolentino praises Malacañang’s choice for sports agency chairman

AP PHILIPPINE Sports Commission Chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala meets with Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo (back to camera, left), PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy (in pink polo), Deputy Executive Directors Merlita Ibay (printed blouse) and Anna Christine Abellana (right) and Chief Accountant Erik Mayores (green shirt).

By Josef Ramos

P HILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino looks forward to a harmonious chemistry between the POC and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as he praised Malacañang’s choice of Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala as chairman of the government sports agency. “A wonderful choice by our President BBM [Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.] because he [Eala] is a sportsman himself and has been involved in sports for many decades,” Tolentino said. “He surely knows the needs of athletes and coaches in all sports federations.”

A N expo on health and fitness, along with the athletes’ registration both in triathlon and Sunrise Sprint events, take place Friday at the WREC, Hijo Resorts Davao, marking the busy weekend culminating in Penong’s 5150 Davao in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Sunday. A m erry mix of bidders, from beginners to weekend runners and those building up to reach Ironman level, including 10 foreign entries, are all geared up for the Olympic distance 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run event that will cut across the Hijo Resorts Davao beach (swim) to the Daang Maharlika to Tagum City (bike) and back to Hijo Resorts (run). This is the first Ironman Group/ Sunrise Events Inc.’s endurance race in Mindanao after the pandemic with the upcoming race to be held after the successful staging of the full Ironman in Subic, the Sun Life 5150 in Bohol and the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu. We’re all set. It’s been a long wait

The Palace announced Eala’s appointment on Tuesday night and was welcomed at theIr PSC Offices in Manila by PSC Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo, Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy and Deputy Executive Director Merlita Ibay.

NEWshe“retiring” orit “evolving”Williams canYORK—Serenacallorwhateverwants.Andshecan be coy about whether or not this US Open will actually mark the end of her playing days. Those 23 Grand Slam titles earned that right. I f she keeps playing like this, who knows how long this farewell will last?No matter what happens once her trip to Flushing Meadows is over, here is what is important to know after

SERENA VERY MUCH

We had too many errors in the first set especially on our serves,” Almendras said. “But we made the adjustments and we lessened our errors.”Obed Mukaba, a 6-foot-6 Congolese middle blocker, punished the Troopers by himself with six blocks to their opponents’ total five blocks. He finished 6 with 13 points. K ennry Malinis added 12 points, while Michaelo Buddin got eight points in just two sets of play for NU. PJ Rojas topscored for ArmyKatinko Oil with 11, while John Diwa chipped in 10. Rey Taneo tallied 26 excellent sets along with four points and five digs.

Nationals survive Army’s tough stand

TOLENTINO to hold this event here in Tagum City but it’s all worth it,” said Princess Galura, general manager of the organizing Ironman Group/Sunrise Events Inc. The 5150 and sprint athletes’ check-in starts at 2 p.m. alongside the opening of the official Ironman store and the Expo Open with the press conference set at 11 a.m. Saturday to be followed by race briefing along with 5150 and spring bike and gear check-in. Sunday’s race will kick off at 6:20 a.m. for Penong’s 5150 rolling start to be followed by the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint wave start for all-male and all-female.

Sports B7Friday, September 2, 2022BusinessMirrormirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

I n his interview with the media, Eala touched on every young Filipino to doIt’ssports.thesports promotions and development, particularly the grassroots level, and the idea is to have every Filipino and young person play sports,” Eala said. “At the same time, we are here also to support elite athletes as much as we can, give them international exposure they need.”

CHAIR EALA: DAY 1 AT PSC

Nico Almendras led NU-Sta. Elena with 18 points built on 15 attacks, two aces, one block and 12 excellent receptions.

given out to the participants.

2021 PHILIPPINE RALLYCROSS SERIES WINNERS AWARDED (FROM left) Rikki Dy-Liacco from AAP, Ronnie Trinidad from PHRX, Paul Santos (Group 4 3rd Place), Steve Acayan (Group 4 1st Place), Alex Gonzales (Group 4 3rd Place), and Olson Camacho from PHRX. PHRX (FROM left) Rikki Dy-Liacco from AAP, Mon Dimapilis (Open Class 3rd Place), Patrick Ng (Open Class 1st Place), Dindo de Jesus (Open Class 2nd Place), Ronnie Trinidad from PHRX, and Olson Camacho from PHRX. PHRX (FROM left) Rikki Dy-Liacco from AAP, Pauline Barrenchea (Ladies’ Class 3rd Place), Kathy Villar (Ladies’ Class 1st Place), EZ Ligaza representing Elysse Menorca (Ladies’ Class 2nd Place), Olson Camacho from PHRX, and Ronnie Trinidad from PHRX. PHRX Philippines. The race format is in a close course track environment stretching up to three kilometers. The best time is determined by com bining the top two runs in a threerun, drop one-run system. There are two rounds in a day’s event. The first round is for a daytime stage, followed by a nighttime stage. There are different categories for the race series. Group 1 is for vehicles with engine displacements 1300cc and below, followed by Group 2 from 1301cc to 1600cc. Then Group 3 is for 1601cc to 1900cc, followed by Group 4, which is for 1901cc and up. Notably, the AAP Driver of the Year awardee will come from the Group 3 class divi sion, while the Golden Wheel Driver of the Year for Rallycross awardee will come from Group 2 class division. Other classes included are the Four-Wheel Drive class, Rear Wheel Drive class, UV Class, and an Open class. Ultimately, overall champions are awarded at the end of the season. Included for this season were Novice and Ladies’ Classes. PHRX organiz ers Olson Camacho, Ronnie Trinidad, and Eggay Quesada led the awarding ceremony, which the Rallycross par ticipants attended. The 2021 Philippine Rallycross Se ries was made possible by Clark Global City, Phoenix Pulse Technology, and Isuzu Philippines Corp. Other company supporters are Accelera Tires, Autoplus Sports, Method Race Wheels, Ironman 4x4 PH, Tyron Runflat, Armormax, Im penetra, CW Home Depot, Aguila Glass, AC Delco, Atoy Customs, Clark Devel opment Corp., JS Mina Audio Sound System, Two Bott’s Resto Bar, Pradera Verde, Martin DV, Motoring Today, Auto car Philippines, and Wheels Philippines. Urian. and also

Fun Awards were

The complete results: CIRCUITRankNamePROMOTIONALCHAMPIONSHIPCLASS Team 1Jay Lao Happy Hotels/OT Racing Team 2Alan Palacios Toyota Team Cebu 3Jarond Mesina Toyota Team Cebu SPORTING RankNameCLASS Team 1Bryan Co R Racing Team 2Iñigo Anton Toyota North EDSA-Obengers Racing Team 3Gerard Loy R Racing Team

Story by Randy S. Peregrino L ONG- RUNNING motorsport event Philippine Rallycross (PHRX) Series recently award ed the winners of the 2021 Rallycross Season. Held at the Two Bott’s Resto Bar Co., in Southwoods Ecocentrum in Biñan, Laguna, the awarding cer emony finally took place after several postponements due to the pandemic. Ran mainly on a specially laid-out dirt track at the Clark Global City in Pampanga, the 2021 Rallycross Series was held over 12 rounds that flagged off in March 2021. However, due to random lockdowns and IATF restric tions, the 2021 Season dragged on until the following year, with the final round running in April 2022. Established in 2015, PHRX aims to revive rally motorsports in the

PEE STOP Congrats to the All-New Honda Civic RS Turbo CVT for its fuel mileage of 21.43 kms per liter, following a recent fuel economy run conducted in partnership with the Automobile Association of the Phil ippines. Likewise, the V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING did 24.34 km per liter, and the S CVT Honda SENS ING at 29.66 km per liter. They were achieved over 129 kms of highway driving, with 60-80 kph speed at 1,500-2,000 rpm, air-conditioning at 24-C temperature and No. 1 fan speed. Quite a feat. Cheers!...Ph. D. Dante M. Velasco’s breakthrough book, “Executive Read: Leadership, Public Speech and Writing,” is now out. Be the first to proudly own one by calling DMV Publishing at 09173044363. Mabuhay ka , Dante!

VARIOUSWinnersCLASSES 1st Place2nd Place3rd Place Open ClassPatrick NgDindo de JesusMon Dimapilis UV ClassPatrick NgMon DimapilisAllan Sarmiento AWD ClassPatrick NgMon DimapilisAllan Sarmiento RWD ClassDindo de JesusJun MagnoEZ Ligaya Ladies ClassKathy VillarElysse MenorcaPauline Barrenchea GROUPGroupCATEGORY 1st Place2nd Place3rd Place 1 Noli Tinio Choy MabunayJP Polintan 2 Louie CamachoSteve AcayanPaul Santos 3 Louie CamachoSteve AcayanPaul Santos 4 Steve AcayanPaul SantosAlex Gonzales The Novice Driver Award was given to Daniel

AUTOCROSS CHALLENGE MEDIA PROMOTIONAL CLASS RankName 1Pablo Salapantan 2Niko 3SiegwaldVillegasGo MEDIA PROMOTIONAL CLASS RankName 1Jamil Lacuna 2Roy 3RonaldRoblesdelos Reyes GR GT PROMOTIONAL CLASS RankName 1Luis 3Mark2RusselMorenoReyesElman

“In the Sporting Class, it was Jiro Garbes of JB Racing/Toyota San Fer nando topping the race as Russell Cabrera of Toyota Team Cebu and Royce Sarmiento of RMS Cars Rac ing Team came in second and third, respectively. Lastly, R Racing Team’s Bryan Co took first in the Super Sporting Class, followed by Iñigo Anton representing Toyota North EDSA-Obengers Racing Team then Gerard Loy of R Racing Team at third. “In the Autocross Challenge, Miguel Romulo took first in the Celeb rity Promotional Autocross, followed by Ashley Gosiengfiao in second and Carla Lizardo third. Standing first in the Celebrity Sporting Autocross was Jules Aquino, with Arron Villaflor and Enzo Pineda coming in second and third places, respectively.

BusinessMirror VIOS CUP LEG

INFLUENCER SPORTING CLASS RankName 1Jules Aquino 2 Arron Villaflor 3Enzo Pineda Ronald de los Reyes third. “TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Gran Turismo (GR GT) Cup racers were also back to join the fun at the Autocross Challenge. Luis Moreno was first, fol lowed by Russel Reyes and Mark El man in second and third, respectively. “Adding fun to the thrilling week end was the unleashing of the AllNew GR 86 alongside the GR Yaris, both rounding up the international speedway.“TMPconcludes its now-iconic TOY OTA GAZOO Racing Vios Cup with its Leg 3 set in November. “The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Cup is held in cooperation with Bridge stone and Petron, together with other sponsors Brembo, Denso, OMP, Tuason Racing, AVT, 3M, ROTA, myTOYOTA Wallet and Kinto One.”

Motoring 2 ANOTHER SMASHING SUCCESS

“The same excitement filled the races for the Media Autocross Chal lenge. Pablo Salapantan was first in the Promotional Media Autocross, with Niko Villegas and Siegwald Go in second and third, respectively. Jamil Lacuna was first in the Sporting Me dia Class, with Roy Robles second and

Special

INFLUENCER PROMOTIONAL CLASS RankName 1Miguel Romulo 2 Ashley Gosiengfiao 3Carla Lizardo I MISSED Leg 2 of the 2022 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Cup recently held again at Clark International Speedway but no worries, though. Sunshine Cabrera ably subbed for me and thus, here is her report. “Headlined by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines circuit racers, veteran and up and coming racers from different teams, celebrities, influencers and members of media dashed back to the track to claim po dium spots for Circuit Championship and Autocross Challenge. “The speedway roared with heartpounding cheers as the battle in the Circuit Championship got heated with every drift on the track. “A total of 28 circuit racers partici pated in the Promotional, Sporting and Super Sporting classes, each giving his best“Thisshot.time, Jay Lao of Happy Ho tels/OT Racing Team claimed the top spot in the Promotional Class, followed by Toyota Team Cebu’s Alan Palacios and Jarond Mesina in second and third places, respectively.

Henry Ford Awards Best Motoring Section 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011 Hall of Fame B8 Friday, September 2, 2022 Editor: Tet Andolong • www.businessmirror.com.ph