ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDS
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
BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business
www.businessmirror.com.ph
n
Friday-Sunday, December 23-25, 2022 Vol. 18 No. 72
EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS
BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR
(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS
P25.00 nationwide | 4 sections 38 pages | 7 days a week
A Christmas for Children
Children enjoy the night at the Zambales Capitol grounds where giant Christmas trees, wreaths and light tunnels are on display. Henry Empeño
S
By Henry Empeño
AN FELIPE, Zambales—“Doon kayo kay Santa Claus [Go sit near Santa Claus].”
Anjovil Villanueva, a 30-yearold resident of Barangay Sto. Niño in this town, was coaching her three children before taking their picture. It was their second time this week to be here at the municipal park, which is now aglow at night with a Winter Wonderland-
themed light display. Seated near Santa and with the huge sack of tinsel-wrapped gifts behind them, the kids made cutesy faces as their mother clicked away on her camera phone—capturing them in Santa’s reindeer-drawn sleigh, freezing their joy in digital
eternity, and sharing with them a night to remember. “Maganda po kasi dito at masaya (It’s a beautiful and happy place),” explained Alaiza Jane, 12, Anjovil’s eldest. This is why they keep coming back, she said. Her mother agreed, pointing out
the rarity of both place and moment. “Bihira kasi na merong ganito. Kahit sa mga bahay bihira na ang may pailaw, kaya dito kami nagpupunta (Nowadays we rarely see Christmas displays like this—even in houses. That is why we come here).” Continued on A2
STORIES INSIDE:
ECONOMY A4 n Neda says the socioeconomic blueprint of Marcos Jr.’s administration to be officially launched in January. n DTI releases the implementing rules and regulations for the Vape Regulation Act. WORLD A6 Afghan women weep as Taliban fighters enforce university ban. NEWS A10 Sugarcane planters call on the government to move to bring down retail prices of sugar. BANKING B4 BSP issues rules for participants in the peso “real time gross settlement payment system.”
PESO exchange rates n US 55.1710
n japan 0.4165 n UK 66.6797 n HK 7.0760 n CHINA 7.9030 n singapore 40.8371 n australia 36.9977 n EU 58.5199 n KOREA 0.0431 n SAUDI arabia 14.6731 Source: BSP (December 22, 2022)