Issuu

Water goals need ₧21B-₧55B funds–study By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

F the Philippines were to achieve its universal access to water and sanitation goal in a decade, the government must infuse an additional P21.3 billion to as much P55.5 billion worth of funding to local water districts (LWDs). This was the primary finding in the report titled, “An Assessment of the Financial Sustainability and Performance of Philippine Water Districts” authored by Lawrence Velasco, an Assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Cesar EA Virata School of Business. The study was released by the Philippine Institute for Development

Studies (PIDS). Velasco said the base case scenario is P21.3 billion between 2019 and 2023. However, assuming a lower allowable maximum debt-asset ratio of 60 percent and 50 percent, the requirements would reach between P31.9 billion and P51.6 billion. “The country’s spending plans are so ambitious that the current balance sheets of LWDs cannot sustain planned investments through debt financing,” Velasco said. “These infusion requirements are critical, considering the Mandanas ruling, wherein the internal revenue allotment of LGUs will increase by P225.3 billion,” he added. Velasco explained that based on the Philippine Water Supply and

Monday, November 8, 2021 Vol. 17 No. 31

Sanitation Master Plan (PWSSMP) 2019–2030, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the country needed to invest P1.069 trillion from 2019 to 2030. Of this amount, Velasco said, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the water districts need to spend P94.17 billion and P87.41 billion for water supply and sanitation, respectively, from 2019 to 2023. However, Velasco said most funding sources for water districts are loans. He said the financial burden of LWDs between 2009 and 2018 is already significant as it is. Borrowing to attain the goals means securing loans in the order of P136.4 billion from 2019 to 2023

which, Velasco said, may not be feasible without any capital infusion from the government. “The available debt capacity of water districts nationally, based on their current financial position, is estimated to be at only P43.3 billion from 2019 to 2023 at a maximum debt ratio of 70 percent. This is only 31.7 percent of water districts’ needed investments to reach Neda’s 2023 vision for the sector,” Velasco said. “To fund the balance of P93.16 billion, the government needs to infuse nearly P28-billion fresh equity to water districts nationwide to finance the balance via debt, assuming a 70-percent debt ratio,” he also said. Continued on A2

PHL FUNDAMENTALS CAN n

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 18 pages |

CARRY RECOVERY–DOF

Regulators ink pact for streamlining bank MCAs

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE Department of Finance (DOF) remained confident that the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals are strong enough to support the economy’s recovery from the pandemic. In its latest economic bulletin, DOF Chief Economist Gil Beltran said the current account in the balance of payments moved to a deficit of $1.2 billion or 0.7 percent of GDP in the first six months of 2021. This was due to imports and e x por ts posting double-d ig it growth of 23 and 10.3 percent, respectively. This level of growth, Beltran said, indicates strong economic recovery. “Maintaining good fundamentals by keeping both the budget deficit and balance-of-payments manageable, keeping interest rates at the level that sustains investments, keeping inflation within the target range and allowing the exchange rate to maintain its competitive level, will allow the country to recover promptly as it eases the lockdowns set up to battle the pandemic,” Beltran said. The DOF said imports increased as capital formation and manufacturing surged ahead by 20.2 percent and 10.4 percent in the first semester. It added that the deficit in the trade in goods balance widened to 12 percent of GDP in 2021 from 8.9 percent of GDP in 2020. With imports rising faster than exports, DOF noted this resulted in foreign exchange net outflows that led to a 2.4-percent depreciation of the peso as of end-September.

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

MANGER IN A LOCKET One of the 54 Giant Lanterns competing in the Belenismo sa Tarlac is on display in front of Camp Servillano Aquino, Tarlac City. Team AFP’s typical nativity scene inside a locket type shell typifies the ingenuity, resiliency, purpose in life of the Filipino family amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Team AFP is a Hall of Famer in the Belenismo sa Tarlac, now on its 14th year. Fireworks highlighted the opening rites on November 5. The display is open to the public until January 6, 2022. Organizers led by Tarlac Heritage Foundation, Inc. vow to heed safety protocols. BERNARD TESTA

PHL TOUTS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AT LONDON FORUM By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

HE rehabilitation of Boracay Island, the vaccination of tourism workers, and promotion of lowimpact activities were cited as initiatives by the Philippine

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PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.5670

government to ensure sustainable development of its tourism destinations at the recent summit of tourism ministers at the World Travel Market 2021 in London. Dur ing the panel discussion on “Investing in Tourism’s Sustainable Future,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo

Puyat said, “ The Philippines promotes sustainable tourism; our most popular destination Boracay Island, was closed for six months [in 2018] because the president [Duterte] wanted to implement environmental laws.” She added, when Covid-19 made its way across the globe, the Phil-

ippines tourism sector was among the hardest hit among economic engines. “So we recognized the importance of our tourism workers not only in the safe resumption of travel, but more importantly on their role to championing sustainable tourism practices across the sector.” See “Tourism,” A2

INA NCI AL regulators in the country are looking to streamline the process of bank mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions (MCA) in the country to promote more of these in the sector. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Cooperative Deve lopment Aut hor it y (C DA), and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) have signed a mu lti-agenc y ag reement to synchronize requirements and processes for banks who wish to undergo MCA processes in the local scene. The regulators agreed on a harmonized list of requirements for MCA proposals of banks which will effectively cut in half the number of documentary requirements from 58 to only 30. The synchronized timelines and the elimination of duplicate functions among the concerned agencies will significantly reduce the total processing time of MCA proposals from an average of about 160 business days to only 55. The agreement was signed by BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno, PDIC President and CEO Roberto B. Tan, SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino, CDA Chairperson Joseph B. Encabo, and PCC Chairperson Arsenio M. Balisacan in a virtual ceremony. See “Regulators,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4445 n UK 68.2655 n HK 6.4973 n CHINA 7.9036 n SINGAPORE 37.4321 n AUSTRALIA 37.4196 n EU 58.4302 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4824

Source: BSP (November 5, 2021)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Monday, November 8, 2021

Coconut, pineapple push up PHL farm exports to $3.7B By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed that farm exports during the ninemonth period grew by $50.932 million from $3.673 billion recorded in the January to September period of last year. PSA data showed the 43.3-percent and 9.5-percent growth in exports of coconut products and other agro-based products, respectively,

lifted the overall farm exports during the reference period. The agricultural exports accou nted for 6.68 percent of the country’s total exports in the nine-month period, which reached $55.679 billion, based on PSA data. Export receipt from coconut products expanded by $395.958 million to $1.310 billion from

$914.28 million last year, with all coconut-based items posting positive growth, based on PSA data. PSA data showed that exports of coconut oil grew by 43.5 percent to $963.22 million from $671.20 million last year while the value of desiccated coconut exports rose by 39.7 percent year-on-year to $271.55 million. PSA data also showed that the value of centrifugal and refined sugar rose by 12.4 percent year-onyear to $64.9 million from $57.74 million. The country’s exports of otheragro based products, which include coffee, abaca fibers, unmanufactured tobacco, among others, grew by 9.5 percent to $715.6 million from $653.67 million recorded last year, PSA data showed. The country’s export of natural fiber during the nine-month period rose by 90.6 percent to $117.06 million from $61.42 million; while shipments of unmanufactured to-

Tourism...

not only accepting vaccinated individuals, but we have to make sure that our tourism workers are vaccinated so that they are safe.” Romulo Puyat said the country has already “shifted to high-value, low-impact, low-density travel that offers more meaningful and immersive experiences between a tourist and the local communities. We con-

tinue to empower our rural communities and work hand-in-hand with different local government units so that they are equipped to develop and manage their tourism sites, whether they be for farm tourism sites or other community-based people eco-tourism products. These approaches will ensure growth and sustainability, so that more people

@jearcalas

HE country’s agricultural exports from January to September grew by 1.4 percent to $3.724 billion, driven by doubledigit growth in the export receipts of coconut products and pineapple-based items, government data showed.

Continued from A1

As such, she stressed, government is making sure tourism workers are vaccinated 100 percent. “[We] want to make sure that when we accept our tourists, we are

bacco increased by 16.5 percent year-on-year to $109.03 million, based on PSA data. However, PSA data showed the country’s fruits and vegetables exports declined by 20.4 percent year-on-year to $1.625 billion from $2.041 billion last year due to lower banana and mango shipments. PSA data showed that earnings from banana exports fell by 37.3 percent year-on-year to $821.5 million, while shipments of mangoes declined 20.3 percent to $9.44 million from $11.85 million last year. Nonetheless, PSA showed the country’s earnings from pineapple-related products increased by double-digit growth rate during the reference period. The country’s earnings from canned pineapple exports rose by 25.8 percent to $234 million from $185.99 million while exports of pineapple concentrates grew by 49.9 percent to $127.58 million. including the future generation will get to enjoy the fruit of tourism.” The panel discussion was jointly held by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and WTM. It examined tourism’s sustainable future and the essential role targeted “green investments” will play in achieving this.

‘Bigger threat than Covid-19’

MEANWHILE, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili warned that the “climate emergency is a bigger threat than Covid.” In his opening remarks at the tourism ministers summit, he told delegates that the recent Rome Leaders Declaration issued by the G20 specifically cited the need to restore travel and tourism, which in turn can help developing economies. He said public investment will “encourage and leverage” private investment all over the world, adding: “Tourism can benefit if governments deliver the right support.“Going back to the old normal is not an option.” The UNWTO and other tourism and travel stakeholders officially launched the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism at the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP26 on November 4. The WTTC also plans to launch its Net Zero Roadmap for Travel & Tourism, to support the industry in combatting climate change, as part of the sector’s drive towards net zero by 2050. For her part, Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, told the summit: “We have no alternative; we have to go green.” She said sustainable growth is a key priority for WTTC, adding: “Investors and the public demand that we invest to protect the planet and people…. We need to invest in making sure destinations are great places to live and not just great places to visit.” Other panelists at the tourism ministers program were Dr. Khaled El-Enany (Egypt), Vasilis Kikilias (Greece), Massimo Garavaglia (Italy), Rita Marques (Portugal), Memunatu Pratt (Sierra Leone), Nigel Huddleston MP (United Kingdom), as well as Federico González, CEO of the Radisson Hotel Group, and Lavorel, CEO of Sita at Airports & Borders.

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Water goals need ₧21B-₧55B funds– study Continued from A1

Velasco said his estimates were based on the aggregate balance sheets of 488 water districts. Some of these LWDs, he said, may be over performing or underperforming versus the national average, which may increase or reduce the estimated equity requirement. Therefore, he said, investment plans must be analyzed per water district to ensure that each can reasonably raise and support financing. In September, Neda said the Philippines needs to invest a total of P1.1 trillion in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on water supply and sanitation by 2030. At the launch of the PWSSMP, Neda Assistant Secretary for Investment Programming Roderick M. Planta said this means an annual investment of over P100 billion between 2020 and 2030. This amount has not been invested by the country before on the water and sanitation sector, and

Senators..

DOF also said the surplus in the trade in services increased to $5.6 billion in 2021 from $5.4 billion in 2020. This, however, caused the trade surplus to slightly drop to 3 percent from 3.2 percent as a percentage of GDP. “Earnings from BPOs [Business Process Outsourcing firms] and

Continued from A10

The business chambers asked legislators to complete passage of the bills that they said can boost the post-pandemic economic recovery. They cited the amendments to the Public Service Act; Department of Water Resources Management; Ease of Paying Taxes bill; Freedom of Information; Open Access in Data Transmission; and Philippine Creative Industries. The business groups also listed measures on the promotion of digital payments; amendments to Secrecy of Bank Deposits Law; and Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act. They also asked lawmakers to fast-track passage of tax reform packages in property valuation and assessment; and passive income and financial intermediary taxation. “Most of these 11 reform bills

House leader.. The lawmaker said the Department of Energy officials had told a congressional hearing that by 2024, Malampaya’s gas output, which supplies a significant portion of the country’s energy demand, would fall to just one-third of current production. The Philippine government gets 60 percent of the net proceeds from Malampaya’s petroleum operations, after the contractor deducts all operating expenses.

Regulators...

have reached advanced stages in either chamber of Congress and only require counterpart action in the other chamber,” the business groups said in their statement on November 3. However, they have a caveat in the amendatory legislation to the Public Service Act. The business groups and foreign chambers opposed the inclusion “of any provision in the pending Senate version, SB [Senate Bill] 2094, that expands the legislative franchise requirement to public services beyond those provided under existing laws.” The groups are also hoping for the early ratification of these bills under the bicameral conference committees: Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act, Foreign Investment Act amendments and National Transportation Safety Board creation. Butch Fernandez

Continued from A10

The Shell-Udenna transaction is valued at $380 million (P19.2 billion), with extra payments to Shell of up to $80 million (P4.05 billion) between 2022 to 2024, depending on Malampaya’s output and commodity prices. Udenna, through a separate subsidiary, UC38 LLC, already owns the other 45 percent of SC 38, with the state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp. holding the residual 10 percent.

Continued from A1

The Memorandum of Agreement on the Procedures for Applications for Mergers, Consolidations, and Acquisition of Banks is the culmination of the MCA Project, which is a collaboration of financial regulators involved in the processing of MCA proposals of banks. The local financial regulators said the project is in support of the

PHL fundamentals…

Planta said this accounts for the need to also provide incentives for other stakeholders in the sector. He said the government has only been spending P5 billion a year for water supply and sanitation projects and programs—implying a P95-billion gap every year. The low investments have led to many problems in the water and sanitation sector. In his speech, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said only about 44 percent of households have individual connection to a proper, fullyreticulated waterworks system. The remaining 56 percent, or 57 million Filipinos, must fetch water for their families from communal pipes or springs or wells up to 250 meters away. Only 18 percent of Filipinos have access to septage management services, while 13 percent have access to a sewerage system, Chua said. He added over 4 million Filipinos still practice open defecation.

Continued from A1

badly affected travel and tourism accounted for the rise,” DOF said in a statement. The DOF also said the primary income balance which represents the country’s earnings from placements abroad—less earnings by other countries from local placements—dropped to $1.7 billion from $2 billion.

government’s thrust of promoting ease of doing business. “The agreement embodies the responsibilities and commitments of each of the regulators on the simplified requirements and streamlined procedures and timelines in processing of MCA applications,” financial regulators said in a joint statement. The reason for this, DOF explained, is that global businesses continued to feel last year’s economic slump. The DOF said the current account is the balance between exports and imports of goods and services, and overseas incomes and payments. This is the equivalent of the investment-saving gap, an indicator that is closely monitored by creditrating agencies.

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PHL-Japan trade deal review stalls on market-access issue By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

O progress has been made with the general review of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA) this year due to concerns over market access for agricultural products, particularly bananas, which are major export products of the country. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodoldo told the reporters in a recent news briefing that the Philippines is keen on negotiating better market access for bananas, especially because the local exporters still pay a substantial amount of duties for entry. Currently, the Philippine bananas are imposed with an 18-percent tariff during the winter season and a lower 8 percent during summer. The country’s banana exports to Japan reached 1.345 million metric tons (MT) last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), making it the top export market for the local produce. As of end-July, banana shipments to Japan reached 508,590.569 MT. “Philippines-Japan FTA [free trade agreement] review and renegotiation has not moved forward, particularly because of Philippines’s insistence on discussing and negotiating for better market access for our agricultural product, including tropical fruits,” he said. On the contrary, Korea agreed to drop the tariffs for exports of Philippine bananas and canned pineapples in five years and seven years, respectively, during the recently concluded trade negotiations of the countries. The FTA of Manila and Seoul is expected to be signed by February next year. “As PJEPA is the first ever FTA of the Philippines, it is already due for upgrade, etc., to make it still up-to-

date and maintain its preferential status vis-a-vis other trade agreements,” Rodolfo added. This is not the first time the Philippines asked Japan to reduce or eliminate tariffs for its banana and other agricultural exports. In May 2016 during the 5th PJEPA Joint Committee Meeting in Manila, the country sought for more favorable terms for local farm products and other items, including bananas, pineapples, yakitori chicken and tuna, among others. The trade official, meanwhile, said that the Philippines is amenable to trade-off of market access on certain products. Rodolfo said that Tokyo will likely ask, in exchange, lower tariffs for industrial products, citing petrochemical and steel. Japan may also want to eliminate tariffs for vehicles below 3,000 cc as they are still slapped with a 20-percent duty, he added. “’Yun ’yung mga hihingin nila. Sige lang ako dun,” he said. [They will ask for these. I am okay with these.] Bureau of International Trade Relations Director Angelo Salvador M. Benedictos said that the FTA partners had only one meeting regarding the general review so far. Apart from the concerns over market access, he said that the pandemic also affected the negotiations. Trade Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty, for his part, said he is hoping that the discussions will resume already so they can discuss the pending issues. He added the FTA discussion should also consider the advancement in technology and changes in business models, among others. PJEPA was signed in 2006, entering into force about two years later. Article 161 of the trade agreement states that the FTA should undergo general review by both parties in 2011 and every five years thereafter, making 2021 a year for evaluation.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, November 8, 2021 A3

NG subsidies to state-owned agencies grew 28.06% in Sept

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

UBSIDIES extended by the national government to staterun entities grew 28.06 percent in September with most of the subsidies going to housing-related and agriculture-related agencies. Data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that subsidies extended by the national government reached P9.16 billion in 2021, higher than the P7.15 billion recorded in 2020.

Of the subsidies extended by the national government, the National Housing Authority (NHA), Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) accounted for the

largest share. The NHA received subsidies in the order of P3.025 billion, the second highest it received for the year; the PCIC P2.243 billion, the highest it received this year; and, the NIA P2.198 billion, the lowest it received in 2021. Subsidies extended by the national government between January and September this year contracted 8.12 percent to P145.875 billion in 2021 from P158.763 billion last year. The state corporation that accounted for the largest share of this amount was the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which received a total of P76.063 billion in the January to September period. This was followed by the NIA,

which received a total of P27.807 billion as of September this year and NHA with P14.834 billion during the period. The national government provides subsidies to governmentowned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to fund operations not covered by the corporate revenues or to finance specific programs or projects. Last year, the national government spent a total of P229.02 billion in subsidies to GOCCs, the highest since 1986 when the government started collecting data. PhilHealth cornered the biggest allocation, receiving P62.4 billion or 27.25 percent of the total subsidies released during the period.

EU, Germany to pour in ₧1B for Mindanao co-ops project By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

AID DATU is only 21 years old and yet he has been used to hearing gunshots as part of everyday living in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao. He had to stop his studies and grow up like his community doing farming. Now, he worries if his son will suffer the same fate. “My dream is to move my family away, to a place without war,” Datu told volunteers of the International Committee of The Red Cross. Datu is just one of the thousands of farmers and fisher folks in conflict areas in Mindanao who were displaced during clashes between warring clans or government troops and rebels. Most of the rebels of the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are also farmers. The European Union and Germany have recognized that to stop the endless cycle of violence in Mindanao, there is a need to address these socioeconomic issues affecting vulnerable sectors in Mindanao like farmers and fisherfolks. Last Thursday, EU and Germany announced they would partner with the Philippine government in a fouryear project called “Strengthening the Implementation of Regional and Local Peace and Development Agendas in Mindanao” (SPADe). EU and Germany will fund the project which will cost around €18 million (P1 billion)

The project aims to "strengthen the capacities of state and nonstate actors" in implementing the peace and development agendas in Mindanao. Aside from farmers and fisher folk, the project will also target indigenous peoples, internally displaced people, women and youth in selected areas of six regions of Mindanao. The Department of Interior and Local Government and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will implement the project in coordination with Germany's Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the EU Delegation to the Philippines. One of the projects that they are eyeing would be to promote “climate-

smart agricultural and fishery value chains” as well as investment promotions. They would also help improve the services of agricultural cooperatives to their members. “This new project is consistent with our EU vision, which calls for an integrated approach to conflicts, supports state and societal resilience, addresses extreme poverty, inequality and chronic fragility,” EU Ambassador Luc Véron said in his keynote during the virtual kick-off. “Germany remains committed to contributing to the comprehensive efforts of the peacebuilding process in Mindanao by providing substantial funding and experts," German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel added.

Lawmaker to DTI: Do far better job of helping MSMEs in digitalization journey By Jovee Maire N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

SENIOR lawmaker has called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to do a far better job of implementing or scaling up its programs designed to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in migrating to digitalization amid the emerging new economy touched off by the Covid-19 pandemic. Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray-

mund “LRay” F. Villafuerte Jr. said digitalization will allow MSMEs to seize opportunities expected to reach P5 trillion in annual economic value, as pointed out in a report commissioned by a multinational technology firm. “We need to help MSMEs make the digital switch soon enough, especially because they are among the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic,” Villafuerte said. Villafuerte said a DTI survey showed that majority (73 percent) of

the country’s MSMEs have difficulty digitizing their operations. Based on the DTI survey, the lawmaker said MSMEs need assistance in two aspects—those already engaged in e-commerce want to improve their digital skills while those not yet engaged in e-commerce prefer to learn skills on how to get started with an online business. “Our MSMEs will be left behind if they cannot effectively transition to the digital economy, more so now that the trend is

moving towards online transactions,” Villafuerte said. He cited a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) statement that digital payments made up 20.1 percent of all transactions last year. Digital payments saw its share in the total transaction volume rise by 10.1 percentage points from the 10 percent in 2018, which means one in five payments or a total of 910 million transactions last year were done online, he said citing BSP data.

Villafuerte, a former entrepreneur, has made a final push in this third and last session of the 18th Congress for a troika of initiatives to further accelerate the Philippines’s digital switch that would help the country keep up with the expected strong rebound of many of its regional neighbors from the Covid-driven economic malaise. These digitalization initiatives are outlined in Villafuerte’s House Bill (HB) 6924 (Bangko sa Baryo Act), HB 1248 (e-governance law) and HB

7189 (Outside Class Learning and Digital Education Act). The “Bangko sa Baryo” proposal for one, aims to provide last-mile financial connectiv ity in unbanked communities nationwide through the use of digital tools, he said. Vi l l a f uer te’s e - gover na nce measure seeks to develop, promote and interlink electronic government services and processes in all government agencies and state-run corporations.

SBMA chief expects 40 road projects completed before Jan. 2022 By Henry Empeño Correspondent

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—Road construction and rehabilitation projects initiated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) under an infrastructure program are now in full swing, with major segments expected for completion by the end of this year, officials said last Friday. SBMAChairmanandAdministrator Wilma T. Eisma said these include sections of the Rizal Highway, which is the main road at Subic’s Central Business District, as well as roads leading to the container terminal, sea port and residential areas. T he road projects were implemented by the SBMA to replace decades-old streets in this free port, which were built when Subic was still a military base operated by the US Navy. Eisma said the ongoing development is now substantially completed with a 95-percent accomplishment rate for the 40 road projects in the program. Eisma said last Friday that the remaining project the SBMA likes to see fully-completed is the Argonaut Highway-14th Street

A PORTION of the Rizal Highway in the Subic Bay Freeport is closed to traffic as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority rushes to complete major road projects by the yearend. PHOTO COURTESY SUBIC BAY METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY

segment of the Rizal Highway. “ Work on this seg ment of the Rizal Highway started in October and, with 66 percent of it completed, our engineers are confident that this will be finished by December,” she added. According to the SBMA Public Works Group (PWG), which oversees infrastructure work undertaken by private contractors, half of the current batch of road works is in various stages of construction, but all with December 2021 target substantial completion projections. These are the following: Rizal Highway sections 2 and 3, which is 66.36 percent complete; San Bernardino Road, 80.76 percent; Boton Road, 91.36 percent; Palm Street, 74.68 percent; El Kabayo Road, 98 percent; Road to Leyte W h a r f, 31. 27 percent ; a nd , Binictican Road, 79.32 percent. Meanwhile, among the early road works that were 100 percent completed are the Remy Field complex, Canal Road, Dewey Avenue, Subic Bay Gateway Park access road, Sunset Calesa Street, Binictican Drive, Cubi-Apparri Road, Cubi-Tarlac Road, Cubi-Zambales Highway, as well as the El Kabayo

entrance. Only the perimeter road remains unfinished at 85 percent. The SBM A-PWG said some projects were delayed due to variation orders adapting to existing site conditions, bad weather, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic when public works projects were stopped for several months. In 2020, the road program lost 79 days of work and 55 this year because of inclement weather, as well as work stoppages due to Covid-19 lockdowns, it added. For the mid-batch projects, those fully-completed are the Malawaan parking area, Waterfront Road, St. Michael St., Finback St. sections 1, 2 and 3; Bonita St., Archerfish St., Dolphin Terrace, Triton Circle, Easy St., portions of Rizal and Maritan Highways, Greyback St., intersection of Efficiency Ave. and Argonaut Highway and Finback 1 parking. Soon to be finished is the road leading to the New Container Terminal, which is now at 98 percent. The NSD road projects, on the other hand, include seven fully completed components: Main Road 2 and Service Roads 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Both Main Road and the access road to the Marine Terminal are 99.5 percent completed.

The Nation BusinessMirror

A4 Monday, November 8, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Millions of OFWs uninsured, vulnerable to risks–DOLE By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

AJORITY or nearly 70 percent of 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFW) do not have any insurance coverage making them “highly vulnerable to various known risks and perils in their host countries,” according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). This despite the passage of Republic Act (RA) 10022 or the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act” in 2010 mandating overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to be insured. Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said only 32

percent of the total OFW population have insurance coverage, following the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) for RA 10022, which focused on agency-hired OFWs. Concerned by the large number of uninsured OFWs amid the pan-

demic, Bello issued last Wednesday Department Order (DO) 228, which temporarily expanded the compulsory insurance coverage to include rehires and directly hired OFWs. “This order seeks to forthwith extend, expand and strengthen this indispensable mantle of protection to all OFWs during this current global health emergency crisis at no cost to the worker, and also other migrant work based abroad under a residency status granted by the host country,” Bello said in the new issuance. DO 228 will remain in effect for the period of the “current public health emergency” caused by the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the threats of other emerging infectious diseases as well as the period of full implementation of the national government’s vaccination program. The duration cited in the order may be extended if DOLE deems it

necessary, according to Bello. Under DO 228, recruitment and manning agencies will still be required to shoulder the compulsory insurance for agency-hired workers. For rehires, direct hires and name hires, Bello said their insurance coverage must be borne by their employers or initially by the OFWs themselves, subject to a complete refund from their principal upon their arrival in the country of their destination. The said recruitment and manning agencies as well as foreign employers are authorized to offer an expanded insurance coverage beyond what is required under RA 10022 provided it is approved by the Insurance Commission (IC) and subject to the concurrence of the OFW beneficiaries. Only “reputable” private Insurance companies registered and accredited by the IC shall be qualified to provide compulsory insurance coverage to OFWs.

UST law dean says attempts to stop Marcos from joining Presidential race likely to fail

HE Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas Nilo T. Divina said that the attempt by certain anti-Marcos forces to delist Bongbong from the roster of applicants for the 2022 presidential race will most likely fail for lack of merits. “As I see it, the petition to cancel BBM’s Certificate of Candidacy is bound to collapse once evaluated by the Comelec because it appears to be defective in form and offers insufficient legal basis to obtain its desired judgement,” said Divina. The law expert of the prestigious Catholic university and head of the reputable Divina Law Office noted that instead of presenting factual statements and legal basis to support its claim of BBM’s ineligibility to run for the presidency, the narratives of the 57-page petition lay down invectives in almost all pages against the family of respondent Marcos. “It’s ad hominem, or an attack against the character of the respondent, that may weaken the petitioner’s position. It is the law, always, that matters. However, it is the intent that invokes the law that

often justifies or bungles it. But at the end of the day, the law remains the law,” stressed Divina. Divina was the second legal luminary from illustrious law universities who’ve expressed opinions against a petition that sought to cancel or deny BBM’s CoC because he failed to file his Income Tax Returns during the turbulent years of his father’s administration. The other day, Ateneo University law expert and former Justice Secretary Alberto C. Agra argued that the petition filed with the Comelec to cancel the CoC of Bongbong Marcos has no basis and is unlikely to move forward. In an interview with DZRH, Agra said it was clearly stated in the Omnibus Election Code that Marcos was qualified to run for the presidency in next year’s election because he has no shortcomings in his CoC submission. “Nakalagay sa Omnibus Election Code natin na kailangan ay hindi convicted. Ibang termino ang nakalagay sa batas. Ang nakalagay sa batas ay kailangan sentenced, may final judgement of imprisonment. Ang nangyari nang binasa ko ang kaso, wala si presidentiable BBM, hindi siya sentenced

Atienza explains Pacquiao’s vision if he wins. . . continued from a10 The Deputy Speaker said they will also uphold local autonomy under Section 25 of State Policies that, he noted, “very clearly mandated that State shall ensure autonomy in local government.” The former three-term Manila mayor said upholding real local autonomy “is the only way we can progress as an archipelago,” given the geographically dispersed regions. The key is “for us to promote development in the countryside and each and every island.” Unless this is done, he added, partly in Filipino, “money will dry up yet people in rural areas won’t ever taste progress,” asserting that “local autonomy is the best way to excite the economy, all at the same time.” Atienza said Pacquiao as president “will fight corruption, and put all crooks either behind bars, or suspend them. Unless we do something about corruption, no good economy, no program promoting progress, will succeed.” If the money lines the pockets of those running government, and taxes are not collected, and local government units (LGUs) do not do anything, we cannot progress fast,” Atienza added. Atienza vouched for the sena-

tor’s integrity, saying he and Pacquiao “have known each other for 21 years.” The only 8-division world boxing champion has made it known he looks to Atienza like a second father and mentor, the latter having supported him when he was a struggling, hungry young boxer. Besides fighting corruption and upholding local autonomy, Atienza said a government to succeed must be a responsible steward of the counrty’s abundant natural reSources. While serving as Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (under President Arroyo), he confirmed that “we have so much in the country...freshwater, food and greenery and minerals.” Atienza warned, meanwhile, that “unless we move…all the public lands in country will be turned into subdivisions, owned only by a few.” Moreover, Atienza assures he will help Sen. Pacquiao “all the way—to transform his dreams...so that the blessings given him by God, can also be theirs.” Moreover, Atienza added, “I will see to it that during our time, ang trabaho maghahanap ng tao, at hindi yung tao maghahanap ng trabaho [The jobs will chase people, not the other way around].” Butch Fernandez

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Govt spending on health care equivalent to ₧300 load–PIDS By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

HE government only spends the cost of a P300-prepaid call card on primary healthcare (PHC) for every Filipino annually, according to state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). Based on the report titled “Primary Healthcare and Management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Philippines,” a research team led by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep said the low spending on PHC hobbles moves to address the growing threat of NCDs. The report stated that government only spent $6 or, at the current exchange rate of P50 to the dollar, P300 on PHC services. Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regions, on average, spend $20 or P1,000 for primary health care. “The large inequalities in health facilities and human resources also suggest the variable capacity of local governments to implement NCD interventions in PHC settings,” the authors said. “The national government has tried to address this in the past decade by providing grants to augment the capital infrastructure requirement and health human resources of local governments,” they added. “However, these grants do not fully address the supply constraints of LGUs in providing PHC services in communities.”

Causes of death

DIVINA CREDIT PHOTO: BERNARD TESTA

to imprisonment. Guilty siya to pay fine,” Agra explained. The Ateneo law professor clarified that he is not a Marcos’ lawyer or supporter, but based on his analysis of the petition, it appears that the case is not tax evasion but simply a failure to file his ITR. Agra said the law states that to cancel the CoC of any candidate, he or she must be found guilty

and punished with more than 18 months of imprisonment or be convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. “Moral turpitude, kung medyo halang ka, bastos, immoral, talagang gustong mandaya o manggulang. Ang tanong ngayon ay yun bang hindi pagfile ng income tax return ’yun ba ay crime involving moral turpitude? Siyempre hindi,” Agra added.

BASED on the research, the country spent about P640 billion on healthcare. Of this amount, about 40 percent were accounted for by NCDs. From 2014 to 2018, health spending on NCDs increased to nearly P240 billion in real terms using 2018 prices from P154 billion. The research also stated that only a small percentage (4 percent) of the country’s health spending was accounted for by PHC facilities. This is a concern, the authors said, given that NCDs still account for 70 percent of the total deaths in the country and about 65 percent of the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). NCDs, they explained, include cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, among others. Based on the the research, the burden of ischemic heart disease in DALYs increased to 7.5 percent in

2019 from 1.9 percent in 1990. Other NCDs, such as stroke, LRTI, chronic kidney disease and diabetes, are included in the top 10 burden of diseases in the country. Preliminary estimates of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that despite the pandemic, NCDs remained to be the top four causes of death in the country. The data showed that between January and June 2021, the top Filipino killers are: ischaemic heart diseases, which caused the death of 56,757 Filipinos; cerebrovascular diseases, 30,798; neoplasms, 27,343; and, diabetes mellitus, 19,802. The combined total of these top causes of death in the first six months of the year was 134,698. This figure already represented 44.4 percent of the 303,364 Filipinos who died of various causes during the period.

Increasing faster

CITING latest mortality data from the PSA, the researchers said that NCDs are increasing at a much faster rate in poor communities than in rich ones. “While the share of NCD deaths among all deaths in the poorest communities was lower than in rich communities, an upward trend over the last decade was observed,” they added. In order to address the growing threat of NCDs on the population, the authors recommended that a “system-wide and comprehensive health system reform” be implemented. The primary recommendation is to facilitate the implementation of the Universal Healthcare Act, which will expand the breadth and depth of PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.). The authors also said the UHC will facilitate the integration and referral systems through the creation of province- or city-wide healthcare provider networks (HCPNs). The researchers said public and private health facilities should be integrated into the network that provides coordinated healthcare services. “The UHC Act also reinforces sustained capital investments to reduce the huge gap in the health infrastructure of PCFs and health human resources, as envisioned in the ‘Philippine Health Facility Development Plan 2020–2040’ and the ‘National Health Human Resource Masterplan 2020–2040,’” the authors said.

DOE vows to back renewables, mum on phase out of coal-power projects By Lenie Lectura @llectura

HE Department of Energy (DOE) assured it would scale up deployment of renewables in the country, but did not commit to phase out coal power projects in the country. During the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said the Philippines will support the following declarations: To rapidly scale up deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures in our economies and to support other countries to do the same, recognizing the leadership shown by countries making ambitious commitments, including through the Energy Transition Council. To rapidly scale up technologies and policies in this decade. To strengthen our domestic and international efforts to provide a robust framework of financial, technical and social support to affected workers. The DOE didn’t commit to phase out coal power by 2030 for major economies and 2040 for the rest of the world and to end all investment in new coal power generation domestically and internationally. DOE officials said the Philippine

delegation only endorsed clauses one and partially two and four of the Statement because other declarations do not align with the county’s Philippine Energy Plan. In its updated Energy Plan 20202040, the DOE seeks to make renewable energy account for 35 percent of the Philippine energy mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040. “We cannot behave like developed economies since we are a developing country. Nonetheless, we remain committed to a gradual transition to renewable energy. Immediate transition will entail additional cost so we must strike a healthy balance in protecting our consumers and our economy and our quest for a cleaner environment,” Cusi said. The Philippines, Cusi stressed, is not a major emitter of greenhouse gases but bears the worsening impacts of climate change. “Likewise, we wish to emphasize that energy security is foremost because our energy transition comes as a means to improve the lives of our people and our country’s economic development,” said the energy chief. DOE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said during the Group of 77 meeting and China meeting that there is a need to fast-track the mobilization of funds for climate change engagements to achieve the

desired results. “We stated that every dollar or every peso spent should be quantified, as well as its impact towards our common goal and reported to the people of the receiving country and the people of the participating country for full transparency,” Fuentebella said. The Philippine delegation to COP26 noted that although Western economies failed to meet their financing pledge to climate-vulnerable countries, the Philippines moved with urgency in implementing climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives. The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) announced that the Philippines, India and Indonesia will join South Africa as the first recipients of a multibillion-dollar pilot program aimed at accelerating their transition from coal power to clean energy. Signatories of the COP26 agreement agreed to phase out coal-fueled power generation in the 2030s for richer countries and the 2040s for poorer nations. The Philippines declared last year a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants. Since then, Cusi said, “nothing has changed,” clarifying that the country’s commitment to support the global effort to transition gradually from coal to clean

power remains a priority. Meanwhile, Greenpeace Philippines Campaigner Khevin Yu denounced “in the strongest possible terms the Philippine government’s shameless climate hypocrisy and its lack of political will to end coal use and chart a decisive path away from dependence on fossil fuels.” “The DOE’s delusions that it can have its cake and eat it too—transition away from coal power and shift to RE (renewable energy), without ending coal investments or phasing out coal power—is utterly ridiculous. It also reveals that the government has no intention of veering away from its fossil fuel trajectory. Worse, the move reeks of efforts to protect the interest of coal and fossil fuel companies at the expense of the welfare of Filipino communities. We believe Cusi’s non-commitment isn’t fooling anybody. Instead, he’s exposed how the DOE is seemingly the biggest barrier toward a genuine just energy transition,” Yu said. He added that the agency should ramp up its commitment to phase out coal by revising the Philippine Energy Plan. It should increase the country’s RE target to 50 percent by 2030, halt all plans for fossil gas and improve grid development for utility-scale solar and wind to massively scale up RE deployment.

Agriculture/Commodities BusinessMirror

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, November 8, 2021 A5

PHL timber imports to jump by 50%–report

KILN-DRIED hardwood lumber outside a sawmill at Harold White Lumber in Morehead, Kentucky, United States, on August 4, 2021. PHOTOGRAPHER: LUKE SHARRETT/BLOOMBERG By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE country’s purchases of forestry products from the United States this year may expand by 50 percent to $21.6 million on the back of an uptick in private and public construction projects, according to an international report. The United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (USDA-FAS Manila) has projected that the country’s wood imports from the US would expand by $7.2 million from last year’s $14.4 million.

“Given the rise in Philippine residential, commercial, and public construction projects, the declining production of lumber and other wood products cannot meet the country’s demands. Wood manufacturers have therefore increasingly turned to imports for alternative sources of forestry products,” the USDA-FAS Manila said in a Global Agricultural Information Network report. “Post projects a 50-percent increase in US forestry product exports in 2021 versus last year due to high demand in the market.” The USDA-FAS Manila explained that there has been a growing de-

mand from the Philippines of US quality wood including coniferous or non-coniferous wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, wood in the rough, veneer sheets, and casks/barrels/vats/tubs. “Moreover, imported boxboards, corrugated inner, and liner boards from the US have potential for packaging products, such as fruits.” The USDA-FAS Manila estimated that the Philippines’s timber purchases from all countries would go up by 15 percent this year as operations in allied industries pick up pace. The USDA-FAS Manila noted that the Philippines imports 75 percent of its wood and wood products, with the majority being plywood veneered panels/sheets, laminated wood, and coniferous or non-coniferous wood sawn or chipped lengthwise. “In 2020, the Philippines continued to import forest products mainly from Asian countries, with other suppliers including Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States,” it added. Citing industry estimates, the USDA-FAS Manila said local supply of wood and wood-based products could not meet the Philippines’s annual demand pegged at 6 million cubic meters. The country’s annual wood consumption is estimated to expand to 8 million cubic meters by 2025 and 10 million cubic meters by 2030.

‘Compliance with WTO destroyed local farm sector’ By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

OTED international scholar Walden F. Bello has tagged the “indiscriminate liberalization” and flooding of the economy with imports as among the Philippines’s main problems and a factor in its failure to reduce poverty. In a presentation of his economic vision as a vice presidential aspirant in the 2022 elections, Bello agreed with rival aspirant House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza that corruption is the bane of the country, but added that there are other major problems facing the economy. Bello and Atienza were the guests on Saturday night at the second of a series of forums organized by business groups led by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce Inc. and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines. “The biggest problem has been indiscriminate liberalization—full opening of the economy,” Bello said, adding this began since the final years of the Marcos regime, then continued under Presidents Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino—and now, under President Duterte. “We documented the steady drop of our tariffs,” said Bello, and “have practically de-protectionized our manufacturing.” In late 1990s, he recalled, “we still had 200 major textile and garments firms in the country,” but “now they’re gone.” Opportunities to move to higher-value-added in the medium and heavy industries—all that is gone,” as well, because of the “flooding of our

markets by industrial and manufacturing products from other countries that took advantage of the radical bringing down of our tariffs.” According to Bello, “some of the authors of that process, when they look back, even some of them are saying, ‘we went too far in opening up the economy.’”

Food importer

THE impact of liberalization on agriculture is deeper, said Bello, “especially after we joined the WTO [World Trade Organization] in 1995.” With that came the demand that the Philippines eliminate quotas on agricultural products, with “only one left with us [being the] quota on rice.” As a result, he said, the Philippines becameanagriculturalimportingcountry when “we used to be a net agriculturalexportingcountry,”adding,“ithas become worse,” with the trade deficit in agriculture continuing to widen. “If you see what happened in agriculture, all farm sectors have been subjected to tremendous import [liberalization]. Compliance with the WTO had a big impact, and practically destroyed our agriculture.” The latest adverse measure on agriculture, he said, was the Rice Tariffication Law “that was promoted by Senator [Cynthia] Villar, and practically all other members of the Senate, even supposed champion of agriculture like [Senator Francis] Pangilinan.” He recalled how, after winning in 2016, Duterte “spent 10 minutes” in a speech in Davao, saying “the main cause of destruction of agriculture has been WTO’s demands on us.” “I was really surprised that Duterte knew the facts on flooding of rice and other commodities in the Philippines.

He sounded like a radical,” added Bello. “But he eventually forgot all that—and then he signed the Rice Ttrade Liberalization Act in 2019.”

‘Subsidized rivals’

THE flooding of cheaper agricultural imports is compounded by the fact that “the big agricultural exporters subsidize their farm sectors” substantially, Bello said, citing as examples Thailand, the United States, European Union, and Vietnam. “So much of their cost of production is taken up by government. But Filipino farmers do not enjoy” similar treatment, he noted. “The others have socialist agriculture, that’s why they survive—they make profits on part of their production, then dump this on other countries. Thailand and Vietnam have been dumping on us.” He stressed that the problem of the farm sector does not arise from any inefficiency on the part of local farmers, but that “there’s no effective competition because they’re up against subsidized rivals.” “This has been the bane of Philippine agriculture,” said Bello, and challenged all economists to counteract this argument. Sadly, added Bello, the “technocrats and economists have destroyed our manufacturing and agriculture with their advice to a succession of leaders.” Besides advocating programs to blunt the adverse impact of unbridled liberalization, Bello said his tandem with presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman will “ban contractualization” and pursue serious tax reforms as part of a comprehensive blueprint to reduce poverty and rebuild damaged economic sectors.

Catanduanes farmers get solar-powered irrigation system By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

HE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has turned over to a group of small farmers in Catanduanes a solar-powered irrigation system that will boost their food-production capacity even during the dry season. The first-of-its kind facility will be enough to irrigate the 5,000-square meter farm of the Ugnayang Lakas ng Dariao Agrarian Reform Cooperative (UNLADCO) based in Barangay Dariao, Caramoran.

The solar-powered irrigation system costs P861,488.50. It is composed of a 12-unit solar panel module with a 230-watts capacity to energize the 2.3 hp submersible pump aiding the deposit of water supply to two PE storage tanks, each with 2,000-liter capacity where PVC delivery pipes are connected to sufficiently irrigate the cooperative’s farm and also serves about 350 households in the area. DAR OIC-Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Nerisa Aldea said the newly awarded-irrigation system, given its energy-ef-

ficient nature, is expected to reduce the production costs, and ensure a year-round increase in yield from root crops and vegetable production activities. “Through UNLADCO’s steady showcase of promising development, the organization has since been a recipient of various DAR interventions and is now engaged in vegetable farming, egg layering production, commodity trading, cassava chip making, and lending. We are sure that this facility would help boost their farming activities,” Aldea said.

“The growing local and export demand is due to the increased use of wood for construction [buildings, houses, bridges, and wharves], paper packaging and printing, furniture,

cabinetmaking, and carvings,” it said. “Construction companies and real estate developers use wood products for residential and commercial

projects [condominiums, hotels, resorts, houses, restaurants, and coffee shops] for the structure, outer walls, interiors, doors, window frames, and roof decks.”

The World BusinessMirror

Monday, November 8, 2021

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

China’s outbreak grows; Europe hit by new wave

hina reported 50 additional local Covid infections, as authorities said strict curbs would remain in place to disrupt the spread of transmission. Twenty-one cases were recorded in Hebei province, which is in close proximity to Beijing, the National Health Commission said. The infections come as Chinese authorities continued ring-fencing the capital ahead of Februar y’s Winter Olympics. T he outbrea k is f ueled by t he Delta var iant and has now reached 20 out of 31 mainland prov inces, the broadest v ir us spread in China since the pathogen first emerged in Wuhan. Me a nwh i le, Eu rop e h a s a g a i n become an epicenter for the coronavirus, calling into question the region’s efforts to recover from the pandemic. Despite an abundance of Covid-19 shots, countries from Germany to Greece have reported record infections in recent days, while Romania

and Bulgaria are experiencing horrific levels of fatalities and over whelmed hospitals. That’s putting fresh urgency into efforts to vaccinate the masses, whether that means getting first doses into the arms of tens of millions of vaccine holdouts or preparing to offer booster shots to hundreds of millions of others.

Key developments: Ukraine reaches record deaths

Ukraine deaths rose to a daily record of 793, the A ssociated Press reported. With neighboring Russia battling its worst outbreak of the pandemic, Ukraine h it record new i n fec t ions on Thursday. Less than 18% of the population in Ukraine has been fully

vaccinated, one of the lowest levels in Europe. Teachers and ot her gover n ment employe es are required to be vaccinated by Nov. 8.

More anti-vaccination protests in Australia

Hundreds of people protested mandator y vaccinations in western Sydney and other areas of Australia’s New South Wales st ate on Su nd ay, t he Syd ne y Morning Herald reported, as a further easing of virus-related restrictions is set to ease Monday for the fully inoculated. The demonstration was proceeding peacefully, police said, a c cord i n g to t he ne w s p ap e r, which added that people held anti-vaccine placards with slogans like “Your Body Your Choice.” Thousands of people protested the government’s vaccine and climate policies in Melbourne on Saturday, reports said.

US passes vaccine milestone as pace picks up

The US crossed the milestone of 70% of people 18 and older fully

vaccinated, according data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A lmost 11 months after the first shots were given in the US, the pace of vaccination has been rising after a steep drop starting in April. Booster doses, now approved for all three vaccines given in the US, accounted for about 904,000 of the 1.5 million doses recorded on Saturday, according to a tweet from Cyrus Shahpar, the W hite House’s Covid-19 data director. Vaccine mandates are also taking effect, particularly among health-care and public workers. Shots for children 5- to 11-yearsold were a lso g iven approva l. Shahpar said data on the pace of children’s vaccines will be available starting on Monday.

Biden mandate halted by court

A federal appeals court in New Orleans temporarily halted nationwide implementation of the Biden administration’s mandate that all employees at companies w it h more t h a n 10 0 workers must get Covid-19 vaccinations

by Jan. 4. T he request to sta l l the m a nd ate c a me l ate Fr id ay from more than two-dozen private companies suing the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Labor Department, as part of a court challenge led by Texas, Louisiana, Utah and South Carolina. T he Ne w O rle a n s cou r t temporarily halted the vaccine mandate while the court further considers the matter. A three-judge panel, including two Trump appointees, gave the Biden administration until 5 p.m. Central time Monday to respond.

U.K. cases at one-month low

T he U K re por ted a not her 30,693 c a ses on Sat u rd ay, the lowest since Oct. 3. Confirmed infections are down more than 10% in the past week, the government said on its website. Week ly fatalities are up 8% to 1,186 people dying within 28 days of a positive test.

US decline in cases levels off

The steep decline in new US c a ses si nce September ap pears to be leveling off, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New cases fell 1.4% in the week that ended Nov. 3, to 493,019. New infections rapidly decreased as the Delta variant wave eased in most of the US, from 1.1 million in the week that ended Sept. 17 to about 516,000 in the week ending Oct. 22, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.

France imposes masks mandate on ski lifts

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said masks will be mandatory to use ski lifts this winter and that the sanitary pass may become so as well, Agence France-Presse reported on Saturday, citing comments made during a visit to the Alps. President Macron is due to make a public address on Tuesday as the number of cases is on the rise in the country. Bloomberg News

New cases hit record as Russia struggles to contain Covid surge UN investigator: Crimes against humanity under Myanmar junta

OSCOW — Russia’s Covid-19 cases hit another one-day record as the country struggles to contain a wave of infections and deaths that has persisted for more than a month. The national coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 41,335 new cases since the previous day, exceeding the previous daily record of 40,993 from Oct. 31. The task force said 1,188 people with Covid-19 died, just seven fewer than the daily death record reported Thursday. Officials cite Russia’s low vaccination rate as a major factor in the sharp rise in cases that began in mid-September. The task force reported about 57.2 million full-course vaccinations, or less than 40% of the country’s 146 million people. Last month, President Vladimir Putin ordered many Russians to stay off work between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7. He authorized regional governments to extend the number of nonworking days, if necessary. Several regions, including Novgorod in the northwest, Tomsk in Siberia, the Chelyabinsk region in the Ural Mountains and Kursk and Bryansk regions southwest of Moscow, have extended

North Korea conducts artillery firing drill in latest weapons test

EOUL, South Korea—North Korea has conducted artillery firing exercises to bolster its defense capability, state media reported Sunday, its latest weapons test as Pyongyang continues to pressure Washington and Seoul to abandon what it calls their hostile policy toward it. An artillery firing competition among mechanized units was held on Saturday, with senior government and military officials present, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. Leader Kim Jong Un was not mentioned in the report, suggesting he did not observe the training. He supervised a similar artillery firing drill last year. This year’s drills were designed to inspect the mechanized units’ progress in their mobile combat capabilities and to further intensify competitive training throughout the North’s military, KCNA said. Since September, North Korea has testlaunched a series of newly developed missiles, including nuclear-capable weapons that place US allies South Korea and Japan within striking distance. Some experts say North Korea wants its rivals to accept it as a nuclear power state and work to ease international sanctions on the country. The North’s artillery tests draw less outside attention than its missile tests, particularly ballistic weapons launches that are banned by multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. But its long-range artillery pieces deployed near the border with South Korea pose a serious threat to the South’s populous metropolitan region and other areas, experts say. AP

A medical staffer wearing a special suit to protect against Covid-19 treats a patient with coronavirus at an ICU at the Regional Clinical Hospital 1, in Krasnodar, south Russia on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Coronavirus deaths in Russia hit another daily record several days after a nationwide order for many Russians to stay off work took effect. Russia’s state coronavirus task force has reported record daily infections or deaths almost every day for the last month. AP Photo/Vitali Timkiv

the nonworking period through the end of next week. Moscow’s mayor said the situ-

ation in the capital had stabilized sufficiently for people to return to work there on Monday. People in

the Russia-annexed Crimea region also will resume working next week. Certain restrictions will remain in place in the Russian capital, such as a stay-at-home order for older adults and a mandate for businesses to have 30% of their staffs work from home. Access to theaters and museums is limited to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 within the last six months or can present a negative coronavirus test. Russia has recorded more than 8.75 million confirmed virus cases and 245,635 deaths in the pandemic, according to the national task force, which counts only deaths directly attributed to the virus. Figures from the state statistical service, which also counts deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor or was suspected but not confirmed, indicate the virus’ impact is significantly more severe; its most recent report tallied about 462,000 virus-connected deaths through the end of September. AP

Climate negotiators seek to resolve 4 key challenges

LASGOW, Scotland—As this year’s UN climate talks go into their second week, negotiations on key topics are inching forward. Boosted by a few high-profile announcements at the start of the meeting, delegates are upbeat about the prospects for tangible progress in the fight against global warming. Laurent Fabius, the former French foreign minister who helped forge the Paris climate accord, said the general atmosphere had improved since the talks began Oct. 31 and “most negotiators want an agreement.” But negotiators were still struggling late Saturday to put together a series of draft decisions for government ministers to finalize during the second week of the talks. “People are having to take tough decisions, as they should,” Archie Young, the UK’s lead negotiator, said Saturday. Here’s the state of play in four main areas halfway through the UN climate talks in Glasgow:

Top result from the conference

Each Conference of the Parties, or COP, ends with a general statement. It’s as much a political declaration as a statement of intent about where countries agree the effort to combat climate change is heading. A f lurry of announcements at the start of the COP26 talks in Glasgow on issues including ending deforestation, cutting methane emissions, providing more money for green investments and phasing out the use of coal could be ref lected in this final declaration. Even though only some countries signed on to each of those deals, others

would be encouraged to add their signatures at a later date. Affirming the goal of keeping global warming at or below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, compared to pre-industrial times, is also seen as important. With greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise, host Britain has said it wants the Glasgow talks to “keep 1.5 C alive.” One way to achieve that would be to encourage rich polluters in particular to update their emissions-cutting targets every one or two years, rather than every five years as now required by the Paris accord.

Money matters to combat climate change

Rich countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion each year by 2020 to help poor nations cope with climate change. That target was likely missed, much to the frustration of developing nations. Restoring goodwill and trust between rich and poor countries on this issue requires a clear commitment on raising financial support starting from 2025. Addressing the thorny question of who is to pay for the losses and damages that nations face as a result of global warming they aren’t responsible for is likewise important, but agreement there could be elusive, observers say. “It’s about finance, finance, finance, finance,” said Fabius.

Carbon trading: a tricky nut to crack

Many negotiators and observers at climate conferences roll their eyes when they hear the words “Article 6.” The section dealing with rules for carbon markets has become one of the

trickiest parts of the Paris climate accord to finalize. Six years after that deal was sealed, countries appear to be making headway though and there’s even talk of a breakthrough on the issue that so frustrated negotiators in Madrid two years ago. Observers say Brazil and India may be willing to drop demands to count their old—but others say worthless—carbon credits amassed under previous agreements. The price for this might be that rich nations grant poor countries a share of proceeds from carbon market transactions to adapt to climate change. This has been a red line for the United States and the European Union until now. A deal on Article 6 is seen as crucial because many countries and companies aim to cut their emissions to “net zero” by 2050. This requires balancing out any remaining pollution with an equal amount of carbon they can reliably say is captured elsewhere, such as through forests or by technological means.

Transparency and rigor in national emissions-cutting targets

The Paris Agreement lets governments set their own emissions-cutting targets, and many of them are in the distant future. Verifying that countries are doing what they committed to, and that their goals are backed up by realistic measures, is tricky. China in particular has bristled at the idea of having to provide data in formats set by other nations. Brazil and Russia, meanwhile, have resisted demands to lay out in greater detail the shortterm measures they’re taking to meet their long-term goals. AP

NITED NATIONS—The head of the UN body investigating the most serious crimes in Myanmar said that preliminary evidence collected since the military seized power on Feb. 1 shows a widespread and systematic attack on civilians “amounting to crimes against humanity.” Nicholas Koumjian told UN reporters Friday that the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, which he heads, has received over 200,000 communications since the army takeover and has collected over 1.5 million items of evidence that are being analyzed “so that one day those most responsible for the serious international crimes in Myanmar will be brought to account.” In determining that the crimes against civilians appear to be widespread and systematic, he said investigators saw patterns of violence—a measured response by security forces to demonstrations in the first six weeks or so after the military takeover followed by “an uptick in violence and much more violent methods used to suppress the demonstrators.” “This was happening in different places at the same time, indicating to us it would be logical to conclude this was from a central policy,” Koumjian said. “And, also, we saw that particular groups were targeted, especially for arrests and detentions that appear to be without due process of law. And this includes, of course, journalists, medical workers and political opponents.” Myanmar for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country. The Feb. 1 military takeover followed November elections, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won overwhelmingly, and the military rejects as fraudulent. Since the takeover, Myanmar has been wracked by unrest, with peaceful demonstrations against the ruling generals morphing first into a lowlevel insurgency in many urban areas after security forces used deadly force and then into more serious combat in rural areas, especially in border regions where ethnic minority militias have been engaging in heavy clashes with government troops. Christine Schraner Burgener told The Associated Press shortly before her 3 ½ year term as the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar ended

on Oct. 31 that “civil war” has spread throughout the country. The UN investigative body was established by the Genevabased Human Rights Council in September 2018 with a mandate to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since Jan. 1, 2011. Koumjian, an American lawyer who served as an international prosecutor of serious crimes committed in Cambodia, East Timor and Bosnia, was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as its head in 2019 with instructions to prepare files that can facilitate criminal prosecutions in national, regional or international tribunals to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Koumjian said his team has been collecting evidence from a wide variety of sources including individuals, organizations, businesses and governments, and the evidence includes photographs, videos, testimonies and social media posts “that could be relevant to show that crimes happened and who is responsible for those crimes.” The investigative body has received information from social media companies, which he wouldn’t name except for Facebook because it had made its cooperation public. “We began engaging with Facebook as soon as we were created in 2019, and they have been meeting with us regularly,” Koumjian said. “We have received some, but certainly not all, that we have requested. We continue to negotiate with them and actually I am hopeful that we are going to receive more information.” He said the Human Rights Council specifically instructed the investigators to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s probe into crimes committed against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority and the case at the International Court of Justice brought by Gambia on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya. “So we are sharing documents with those proceedings,” Koumjian said. The court actions stem from the Myanmar military’s harsh counterinsurgency campaign against the Rohingya in August 2017 in response to an insurgent attack. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape what has been called an ethnic cleansing campaign involving mass rapes, killings and the torching of homes. AP

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Sports BusinessMirror

Macaraeg gears up for Beijing qualifiers

By Josef Ramos

ULIAN MACARAEG settled himself in France to train with the US national team with the hope of getting better results in two upcoming qualifying races for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Macaraeg, only 18, will vie in the third of four World Cup qualifying legs in Debrecen, Hungary, from November 18 to 21 and at Dordrecht, The Netherlands, from November 25 to 28. “I’m currently training in Font Romeu [France] with the U. national team for two weeks before the Hungary and Netherlands World Cups,” Macaraeg told BusinessMirror on Sunday. “I decided to train here to lessen the travel load of going back to the US. I’m working very hard to improve and make adjustments on the errors and mistakes I made in the first two World Cups.” The Filipino-American Macaraeg had forgettable races in the Beijing and

Nagoya World Cup editions last October. But he remains confident of advancing to the Winter Olympics that starts on February 4 in the Chinese capital. “I’m still confident that I can get that Olympic spot for the Philippines—I’m not losing hope at all” Macaraeg said. There’s two more competitions, and I will give them my 200 percent effort.” To earn a ticket to Beijing, Macaraeg must land in the top 32 of 500-meter or 1000-meter events of speedskating or in the top 36 of the 1500 meters after the World Cup series are done. He finished third in the men’s 1000 meters, sixth in the 1,500 meters and fifth and last in the 500 meters heats in Beijing and never got to the finals. In Nagoya, he was fourth in the 1000 meters, fifth out of sixth athletes in the 1,500 meters and committed a technical infraction in the 500 meters heats to also miss a strong result. Macaraeg is coached by Ukrainian Valentyn Danilovskye.

TOUCHÉ FOR CATANTAN

SAMANTHA CATANTAN bags gold at Penn State. Championship in March. Catantan was named Penn State MVP rookie last year. The Garret Open is played in honor of former Penn State and Illinois fencing coach Maxwell “Mac” Garret who died in 2013 in Florida. He was a candidate for the 1940 US Olympic foil team but was unable to compete because of World War II. The National Fencing Coaches Association Hall of Fame was instituted in 1963 as a result of an initiative by Garret. Josef Ramos

Manila, Davao Occidental strike anew

ICC Manila and Davao Occidental Tigers-Cocolife continued their winning ways to keep their hold of the top spot in the FilBasket Subic Championship at the Subic gym on Saturday. AICC Manila outclassed the Nueva Ecija Besprens, 94-82, while the Davao Occidental Tigers escaped past 7A Primus, 86-83. The victories improved AICC Manila and Davao Occidental to 5-1 win-loss marks. Michael Juico and Ronjay Buenafe scored 19 points each, while Michael Mabulac added 11 points, nine boards

and four assists as AICC Manila controlled the tempo for most parts of the game. They also distributed the ball well by dishing off 26 assists. Renz Palma, Jerick Nacpil and James Martinez combined for 59 points for Nueva Ecija, who fell to 3-3. Billy Ray Robles fired a turnaround jump shot in the last six minutes to untangle Davao Occidental from a 69-all count that set the tone throughout. Diego Dario attempted a buzzerbeating triple to send the game into overtime but missed.

Dirty Dancing THE Last Dance, the actual season ended 21 years ago. The 10-part documentary? Just a little over a year. The fireworks though from the post-Dance moves are still being felt—first with some comments from thenChicago Bulls center Luc Longley who wasn’t mentioned much in the documentary. Bill Cartwright and Robert Parish did say somethings too but the biggest bombs dropped Michael Jordan’s way were from Scottie Pippen who feels The Last Dance aired some dirty laundry. For the record, I agree with some of Pippen’s points. For the record, I am a huge Scottie Pippen fan. I have his jersey, his shoes, his trading cards. I do feel sad this has all happened. I do agree and thought upon its airing that the timing of the documentary was auspicious as to remind today’s

HARMIE CONSTANTINO is the favorite to dominate anew at the Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Challenge.

Aiba uses AI vetting of judges to restore trust

CONSTANTINO EYES

REPEAT IN TAGAYTAY

AMANTHA KYLE CATANTAN has started to make her presence felt at Penn State after she bagged the women’s foil gold medal at the Garrett Open on Sunday. The 19-year-old Catantan won the gold in style. She beat a US national junior team member, Delphine De Vore of Columbia School, 15-12, to improve on a series of third-place finishes for the past year. “I’m really happy with her performance. She is getting stronger and better,” Philippine fencing Head Coach Amatov Canlas told BusinessMirror on Sunday from the 22-member national fencing team’s Ormoc City bubble. “I always encourage her to improve because she finishes third place most of the time, so I pushed her to get a gold,” Canlas added. Now a sophomore, Catantan beat Zander Rhodes, 15-12, in the quarterfinals and Vivian Zheng also of Columbia School, 15-9, in the semifinals. Catantan was a five-time juniors and a six-time seniors Most Valuable Player in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines while playing for University of the East. She was offered an athletic scholarship at Penn State, which is now preparing for the US NCAA season and the NC Fencing

Monday, November 8, 2021 A7

ARMIE CONSTANTINO expects to dish out more of the same of what she flaunted in winning the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Aoki Classic at Eagle Ridge last week although she and the rest face a different kind of challenge in the ICTSI Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Challenge unfolding on Tuesday at the Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club. “I’m expecting well from myself,” said Constantino, eager to get going again after holding off amateur Mafy Singson by one to score a repeat at Aoki, where she launched her pro career with a twoshot victory over Princess Superal last March. “I hope that the way I played [at Aoki] will be the same way I would be playing at Highlands,” she added. But it will take a lot of adjustments, not just from her but from the rest of the 21-player cast since the Highlands layout is a far more different test than Aoki with the wind factor as well as its upand-down layout that will also put into focus the field’s stamina and condition.

Superal dominated the last time Highlands hosted the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) in 2018 but the multi-titled shotmaker is now in Japan to pursue her bid for an Ladies Professional Golf Association of Japan Tour card, leaving Constantino and the likes of Chihiro Ikeda, Chanelle Avaricio, Marvi Monsalve, Sunshine Baraquiel and Daniella Uy to dispute the crown in the second of four LPGT events the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. has lined up for the third restart of the country’s premier ladies circuit put up by ICTSI. Ikeda edged Pauline del Rosario in sudden death to win at the adjacent Tagaytay Midlands in 2019 but the former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist’s game somewhat took a downswing after sustaining a hand injury although her strong finish at Aoki where she rallied to snatch third place should augur well for her Highlands campaign. Avaricio, runner-up to Superal at Sherwood Hills and Eagle RidgeNorman before the circuit took a break due to the surge of Covid-19 cases last July, is also tipped to contend again this week after

fighting back from out of nowhere to fourth place last week. Beefing up the Highlands cast is Arnie Taguines, who skipped last week’s event but is expected to figure in the title race in the 54hole tournament while resuming her drive for a second low amateur honors after besting her rivals at Eagle Ridge-Norman. Others in the fold are Lovelyn Guiogio, Sheryl Villesencio, Sarah Ababa, Apple Fudolin, Pamela Mariano, Eva Miñoza and Florence Bisera with Gretchen Villacencio also joining the chase after missing the action at Aoki. The talented bunch of amateurs are also expected to muddle up the race with Singson out to complete an unfinished business along with Laurea Duque, Burberry Zhang, Keena Puzon, Korean Jane Jeong and Eagle Ace Superal, who is out to atone for her poor finish at Aoki. The Riviera Golf and Country Club in Silang, Cavite, which hosted the first LPGT restart late last year after an eight-month hiatus, will stage the ICTSI Riviera Ladies Challenge from November 24 to 26 and the ICTSI Riviera Ladies Championship from December 1 to 3 at the Couples and Langers courses.

Robby Celiz finished with 21 points and six boards, Emmanuel Calo chipped in 12 points, and Gab Dagangon contributed 11 points for Davao Occidental, who outshone the 27-point output of Dario for 7A Primus. 7A Primus absorbed its fourth defeat against two wins. Later in the day, Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors scuttled Burlington EOG Sports, 72-58, for their second win in five matches. Cedrick Ablaza scored 18 points and seven rebounds while Jeckster Apinan had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Realtors. Burlington slipped to 3-3 with Byron Villarias becoming the lone double-digit scorer with 10 points.

generation there was a Michael Jordan. Furthermore, I was disappointed there wasn’t much of Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Longley who were integral players on the second wave of Chicago’s “three-peat” teams. Whose oversight that was I have no idea. I thought it was wrong and dumb. So seeing Michael Jordan pay tribute to Luc Longley in an Australian television interview and documentary was making up for that glaring error. Back to Michael. The Last Dance also painted unf lattering pictures of him as the controversy surrounding the publication of the book, The Jordan Rules, was featured. Ditto with the Rene Esquinas book, Michael and Me, that talked about Jordan’s gambling addiction. If they featured the part where during a timeout in Game 5 of the 1991 National Basketball Association Finals where Jackson asks Jordan with a choice expletive who among his teammates was open and Jordan initially didn’t answer, that would have evened out the revealing scales. But they didn’t. For the record, when that happened, Jackson angrily pressed him for an answer, Jordan replied, “Paxson.” “Then get him the [insert choice expletive in here] ball.” If they were willing to show Pippen’s weaknesses, they should have showed Michael’s as well. If Jordan was paid for the documentary and his teammates none, that is wrong too. Whoever made that decision is wrong as well. Furthermore, I wish they focused on the 1997-98 season, The Last Dance, and not backtracked. There are enough Bulls

ELGRADE, Serbia—Seeking to restore trust in its bouts, the International Boxing Association (Aiba) used an artificial intelligence system to analyze judges and referees before they could work at the current men’s world championships. Two officials were removed after being questioned by the automated voice analysis system, said Aiba integrity advisor Richard McLaren, who added that the system was not the same as a lie detector. “It measures the cognitive functions of the brain in the verbal responses,” McLaren said at a news conference, adding judges were graded as low, medium or high risk. McLaren said the AI project “clearly identifies problems” if used as part of a wider program of pre-competition vetting, follow-up interviews and “a human assessment” about the suitability of officials. Aiba is trying to re-establish credibility under new leadership, which was not running the sport at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro OIympics when long-standing claims of corrupt judging were raised again by boxers. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)—whose long-time member CK Wu led Aiba at Rio—has been skeptical of the governing body’s promised anti-corruption reforms and stripped it of any involvement in the Tokyo Games. The dispute between the IOC and Aiba continues with boxing’s place at the 2024 Paris Olympics at risk. Aiba aimed to stage a clean men’s world championships in Belgrade and brought American boxing great Roy Jones Jr.—the loser in an infamous judging decision against a South Korean opponent at the 1988 Seoul Olympics—to support its work Friday. “It would have been very beautiful to have this [AI] technology at that time,” Jones Jr. said in Belgrade. “Better late than never.” McLaren suggested the AI tool could help Aiba “to put their house in order,” and be used by other Olympic sports that rely on judges to decide event results. “Yes, it is a blueprint,” he said. “I think the technology has incredible potential.” Aiba’s president Umar Kremlev said it had “acknowledged the problems of the past,” which included asking McLaren to investigate and confirm there were likely corrupt bouts in Rio. “We have brought in independent experts to help guide us and now we must boldly embrace the future,” the Russian official said in a statement.

CARLO PAALAM fights—and beats— Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi in Tokyo. Boxing at the Tokyo Olympics was supervised by the International Olympic Committee. documentaries that feature the previous title teams. I guess though, the previous years were featured for context. I assume this was done for today’s crowd and not those who grew up following these Chicago teams and bought every championship video. In his upcoming book, Unguarded, Jordan isn’t the only one he took a shot at. He is said to have fired broadsides to Isaiah Thomas, Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson and John Paxson among others in his Unguarded. This is a man who has clearly had enough of feeling disrespected and is not afraid of burning bridges at his age. Actually, he just didn’t burn them. He nuked them. I do agree that Jordan—and every other superstar— gets more press and praise than the rest of the team. But is that his fault? Pippen came to the NBA when Jordan was already the Man at the Bulls. And it is no secret that then-General Manager Jerry Krause built a team around Jordan. Unlike when Magic Johnson joined the Los Angeles Lakers, the star was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar so it wasn’t his team. When Michael retired for the first time, Pippen became the Man in Chicago. But he does gripe about that when Jackson let Kukoc take the last shot in the playoffs against the Knicks. Now when Scottie moved to the Houston Rockets for the 1998-99 season, he was with Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Michael Dickerson. Among those four, he wasn’t even the star. It was Hakeem then Barkley. He was third in scoring. While Barkley and Olajuwon had more rebounds than him.

When he moved to Portland, was Pippen the Man? The Man was Rasheed Wallace followed by Steve Smith. Damon Stoudemire even had a slightly bigger assists average 5.2-5.0. To be fair, Pippen did pick it up in the play-offs and he continued to be one of the best defensive players around. But with a better team than what he had in Chicago in 1993-95, they didn’t win. Shannon Sharpe, in his defense of Pippen in The Undisputed, said that Scottie’s career was underrated. And I agree. Said Sharpe, “Any time you play with a historically great player, you’re going to be devalued. It took Kobe playing without Shaq for us to get a proper appreciation of who Kobe really was.” Even with Pau Gasol and Ron Artest around, Kobe had become Kobe. He strapped the Lakers on his back. Something Pippen was not able to do with Houston and Portland. Look, we aren’t disparaging one of the NBA’s greatest ever players. I feel him. But come on. You were intimidated by Xavier McDaniel and the Detroit Pistons. Look at the video. Who was defending you? Jordan. When Scottie feuded with Shaquille O’Neal, he even backed down. Said Shaq who had the last word: “He made it personal when he put @Shaq, we got six rings like he was the main focus of the six rings. You were not the main focus of the six rings. Don’t make me pull up the scouting report. You wasn’t even a factor on the scouting report. It was all about Mike.”

Monday, November 8, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

Philippine election and Goldilocks Zone

ccording to a study published in Political Psychology by Dr. Melissa Acevedo of Westchester Community College and Dr. Joachim Krueger of Brown University, “Basically, people think their vote makes a difference, and have this mistaken belief even though statistically it’s not the case.”

In their study, they proposed two possibilities that people make before an election that make it more likely that they will vote: “They Vote, and their candidate wins,” or “They Don’t Vote, and their candidate loses.” If they did not vote and their preferred candidate lost, they experienced great regret. Further, “Voter turnout increases when polls predict a close race. Those behaviors support the contention that people believe their votes can make a difference on electoral outcomes.” A “close race” according to the polls means that both the leading and also the trailing candidates will have increased turnout from their voter base. For the 2016 election, voter turnout was a high 81.5 percent. This cannot be attributed only to increased OFW voting and changes that perhaps made it easier to vote. The results showed Duterte with 39.01 percent of the votes, with Mar Roxas with 23.45 percent, followed by Grace Poe with 21.39 percent, and Jojo Binay cornering 12.73 percent of the vote. The last Pulse Asia survey on April 29, 2016 had Duterte at 33 percent, Poe with 22 percent, Roxas holding 21 percent, and Binay with 17 percent. While Duterte had an 11 percent lead over Poe in the survey, which would seem “not close,” a combined Poe and Roxas “candidacy” had a substantial margin of victory over Duterte. It is easy to see why some Roxas supporters wanted Poe to drop out and cast her lot with Roxas. It would appear from the overall turnout that the Duterte and Roxas voting bases were anxious to vote. Also, a conclusion could be made that Duterte pulled votes from Binay. However, Poe’s survey and results percentages nearly matched each other. Yet Roxas’ final vote percentage was 3 percent higher than the poll results. Where did Roxas’ “extra” votes come from? In the pre-election survey, 3 percent responded “Undecided.” Were these “Shy Roxas voters” that ultimately decided that their vote would make a difference? It is obviously impossible to know. In 2010, total voter turnout was a relatively low 74 percent. The survey on April 25, 2010 had “Noynoy” Aquino leading with 39 percent, followed by Joseph Estrada and Manuel Villar, both at 20 percent. The final results were 42 percent for Aquino, 26 percent for Estrada and 15 percent for Villar. While in 2016, there might have been some voter speculation about Poe dropping out in favor of Roxas. But in 2010, it would have been impossible to see either Estrada or Villar quit in favor of the other after the impeachment vote. Was the voter turnout relatively low because of Aquino’s substantial lead? The highest voter turnout was in 1998 at 86.5 percent when Estrada had a landslide victory (39.9 percent) over runner-up Jose de Venecia with 15.9 percent. But the high voter turnout also saw strong performances by the losing candidates (Raul Roco-13.4 percent, Lito Osmeña-12.5 percent, and Alfredo Lim-8.7 percent) as also happened in 2016. Conversely in 2004, almost 80 percent of the votes were split between Arroyo and Fernando Poe Jr. with 76 percent turnout and Arroyo (37 percent) and Poe (31 percent) close in the polling and the voting at 40 percent and 37 percent, respectively. It would appear that if you are a candidate, you don’t want to be too far ahead or too far behind in order to get your supporters to the voting booth. The Goldilocks Zone may apply to elections and not just to astrobiology and fairy tales. Since 2005

What has COP26 got to do with me? Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

urrently ongoing until the 12th of the month in Glasgow, UK is the COP26, or the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties. The Philippine delegation is led by Climate Change Commission (CCC) Chair-designate and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez. He will present the newly launched Sustainable Finance Roadmap before the COP26 policy-makers to “inspire other countries towards adopting the appropriate finance policies that will help in the reduction of carbon emissions.” But more than inspiring other nations, I’m sure the real vision is to inspire us to create the changes that will ensure our survival in the midst of climate change. As we watch the proceedings outside the COP26 official meetings, we get the message from the youth and activists telling the policy-makers to do more than talk and to actually deliver on the promises and commitments made. The Roadmap that Secretary Dominguez is presenting at the COP26 meeting contains the Phil-

Thomas M. Orbos

STREET TALK

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will not be achieved without cooperation and collaboration. That means countries have to work together, businesses have to extend maximum contribution, and civil society needs to be involved. People, groups, and governments have been too engaged in rhetoric for too long already that it isn’t difficult to believe the oftrepeated phrase: time is running out if it hasn’t already. The Roadmap, according to Sec-

Reviving the MMDA Worker’s Inn

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business Publisher

ippines’ master plan in formulating sustainable policies needed to reduce our emissions and contribute to the Paris Agreement. The country agreed to a 75 percent projected reduction and avoidance of greenhouse-gas emissions from 2020 to 2030 for the agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy sectors. This commitment is part of the global efforts to secure global net-zero by mid-century and to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. What is obvious is that targets

While policy-makers are busy with presentations and strategizing, there are urgent issues on local and international environmental conservation and protection that are being neglected or set aside. For example, the rapidly rising sea levels that continue to threaten the lives of millions of people. While we wait for the government to carry out concrete action to address this, deadly storms and unprecedented flooding cause serious devastation and damage to life and property. This is the reality here and in other places worldwide.

etro Manila is home to close to 15 million residents, which balloons to close to 20 million during the day with the influx of transient workers, students and employees from nearby communities of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna. This adds unnecessary stress to what is already one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world, increasing traffic congestion beyond its present road capacity. Meanwhile, our transient brothers and sisters see their quality of life suffer as they shuttle back and forth, spending an average of three to four hours on the road. Those who can afford would rather buy or rent an apartment or condo; precisely why rental or purchase costs of condos and apartments have remained to be exceptionally high despite the pandemic. But for the working class, which comprise a greater majority of our population, they practically have no choice but to toil the beaten commuting path daily.

True, government programs such as the “Balik Probinsya” or the general push for more economic hubs in nearby Pampanga, Cavite and Batangas provinces will help decongest Metro Manila and bring employment opportunities to the countryside, but this will take a while. We need a short term, easily implementable solution that can help alleviate the plight of our everyman working in Metro Manila. One solution that comes to mind is to provide low-cost transient

board and lodging to workers and laborers that the government can initially operate at subsidized costs. This is not a new concept. In fact, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority used to operate the MMDA Worker’s Inn and had this up and running since more than a decade ago. For a cost of just P50 per night, a worker or a laborer can have a decent place to sleep for the night, complete with separate lodging, bathing and toilet facilities for both sexes. Unfortunately, this was

One solution that comes to mind is to provide low-cost transient board and lodging to workers and laborers that the government can initially operate at subsidized costs. This is not a new concept. In fact, the MMDA used to operate the MMDA Worker’s Inn and had this up and running since more than a decade ago.

discontinued some years ago as the building being used was just being rented by the MMDA and was already being recalled by the government agency that owned it. But it did work. The occupancy rate of the facility, when I was head of that agency, hovered around 98 to 100 percent at any given time, with a lot lined up in the waiting list. It was a no-frills affair but it was embraced by its targeted sector. To help augment the subsidized costs, a fast food area was put up on the ground floor. And for all the time it existed, the venture was never in the red with repairs and maintenance cost being covered by its own revenues. Imagine if this is pushed anew and re-implemented now. Of course, the needed health protocols must still be in place. I will guess that it will be a big hit again just like before. And all the lessons learned from the past undertaking can be reviewed and included. For one, there were parked cars, apparently

retary Dominguez, includes a wholeof-nation approach to implement practical and achievable solutions to help the country transition to a clean, sustainable and climate-resilient economy. Problem is, we can see that it is not going to be easy and that we definitely need to do more than what we are doing now if we want to preserve the Earth for our children and their children. It’s easier said than done. While policy-makers are busy with presentations and strategizing, there are urgent issues on local and international environmental conservation and protection that are being neglected or set aside. For example, the rapidly rising sea levels that continue to threaten the lives of millions of people. While we wait for the government to carry out concrete action to address this, deadly storms and unprecedented flooding cause serious devastation and damage to life and property. This is the reality here and in other places worldwide. Every citizen of the world needs to go deep and ask the question: What can I do to help? From our backyard to COP26, every effort, no matter how big or small, must be done in earnest.

not owned by the transients, in the premises with an enterprising employee making revenues that should have gone to the government. Another one I remember was putting a limit on the number of days allocated to an occupant. There were cases then of occupants who would book for a year, thereby denying others who would have wanted to stay there as well. But in general, the program worked and can be utilized further. Imagine if the government will operate 100 such facilities immediately. If one building can host at least a thousand transients daily, then that equates to around 100,000 commuters that will be off the roads for the day. And where can we find such buildings? Just take a look around and you will see a lot of unused public buildings—the former PCSO headquarters in Quezon City, or that old GSIS building near Manila City Hall, among others. Yes, the government will spend for refurbishing, but it will be self-reliant in the long run. Not only that, a good portion of our commuting public will be benefitted, traffic congestion will be lessened as well, and we will have a cleaner air in the metropolis. I hope that the government will consider this and make it happen the soonest. It worked before, and I don’t see any reason why it won’t work again this time. The author may be reached via: thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Biden hails infrastructure A good kind of separation win as ‘monumental step forward’ Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

By Alan Fram And Zeke Miller | Associated Press

ASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed Congress’ passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a “monumental step forward for the nation” after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to seal the deal. “Finally, infrastructure week,” a beaming Biden told reporters. “I’m so happy to say that: infrastructure week.” The House passed the measure 228-206 late Friday, prompting prolonged cheers from the relieved Democratic side of the chamber. Thirteen Republicans, mostly moderates, supported the legislation while six of Democrats’ farthest left members opposed it. Approval of the bill, which promises to create legions of jobs and improve broadband, water supplies and other public works, sends it to the desk of a president whose approval ratings have dropped and whose nervous party got a cold shoulder from voters in this past week’s offyear elections. Democratic candidates for governor were defeated in Virginia and squeaked through in New Jersey, two blue-leaning states. Those setbacks made party leaders—and moderates and liberals alike—impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate they know how to govern. Democrats can ill afford to seem in disarray a year before midterm elections that could give Republicans congressional control. Voters “want us to deliver,” Biden said, and Friday’s vote “proved we can.” “On one big item, we delivered,” he added. The infrastructure package is a historic investment by any measure, one that Biden compares in its breadth to the building of the interstate highway system in the last century or the transcontinental railroad the century before. He called it a “blue collar blueprint to rebuilding America.” His reference to infrastructure week was a jab at his predecessor, Donald Trump, whose White House declared several times that “infrastructure week” had arrived, only for nothing to happen. Simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. Yet despite the win, Democrats endured a setback when they postponed a vote on a second, even larger bill until later this month. That 10-year, $1.85 trillion measure bolstering health, family and climate change programs was sidetracked after moderates demanded a cost estimate on the measure from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The postponement dashed hopes that the day would produce a double-barreled win for Biden with passage of both bills. But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, five moderates agreed to back that bill if the budget office’s estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. The agreement, in which lawmakers promised to vote on the social and environment bill by the week of November 15, was a significant step toward a House vote that could ultimately ship it to the Senate. Elated by the bill’s passage, Biden held forth with reporters for over a half hour Saturday morning, joking that his chances of getting the bill done had been written off multiple times, only for him to be able to salvage it. He said he would wait to hold a signing ceremony until lawmakers—Democrats and Republicans who voted for it—return to Washington after a week’s recess. The president acknowledged uncertainty surrounding his larger

social and environmental spending package, saying “time will tell” whether he can keep popular provisions like universal paid family leave in the final version. He wouldn’t say whether he has private assurances from moderate Democrats in the House and Senate to pass the nearly $2 trillion bill, but said he was “confident” he would get the votes. Biden predicted Americans would begin to feel the impact of the infrastructure bill “probably starting within the next two to three months as we get shovels in the ground.” But the full impact will probably take decades to be fully realized. He added that he would visit some ports that would benefit from the legislation in the next week, as his administration tries frantically to ease supply chain disruptions that are raising prices on consumer goods before the holidays. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said there’s a pent-up demand to get going on public works. He told CNN he’s already got $10 billion worth of applications for a certain program that’s only got $1 billion in it. “This is not just a short term stimulus bill.” Biden said the investment would be viewed in 50 years as “When America decided to win the competition of the 21st century” with a rising China. The president and first lady Jill Biden delayed plans to travel Friday evening to their house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Instead, Biden spoke to House leaders, moderates and progressives. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Biden even called her mother in India, though it was unclear why. “This was not to bribe me—this is when it was all done,” Jayapal told reporters. The lawmaker said her mother told her she “just kept screaming like a little girl.” In a statement, five moderates said that if the fiscal estimates on the social and environment bill raise problems, “we remain committed to working to resolve any discrepancies” to pass it. In exchange, liberals agreed to back the infrastructure measure, which they’d spent months holding hostage in an effort to press moderates to back the larger bill. The day marked a rare detente between Democrats’ moderate and liberal wings that party leaders hope will continue. The rival factions had spent weeks accusing each other of jeopardizing Biden’s and the party’s success by overplaying their hands. But Friday night, Jayapal suggested they would work together moving forward. Democrats have struggled for months to take advantage of their control of the White House and Congress by advancing their priorities. That’s been hard, in part because of Democrats’ slender majorities and bitter internal divisions. “Welcome to my world,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters. “We are not a lockstep party.” Democrats’ day turned tumultuous early after a half-dozen moderates demanded the budget office’s cost estimate of the sprawling package of health, education, family and climate change initiatives before they would vote for it. Party leaders said that would take days or more. But with Friday’s delayed vote and lawmakers leaving for a week’s break, those budget estimates should be ready by the time a vote is held.

rather odd yet significant physical feature in some areas of the country is the existence of local government halls and churches situated right next to each other. Where there is a state building, one will also find a place of worship. In Iloilo, for example, a tourist will be fascinated to visit any municipality or city and be welcomed by both its government building and its age-old church sitting close to each other. The province of Albay likewise shares the same corporeal set-up, as many other provinces or cities do. Our history as a nation offers an explanation: During the Spanish colonization, political power was shared by both the Catholic Church and the Spanish Civil authorities. The “union” of the church and the state was so entrenched as reflected in the physical construction and neighboring location of buildings of both entities. Fast forward to the Filipino Nationalists who rose to forge a constitution for an independent Philippine Republic, the concept of “separation of church and state” was born. The same was reinforced during the American colonial period and remains a part of the Philippine Constitution today. While the physical vestiges of the union of government and religion remain in many areas, the “division” of the church and state has poignantly evolved. Essentially, the concept signifies a person’s right to practice any faith, or to have no faith, vis-à-vis the idea that there can be no State religion. This right is behind what US President Thomas Jefferson referred to as a “wall of separation” between the church and the state. The plethora of details surrounding this principle point to but one direction: the government cannot rule over or interfere with matters of the church, and vice versa. For law students, these principles are more known as the Non-Establishment and the Free Exercise clauses. As our country is gearing up for next year’s national elections, our dinner tables are overflowing,

once again, with debates on religion and politics. One contentious issue would always find unsettled ground on whether the “church” can campaign for or “endorse” political candidates who want to run the “state.” It is widely known that the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) resorts to what is known as “bloc voting,” imploring its members to vote for their specific candidates. In the 2016 elections, President Duterte and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. received the “anointing” of INC as their choice candidates for President and Vice President, respectively. Back in 1986, then Jaime Cardinal Sin was “inches away” from literally endorsing Corazon Aquino for the presidency while urging Filipinos, through the church-operated Radio Veritas, to take to the streets and participate in the revolt against then President Ferdinand Marcos. Incidentally, political discussion has become an important church “agenda” and a religious “pageant.” Yet a question still begs to be asked: Should priests, pastors, and other religious leaders be allowed to lobby for or endorse political aspirants? Former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has practically censured his fellow bishops against “overt political acts in the May elections,” saying “it is a game that the Church will end up losing in the end.” The good archbishop may be reflecting on the role that every

Monday, November 8, 2021

man of faith bound himself to attend to the moral and spiritual well being of the church members and congregants. To him, deductively speaking, a candidate’s journey to public office should not be the concern of the church, ostensibly cutting across the principle of separation of church and state. The religious “robe” of any priest or pastor is what distinguishes them from ordinary folks. The liturgical garment or vestment worn by the clergy signifies the responsibility of the shepherd tending to his flock! Hence, when performing their official role, especially in the pulpit, our spiritual leaders are expected to speak about God and His grace. When they revert to being private citizens, or outside of the pulpit, priests, pastors, and the clergy in general can arguably express their personal preferences for a political aspirant. While a Sunday sermon about politics can always discuss the attributes of a good leader in keeping with the life-saving message of Jesus Christ, it should never be about a specific candidate. While the law of the land appears to have no specific prohibition for religious leaders to encourage in bloc voting or support specific political candidates, the law of God entreats them to avoid from doing so. I am not well-versed in Canon law. But I think church leaders are specifically called for a distinct mission—to guide their members into the path that leads them to their Creator. At the very least, however, church leaders should educate their constituents to countercheck the values of each candidate with the values of their faith. Instead of urging the members to vote for a particular aspirant, our spiritual leaders should remind the people to vote according to conscience. While there’s a thin line between preaching about morality and spirituality on one hand and personal preferences for a candidate on the other, a priest or pastor can always emphasize the Christian values of love, respect, and sacrifice to his flock. I would rather see church leaders educate their congregation about the essential values of a selfless leader along the lines of how Jesus Christ led his disciples while here on Earth.

Here is why crowd surges can kill people

By Stan Choe | AP Business Writer

EW YORK—The crowd deaths at a Houston music festival added even more names to the long list of people who have been crushed at a major event.

Tragedies like the one Friday night at the Astroworld Music Festival have been happening for a long time. In 1979, 11 people died in a scramble to enter a Cincinnati, Ohio, concert by The Who. At the Hillsborough soccer stadium in England, a human crush in 1989 led to nearly 100 deaths. In 2015, a collision of two crowds at the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia caused more than 2,400 deaths, based on an Associated Press count of media reports and officials’ comments. Now that more people are heading out of their homes and back into crowds after many months of being cooped up because of the pandemic, the risks are rising again. Most major events happen without a death, of course, but experts say they see common traits within the tragedies. Here’s a look at how they happen:

How are people dying in these events?

They’re often getting squeezed so hard that they can’t get any oxygen. It’s usually not because they’re getting trampled. When a crowd surges, the force can be strong enough to bend steel. It can also hit people from two directions: one from the rear of the crowd pushing forward and another from the front of the crowd trying to escape. If some people have fallen, causing a pileup, pressure can even come from above. Caught in the middle are people’s lungs.

What’s it like to be swept in?

A UK inquiry into the Hillsborough tragedy found that a form of asphyxiation was listed as an underlying cause in the vast majority of the deaths. Other listed causes included “inhalation of stomach contents.” The deaths occurred as more than 50,000 fans streamed into the stadium for a soccer match on a warm, sunny day. Some of them packed into a tunnel and were getting pressed so hard into perimeter fencing that their faces got distorted by the mesh, the inquiry found. “Survivors described being gradually compressed, unable to move, their heads ‘locked between arms and shoulders ... faces gasping in panic,’” the report said. “They were aware that people were dying and they were helpless to save themselves.”

What causes such events?

“MY research covers over 100 years of disasters, and invariably they all come down to very similar characteristics,” said G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk in England who has testified as an expert witness in court cases involving crowds. First is the design of the event, including making sure that the density of the crowd doesn’t exceed guidelines set by the National Fire Protection Association and others. That includes having enough space for everyone and large enough gaps

Professionals don’t use the words “stampede” or “panic” to describe such scenarios because that can put the blame for the deaths on the people in the crowd. Instead, they more often point at the event’s organizers for failing to provide a safe environment. “Safety has no profit,” Still said, “so it tends to be the last thing in the budget.”

for people to move about. Some venues will take precautions when they know a particularly high-energy crowd is coming to an event. Still pointed to how some will set up pens around stages in order to break large crowds into smaller groups. That can also allow for pathways for security officers or for emergency exits.

What are other causes?

The crowd’s density may be the most important factor in a deadly surge, but it usually needs a catalyst to get everyone rushing in the same direction. A sudden downpour of rain or hail could send everyone running for cover, as was the case when 93 soccer fans in Nepal were killed while surging toward locked stadium exits in 1988. Or, in an example that Still said is much more common in the United States than other countries, someone yells, “He has a gun!” Surges don’t always happen because people are running away f rom somet h i ng. Somet i mes they’re caused by a crowd moving toward something, such as a performer on the stage, before they hit a barrier.

A corollary angle to this matter is the freedom of choice given to man by God starting from the Garden of Eden. Jesus also gave freedom to His disciples, as He never forced them to worship and follow Him. Therefore, exercising one’s free will to vote for a leader is a personal decision between a person and the Lord. One should not be obliged to choose but can be guided by one’s own church. Consequently, our religious leaders should endeavor to direct us to the Bible where a repository of morals and principles guide us in the choices we make, including our choice for the next president and public official. One of these passages is James 1:5 where God says He will give wisdom to all who ask, thus: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Wisdom is what the Philippine electorate needs now, more than ever, as some leaders have publicly criticized the church with much impunity. Instead of hitting back, most of our church leaders encourage us to seek God’s wisdom in choosing our public servants. Just to emphasize, while polarizing and divisive, religious leaders can legally endorse a political candidate even at the pulpit, without violating the often used and misunderstood constitutional separation of Church and State. However, the separation of functions as we see in most churches today may turn out to be that good kind. While choosing a leader should remain free from coercion, even from those wellintentioned church leaders, I implore the church to continue to thoroughly explain to its flock the godly values of love, patience, and sacrifice, required of a leader in public service. A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission. For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

Still also cited poor crowd-management systems, where event organizers don’t have strong procedures in place to report red flags or warnings, among the reasons deadly surges happen.

How has the pandemic affected things?

Steve Allen of Crowd Safety, a UK-based consultancy engaged in major events around the world, said it’s always important to monitor the crowd, but especially so now that events are ramping up in size following the pandemic lockdown. “As soon as you add people into the mix, there will always be a risk,” he said of crowds. He recommends that events have trained crowd spotters with noisecancelling headsets who are in direct communication with someone in close proximity to the performer who’s willing to temporarily stop the event if there’s a life-threatening situation. That could be a crowd surge, structural collapse, fire or something else. Allen said he has personally stopped about 25 performances by the likes of Oasis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eminem.

Why aren’t people calling this a stampede?

A10 Monday, November 8, 2021

HOUSE LEADER: DON’T SPOOK FOREIGN PETROLEUM PLAYERS By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE chairman of the House Committee on Strategic Intelligence on Sunday cautioned reelectionist senators against sending wrong signals to foreign gas developers as the country might need them to harness other gas supplies beneath the West Philippine Sea. Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny T. Pimentel, in a statement, asked reelectionist senators to spare Shell from what he called their “publicity stunts” over Shell Petroleum N.V.’s decision to sell its 45-percent operating stake in the service contract that includes the offshore Malampaya gas field. “If we make it difficult for foreign investors like Shell to get in and get out of existing petroleum service contracts, then nobody will help us develop our vast deep-water gas deposits that we need badly to meet our growing demand for electricity,” Pimentel warned. The Pimentel panel has jurisdiction on economic intelligence matters. “We will definitely need the likes of British Petroleum plc, Exxon Mobil Corp., Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Total Energies SE if we want to harness our other gas supplies beneath the West Philippine Sea,” Pimentel said. Pimentel said he is not worried about Malampaya, which at 20 years old is already a mature field in a state of declining gas production. “We are more concerned here about the undeveloped Sampaguita gas discovery located some 250 kilometers southwest of Malampaya,” Pimentel said. “There’s no question Sam-

paguita’s operator will eventually have to bring in a large and proficient foreign partner to help develop the field from zero to full production,” Pimentel said. Sampaguita, which lies in Service Contract (SC) 72 operated by Forum Energy Ltd., is believed to contain more gas reserves than Malampaya when the latter was first discovered in 1989, according to an independent assessment by Weatherford Petroleum Consultants. “And we do not want all the pol it ic a l badger i ng a rou nd Shell’s Malampaya divestment to drive away prospective foreign investors that might be interested in farming into Sampaguita’s service contract,” Pimentel said. Shell recently signed an agreement to sell its 100-percent stake in Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) to Malampaya Energy XP Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. SPEX holds a 45 percent operating interest in SC 38, which includes Malampaya. The transaction is expected to close on January 1, 2022. “In Malampaya’s case, what is important is that the private parties to the transaction have guaranteed the safe and orderly transfer of operations, including the retention of the highly experienced workforce there,” Pimentel said. “We want the new operator to quickly find ways—and drill a new well if needed—to further extend Malampaya’s productive life. This will not only assure us of more gas supplies for electricity, but also more revenue for the national treasury,” Pimentel said. See “House leader,” A2

Senate energy panel close to crafting Malampaya report

By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

HE Senate Energy Committee has started putting together a report on the controversial sale of the controlling stake in the Malampaya gas field project to a subsidiary of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna, with the panel chairman inclined to conclude it skirted the law and jeopardized the country’s energy security. In an interview with DWIZ’s “Sapol” at the weekend, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the committee will hold further hearings if necessary, before rendering a report to the Senate plenary. Senate sessions resume on November 8 after a month-long break. According to Gatchalian, the takeover by Uy had all the markings of a “favored” deal depriving the State of an indigenous source that could have blunted the impact of importing oil, prices of which have soared in recent months. He lamented as well the failure of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) to exercise its mandate in taking first crack in purchasing the service contractors’ stake. Speaking partly in Filipino, Gatchalian said: “From my analysis, the PNOC should have bought this stake because first, there’s an automatic income stream for them there. In fact our computation shows that PNOC lost, from its failure to buy the stakes, close to about P80 billion for the next three years.”

Udenna, through subsidiary Malampaya Energy, now controls 90 percent of the operator of the facility, having bought 45 percent of Chevron’s shares, and subsequently the 45 percent of Shell, two of the service contractors in the consortium. “After conducting four hearings, our opinion is that this deal is a ‘lutong Makaw’ [a sham] because the law that should be used to evaluate a contractor was not applied, and the rules bent in order to favor a new contractor, in this case, Udenna,” Gatchalian told DWIZ. “The law is strict and says the government must first approve it before any sale. The [DOE] Department Circular, which governs this, also says the government must give its approval before any purchase can be done. So it’s very simple: the government must first give its go-signal, its approval before any sale but in this particular case, what happened is that the rules were not followed and bent,” the senator told “Sapol” hosts Jarius and Marissa Bondoc.

“And as I said, because the rules for evaluation were bent, and the evaluation was defective,” the transaction was “invalid,” he added. Gatchalian clarified that selling per se is not prohibited by law. However, “because the oil and gas is owned by the people,” the State should first approve the transaction before any purchase is cleared. “Because we own the oil and gas, the service contractors cannot simply exchange stakes just like that. We gave them a contract for them to tap and use those resources and give them to us for our use. So that’s the essence of the contract because the State owns the oil and gas,” he added, partly in Filipino. Gatchalian said at least three aspects must be scrutinized and cleared by the government before any transaction is consummated between the contractors: first, the legal standing of the new contractor. Second, the financial capacity of the buyer of the stake. And third, the technical expertise of the party that will take over the operation of the Malampaya facility. He noted that the Udenna group had no track record in running an oil and gas facility, especially something as critical as Malampaya, which accounts for 20 percent of the country’s total energy supply, and 40 percent of Luzon’s. Moreover, he had earlier noted, it is heavily reliant on debts for its ambitious projects. “These three things are scrutinized,” the senator said, referring to the legal, financial and technical reviews necessary. Gatchalian was asked for comment on claims that time was of the essence since the government need-

ed to avert a future supply crunch and Malampaya was projected to dry up in 2024. Thus, with a very strict Government Procurement Reform Act and GOCC Governance Act, and given the pandemic, the process of turnover had to be fasttracked. While that may be so, Gatchalian noted, “Malampaya is not an ordinary business. It provides electricity to nearly 20 percent of our people. This means that if the operator does not know how to run it properly, 4 million households could face outages and business will suffer. That’s why the law is strict. It was made strict to ensure the contractor that will come in knows its work and will not give us problems.” There is as well a cost implication because, being indigenous, the power supply from Malampaya is not impacted when oil prices climb in the world market as is happening now. The experience of Udenna’s sister company Chelsea in importing gas and diesel cannot count in Udenna’s track record, because “exploration and importation are two very different businesses,” Gatchalian said. He recalled how, in his field visits to the Malampaya facility, he was impressed by the high level of technical expertise required of all the employees there. These are people in whom their companies invested much in terms of training as well. Absent a firm assurance that the same work force will continue to operate Malampaya once the new contractor takes over, this could have implications on the facility’s ability to keep providing the same level of supply and service to people, he explained.

Senators to work full-time despite out-of-town trips by 2022 aspirants–Sotto

ENATE President Vicente Sotto III gave assurances at the weekend that the chamber can still tackle its packed legislative agenda even as senators are set to start countrywide sorties after filing certificates of candidacy for various posts in the 2022 elections. In a media exchange after visiting several locations in Cabuyao, Laguna, with Senator Panfilo Lacson, Sotto acknowledged that the Senate faces a heavy load when sessions resume Monday (November 8), but assured the public that senators are all responsible enough to juggle their work and their political outreach. Senate President Sotto is the vice presidential running mate of Lacson, the standard bearer of Partido Reporma. Asked how the Senate leadership will deal with potential quorum problems when he reconvenes regular sessions given several senators are on a de facto campaign mode as aspirants for various posts, Sotto said he left it to the senators concerned to fix their schedule. However, he expected everyone to cram their trips during weekends so they can fully participate in the weekday sessions. “Well, it’s everybody’s own [call]. Each one of them...because it means we have work to do,” Sotto said, adding he is calling a caucus Monday because “we have work to do.” The Senate leader said senators will “discuss and decide our agenda,” including the budget bill and fix the session schedule “until Thursday or Friday.”

Senate President Sotto clarified it is “incumbent upon all of us to go to work...if you want to campaign, you arrange your hours accordingly. Because, of course, work must come first. That’s what we set out to do,” he said, partly in Filipino. At the same time, the Senate leader said he is set to meet officials of the Department of Health Services and the Office of the Senate Secretary to discuss the allowable “social distance” w it h med i a cover i ng Sen ate proceedings. For his part, Lacson affirmed Senate President Sotto’s assurance that the Senate will function “100 percent even though several members are running” in next year’s polls. “This is why we decided to do the sorties on weekends,” Lacson said, adding they opted to “sacrifice our weekends to ensure we are in attendance at the session hall during weekdays.” They adjusted their trips “because we do not want to affect the Senate plenary proceedings...We don’t want to be affected, especially him [Sotto] as Senate President, he is always the one presiding. So we will still focus on our primary tasks as legislators.”

Unfinished business

LAST week, several local and foreign business groups renewed their calls for Congress to pass the priority economic reform bills when sessions resume. See “Senators,” A2

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has adopted a National Plan of Action for the reduction of marine litter (NPOA-ML) toward “zero waste” Philippine waters by 2040. Considering that marine life and biodiversity can only well survive within clean waters, DENR said implementation of its circular MO 2010-10 has become critical for Philippines, being a country of many islands. INFOGRAPHIC BY SURFER TODAY

Atienza explains Pacquiao’s vision if he wins

EPUTY Speaker Lito Atienza said at the weekend the presidential aspirant Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao administration’s main mission will be to “promote a healthy economy, provide jobs for the jobless and a better life for all our great masses.” This, he said, can only be done by a thorough, honest-to-goodness campaign against corruption on all

fronts. As Pacquiao’s running mate, Atienza committed himself “to be a very effective partner of the president” to ensure Pacquiao’s success in his mission, should they make it in the 2022 elections. Speaking at the vice presidentiables forum organized Saturday night by the Federation of FilipinoChinese Chambers of Commerce

and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Atienza said their tandem commits to “remove corruption once and for all in the bureaucracy.” Blaming it as the main cause of poverty, Atienza warned corruption “will persist as long as the president and national leaders do not perform tasks” mandated by the Constitution under Section 27,

Article II, for government officials to “push for honesty and integrity in public service.” Atienza asked aloud, “Have we done enough, to comply with the constitutional mandate?” and then answered his question: “The Answer is a big No. Right now, we are witnessing exactly the face of corruption in this present administration.” Continued on A4

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, November 8, 2021

Voyager seeks fresh capital for new fintech solutions

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

oyager Innovations Inc. has to receive fresh funding to maintain its growth momentum through 2022, as it is set to introduce new financial technology (fintech) solutions through its soon-to-be-launched digital bank.

Shailesh Baidwan, president of Voyager, said the group will ask its existing investors to infuse more capital to help the company sustain its momentum. Filipino telco titan PLDT Inc., American investment company KKR, Chinese fintech giant Tencent, and World Bank-backed International Finance Corp. are major investors in Voyager. “We have seen good growth across all our businesses—wallet, enterprise, payments, and network. We

have sustained continuous growth and we believe that for us to continue our growth, we need to be able to provide an end-to-end system,” Baidwan said. This, he said, involves new capital for 2022. This may be in the form of fresh funds from existing investors or taking in new ones that could create more value for Voyager. “For our 2022 and beyond plans, we will be talking to our investors, and as part of that, we will decide on whether we want to keep it internal or

get some other investors that would make sense for us to bring [in] as part of the mix. We will see [our] valuation at the next round when we get to it,” Baidwan said. Voyager is the parent company of PayMaya Philippines, which currently has 41 million users across its consumer platforms that offer digital wallet services. It is also on track to grow its gross transaction value by 50 percent this year and claims to be the “largest payments processor for key industries, including everyday merchants and e-commerce.” PayMaya also claims to have the most extensive payments touchpoints at 380,000 to date. By the first quarter of 2022, Voyager will be launching Maya Bank, the digital bank counterpart of PayMaya. Baidwan painted a rosy outlook for Maya Bank, citing Smart’s 70.56 million subscriber base and its network of small and medium enterprise customers that number to 1.2 million as its advantages. Maya Bank will offer various

banking solutions for both consumers and enterprise clients. “Maya Bank is going to be an important element [to the end-to-end ecosystem that we are building],” Baidwan said. PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said he is confident that Voyager will continue to grow beyond 2021, given its growth trajectory and its fundamentals. “We do hope that starting 2022, it will increase its value with the introduction of Maya Bank and have a higher gross transaction value,” he said. Voyager, as of its last funding round in June, was valued at $747 million. Any plans to list Voyager in the Philippine Stock Exchange will be executed within 12 months to 18 months, Baidwan said. “At this stage, the investors are firmly behind and we want to grow. In the next 12 to 18 months, we will invest to grow the Maya Bank business and that will set us up for a better valuation before an IPO [initial public offering].”

Parties keen on PSALM’s Bataan assets By Lenie Lectura @llectura

ix parties are interested to join the bidding for a property that used to be the site of the decommissioned Bataan Thermal Power Plant. According to Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), the six registered bidders for this sale are Pan Pacific Renewable Power Philippines Corp., Laylani Latina De Vera, Fort Pillar Energy Inc., Panasia Energy Inc., Cordillera Hydro Corporation, and Bellagio Holdings Inc. The state firm said over the weekend that it has moved the deadline for the submission of bids for its real estate assets in

Brgys. Luz and Kitang II in Limay, Bataan from November 5 to November 9. “The deadline was adjusted to give ample time for all the interested parties to undertake thorough due diligence on the assets, allowing them an opportunity to do site visit, to review pertinent documents and to revisit their business plans vis-à-vis PSALM’s sale requirements,” it said. The sale of the Limay assets shall be on an “as-is, where-is” basis, with the PSALM board-approved minimum bid price set at P250,425,045. The bidding will be conducted at the PSALM office at the 24th Floor Vertis North Corporate Center 1, North Avenue, Quezon City at 2 p.m. on November 9. The opening and evaluation of bids will immediately

follow at 2:15 p.m. The Limay assets cover an estimated area of 139,054 square meters, more or less, divided into 14 lots. These assets are ideal for industrial development and energy-related projects due to its proximity to the Limay Substation. PSALM said some parts can be developed for residential purposes as the terrain of the land is generally flat with rolling portions. In September, PSALM announced that it would sell more assets to reduce the debts incurred by the National Power Corp. (NPC). As of end-June, PSALM’s financial obligations stood at P368.08 billion, the state firm’s president Irene Joy Garcia said. “We hope to bring down the obligations to P358.72 billion this year.”

PSALM had just completed the successful bidding of its property in Paco, Manila. The Manila Electric Co. submitted the highest offer amounting to P632,162,185.00. The state-run firm sources funds for debt payment from privatization proceeds, which include payments from independent power producer administrators and from the concession payments from the transmission business. It has disposed of a total of 10 real estate assets in Agusan in Bukidnon, Maco in Davao de Oro, Nasipit in Agusan del Norte, Loboc in Bohol and Camalaniugan in Cagayan, raising revenues of P51.65 million. Other disposable assets from retired equipment and scrap materials were sold by PSALM for P26.45 million.

Medilines aims to retain market leadership HCG taps clean energy from EDC By VG Cabuag @villygc

ocheng Philippines Corp. (HCG) has tapped Energy Development Corp. (EDC) for the supply of renewable energy (RE) to power their operations. HCG Senior Vice President and Officer-in-Charge Eugene Lin said the company has decided to follow the road that leads to sustainability by creating partnerships with likeminded companies. “As a company whose ultimate goal is to pursue excellence in LEEDcompliant products, we build better designs to reduce our overall impact on the environment and to support government projects towards sustainable development,” said Lin, adding that choosing the right energy partner allows the company to move toward a future that goes beyond sustainability for them. EDC, a subsidiary of First Gen Corp. and the pioneer renewable energy company in the Philippines, makes the reality of decarbonization possible through geothermal energy that provides an uninterrupted supply of green energy or Geo 24/7. “Hocheng Philippines Corp. believes First Gen and EDC can help meet our goals by providing efficient electricity through their low-carbon footprint resources,” Lin added. Lenie Lectura

edilines Distributors Inc. has set its sights on retaining its leadership in the distributor segment for critical medical equipment in the country, riding on the overall growth of the industry due to the pandemic. Medilines Chairman Virgilio B. Villar, brother of AllDay Chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr., said the company is committed to continue providing the country with quality medical devices to address the needs of the growing Philippine healthcare industry. Villar said there is a need to intensify the distribution of quality medical equipment even after the Covid-19 pandemic. Medilines plans to expand its presence and product portfolio in the near future to help enhance the country’s healthcare system. “We believe that there will always be demand for medical products, in as much as there will always be a patient needing care,” Villar said. He said, however, that the Philippine healthcare system remains far behind compared with first world countries, but he noted that “we are slowly getting there.” Based on a recent independent study made by Ken Research,

spend ing on hea lt hcare rose to P911.4 billion in 2020 from P489.1 billion in 2014, or a compounded annual growth rate of 11 percent. Healthcare expenditure is expected to grow further at 11.2 percent to reach P1.5 trillion by 2025. T hese hea lthcare ex pend itures include overall spending by government and private healthcare units, as well as household out of pocket disbursements. The growth of the healthcare sector is driven by a growing and aging population. It is also driven by the increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases in the country, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, while respiratory diseases are also on the rise. T he momentum is f ur ther supported by the passage of the Universal Health Care Law, which is making structural reforms to the healthcare delivery system through the expansion of the country’s health insurance scheme and the upgrade of medical facilities nationwide. Medilines is a leading distributor of medical equipment to public and private healthcare facilities across the Philippines. It maintains a portfolio of bestin-class equipment from worldrenowned brands such as Siemens Healthineers (Germany)

for diagnostic imaging, B. Braun (Germany) for dialysis, and Varian (USA) for cancer therapy. The company said there has been a huge demand for medical devices, particularly for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. This showcases the promising growth prospects for the medical device industry in the Philippines, it said. According to Ken Research, a number of private companies and individuals have invested in the development of hospital infrastructure across the Philippines in the past few years. Several companies have also acquired stakes in the health sector, providing much-needed capital for the expansion and modernization of facilities. To address the top causes of morbidity in the country, most hospitals focus their enhancements on specialized services for radiology, cardiac, lung and kidney examinations, cancer treatment, pathology, and dialysis. Medical devices that are related to these top diseases have high sales potential for suppliers. These include electro-cardiographs, computed tomography apparatus (CT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, ultrasound, X-ray, radiation equipment, breathing apparatuses, dialysis machines, and linear accelerators.

Max’s Group names new president

ulti-industry leader Ariel P. Fermin has been appointed President of Max’s Group Inc. (MGI), the largest casual dining restaurant group in the Philippines. Effective immediately, Fermin assumes the position from Robert F. Trota, who retains long-term strategic oversight as Chief Executive Officer. With this elevation from Group Chief Operating Officer, Fermin is responsible for the overall commercial and operational performance of MGI and its roster of beloved iconic brands such as Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza Co., Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Dencio’s, Teriyaki Boy, and Sizzlin’ Steak. Furthermore, he is tasked with identifying both external and internal opportunities for expansion, customers, markets, new industry developments, and standards; as well as executing and implementing corporate policies, programs, processes, and guidelines in line with the Group’s vision.

Fermin brings with him over three decades of leading some of the most distinguished companies across a diverse range of industries, elevating world-class brands, re-imagining businesses, and driving revolutionary transformation. Birthed and sustained through the years by the Trota, Fuentebella, and Gimenez-Rodgers families, Fermin’s promotion accelerates the company’s agenda to extend its industry leadership by balancing the continuity of its history with fresh renewal. “I firmly believe that our local brands and industries have what it takes to shine on the global stage. I am excited by the opportunity to assume greater stewardship of MGI through its newest chapter using my experience and perspective to help the group navigate its most dramatic evolution yet, all the while continuing to work closely under the guidance, culture, and values of our founding families,” said Fermin.

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New basis for CARS compliance pushed

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is proposing to base the extension of compliance period for Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program participants on the number of years the country is under a state of national emergency. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo, in a recent press briefing, said this move is in line with the enactment of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, which allows the adoption of reasonable measures to recover. It is subject

to approval by the Financial Incentives Review Board upon the recommendation of the investment promotion agency. “Since [we are] under CREATE [already], we have to recraft the extension to comply with provisions of the CREATE law. We are going to

work on this with the Inter-Agency Committee,” he said. The Philippines is under a state of national emergency until September 2022—or an extension by another year—following a government pronouncement. In this scenario, the extension period for CARS participants will also be two years. Rodolfo said the DTI aims to release the new directive by February next year. Earlier, it was proposed to extend the compliance period by three years, but Rodolfo said amendments were needed in consideration of the CREATE law. CARS program is an initiative to boost local automotive production. Under the program, the participants were originally given 6 years to manufacture at least 200,000 units and to produce body shells and large plastic parts. In return, each enrolled model will be provided fiscal support of P9 billion; but none of the partici-

pants, however, have availed of the incentives yet. The program, which was signed in 2015, is given a total allocation of P27 billion. Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. enrolled Mirage and Vios, respectively, in the incentives program. Initial investments of both participants amounted to P8 billion. Currently, Toyota and Mitsubishi have a deadline to complete their production by 2024 and 2023, respectively, according to DTI. Their production, however, has not yet reached the halfway mark as of April. Sales of Toyota surged by 46.1 percent to 92,318 units in January to September from 63,182 a year ago. It accounts for nearly half of the local car market. Mitsubishi, meanwhile, sold 26,830 units as of end-September, which is 2.1 percent more than last year’s 26,287 units. It represents 14

Proposal to develop Sangley airport pitched By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

consortium composed of local and foreign groups, including the Yuchengco Group and billionaire Lucio C. Tan, has submitted a $10.9-billion unsolicited proposal to the provincial government of Cavite for the development of the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA). The SPIA Development Consortium said it submitted the proposal after the government declared a second failed auction for the airport development project on October 20. The consortium members that submitted a fresh proposal are: the Yuchengco Group of Companies, MacroAsia Corp., Samsung C&T Corp., Munich Airport International GmbH, and Cavitex Holdings Inc.,

Aboitiz unit shelves Ifugao hydro project

BOITIZ Power Corp. has temporarily shelved the Alimit hydropower complex in Ifugao province due to unresolved permitting and transmission line issues. “We’ve actually put the project on hold when we saw some permitting issues especially with the NCIP [National Commission on Indigenous Peoples], and mainly also because of the identified constraint poised by the Magat-Santiago line not being N-1 compliant,” said AboitizPower President Emmanuel Rubio. N-1 compliant, which is a requirement under the Philippine Grid Code, is the ability of the power grid to withstand a major system disturbance by having back-up contingency in the system. “But we’ve recently been assured by NGCP [National Grid Corporation of the Philippines] that there will be re-conductoring of the Magat-Santiago line and that will just open up projects within the area of SNAP [SN Aboitiz] to include the battery, the floating solar,” added Rubio. SNAP is a joint venture of AboitizPower and Oslo-based renewable energy provider Scatec. The Alimit project consists of the 20-MW Ollilicon plant, the 120-MW Alimit hydroelectric power plant and the 250-MW Alimit pumped storage facility. Lenie Lectura

an entity that is not related to the Metro Pacific group. “The proposed partnership with Cavite province will encompass the development, design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Sangley airport project that is seen to provide an alternative to, and ease the congestion at, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as well as boost economic growth and enhance the local tourism and aviation industries,” it said in a statement. In a text message, a consortium representative said the proposal of the consortium involves the development of the SPIA in two phases. Phase 1A involves the development of the first runway and terminal building that can handle up to 15 million passengers per annum. It has a price tag of $2.3 billion. Phase 1B, meanwhile, will expand

the airport’s capacity to 25 million passengers per year through a $2-billion investment. The second phase, meanwhile, will cost $6.6 billion. It involves the construction of a second runway and the expansion of the airport’s capacity to 75 million passengers per annum. No further details were supplied when asked for further clarification. “Sangley airport is envisioned to become a fully-modernized, worldclass and green airport that is designed to expand as demand for air transport services increases in the next 30 to 40 years, and as operations at Naia are eventually phased out to allow for a redevelopment of the site and its surrounding areas,” the statement read. To recall, the local government of Cavite first awarded the development project to state-owned China

Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC) and MacroAsia in 2020, but was later revoked due to “various deficiencies in the submission requirements to conclude the joint venture agreement for the SPIA.” The project was then auctioned off for a second time, but none of the four companies, Metro Pacific Investments Corp., CCCC, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., and Mosveldtt Law Office submitted a bid, and thus was declared a failure of bidding. The development of Sangley Airport was nothing new. Various groups, including San Miguel Corp. and Solar Group-backed All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp., have submitted unsolicited proposals for the SPIA half a decade ago. Sangley Airport has always been seen as an alternative to the aging and congested Naia.

Bogo-Medellin Milling Co. Inc., Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., Robinsons Land Corp. and Bloomberry Resorts Corp. Top losers were AllDay, Manila Broadcasting Co., Premiere Horizon Alliance Corp., LBC Express Holdings Inc., Integrated MicroElectronics Inc. and Apollo Global Capital Inc.

Tantiangco said the market’s 10day exponential moving average 7,205.94 as of November 5, is seen as its immediate support. If the bourse is able to hold its ground at the 7,300 level, this will become its new support, while its next resistance is seen at 7,500, he said.

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK Last week

Share prices rose last week, with the main index managing to close at the 7,300-point level, as investors were cheered by the downgrading of Metro Manila’s quarantine status to Alert Level 2 last Friday. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 286.07 points to close at 7,340.77 points. The main index started November on a higher note and stayed in the green all week long, especially with the listing of Villar-led AllDay Marts Inc. With Friday’s close, the PSEi is now at its year-to-date high and was already up by 201.06 points since the start of the year. Average daily trading for the week was high at P7.6 billion, while foreign investors, which made up just 37 percent of the trade, were net buyers at P865.69 billion. Most of the sub-indices ended in the green, led by the All Shares index that gained 104.22 points to 4,491.01, the Financials index rose 67.49 to 1,600.58, the Industrial index shed 0.56 to 10,830.67, the Holding Firms index climbed 212.51 to 7,149.91, the Property index surged 230.44 to 3,349.33, the Services index increased 62.77 to 1,951.91 and the Mining and Oil index retreated 136.96 to 9,958.90. For the week, gainers slightly edged losers 105 to 107 and 32 shares were unchanged. Top gainers were Seafront Resources Corp., MacroAsia Corp.,

This week

Share prices may continue to rise this week due to the easing of quarantine restrictions which is expected to boost consumption. “While last week’s rally could invite selling pressures, the market is still seen to have an upward bias as investors may continue to digest the improving economic outlook brought by the easing of restrictions in the National Capital Region. This upward bias could strengthen if our Covid-19 situation continues to improve. For this week so far, our new Covid-19 case counts have averaged 2,427 per day, below the preceding week’s average of 4,149,” Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc., said. This week, the government will announce the country’s GDP, which should track the corporate’s income projection. “The market is set to confront its 52-week high of 7,432. Range trading should hedge against this volatility, all the while keeping tabs on earnings reporters next week,” broker 2TradeAsia.com.

Stock picks

Broker Regina Capital Development Corp. gave a hold recommendation on the stock of Universal Robina Corp. (URC) as sellers have been exiting their positions in the company during the past few trading sessions. “Likewise, the stock has been extending its stay in the red. URC’s support at P132 is still holding but it may give in to the bears later today given the increased bearishness that covers all indicators,” the broker said. “Investors may want to seat and patiently wait until the bears leave before going bargain hunting,” it said. URC shares closed Friday at P132.10 per share. Meanwhile, the broker gave the same recommendation on the stock of Monde Nissin Corp. as it is in a good position at its support of P16. It said buying pressure is greater than the selling pressure which would mean buyers are willing to pay more for the stock. It would be better to wait while it consolidates between P15 and P16.70, the company said. Monde shares closed last week at P16.44 apiece. VG Cabuag

percent of the industry sales for the 9-month period. In total, the automotive sector registered 29.5-percent year-onyear sales growth in January to

September with 191,605 units, according to the joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines and the Truck Manufacturers Association.

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Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Perspectives Pulse of Fintech H1’21

SG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues have always been important in the financial and corporate landscape, but over the past 18 months or so, it’s been taken to a new level. The Covid-19 pandemic has hugely increased the focus on the health and sustainability of our planet, together with pressing questions of social equality and cohesion. Climate change concerns have escalated, the “Black Lives Matter” movement has become a powerful force, geopolitical risks and tensions continue to create volatility—the list goes on. Along with a continuing focus on governance, ethics and compliance, all of these factors have combined and coincided to propel ESG to new levels of significance. And they are being particularly championed by the Millennial generation—that is about to inherit probably the biggest transfer of wealth ever seen over the next two decades as baby boomers pass the baton. Millennials want to know not just how much return an investment will make, but how it will make that return and at what cost to people, planet or communities. This means that investments have to be repurposed toward something more meaningful than straight returns. Increasingly, institutional as well as individual investors are throwing their weight behind this—becoming the main drivers for change in financial markets.

ESG data challenge

THE investor sentiment shift toward

conscientious society, a greener planet and improved governance practices is driving all financial institutions, whether big or small, traditional or fintech, to be fully cognizant and in control of the ESG profile of their investment and underwriting positions and embed ESG considerations into their reporting and risk management frameworks. But doing so is not straightforward. Whereas financial reporting is standardized and in familiar formats, corporate reporting around ESG dimensions is anything but. Companies are not obliged to report most ESG-related information; therefore, practice is fragmented and disparate. There are few common templates, meaning that companies will publish different information in different ways. There are a multitude of surveys in the market, but these only offer limited help: companies participate in some surveys but not others, and might answer slightly differently each time. Much ESG information is also selfreported. Inevitably, this opens the possibility of “greenwashing.” Understandably enough, corporates are keen to paint themselves in the best light possible.

Two-speed market

CUTTING through the noise, obtaining relevant information quickly and analyzing it effectively is, therefore, much harder than perhaps it needs to be. We have also seen the opening of something of a two-speed market.

Big global institutions across banking, fund management and insurance have been highly active in either building their own in-house data analytical capabilities for ESG such as State Street, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan or acquiring one of the new breed of fintech data aggregators—or a combination of both. M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in this space has been prolific. For example, Blackrock recently bought Baringa’s Climate Change Scenario Model and integrate it into its Aladdin risk management framework while HSBC Asset Management bought a stake in Radiant ESG, a US-based ESG asset management start-up. This means that the big institutions are able to track data signals across multiple sources and decipher them almost instantly. They can react to breaking news and adjust their positions in response. In recent years, even large credit rating agencies and market data providers went on a buying/acquiring spree to remain competitive and cater to the ESG and sustainability related demand.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication entitled “Pulse of Fintech H1’21.” © 2021 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, you may visit www.kpmg.com.ph.

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Monday, November 8, 2021

Fuel excise tax, budget top lawmakers’ agenda

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE ratification of the P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 and deliberations of measures either suspending or cutting fuel excise taxes will be the top agenda of the House of Representatives as it resumes session this week, the speaker of the Lower Chamber said. Speaker Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco said last Sunday that the Lower House will tackle various proposals seeking to either suspend or cut the excise taxes on petroleum products amid rising cost in fuel prices. “As we prepare for the wider reopening of businesses, we must ensure that our economic recovery will not be hampered by unwelcome disruptions, such as the unimpeded sharp rise in the cost of fuel,” Velasco said. “Congress would like to be informed of how fuel prices have shot up so fast in a matter of weeks, so that we can possibly come up with measures that will help mitigate this emerging obstacle towards our recuperation,” he added. As a response to rising inflation, continued stagnation in income recovery, several lawmakers have filed bills and resolutions proposing the reduction or p o s t p one ment of fuel

excise taxes on diesel, kerosene, and gasoline. Earlier, the Department of Finance already objected to the proposed suspension of excise tax, saying it would be detrimental to the country’s economic recovery and long-term growth. House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said the Mean of Platts Singapore (Mops) price, which is the basis for the suspension of excise taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN), has already breached the $84-per-barrel price for crude. “The benchmark under TRAIN was $80 per barrel, such that when the price threshold is hit, we would have suspended 2020 fuel excise tax increases,” Salceda said. “The 80-USD mark was an ‘alert level.’ We are past that level. MOPS for crude is now over $84. We should really take up a reduction in the excise taxes,” the lawmaker added.

2022 budget

MEANWHILE, Velasco reiterated his

commitment to ensure the timely enactment of the government’s spending plan even as he welcomed the assurance from the Senate leadership that it won’t allow a reenacted budget in 2022. “Our commitment is to ensure that the budget bill, which is focused on getting the Philippines back on the road towards full recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, reaches President Duterte’s desk before the yearend,” the Speaker said. The Senate leadership had earlier ruled out the possibility of a reenacted budget in 2022 even if almost half of its members are now preoccupied with pre-campaign activities for either reelection or election to higher office. The House passed on third and final reading its version of the 2022 General Appropriations bill last September 30. The bill has been transmitted to the Senate on October 25; two days ahead of the October-27 deadline earlier set by the lower chamber. “As soon as the Senate is done with its own version of the budget, the House will be selecting the contingent to the bicameral conference committee to help reconcile the two versions,” Velasco pointed out. “With such assurance from the Senate leadership, we do not see any major stumbling block in having a ratified and enacted 2022 national budget by December.” Also, Majority Leader Martin G. Romualdez said last Sunday the ratification of the proposed P5.024trillion national budget for 2022 is the top priority of the Congress when it resumes session following a onemonth break.

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What’s so big about the G20 besides economies?

G-20 leaders meet during the second plenary session at the G-20 summit, on Sept. 25, 2009, in Pittsburgh. The G-20, whose annual summit plays out in Rome this weekend, has morphed from its creation in the 1990s as an international group to grapple with financial crises into a forum facing such pressing problems as worldwide vaccine access and climate change. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

By FRANCES D’EMILIO The Associated Press

merce, finance, education, health and environment. These thematic huddles yield pledges. In Venice this summer, example, G-20 finance ministers lent their support to a sweeping revision of international taxation that would include a 15% minimum corporate levy in a bid to deter mega-companies from finding refuge in low-rate tax havens. The Rome summit is an occasion to seal the deal before the curtain comes down.

he Group of Seven industrialized nations—which was the Group of Eight for a few years before Russia’s suspension over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula—is likely the better known “G” grouping. The Group of 20 folds in all seven: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Other members include a dozen other countries, established powerhouses as well ones with fast-growing economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey. The European Union is the 20th member, and since the EU consists of 27 nations—including three in the G-7 —the G-20 actually represents the interests of considerably more than countries.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COUNT?

In terms of population and economic weight, the G-20 is impressive. The member nations account for 60% of the planet’s people and 80% of the world’s gross domestic product. There’s a lot of back-and-forth among members, too – the G-20 nations account for 75% of foreign trade.

HOW DID IT GET GOING?

The Group of 20 is regarded as

the premier international forum for economic and financial cooperation. In wake of a 1997 Asian economic crisis and its repercussions, G-7 finance ministers created the larger grouping in 1999 so other countries could have a say. After the 2008 global financial crisis spawned by the subprime mortgage debacle in the United States, Washington pushed for the G-20 to be raised to the level of heads of state and government. The leaders, at their 2009 summit in Pittsburgh, declared they intended “to turn the page on an era of irresponsibility and to adopt a set of policies, regulations and reforms to meet the needs of the 21st century global economy.”

IS THE G-20 STILL RELEVANT?

Some suggest a membership update could be useful, especially in view of the urgency to address climate change. After the global crisis sparked by American subprime lending, the G-20’s “emergence as a forum

THE ROAD TO ROME

US President Donald Trump, center, walks off with fellow leaders after a family photo session at G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. The G-20, whose annual summit plays out in Rome this weekend, has morphed from its creation in the 1990s as an international group to grapple with financial crises into a forum facing such pressing problems as worldwide vaccine access and climate change. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP/file

The Group of 20 has morphed from its creation in the late 1990s as an international body to grapple with financial crises into a forum for addressing urgent problems like worldwide vaccine access and climate change. for international policy coordination seemed like the only silver lining of that mess,” says Rosario Forlenza, a professor of contemporary history and anthropology at Rome’s LUISS

university. But he and others note that South Africa still is the only African G-20 country. When it comes to climate issues, “Africa is crucial,’’ Forlenza says. The absence of Nigeria,

which has Africa’s biggest economy and largest population, thus appears as a glaring gap.

THE HEAVY LIFTING

Before presidents and prime ministers arrive in Rome for the summit, “Sherpas” have been long at work to hammer out an agreement for the G-20’s final declaration. Referring in this context to diplomats or other government officials, the term “Sherpa” is used in recognition of the Himalayan people famed for their mountaineering expertise and who lead the way uphill to the summit. As in a multi-act play, in the months leading up to a G-20 summit, ministerial-level meetings are held, ranging from the likes of foreign affairs, com-

Each year, the presidency of the G-20 rotates, and with it, the country that hosts the group’s annual summit. Italy took the helm in December 2020. Going back year by year, previous summits were held in Saudi Arabia (in November 2020, a gathering that took place remotely due to pandemic precautions), Japan, Argentina, Germany, China, Turkey, Australia, Russia, Mexico, France, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Britain and the United States.

AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER

The G-20 summit gives host countries a chance to push for progress on issues they care about. Italian Premier Mario Draghi is keen on empowering women economically. An economist who formerly served as president of the European Central Bank, Draghi often stresses how the sidelining of women from the work force—often due to child or elder care needs at home—drags down economic growth. The 2014 G-20 summit in Australia set a goal of slashing the gender employment lag by 25% by 2025.

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The Miss Globe 2021: Maureen the Marvelous

• Monday, November 8, 2021

PEDRO del Hierro Logo Jacquard Cotton Sweater in Gray

➜

MAUREEN ANN MONTAGNE, a golden gal in a Louis Pangilinan gown, is The Miss Globe 2021.

MOONI Eclipse Speaker

PHOTO FROM MISSOSOLOGY

FTER Ann Lorraine Colis in 2015, the Philippines now has a second The Miss Globe winner in Maureen Ann Montagne. The Fil-French/American, 28, bested 49 other beauties from around the globe in a pageant held in Tirana, Albania, early morning Saturday Manila time. The Miss Globe is an annual international beauty pageant run and produced by Deliart Association since 2004 with headquarters in Canada. Since the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. acquired the franchise in 2015, our delegates have done exceptionally well in the global tilt. This is not to be confused, though, with its predecessor Miss Globe, which our Maricar Balagtas won in 2001. GLOBAL BEAUTIES AFTER Colis’ victory in 2015, Nichole Marie Manalo placed third runner-up in 2016, Nelda Dorothea Ibe was first runner-up in 2017, Michele Theresa Gumabao finished Top 15 in 2018, Leren Mae Bautista was second runner-up in 2019. Rowena Sasuluya, a Binibining Pilipinas 2019 candidate, was invited to compete last year and placed fourth runner-up. During the preliminaries, Maureen was Top 2 in Miss Bikini, and a finalist in the head-to-head challenge and talent competition. Her court is composed of Nigeria’s Esther Ogechi Gabriell (first), Turkey’s Melike Bali (second), Venezuela’s Jhosskaren Smiller Carrizo Orozco (third) and Canada’s Hailey Hamelin-Wilson (fourth). Last year’s winner was Lorinda Kolgeci of Kosovo. PAGEANT JOURNEY OUT of all our beauty queens, Maureen possesses the most extensive experience as she has competed in all the major pageant systems. At Mutya ng Pilipinas 2013, she finished as the first runner-up. As Miss Arizona USA 2015, she placed in the Top 15 at Miss USA 2015. She was Miss World America 2017 first runner-up. Maureen won Century Tuna Superbods 2018. She then joined Miss World Philippines 2018, was crowned as Miss Eco Philippines 2018 and emerged as Miss Eco International 2019 first runner-up. The winner, Peru’s Suheyn Cipriani, was later dethroned for getting pregnant and Maureen was offered the title. She refused. By then she was deep into Binibining Pilipinas 2020, representing Batangas, which rolled into 2021. Crowned Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2021, she set her sights on Tirana. And the rest is herstory. “The BPCI Executive Committee is delighted with the double winnings of [Miss

➜ GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY CHECKLIST

Intercontinental 2021] Cindy Obeñita and Maureen. Once a Binibini, always a Binibini,” says fashion director Raymond Villanueva. GORGEOUS GARBS MAUREEN’S marvelous performance is because of her modeling background as a Mercator Artist and Model Management Inc. talent (under Jonas Gaffud) and a prized ward at the Kagandahang Flores beauty camp (under Rodgil Flores). Patrick Isorena created her national costume, called “Sampaguita,” inspired by our national flower which symbolizes “fidelity, purity, devotion, strength and dedication—a perfect symbol of a modern Filipina.” Her preliminary gown was made by Louis Pangilinan, a “fully hand-beaded metallic and lustrous gown with high slit from the Louis Pangilinan Fashion Empire collections. From a perspective, silver speaks volumes to one’s air of dignity and classiness—with the combination of the new beautiful and wit, it says the story titled ‘Maureen.”’ CAPTIVATINGLY ARTICULATE MAUREEN’S final question was: Do you think beauty

is a merit and how can we enrich it with other values? Her answer? “I think that true beauty comes from within. To be a Miss Globe is to be a beauty that inspires. What makes us beautiful is our smiles, it is what we do for our community, it’s how we give back to others, and it’s how we carry ourselves through life. I believe that everyone has beauty inside of them and I believe it is our duty to share it with the world, give back, and truly inspire others.” And when Mias Pilar Alcantara, Fil-Canadian special correspondent to the pageant, asked her about her feeling and plans after winning, an overwhelmed Maureen replied: “Thank you so much. I want to thank my parents for everything. I haven’t seen them in three years. The pandemic has been so hard. Even my journey with Miss Philippines was two years. So it has been such an honor and I can’t wait to celebrate with all of my Filipinos. Thank you so much for all your love and support. I felt your presence this entire pageant and this would not have been possible without you. Thank you so much and I hope to hit the ground running with my advocacies and feeding the hungry all around the globe.” ■

The quest continues for mask-proof beauty products IF you apply skin-care products and makeup when going out, then the pandemic has most probably changed this. I have tried to wear the barest minimum under a mask and a face shield and it still has been challenging. For instance, if you wear sunscreen and you sweat, all the sunscreen is going to drip into your eyes. If you wear eyebrow products, unless it’s a super waterresistant one, it’s going to be gone in an hour or less. If you wear lipstick, it will stain the mask unless you wear an N95 or something like that. But that hasn’t stopped us from trying. Of course, we still want to wear makeup and every time it’s that time of the month (when the date and the number of the month are the same and the online shopping platforms have big sales), we’re still frantically looking for products that are potentially mask-proof and mask-friendly. So here are our Lazada and Shopee picks for 11.11: Gone are the days when we’d bring full-size bottles of fragrances in our purses when we’d go out. These days, it’s just tiny bottles in our small purses that hold just the essentials. At Jo Malone’s Flagship Store on LazMall Prestige, you can get a two-piece set with Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne 9ml and English Pear & Freesia Body Crème 15ml for P1,380 only on November 11. What I like about this set: It’s practical because I love both scents. Wood Safe & Sea Salt Cologne is a unisex scent while English Pear & Freesia is very feminine. This set would also make a great Christmas gift.

COCCINELLE Marvin Mini Handbag Marsala

GRWM Cosmetics is a homegrown brand by YouTube content creator Mae Layug. It is best known for its Aqua Tints, which can be used on cheeks and lips. These watery tints are only P199 each and they’re very long-lasting. The brand also has a Multi-Use Creamy Tint at P249 each. It’s also very long-lasting. For 11.11, GRWM Cosmetics is offering free shipping for a minimum purchase of P249 in its Shopee Mall store. What I like about the GRWM Creamy Tint: The colors are very flattering on the skin. The hues are very intense. In Her Element is a homegrown brand by Liz Lanuzo of the beauty web site Project Vanity. One of the brand’s products is In Her Element Masknegel Spot Treatment Gel (P445), a good spot treatment for maskne. For 11.11, the brand is offering free shipping + 10 pecent cashback in its Shopee Mall shop for a minimum purchase of P249. What I like about this product: It gets rid of maskne spots overnight. Note

that for chronic acne, you’d probably need to consult a dermatologist. The Anessa Moisture UV Sunscreen Mild Gel For Sensitive Skin SPF 35 PA+++ is on a Buy 1 Gift 1 offer (for P1,249 from P1,490) in the brand’s flagship store on LazMall on November 11 from 12 am to 2 am only. You also get free gifts. What I like about this product: It’s made for sensitive skin, it’s not oily and it’s mild enough for kids so it definitely won’t sting your eyes when sweat falls from your forehead. I’m really not into liquid lipsticks but I’d make an exception for the MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lip, which has a superior formula. It’s not completely mask-proof but it stains very minimally. The MAC Powder Kiss Lip Kit (includes a Powder Kiss Bullet Lipstick in the bestselling Devoted to Chili and a Powder Kiss Liquid Lip in Crossfade) are on pre-sale at the brand’s flagship mall on LazMall for P1,620 with 40 percent savings. The liquid lipstick alone retails for P1,500 plus you get a MAC limitededition brush with pouch and a Love Me Liquid Lipcolour for every checkout from 12 am to 2 am on November 11 only. What I like about the Powder Kiss range: The lipsticks really have good formulas. They’re moisturizing on the lips and they work for the Korean PHOTO: @GRWMCOSMETICS ON INSTAGRAM gradient lip look.

THE Christmas season is coming around so quickly. In the next few weeks, expect that reunions and celebrations will pop up and fill your calendars. Be it a virtual or physical gathering, gift-giving is a beloved part of every celebration that shows appreciation for family and friends. Before the frenzy begins, prepare your holiday checklist with gift items that will surely delight your loved ones. The country’s premium department store, Rustan’s offers the finest brands and collections for women, men, kids, beauty and home. Here are some suggestions for the season of cheer. FOR WOMEN CELEBRATING the holidays in a beach house or resort would be something we tropical-dwellers can look forward to. Match your gifts to the theme of the gathering. Loose, breezy and comfortable, a stylish caftan can make any beach vacation more relaxing. Choose from many options like Criselda Lontok’s Martha Floral Caftan and Luna’s Claire V-neck Printed Satin Blend Caftan. For your metropolitan sisters, besties and their spouses living the uptown life, a dressy outfit that they can use at home (while also at work) could be ideal. Surprise them with pieces that can be worn from e-catchups to socially distanced get-togethers. The Bardot Jordan’s Lace Dress is a standout piece that can be paired with a compact Coccinelle Handbag. Easily find top-to-bottom outfits at Lady Rustan, then complete the look with a cute headband from Sitara Vintage. FOR MEN TIMES have certainly changed and working from home has made everyone busier than normal. Help your dad, uncles, friends, or boyfriend by giving useful gadgets that can make their day-to-day more bearable—after all, most men love tokens that combine form and function. Wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers are not only very popular but are also very useful for work, exercise, gaming, streaming, and even other daily activities like errands and housework. Choose a model that fits your man’s routine from JBL, Sony, Philips Audio and JLAB. Swedish designer brand Mooni also has interesting units that combine speakers and lanterns, ultimately transforming any ordinary space into areas of relaxation or creative inspiration. Powerbanks and accessories are also very important to keep phones, tablets, and Bluetooth speakers up and running. They are also no-brainer gifts that everyone will definitely need and use for months on end. For the man-onthe-go, check out Mophie’s 3-in-1 wireless charger, Anker’s PowerCore III Sense 10K Wireless Charger, and Nomad’s USB-C Cable. You can also give the men a wardrobe update with practical choices that they can use every day. Sneakers from New Balance and polos from Pedro del Hierro and Hackett are easy selections. Choosing the perfect gift can be tricky but Rustan’s makes it easier through the Christmas Gift registry. If you’re still wondering what to give to loved ones, you can ask for their Registry ID or encourage them to start one by creating their wish list via qrgo.page. link/3SZBN.

B6 Monday, November 8, 2021

Security Bank Foundation hosts third charity fund-raising event, guests play the Price is Right

PEMSEA hosts a free webinar on plastic pollution solutions

ARTNERSHIPS in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is organizing a webinar on replicable models on marine plastic pollution monitoring on 9 November 2021. The webinar is slated from 2PM to 5PM (GMT+7) via Zoom and is open to all interested parties. Register via this link: https://tinyurl. com/ASEANO-Collab-ZoomReg. “This event aims to highlight all lessons learned from the ASEANNorwegian Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN Region (ASEANO) and other efforts in Asia to reduce the flow of plastic waste into the ocean,” explains PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales. The event is one of several preCongress events called Collabs, which are technical and publicoriented discussions, workshops and training sessions organized by PEMSEA partners, networks and other organizations. PEMSEA’s Collabs shall culminate in the upcoming East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, slated for 1 and 2 December 2021. Confirmed speakers include Deputy Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Mr. Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Ambassador of Norway to ASEAN H.E. Kjell Tormod Pettersen, Norwegian Institute for

Water Research (NIVA) Section for Catchment Biogeochemistry Researcher Dr. Hans Fredrik Veiteberg Braaten, Indonesian Society of Limnology Chairman Dr. Hidayat S.Kom., M.Sc., OceansAsia Research Director Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Our Sea of East Asia Network Founder and President Dr. Sunwook Hong, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Edwin Lineses, NIVA Researcher Dr. Rachel Hurley, UNDP/ GEF Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase II (ATSEA-2) National Project Coordinator for Timor-Leste Mr. Almerindo Olivera da Silva, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Extended Producer Responsibility and Global Plastics Policy Coordinator Mr. Huy Ho, plus Cavite Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ms. Anabelle Cayabyab. The event will be moderated by Arisman, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia. Funded by the Norwegian Development Program to Combat Marine Litter and Microplastics, ASEANO is led by NIVA and CSEAS Indonesia in close collaboration with the PEMSEA Resource Facility and ASEAN Secretariat under the purview of the endorsing ASEAN sectoral body, the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME). The ASEANO project aims to develop

a set of sound and sustainable measures to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution and their implications on socioeconomic development and the environment focusing on the city or municipal level, with West Java in Indonesia and Cavite in the Philippines as project sites. A novel catchment-based model will be developed to quantify the release, transport and fate of plastic pollution, plus their future trends under different management options. This will result in the development of targeted and costefficient measures for the reduction of plastic waste. The project will also work on the monitoring and evaluation aspect of plastic pollution, particularly the development of a catalogue of monitoring methods, plus capacity building for allies. The results of the project will then be synthesized into sector-specific roadmaps on plastics management for potential extrapolation to the ASEAN region. At the end of the webinar, participants are expected to have a clear understanding on the importance of monitoring in plastic pollution management and have a broad picture of the state of play of marine plastic pollution in Asia with case studies within and beyond the ASEANO project that can be adapted and replicated in other sites. Target participants include members of the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments and Learning Centers, plus other relevant stakeholders and interested individuals.

Social entrepreneur Patrick D. Roquel spearheads green consumer company RICHCORP, advocates Puno Sagip Buhay

ICHCORP is a modern green consumer company that specializes in natural organic ingredients for raw materials and health care (food supplements and herbal medicines), personal care, and household care that combines wealth of experience and expertise in providing innovative, improved and global quality products that enhances consumer lifestyle, health and well-being. The business thrust is to help people lead quality and comfortable lives by developing effective, efficient, and convenient organic products from home-grown natural ingredients of premium quality that makes healthcare solutions for easier, better and more enjoyable life. It is a business entity borne out of passion for excellence in identifying basic and unaddressed needs of consumers. The business is dedicated and committed to provide consumers the

personal, home and health care solutions that assure effective results. The products are made of superior world class quality organic/herbal ingredients offering best value to consumers.

Helping people lead quality and comfortable lives

INSPIRED by St. Pio of Pietrelcina, RICHCORP seeks to help people lead quality and comfortable lives by developing effective, efficient, convenient and superior organic products. Guided by continuous research and development, the company actively participate to care for self, covering all market segments based on the needs of consumers with creativity, innovation, and aggressiveness in “making things happen”. With conscious efforts the company address the needs of the society without compromising the environment and by

sharing the fruits of its labor through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects which forms its Core Value: "We put the health unto the hands of the people. Our passion is to share." RICHCORP's vision is to become one of the global market leaders in natural products with organically grown ingredients that promote health and enhance the well-being of everyone. The company is the maker of Sto. Pio Citronella ANDAS, an All Natural Derma Armor Spray and Sanitizer; Loco MOSQUIN Hand and body Moisturizer with Natural Citronella Oil; and L’abriego Citronella Aromatherapy Insect repellent candle. It is also the brand owner of HappyCha Lagundi Tea Beverage and Immune Advance capsule, a quad power4x immunity vita-mineral from Green Leaves of Lagundi and Moringa with added non-acidic Vitamin C and Zinc. RICHCORP is spearheaded by Patrick D. Roquel as president. As a Social Entrepreneur Mr. Roquel is the founder and director of BinhiBiofarm Co. which is engaged in the propagation of herbal medicinal plants in the Philippines. He also advocates his own CSR -- Puno Sagip Buhay – bearing the tagline, I plant, I share, I save communities.

ECURITY Bank Corporation’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm, Security Bank Foundation Inc. (SBFI) held its third fund-raising event on September 24, 2021 to support the education of its 120 scholars that are currently supported by the Foundation’s Regalo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko (RMKK) Scholarship Program. The game had over a hundred players trying their best to guess the retail prices of various items that are currently being sold in the market ranging from groceries, skincare, electronics, food, and home furniture. As important as the funds raised, the event brought together the Security Bank employees, Security Bank employees’ family members and Security Bank scholars to play and socialize. “I am glad to support the program and have the chance to bond with my colleagues and scholars. It is also my way of giving back as I celebrate my upcoming birthday. No amount of money can equate the joy I get from helping,” shared Rosemarie Buot, a Relationship Manager at the Security Bank Visayas Banking Center. The Price is Right is just one of the several ways that RMKK raises funds. For the last quarter of 2021, the Foundation will be conducting two more fundraisers namely,

Name That Tune in October and Perfect Harmony concert in December. SBFI also receives direct contributions of employees and clients through programs such as conversion of Security Bank Mastercard’s rewards to donation points. To know more about the program, visit bit.ly/SupportAScholarNow.

Tiny Buds: Planting the seeds of value, launches newest storybook, “Seeds of Hope”

THESE are the Tiny Buds characters that teach values: Twiga the Grateful Giraffe, Chabee the Hungry Panda, Bizi the Bee, Haha the Happy Hippo and Tiny the Bud.

N the fast-paced world of mass production, it’s refreshing to see how love, care, and a whole lot of creativity is able to beat the odds and grow a tiny idea into a global baby brand. Tiny Buds is a family-owned, female-led baby brand that is rooted in nature and free of harsh chemicals. Starting with a simple idea, Tiny Buds now has over 50 innovative items ranging from natural baby skin care, oral care, home cleaners, and remedies. What makes Tiny Buds so special is its unique mission to help parents teach timeless values to their children through the magic of storytelling. Each of Tiny Buds’ products features a character beloved by both parents and children. These characters all come with stories that teach values like gratefulness, honesty, happiness, helpfulness, and hope, which are meant to be shared with children

during their tender formative years. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, Tiny Buds wants to instill the value of hope into the hearts of parents and children with its newest storybook “Seeds of Hope” which tells the journey of “Tiny,” a tiny seed who faces adversity but never gives up to reach its goal. The adorable characters and story also explain where the Tiny Buds kingdom got its name. The grand reveal of the storybook happened on November 5 via a unique and immersive mommy and baby livestream show l on the Tiny Buds Facebook page. “Tiny”, the Bud, will now be part of the Tiny Buds family, which includes Twiga the Grateful Giraffe, who teaches children that "Thank You is a magic word; “Haha the Happy Hippo, who imparts to children that "Happiness comes from within;” and Chabee the Hungry Panda, who reminds children that “It’s okay to make mistakes as long as we tell the truth.” All of them represent Tiny Buds as a company – grateful for all parents who have trusted in the brand, steadfast in giving only the best baby care products, and motivated to grow with parents in instilling values to the next generation. You can also take home the latest storybook called “Seeds of Hope” together with a Tiny Grow Kit Set as a free gift from Tiny Buds with minimum order of P1,111 on Nov. 11. This promotion is happening on the Tiny Buds' official Lazada, Shopee, and Edamama stores. Follow @tinybudsbaby on Instagram, @tinybuds on Facebook, and through its official flagship stores on Lazada and Shopee. You may also join the “Tiny Buds Family” Facebook Community to learn more.

Happy Life Organics offers biggest sale ever

AVE you ever tried an all-natural product for your home, pets and personal care? Look nowhere as Happy Life Organics will be having its biggest one day sale! Get up to 65% in discounts or more than P1,860 in savings. Be sure to catch them in their official online malls in Lazada, Shopee and Zalora. Watch for marked down their best

seller banner products such as the waterless pet shampoo, Pets spray, Pet Shampoo and Conditioner, BGone LC Disinfectant, Alcohol, Lotion and Mosquito Cologne. And as the holiday season is fast approaching, the company has prepared selections of Christmas bundles. Check the gift sets and grab curated gifts with Happy Life Organics. Follow the store via Shopee: https://shopee. ph/happylifeorganics?smtt=0.0.9 and Lazada:https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.3uoUt Zalora:https://www.zalora.com.ph/ catalog/?q=happy+life+organics

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Monday, November 8, 2021 B7

New ways of working in the pandemic: To go back to office or to keep WFH? I

PR Matters

By Joy Lumawig-Buensalido

N 2020, when work disruptions ensued at the onset of the pandemic, companies and business leaders urgently reassessed their plans on how to manage the work force. They had to rethink strategies for performance and operations and resort to work arrangements that would suit both management and personnel. Since then, numerous global surveys have revealed that remote working has been a positive experience for a significant number of employees, and that many of them want it to continue. With the gover nment announcing the easing of restrictions, and the economy gradually reopening, the question now on everyone’s mind is: will work-from-home modes remain in place or will people soon head back to their cubes? In the Philippines, most people have gotten used to working from home. For almost two years now, our own agency’s monthly staff meetings have been conducted virtually. Most of our clients have likewise turned to remote working so it’s been key for us to schedule regular meetings whenever it is convenient for all. This has resulted in successive meetings for me and my staff during the day—and sometimes even way beyond office hours. There were technical challenges, of course, but having adapted to the digital space, we quickly became accustomed to virtual discussions and viewing presentations on a shared screen—a nd to stag ing a nd executing webinars and online launches almost on a weekly basis. We required our finance and accounting team to report to the office at least twice a week because of the urgent and regular disbursements needed, while the operations team would voluntarily visit the office every time there were physical requirements that needed their personal handling. Now that the government has announced the easing of restrictions, and because majority of the population in Metro Manila has reportedly been vaccinated, more and more companies are gradually resuming onsite work. This has given rise to a lively discussion of the upside and downside of maintaining flexible work arrangements versus bringing back the pre-pandemic physical office set up. There are, understandably, differences in opinion between bosses and the staff. Here are what some international “pro-office” bosses say, according to an article “What Bosses Really think of Remote Work” in bbc.com. n Loss of control over productivity and judgment. Man-

agement experienced a “loss of control” compared to the prepandemic times. According to Pierre Lindmark, founder and CEO of Winningtemp, a data-driven employee engagement firm in Sweden: “If you meet people you feel that you can have control. You’re not judging people by just seeing each other on camera; you’re judging them by seeing their productivity, and seeing what’s actually going on in the office.”

n Lack of visibility can lead to less support for their needs. James Rogers, a digital public

ing routine at home so this can make them feel more motivated to give their best. n Flexibility and agility. These two terms were always there even before the pandemic, but they suddenly became real when employees started working from home. Since they were no longer tied to an office, most of them had to try a bit harder to work flexible hours such as earlier or later in the day, and sometimes even on weekends. n Improved staff health and well-being. Some business own-

ers recognize the value of giving their staff extra health benefits such as more sleep, spending more time with family, and simply experiencing healthier lives. Elbert Or, cofounder of Pushpin, a creative and visuals agency we have always partnered with, recently announced that “Thursday would be their new Friday,” meaning they will adopt a four-day work week starting this month. In their letter to their partners, they gave the following reasons:

Tanya T. Lara: ‘The advantage of WFH, of course, is you can do it anywhere including in an island like Boracay’

n “We’ve always been a workfrom-anywhere, output-focused workplace. This felt like the natural next step, one that gives everyone explicit permission to take a break and live their lives. n The 40-hour workweek is the standard, but it doesn’t have to be our standard.

Elbert Or: “The four-day workweek gives us time to reflect on our work, experience the world, make space for learning, so that we can bring all these new insights and inputs back to the workplace.”

relations lead in the London branch of a British American global content agency, says that “more visibility of those they line-manage is a core part of their pro-office mantra. Not so that you can micromanage and ‘keep an eye on them’ but so you can understand where they might need more support.” He points out that “it‘s easier to discern if a team member might be struggling with a task when he’s sitting in front of you. You don’t get that visibility when they’re 30 or 40 miles away from you.” n Social and creative possibilities for office-based employees are a core advantage.

There is absolutely an absence of more social and creative interaction when people are working remotely. What happens during brainstorming sessions, for example? Or when a big idea hits you while you’re having coffee at the office and you want to discuss it immediately with your supervisor or boss? Those moments may be lost, gone forever. And spontaneity, too, may be missing. Daniel Bailey, CEO of a London-based footwear research company, had this to say: “We did our best over lockdowns to be as creative and free-flowing as possible, but it’s pretty hard when you have to schedule a call for every single thing. Working remotely may have massive benefits but I don’t think it’ll ever be better than being in one place together for the creative process.”

n Managers of remote staff believe full time remote work is detrimental to workers’ career objectives. According to Johnny C. Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, their recent survey suggested that 2/3 of managers cannot fully appreciate the remote work that their employees do. Somehow this could mean that the workers may not be fulfilling the expectations of their bosses. It also suggested that managers still struggle to trust those who work from home. Perhaps this lack of trust is what contributes to their belief that they cannot do what’s best for the workers’ career paths.

Those who prefer remote work

ON the other side of the discussion, those who prefer working from home have practically lived out those old dreams or the promise of technology enabling remote work. A sizable segment of workers have their own valid reasons for wanting to work from different locat ions—whet her f rom home, from another country or from the beach. I asked a couple of friends for their views on this and here’s what I gathered: n Time management became more efficient when people started working from home. Traffic

used to be a major issue for workers who had to traverse trafficclogged roads going to and from work, spending a minimum of three hours and sometimes a maximum of six hours on the road!

Aside from being able to get more sleep, those who have embraced working from home now say they can spend more time with their family, with their home interests, and have less stress commuting to and from the office. n Higher productivity. Those who prefer to work remotely all swear that they are more productive in terms of hours. One solid example is Tanya T. Lara, head of Content (Features Head) of philstarlife.com, who has been with the media for 24 years. She prefers WFH because she is definitely more productive working far from the office. “The only caveat is it feels like you brought the office home and you’re always on call. When I started WFH I thought: well, now I can have a proper meal, a break, instead of eating in front of my computer in the office. But I found myself doing the same thing, working while eating during the workday because there’s work to be done. The advantage of WFH, of course, is you can do it anywhere including in an island like Boracay where I’ve been since July of this year. Gorgeous sunsets and the swaying of palm trees can be distractions we all need from time to time.” n Increased staff motivation. Most staff feel trusted by their employer as they are not closely monitored and they are given some degree of autonomy in accomplishing their work. They also end up happier that they can develop their own work-

n Sometimes, we have to slow down to speed up. We firmly believe that we can’t be at our best and most innovative when we’re stressed. We felt this most especially during the pandemic, but it’s always been true, and a longer weekend allows us to come back to work refreshed and recharged. n The four-day workweek gives us time to reflect on our work, experience the world, make space for learning, so that we can bring all these new insights and inputs back to the workplace.” It looks like going back to the workplace will be harder than anyone originally thought. The pandemic has shown that employees can successfully work from home and they want to sustain this flexibility. A quick return to office work seems unlikely but with the lifting of restrictions, it is already starting slowly. Ultimately, we will most likely witness a lot of experimentation among companies that will aim to provide the most flexibility for their employees while never losing sight of their business objectives. PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world. Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the president and CEO of Buensalido PR and Communications. PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.

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B8 Monday, November 8, 2021 | www.businessmirror.com.ph

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

‘A

s we embark on our second century, my vision for the company is for us to remain true to our commitment of ‘A Lifetime for Good’ for its policyholders and build an even wider InLife community serving Filipinos wherever they are in the world.” That was the vision of Raoul Antonio E. Littaua when he was named President and CEO of Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. or InLife back in June 2021. At that time, the Philippine economy was just starting to slowly recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. By then, InLife was already one step ahead of the competition. That’s because the company was among the first to introduce a completely digital sales and service platform at the start of the pandemic early in 2020. “This was done so that our advisers may reach Filipino families even under the strictest lockdown conditions, at a time when they need life insurance protection the most,” he said. “This quick pivot was possible as the company had the foresight to invest in digital technologies long before Covid-19.”

Automated underwriting

Littaua noted that InLife was the first company in the country to introduce automated underwriting which made it easier to add the other components like online presentations and digital payments. “Equally significant was the proactive role that the industry’s chief regulator, the Insurance Commission (IC), played. To its credit, the IC was swift in coming up with the rules for virtual selling, while at the same time ensuring that the necessary controls were maintained,” he said. The road to digitalization, however, was not a smooth one as not only did their advisers have to learn to use digital platforms; their customers also had to adapt to the new technologies. “And then you have the issues with the infrastructure such as telecommunications which were not always robust, particularly in the provincial areas,” Littaua added. In addition to going digital, InLife also introduced 12 new product innovations since the pandemic started. Averaging one new product every month, many of these new products were focused on health protection, the inclusion of Covid-19 in the coverage, for example, so that InLife “would be more responsive as possible to the needs of people at this time.”

E-stores

RAOUL ANTONIO E. LITTAUA

Exciting times ahead for InLife

Two such products, Prime Secure Lite and Total ProtectER are, according to Littaua, even available direct through InLife and InLife Health Care e-stores. The new products that the company developed over the past year are an indication that for Littaua, customer centricity “is not just a strategy or a set of processes and procedures – it is a philosophy, a deep institutional conviction to be precise.” “As such, it means that even before we discuss how much a new initiative is going to make in terms of profit, we first ask, ‘How will this make it better for our customers?’ Everything else flows from that conviction,” he explained. Littaua added that customer centricity was critical for InLIfe because the company is the only remaining mutual company in the Philippines. This means that InLife’s policyholders, customers are also co-owners of the business. “If you think about it carefully, in essence InLife is a Filipino company owned by the very people it serves. And all the profits we make are invested in the very society of which we are part. That’s a pretty strong proposition for always choosing InLife aside from the fact that we have among the best performing products in the industry,” he said.

Stints in retail, sales

With stints in retail, sales, training and development, Littaua has spent most of his working life in the insurance business. He had previously worked in PrudentialLife Inc., Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, Sunlife Financial and Allianz PNB Life Insurance Corp. He did have an opportunity to work with a luxury Italian brand of lingerie and swimsuits from November 2011 to December 2013 but after that he decided that it was time for him to retire. At around the same time, a colleague was ap-

pointed as an Undersecretary of the Department and Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and asked Littaua if he would like to work for the government. He agreed and he became a Technical Consultant for DENR’s Foreign Assisted and Special Projects. During his two-year stay at the DENR, he handled the Philippine Solid Waste Management Project; Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Eco Tourism Development; Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity Project and Digitalization of Cadastral Lands. “It was a short stint but one thing that struck me in that experience was finding out that many of the technology solutions to our environmental issues already exist, whether it’s managing solid waste or cleaning up the water or saving our coral reefs and forests,” he related. “That these environmental issues still persist only underlines the fact technology is not just going to be the solution; human cooperation is the more critical factor. And it will have to be human cooperation that transcends national borders. After all, no country creates its own climate,” he added.

Civic duty

Littaua’s experience of working at the DENR made him realize that while he has “always endeavored to do my civic duty and serve the country at every opportunity, I don’t necessarily have to be in government to do so.” This was one of the reasons that motivated him to join InLife in January 2018 when he was hired as the Senior Vice President and Chief Distribution Office. Since InLife is a Filipino company, all of its revenues are invested in the country, and this makes InLife an active partner in nation building “to the benefit of the very people responsible for our growth in the first place.” “As the company’s CEO, I should see to it that we continue to grow and scale up, which will allow InLife to have an even bigger impact on social development,” he said. For InLife to be an effective partner in nation building, it has to be able to overcome the challenges that the pandemic has brought. These challenges include the accelerated pace of technology due to the pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence, the changing work place because of the work from home scenario. Other challenges include “social and global issues such as rising inequality, the erosion of trust in institutions and the really big one, climate change.” “But to my mind, I think the biggest risk to the company is the risk of us doing nothing – if we stand still either because we are too overwhelmed, or we’re paralyzed into avoidance and inaction, or we have become completely indifferent to the changes around us,” Littaua said.

Rally behind a cause

His immediate task, therefore as CEO, “is to get the entire organization to rally behind a common and shared vision, to foster engagement and collaboration, to eliminate pettiness and manage internal conflict, and to push the change agenda so that every InLifer takes on the responsibility for building the future that we all want.” “I may not be true to my ideals always, but I should find it most gratifying if, years from now, InLifers look back and on seeing how far we’ve come and how much we’ve accomplished, go on to say, ‘We did it ourselves,’” Littaua said. Thanks to Littaua’s leadership and his team’s hard work and perseverance, InLife has been able to make a strong turnaround this year, with the topline back at pre-pandemic levels, and there are all indications that the company will end 2021 with double or even triple increases in various categories. “InLife’s financials remain solid and strong, which should not be surprising for a company that has survived two world wars and countless disasters, both natural and man-made,” he said. When asked about the company’s future plans, Littaua could summarize everything up in just one word – exciting. He sees InLife leading “in innovation, and we shall lead in customer value in its truest sense.” “We have defined our mission as providing ‘A Lifetime for Good’ for Fiipinos. In essence that means we will be partners of Filipinos everywhere so that they may live longer, healthier, meaninigful lives. And the innovations we shall roll out in this regard are nothing short of exciting. Abangan!” he said.