Demographic shift ‘hits’ baby food makers By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
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THIS photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a green military-grade laser light from a Chinese coast guard ship in the South China Sea, Monday, February 6, 2023. The Philippines on Monday accused a Chinese coast guard ship of hitting a Philippine coast guard vessel with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the disputed South China Sea, calling it a “blatant” violation of Manila’s sovereign rights. Story on page A14. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP
HE slower increase in the country’s population may have improved the chances of the Philippines to reap the demographic dividend but some sectors of the economy, specifically baby food manufacturers, may suffer losses. GlobalData, a UK-based research and consultancy firm, said the country’s baby food market is
expected to decline by 4.5 percent to only P42 billion or $826.7 million in five years. Apart from the demographic developments, rising inflation is expected to limit household spending on baby food products in the immediate future, according to GlobalData. “Demographic changes taking place with respect to the baby population and live birth rates, and the government’s measures to restrict the number of births,
coupled with an increase in the number of working women will contribute to a decline in the Philippines’s baby food market,” Shraddha Shelke, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, said. In December 2022, the impact of inflation was severely felt by Filipinos as food and energy prices reached their highest levels since 2008 in the country. With high inflationary pressures expected to continue in 2023, the cost-of-living crisis
will undermine sales of premium products in the immediate future. The per capita expenditure (PCE) on baby food in the Philippines increased from $204.1 in 2017 to $267.1 in 2022, surpassing both the regional level at $177.3 and the global level at $167.2. “However, as the economy rebounds in the upcoming years, consumer spending on baby food is set to recover in terms of value See “Baby food,” A2
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Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 123
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Govt: Bird flu cases under control By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
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@jearcalas
HE country continues to grapple with the spread of bird flu but government authorities gave assurances that the impact of recent cases of the disease on overall poultry product supply is insignificant. Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Assistant Director Arlene Asteria Vytiaco told reporters there have been six confirmed outbreaks of bird flu this year, with the latest being in Sultan Kudarat and Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Vytiaco disclosed that the other confirmed outbreaks of bird flu were in Candaba and Masantol in Pampanga, Cagayan Valley and in Sampaloc, Manila. The outbreaks in Pampanga affected quails while the bird flu cases in Cagayan Valley and Manila involved gamefowl. The bird flu outbreak in a Sultan Kudarat farm affected ducks while layers were infected in one farm in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Vytiaco disclosed that authori-
ties culled 17,425 layers in the Sta. Maria, Bulacan farm, but assured the public that its impact on the overall table egg supply of the country is “insignificant.” Vytiaco said necessary surveillance measures are being undertaken by authorities to ensure that no other farms within the 1-kilometer radius of the infected farm are also infected with bird flu. The authorities will also pursue a 7-kilometer radius surveillance measure after the 1-kilometer surveillance as part of the government’s bird flu control protocol. Authorities are now tracing the possible cause of the incursion of bird flu in the Sta. Maria, Bulacan See “Bird Flu,” A2
Public Services Act’s gains unfelt sans Cha-cha–Robin
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T’S been a year since the Public Services Act was enacted, but its promised benefits have yet to be felt, and they will not likely be felt, especially if the economic provisions of the Constitution are not amended, Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla said on Tuesday. Besides still lacking implementing rules and regulations, the Public Service Act’s constitutionality is being questioned by some groups, the senator said, a day after President Ferdinand R. Marcos signalled he did not consider Charter change a priority. Advocates for Charter change in the House of Representatives and in
the Senate, led by Padilla, have said they are unfazed by the President’s remark and will proceed with hearings on the matter. On Tuesday, in flagging the problems behind the amended PSA law—once touted as a magnet for foreign investments—Padilla said: “Paano natin ibebenta sa foreign investor na meron kaming na itong public utility pwede na kayong mag-invest dito? E, one year na, wala pang IRR. Kinukwestyon pa ng maraming nagrereklamo at sinasabi nila na unconstitutional ito. Kung ikaw ba, investor ka, makita mo gusto ko
‘V’ DAY FOR VEGGIES? A bouquet made of onions, tomatoes and garlic is displayed at a flower market in Manila on Monday, February 13, 2023. The bouquet is part of a Valentine’s Day gimmick by a flower store owner who says it is more practical than giving flowers because you can cook it after, and also an allusion to how high (mahal) these commodities fetch for these days. She sells the vegetable bouquets from P500 to P1,500 ($9 to $27) depending on their choice of onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and red or green chilies. AP/AARON FAVILA
CRUISE SHIPS DROPPING ANCHOR ANEW IN PHL By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM
Special to the BusinessMirror
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HE Philippines is regaining its allure as a leisure destination for international cruise lines. Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed 139 port calls on various destinations in the country by 29 cruise ships, carrying 37,374 passengers this year. These include expedition vessels, which carry no more than 250 passengers to huge cruise ships, which in turn can ferry over 5,000 passengers.
Among the most popular locations for this year’s ship calls are Manila (34 ship calls), Puerto Princesa (22), and Boracay (13). Prior to the pandemic, there were 102 port calls in the Philippines in 2019. In an interview via email, Ben Angell, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific for the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) told the BusinessMirror, “The Philippines is a significant market for us as a source market and as a destination. The Philippines See “Cruise ships,” A2
See “Cha-cha,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 54.7020 n JAPAN 0.4132 n UK 66.4028 n HK 6.9686 n CHINA 8.0220 n SINGAPORE 41.1820 n AUSTRALIA 38.0999 n EU 58.6624 n KOREA 0.0430 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.5880 Source:
BSP (14 February 2023)