Manila Standard - 2021 February 27 - Saturday by Manila Standard

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Rody signs vaccination law Clears way for jab rollout, provides for P500m indemnity fund INDEMNITY FUND. President Rodrigo Duterte signs the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021, a measure funded with P500 million that seeks to indemnify people who may be adversely affected by the antivirus vaccine.

By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday signed into law a measure that seeks to hasten the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and sets up a P500 million indemnity fund to compensate those who may experience adverse consequences from the anti-virus jabs.

“We are confident that the signing of this landmark piece of legislation would expedite the procurement and administration of vaccines for the protection against COVID-19,” said presidential spokesman Harry Roque. Under the new law, local government units as well as the private sector are

now allowed to procure doses through a multilateral pact with the National Task Force, Department of Health, and the vaccine supplier. LGUs are likewise given the greenlight to make advance payments for the vaccine purchase. The country will receive its first Next page

New virus cases on uptrend, spreading fast—researchers By Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja ers who have been tracking the pan-

demic said Thursday. In its Feb. 25 report, the OCTA ReTHE upward trend in Metro Manila’s new COVID-19 cases is expected to search Team said after daily cases in continue, even though localized lock- the National Capital Region rose to 719 downs may have helped slow it down, in Feb. 22, the number fell to 474 on University of the Philippines researchNext page

25,226 Pinoys became jobless in Jan.; wage subsidy pressed SOME 25,226 individuals permanently lost their jobs last January alone amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Friday. Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique Tuyay said during the Laging Handa brief-

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM FEBRUARY 26)

ing there were around 108,000 workers that could fully return to full-time work once quarantine restrictions are eased. The Labor department has already proposed a three-month subsidy for workers amounting to P7,000 to P11,000 Next page

VOL. XXXV • NO. 17 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

ARRIVAL RITES. The Philippine Navy officially welcomes its second missile frigate Antonio Luna and its maiden crew in an arrival ceremony at Pier 13 Friday, February 26, 2021 with Secretary of Public Works Mark Villar as guest of honor. He is joined by Navy Chief Giovanni Carlo Bacordo and senior officers as the frigate docks for the first time in a Philippine port. PN

571,327 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,651 34,498 NEW

ACTIVE

12,247

524,582

561

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NBI told to take over probe into QC shoot-out By Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja ONLY the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will investigate the shootout between police and state anti-narcotics agents in which four men were killed Wednesday afternoon at a busy intersection in Quezon City, the Palace said Friday. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the decision by President Rodrigo Duterte to designate the NBI as the sole agency in charge of the investigation meant the probe being undertaken jointly by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would be discontinued. Two policemen, a PDEA agent and an informant were killed in the gun battle that took place between two law enforcement groups Wednesday afternoon at the parking lot of a McDonald’s on Commonwealth Avenue and Don Antonio Drive. Next page

Filipinos in US warned anew vs. hate campaign FILIPINOS in the United States were advised to exercise “utmost caution” as the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. expressed concern over the rise in unprovoked attacks against AsianAmericans in various parts of the US.

American news organizations have reported a surge in anti-Asian slurs and violence in cities across the US, particularly among older people. One of the recently reported attacks involved a Filipino, whose face was

disfigured after a man slashed his face with a box cutter while inside a subway train in New York City. “Filipinos are advised to exercise utmost caution in view of these incidents. Next page

TWITTER WANTS YOU TO PAY FOR SPECIAL CONTENT Story on B2

‘Pro-Sara banner not a poll offense’ By Vito Barcelo

to run for president in the 2022 national elections. At a media briefing in Quezon City, Dr. Alvin THE Commission on Elections reiterated Friday Sahagun, president of Alyansa ni Inday Movethat people putting up “Run, Sara, Run” banners ment (AIM), said all they just wanted was to across Davao City and other parts of the country “show to the President and (Davao City Mayor) urging the President’s daughter to run in 2022 Sara how much we love them.” “This is our freedom of expression and choice did not constitute an electoral offense. The other day, supporters of President Rodrigo for her to run in 2022,” he told reporters. Duterte urged presidential daughter Sara Duterte Next page

Android pets cure loneliness, boredom

Still ga-ga over Pokemon 25years after

NAMI Hamaura says she feels less lonely working from home thanks to her singing companion Charlie, one of a new generation of cute and clever Japanese robots whose sales are

TWENTY-FIVE years after Pokemon first began delighting children and adults alike, the phenomenon is still capturing hearts, with smartphone craze Pokemon Go enjoying record success

GREEN HUB. It’s a plant lover’s paradise. SM Supermalls gives a lush

treat for all the plant lovers with the first-ever Plant Fest happening now until February 28, 2021 in all SM malls nationwide. Shop for plants and gardening needs, and get exclusive deals at the Green Hub. Learn more about plant care from horticulture experts through a series of webisodes entitled, Get Real: Tips to Become a Responsible Plant Parent!” on the SM Supermalls Facebook page. our lifestyle!

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Auring’ damage reaches P103m T

HE damage caused by Tropical Storm Auring has reached P102.98 million, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Friday. In its update, the NDRRMC said Caraga region. agricultural damage from the cyclone Damage to infrastructure, on the othwas placed at P79.38 million in the er hand, had so far amounted to P23.6

New virus... From A1 Feb. 24. However, the reproduction number has continued to increase, clocking in at 1.32 from 1.22 on Feb. 21, OCTA said. “New cases in NCR are expected to increase at least in the short term,” the group said. “Positivity rate in NCR was 5 percent over the past seven days,” they said. The reproduction number is the expected number of new infections an infected individual may cause in a population where everyone is susceptible. A reproduction number of one or higher is an indication of the continuous transmission of the virus. The positivity rate is the percentage of those who test positive from all who are tested. Pasay City, which last week enforced lockdowns in 33 barangays due to a spike in cases, saw a 160 percent surge in new cases from Feb. 16 to 22 -- 81 new cases compared to 31 the week before. OCTA found that Malabon, Manila, Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Marikina cities also saw higher than 40 percent increases in new COVID cases compared to the previous two weeks. The best-performing local government in Metro Manila last week, meanwhile, has been Mandaluyong, with a low positivity rate of 2 percent and a low daily attack rate of 2.44 per 100,000. Nationwide, Cebu City saw the highest number of new COVID-19 cases, with a daily average of 220 for the past seven days (Feb. 16 to 22), a high positivity rate of 16 percent and a very high daily attack rate of 21 per 100,000. However, OCTA said the trend has slowed down. “Hospital occupancy was still moderate at 53 percent, as the increase in critical care utilization has been controlled not just by the slowing down of the pandemic in Cebu City, but also the continued pandemic management of the local government, which helped increase hospital bed capacity by at least 10 percent,” OCTA said. OCTA welcomed the government’s decision to defer the country’s transition to the lowest level of quarantine, as the expected arrival of vaccines has been delayed time and again./ The Philippines logged on Friday 2,651 new COVID-19 cases Friday, one of the highest single-day figures in more than four months, bringing the total number of cases to 571,327, as eight laboratories failed to submit their data on time, the Department of Health (DOH) reported. The total is the highest since Oct. 17 last year.

‘Pro-Sara... From A1 The group launched “Run, Inday, Run” and held a motorcade along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue in Pasay City until Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City involving luxury cars. “This is in recognition of what the President has done to the country. This is just our opinion for continuity of the

Android... From A1

million in the regions of Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Davao, and Caraga. Meanwhile, Auring has affected 64,056 families in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and Caraga. Of these, 1,045 families are being sheltered in 20 evacuation centers while 246 families are sheltering with

their relatives and friends. The death toll from the storm remains at one, with two injured and four missing, all in Caraga, and still being validated. Damaged houses numbered 1,340, with 348 classified as destroyed and 992 as damaged, in Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and Caraga.

Vice mayor shot dead, 2 injured in Zambo Sibugay THE vice mayor of Mabuhay town, Zamboang Sibugay was killed while two of his companions were injured after an armed assailant shot them multiple times near the municipal hall Friday afternoon. Police said Vice Mayor Restituto Calonge was talking to Edgar Pampanga and Abduhari Gapor at around 3 p.m. when the suspect opened fire. The gunman killed Calonge on the spot while the vice mayor’s companions were wounded and were rushed to a hospital. The suspect fled on a motorcycle, the police said. Several cartridges of a cal. 45 pistol were recovered from the crime scene.

Rody... From A1

WORLD ROUNDUP

Queen Elizabeth says COVID jab ‘didn’t hurt at all’ QUEEN Elizabeth II said her coronavirus jab “didn’t hurt at all” and urged those wary of receiving the vaccine to “think about other people.” The 94-year-old monarch was vaccinated along with her husband Prince Philip in January, telling health officials leading the rollout in a video call that she now felt “protected”. “It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who have been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine. And the jab – it didn’t hurt at all,” she said. “Once you’ve had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you’re protected, which is I think very important. It is obviously difficult for people if they’ve never had a vaccine... but they ought to think about other people rather than themselves.”

Global economic relaunch

Slain Mabuhay town Vice Mayor Restituto Calonge

G20 finance ministers and central bankers were meeting Friday to align plans to relaunch the global economy after the coronavirus pandemic and to limit the harm to the worst-off nations shut out of the race for vaccines. The video conference, which Italy was chairing as G20 president, is the first such meeting in post for US President Joe Biden’s new Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who is expected to be far less confrontational than Donald Trump’s representatives at past gatherings. On Thursday, Washington urged wealthy G20 countries to launch a truly global, coordinated vaccination campaign. “Without access to vaccines, lowincome countries in particular will experience further tragic loss of life and needlessly delay their economic recoveries,” Yellen wrote in an open letter to her G20 finance counterparts.

its lower efficacy rate of 50.4 percent in clinical trials for the said group. The FDA later said, however, that health workers can still take the Chinese vaccine if they want to do so. Dr. Marissa Alejandria, a member of the DOH TAG, said the experts reviewed data from unpublished trials. “Considering the circumstances that our country is in where the first vaccine that we have now is really Sinovac, the same considerations in evaluating were used. So the efficacy, the safety, and then rational allocation of the vaccine,” Alejandria said. The NITAG finalized its recommendation after days of deliberation on how to allocate the doses. Senator Christopher Go, a constant companion of the President, on Friday said the Chief Executive would personally witness the turnover ceremony of the first batch of Sinovac vaccines when they arrive on Feb. 28. A former Health secretary, Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin said the FDA was wrong in excluding health care workers as recipients of the Chinese vaccine. Garin said efficacy rate is just one of the parameters on vaccine use and other factors should be considered, saying “vaccination saves lives.”

• Vaccination among the Armed Forces personnel, meanwhile, was “not a matter of choice,” but they can choose the vaccine brand they want, AFP spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said. “To get inoculated or not is not an option for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it is a duty. At the most, the exercise of option will be the option to choose what brand of vaccine they will be availing of, but the cost of which will not be paid by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” Arevalo also said the unauthorized use of an unregistered Chinese vaccine by members of the Presidential Security Group was “an act of heroism.” • The President reduced the number of holidays this year to help the economy recover from the impact of the pandemic. In Proclamation No. 1107, Duterte declared Nov. 2, 2021 (All Soul’s Day), Dec. 24, 2021 (Christmas Eve) and Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) as special working days. “For the country to recover from the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to encourage economic productivity by, among others, minimizing work disruption and commemorating some special holidays as special (working) days instead,” the President said.

per worker every month. At the same time, Tutay said the 2021 national budget did not provide for such a wage subsidy, which would run for about three months. In the same press briefing, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said 1.6 million Filipinos had yet to return to the jobs that they held before the pandemic. Tutay said they based the budget of the subsidy program on the average wage of workers in different sectors. The amount, she said, would be between P7,000 and P11,000 a month for three months.

She said the department’s request to the Department of Budget and Management would cover 25 percent to 75 percent of the workers’ monthly wages. This would translate to a budget of P62 billion to P188 billion, she said. Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte said Sunday the funds for the proposed Bangon Pamilyang Pilipino assistance program to provide low-income and vulnerable households with P10,000 in cash assistance are available under the unused appropriations and unobligated funds in the national budget. He said a third cash subsidy for the families hardest hit by the global economic turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic was “necessary to help boost

household income amid the loss of jobs and the inflation in food prices. The government recently reported P452 billion in unused funds from the 2020 national budget and P204 million in its unobligated cash balance, he said. The proposed cash aid’s budget would be sourced from the unused and unobligated funds under the 2020 and 2021 General Appropriations Act. “Imagine if we inject P200 billion into the economy now, that would pump-prime it,” Villafuerte said. “That money will circulate to buy necessities and to be used for livelihood and businesses while we wait for the COVID-19 vaccine for our mass immunization program.”

President’s achievements,” Sahagun said. But he clarified their effort was out of volunteerism, and not a paid movement. “Technically, there is no violation because in order for premature campaigning to be committed there should be an official candidate,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told ANC. “And no official candidate exists right now. In fact, we are not even filing the certificate of candidacy yet. So, since there is no official candidate, there can

be no crime or should we say offense of premature campaigning.” President Rodrigo Duterte previously said his daughter was not running for the country’s highest post in 2022. “Inday Sara is not running. I have really, really put my foot down.... I pity my daughter. The politics here is dirty,” he said in a briefing in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur. Last month, the Davao City mayor also appealed to her supporters to wait

for her to run for president until 2034. Jimenez said the “Run Sara Run” banners, which have been slammed by several social media users as early campaigning, was “a matter of free expression.” “These people have the right to actually promote the candidacy of anyone that they want. They could put up a banner that says ‘Christian Run’ and it won’t make a difference because it’s a matter of free expression,” he said.

An exclusive news report on GMA News quoted a source as claiming the Quezon City policemen were able to buy P6 million worth of shabu from the seller, who the source said was later identified as a PDEA asset. The cops, the source said, paid P1 million in buy-bust money and the rest in fake bills. The shootout, the source said, started when the transaction was completed, with the policeman posing as buyer and the seller sustaining at least 15 gunshot wounds each. Meanwhile, the House dangerous drugs committee said it would begin its own investigation on March 1. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the committee chairman, said much of the information that has been released so far has been sketchy and members of the panel wanted to know why there was a firefight between two law enforcement agencies. Deputy Majority Leader and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles on Friday backed calls for a congressional investigation into the incident.

tors of the attacks, labeled by many as “hate crimes”. However, it called on federal, state, and local authorities to further ensure the protection of persons of Asian descent, including Filipinos. A coalition called Stop AAPI Hate said it received a total of 2,808 reported incidents of racism and discrimination targeting Asian-Americans across the US between Mar. 19, 2020

and Dec. 2020. Chinese nationals made up the ethnic group most often targeted, making up 40.7 percent of incidents, according to its report released on Feb. 9. “Asian-Americans as a whole, though, are being racially profiled and attacked. Koreans (15.1 percent); Vietnamese (8.2 percent) and Filipinos (7.2 percent) have also faced Covid-19 discrimination in high numbers,” it said.

er, and experts see no sign that interest is flagging as the world’s highest-grossing media franchise evolves. “The characters themselves are so appealing, and the mechanics of the actual video and card games are so well executed that it has this very timeless quality,” said Brian Ashcraft, an author who writes about Japanese pop culture.

Dan Ryan, a 29-year-old who works in London’s finance sector, has been a fan nearly his whole life and is not shy about his hobby, even with colleagues. “They know I disappear every Thursday to go and play Pokemon cards, they see me come in with my Pikachu jacket, and they see my Pokemon mugs,” he told AFP. AFP

batch of COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday with the arrival of 600,000 doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech. The DOH on Friday said the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) has agreed to recommend the Sinovac vaccine for health workers. The recommendation seemed to fly in the face of an earlier Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggestion that it not be administered to frontline health workers because of its varying levels of efficacy. But Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the FDA and the current evidence available are “enough to establish that the vaccine is safe for use.” “Our NITAG experts with the TAG (Technical Advisory Group) experts have concluded that the vaccine will be beneficial for the health care workers,” she said in an online briefing. On Monday, the FDA granted an EUA to Sinovac’s vaccine, but did not recommend it for use by health workers due to

25,226 Pinoys... From A1

Yamaha, which makes Charlie, describes it as “more chatty than a pet, but less work than a lover.” “He is there for me to chat with as someone other than family, or friends on social networks, or a boss I needed to produce a report for,” Hamaura told AFP. She is a pre-launch test customer for Charlie, which Yamaha plans to release later this year. “Charlie, tell me something interesting,” she asks while typing at her dining table. “Well, well... balloons burst when you spray lemon juice!” he replies, cheerfully tilting his head to each side.

booming in the pandemic. Smart home assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa have found success worldwide, but tech firms in Japan are reporting huge demand for more humanlike alternatives, as people seek solace during coronavirus isolation. “I felt my circle became very small,” said 23-year-old Hamaura, a recent graduate who has worked almost entirely remotely since April 2020. With socializing limited, life in her first job at a Tokyo trading company ‘Every object has a soul’ was nothing like she had imagined. Sharp said sales of its small humanSo she adopted Charlie, a mug-sized robot with a round head, red nose and oid Robohon were up 30 percent in the flashing bow-tie, who converses with three months to September 2020 compared with a year earlier. AFP its owner in song.

Filipinos... From A1 Those who experience attacks are advised to immediately call 911 to report incidents,” the embassy said in a statement on Friday. The embassy, nevertheless, thanked the swift action taken by a number of local authorities to apprehend perpetra-

Still ga-ga... From A1 in virus-hit 2020. The augmented-reality game raked in $1 billion in just the first 10 months of last year – its most lucrative yet – according to market tracker Sensor Tow-

Vaccine rollout on track

The United States hailed progress in turning around its troubled COVID-19 vaccine rollout, as the European Union said it was on track to meet jab targets and Asia’s inoculation drive gained pace on Friday. President Joe Biden declared the US rollout is now “weeks ahead of schedule” as he celebrated 50 million doses administered since he took office on January 20, but he warned Americans to keep masking up. AFP

NBI... From A1

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

ATM fees to hit cardholders By Maricel V. Cruz INDIGENTS receiving cash transfers from the government and old-age

and disability pensioners who are cardholders of the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines will bear the brunt of the looming increase in interbank automated teller machine withdrawal fees. Thus said Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., adding “While they can always withdraw their money free of charge from any Land Bank ATM, many of them actually end up using the nearest machine of another bank, mostly to save on transportation costs. “Thus they will be forced to cough up the P18 fee per withdrawal transaction,” Campos, a member of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries, said. Campos said Land Bank’s 2,188 ATM terminals comprise only 10

Action sought against three Sanofi people By Rio N. Araja A QUEZON City judge is calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Immigration and the French government to take appropriate action on its arrest order against three executives of Sanofi Pasteur Inc. in connection with four Dengvaxia-related cases filed against them. “Let a copy of the warrant of arrest be furnished to the DFA, BID and French Embassy for their information and appropriate action,” the order read. Branch 107 Judge Jose Bautista Jr. also calendared the arraignment of ex-Health secretary Janette Garin, now Iloilo representative; Dr. Carlito Realuyo; Conchita Santos; Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go; Dr. Julius Lecciones, Philippine Children’s Medical Center executive director; Dr. Maria Rose Capeding and Melody Zamudio on March 3 at 2 p.m. The Public Attorney’s Office said Sanofi, the manufacturer of the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine, had not taken any actions to present its three concerned representatives. “You are hereby commanded to arrest (1.) Stanilas Camart (2.) Jean Louis Grunwald and (3.) Jean Francois Vacherand, who are said to be found in/at (1.) c/o Sanofi Pasteur Inc. 21/F to 23/F One World Place, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Southern, National Capital Region…, or elsewhere…,” Bautista told the NBI, Philippine National Police and local police. He said Camart, Grunwald and Vacherand were facing four counts of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. “They have not even posted bail,” PAO forensic division chief Erwin Erfe told the Manila Standard.

percent of the national network of cash dispensers. Land Bank’s cardholders include the 4.4 million families under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the bulk of the 3.1 million combined pensioners of the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System. The 1.8 million national and local government employees are also Land Bank cardholders. Campos earlier urged the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to defer the increase in withdrawal fees, saying “it is a bad time for banks to be punishing nickel-and-diming pandemicweary Filipinos amid the massive job losses and soaring food prices.” Many of the country’s private banks that now charge only P10 to P11 per interbank ATM withdrawal transaction have already announced on their websites that they will be raising the fee to P18 effective April 7.

INSPECTION. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos go bike riding in a bike riding around San Juan to inspect the roads in compliance with the DILG’s road-clearing operations that aim to ease the heavy traffic plaguing Metro Manila. Manny Palmero

Duterte urged to support VFA By Maricel V. Cruz

N OFFICIAL on Friday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to maintain the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.

“The President wants to feel the public pulse on the VFA. I think most Filipinos not only support the agreement but want the government to strengthen PhilippineUS relations,” Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said. He made his statement even as Senator Panfilo Lacson said “There you go! Nobody has the monopoly of wisdom regardless of power and authority.”

He made the statement in reaction to Duterte’s statement that he now wanted “to hear the people” on the Visiting Forces Agreement. Lacson said the best decisions were those made not out of hubris but the humility of listening to as many people and trying to get a bit of what they had to say. Senator Francis Pangilinan said the VFA that Malacañang should be priori-

tizing was the VFA that stood for Vaccine For All and not the Visiting Forces Agreement. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said diplomatic relations and economic pressures worked in different ways, achieving the same purpose. Rodriguez, representative of Cagayan de Oro’s second district, said he was adding his and his constituents’ voice to the popular sentiment in support of forging closer ties with the US. “Our people have a natural affinity with America, not only because of our decades of partnership but also because of our close cultural and social ties,” Rodriguez said.

BSP, NPC push fast e-banking

RISK-AVERSE. Fishermen in a motorboat feed their fish in Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas, on Friday, ignoring the risk in case the volcano erupted again. JR Josue

Bill criminalizes neglect of elderly parents Caught illegally selling laptops

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Authorities on Wednesday charged a computer company here for violating Republic Act 9239 or the Optical Media Act of 2003. This was after two of its employees were caught illegally selling some P404,000 worth of laptops and monitors in a sting operation. A report from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Law Enforcement Department identified the company as ECR World Technology (PH) Inc., which is located at the Subic Bay Gateway Park. Zhonghua Yuan, a Chinese national identified as quality control manager of the company, was held for questioning following the entrapment. According to SBMA-LED Officer in Charge Gerardo Johnson, the Optical Media Board’s Enforcement and Investigation Division staged the operation here at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, in which an OMB intelligence officer was able to purchase computer units from two ECR employees at a nearby gasoline station. Seized from the ECR employees were 65 pieces of brand-new monitors valued at P1,600 each and 75 pieces of used laptops valued at P4,000 each. Johnson said investigation revealed that the company was selling laptops and monitors through the Facebook account of one of the employees caught in the set-up.

“America is also home to millions of Filipinos.” Rodriquez said Filipinos trusted America to honor its commitments to the Philippines, including those under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty. He said despite the Duterte administration’s foreign policy pivot to China, Filipinos considered the US as a more reliable ally in all aspects of foreign relations. “In contrast, they do not trust the Chinese, especially in the wake of their aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea and inside our 200-mile exclusive economic zone, most of which Beijing illegally claims as part of its territorial waters,” Rodriguez said.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Manuel Lapid on Friday proposed to criminalize the act of withholding support to elderly, sickly and incapacitated parents. Lapid’s proposed Senate Bill 2061 reinforces the duty of children to take care of their elderly, sickly or otherwise incapacitated parents. The bill further says that children shall, within their means and capacity, maintain support for their father or mother who, by virtue of being over 60 years of age or suffering from a disease or disabil-

ity, are rendered incapable of supporting themselves. The bill also says among the people mentioned in Article 195 of the Family Code who are obliged to give support to each other are parents and their children. “This means that the obligation to support cuts both ways—parents must support their children, especially during the years of their minority and dependency; on the other hand, children who are already capable must take care of their elderly, disease or disability-stricken parents who are in need,” said Lapid. Unfortunately, he noted that abuse

against an elderly, disabled or otherwise incapacitated parent, which includes physical, sexual, psychological, emotional and financial abuse, abandonment, neglect and serious loss of dignity and respect, had become an “invisible issue” in the Philippines, according to the Commission on Human Rights. Senate Bill 2061 says that when an elderly parent appears to be in need, he/she may, by himself/herself through a representative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, shall initiate the filing of a criminal action against his/ her children for deprivation of support.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the National Privacy Commission have urged the banking sector to accelerate ebanking services to help consumers and the business sector cope with the disruptions of the COVID -19 pandemic. In an online forum organized by the think tank Stratbase ADR Institute on “The Importance of Trust and Security for Digital Financial Inclusion”, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Director for the Technology Risk and Innovation Supervision Department, Melchor Plabasan, said: ” Going digital right now, it’s not just a matter of convenience, it has become a matter of necessity and for the BSP we would like to sustain that momentum, and that’s why we crafted these digital payments transformation roadmap 2023.” Plabasan said “It’s not just about the BSP, it’s also about collaborating with the industry players, collaborating with other government agencies particularly in digitizing payments of government to people and people to government. It is also about the digital transformation of the BSP. We also need to digitally transform.” The key policy reforms in the BSP roadmap that were discussed were: 1. Technology aided Know Your Customer (KYC) that enabled Philippine citizens to open accounts remotely 2. The National Retail Payment System which gave birth to InstaPay and PesoPay 3. The Operator Payment System to oversee payment system operators and designate those considered systematically or prominently important. 4. QR code for bank transfers and expansion to merchant payments

SNAP rebuilds host communities By Brenda Jocson

CLEARING OPERATION. An EEI Corporation worker cuts all excess metal from a Metro Rail Transit Line 7 column on Regalado Avenue, Novaliches, in Quezon City on Friday. The workers are also preparing the place for the construction of the MRT-7 station in the area. Oliver Marquez

RAMON, ISABELA—SN Aboitiz Power Group supported 123,000 households from host and extended communities through COVID-response and relief operations last year. A total of PhP28.8 million worth of COVID-response care packages were extended to host communities in Benguet, Ifugao, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya through SNAP’s CSR funds. In addition, PhP5.5 million worth of food, medicine and other supplies were provided by SNAP in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Pilmico for the local governments of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao and Cagayan in relief operations following Typhoon Ulysses. SNAP also launched its fundraiser “Project Rebuild” in December 2020

to help families in priority areas in Cagayan and Isabela whose homes were damaged by Typhoon Ulysses. The project aims to fund shelter repair kits that will help hard-hit areas rebuild their homes. The project successfully raised PhP807,000. The distribution of repair kits is targeted in March to benefit affected communities in the municipalities of Amulung and Enrile in Cagayan and Cabagan, Cauayan and Sto. Tomas in Isabela. A renewable energy firm, SNAPMagat owns and operates the Magat hydroelectric power plant on the border of Isabela and Ifugao and the Maris hydroelectric power plant in Isabela. The ownership, management and operations of all non-power components such as dams, reservoirs and spillways remain with the government.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

DOJ: Probe on ‘nanlaban’ kills to continue

BODY CAMS. Maj. Gen. Angelito Casimiro of the PNP Directorate for

Logistics demonstrates the use of body-worn cameras during a training session at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City on Friday. The body cameras will be distributed to 44 police stations in Metro Manila and will be connected to a data management center located at the NCRPO tactical operations center. Norman Cruz

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice-led interagency review team on Friday vowed to pursue its investigation of deaths arising from the government’s anti-drug operations nationwide. “What we have thus far is an initial report. And we intend to continue the review of cases involving anti-drug operations where deaths occurred. We intend to come out with further findings and recommendations,” DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay said in a text message to reporters. Sugay revealed that the panel has completed its review of 328 cases where death occurred during an anti-illegal drug operation. “Any and all possible administrative/ criminal liability against those involved in these anti-illegal drug operations where deaths occurred may be pursued depending on any further findings/recommendations,” Sugay stressed. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said the review panel has submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte and to the Philippine National Police its report on its initial findings and recommendations. “I understand that they (PNP) are currently evaluating our findings and recommendations and will come out with their report in the first week of March,” Sugay noted. In his speech before the 7th meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Guevarra disclosed that the panel has found irregularities, saying that many law enforcement agents involved in the government’s anti-drug operations failed to follow standard protocols, including proper coordination with other agencies and processing of the crime scene. Guevarra said initial and preliminary findings by the review panel of some 5,655 “nanlaban” cases confirm that in many of these cases, law enforcement agents asserted that the subject of the anti-drug operations resisted arrest or attempted to draw a weapon and fight back.

PNP starts wearing body cameras P By Joel E. Zurbano

OLICE began wearing body cameras recently acquired by the government to ensure their accountability during anti-crime operations, a ranking police official said Friday.

The Philippine National Police launched the program at the National Capital Region Police Office in Taguig City and planned to implement it across the country next month. PNP director for logistics Maj. Gen.

Angelito Casimiro said each police station will be provided with 16 body cameras. Eight units will be used by patrolling operatives and the rest will be for other operations. Each device will be equipped with

SIM cards to be used for a live video feed to be monitored at the PNP Command Center during police operations. Casimiro said the cameras are waterproof and can record video for up to eight hours. He added the officers wearing them cannot interfere with its configuration, and they cannot turn these off until they go off duty. “The Directorate for Logistics has been active in advancing its logistical programs and projects to support the operations and administration of the PNP. We should not be immobilized by the fear of this pandemic but instead we should endure and overcome as one,” said Casimiro.

“We believe that as time progressed, we should also advance with our means and methods on how to better serve the public and the country’s national police force,” he added. The PNP purchased around 2,696 body-worn cameras and their associated systems from San Juan City-based EVI Distribution Inc. The body cameras are set to be distributed to all police stations nationwide by the end of March and can be used by police officers starting April. Policemen will also be trained on how to present pieces of evidence in court from the body cameras.

De Lima conviction looks ‘inevitable’

MORE SEATS. Catholic faithful hear Mass at a church in Baguio City on Friday. Mayor Benjamin Magalong, through his Executive Order No. 26-2021 issued on Wednesday, increases the allowed seating capacity for religious services in Baguio to a maximum of 50 percent. Dave Leprozo

DOTr blasts Poe on PMVIC move THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday took exception to “the apparent zeal and relentless ardor” of Senator Grace Poe to “unduly shut down” Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs). In a statement, the department said PMVICs were “a program of the Executive branch, meant to elevate the standards of road worthiness of vehicles, and uphold road safety.” It noted that on Friday, Senator Poe alleged that the DOTr and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are yet to officially declare that vehicle inspection at PMVICs is no longer mandatory, and that its inspection fees were reduced to the same level as Private Emission Testing Centers (PETCs), since she said no official documented order had been issued. “The DOTr was asked to comment on this specific assertion by the Senator, and our prompt response was to provide the media and the public with a copy of an official LTO Memorandum dated 11 February 2021, which specifically directs LTO regional directors and personnel concerned to ensure the strict implementation of the President’s order to make vehicle inspection from PMVICs non-mandatory, as well as the directive of the DOTr on lowered PMVIC inspection fees,” the agency said. Though not required by law, DOTr said the memorandum has been submitted for publication at the Office of the National Administrative Register of the University of the Philippines Law Center.

THE conviction of detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima “appears inevitable,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday. This is unless De Lima would be able to convincingly refute the evidence presented by the Department of Justice accusing her of conspiracy to commit illegal drugs trading inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City when she was still Justice secretary, Guevarra said. “In denying senator De Lima’s demurrer to evidence, the trial judge concluded that, unless rebutted, the prosecution’s evidence is sufficient to convict the accused,” he said in a text message to reporters. Guevarra made the statement after Presiding Judge Liezel Aquiatan of Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 205 earlier denied the separate demurrer to evidence of De Lima and her co-accused Ronnie Dayan. A demurrer to evidence is a plea to dismiss a case based on weak evidence presented by the prosecution.

The court also junked the petition for bail by De Lima and Dayan, who are accused of conspiring and confederating with each other to commit illegal drugs trading, particularly violation of Section 26 (b) in relation to Section 5, Section 3 (jj), and Section 28 of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The denial of the demurrer to evidence paves the way for the court’s reception of the defense evidence to refute the allegations and testimonies of the prosecution witnesses on March 5, 2021. “In denying the senator’s petition for bail, the trial court found that the evidence against the accused is strong,” Guevarra stressed. “The burden of proof now shifts to the defense. If the accused is unable to overcome the prima facie finding of guilt, the outcome appears inevitable,” said the DOJ chief, implying confidence that the evidence against De Lima and Dayan is so strong to secure a guilty verdict. Rey E. Requejo

Cordillera groups, media slam authorities’‘tokhang’ resolution By Dave Leprozo HUMAN rights advocates and members of the media on Friday criticized the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee in the Cordillera Administrative Region after it passed a resolution allowing the conduct of “Oplan Tokhang” against “leftleaning personalities” in the government and media, among other entities. In the resolution, the regional author-

ity said “tokhang” (knock and plead) will be used “to convince left-leaning personalities to return to the folds of the government and dissuade them from further supporting the Marxist-Maoist inspired rebellion and its known front organizations.” However, members of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC), the largest and oldest media organization in the Cordillera, said the resolution “sends

Alonto-Lucman passes away, 95

ing on the doors of suspected drug personalities and pleading them to stop dealing and using drugs -- will be used against known “left-leaning personalities.” This would dissuade them from supporting or being active members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) or any of its socalled known front organizations and return to the folds of the law, he said.

Senators seek to honor Vico

By Nash B. Maulana

COTABATO CITY—Princess Tarhata Alonto-Lucman, former Governor of Lanao del Sur, passed away Friday. She was 95. Alonto-Lucman was governor of Lanao del Sur until 1974, when her term was cut short two years after President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972. Her family has not specified the cause of her death, but relatives say she died of old age. Alonto-Lucman’s family established a lifelong political alliance with former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., who together with her late husband, Congressman Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman, defied the Marcos rule following the Jabidah Massacre on March 18, 1968. The former governor was the sister of former Senator Ahmad Domocao Alonto, acknowledged father of the Mindanao State University (MSU) System, being the author of its legislated charter in 1957.

a chilling effect on the people who believe in the freedom of expression and who have still faith in democracy.” “The word ‘tokhang’ will never be forgotten by the families, friends, relatives, and survivors of the war on drugs that was boasted as the solution to the drug menace and drug trade,” the statement said. Aldwin Quitasol, BCBC president, added the “Oplan Tokhang” used in the government’s war on drugs -- by knock-

Mayor Vico Sotto

SENATE President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday filed a resolution seeking to honor Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto after he was named an international anticorruption champion by the US State Department. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Sotto has been named among 12 International Anticorruption Champions who “defend transparency, combat corruption and ensure accountability.” The mayor, 31, is the nephew of the Senate President and son of actors Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes. Senate Resolution No. 660 seeks to “honor and commend” Sotto “for being recognized as one of the International Anti-Corruption Champions… for prioritizing anti-corruption and transparency initiatives not only in his election campaign but more importantly while in office.” “This recognition by the US State Department bestowed upon Mayor Vico Sot-

to, the only Filipino public servant in the roster of honorees, meaningfully uplifts the morale and dignity of the Filipino people amid the challenging times of global pandemic,” the resolution read. The senators lauded Sotto’s “transformational brand of leadership,” adding that it has made Pasig City a role model for other local government units. “Mayor Vico Sotto’s feats have brought pride to our country. He has set the bar high for the future leaders of our nation,” they said. “Mayor Sotto’s leadership has brought hope to our people amid the economic gloom and political confusion caused by the COVID-19 health crisis,” they added. The resolution also noted Sotto’s major political endeavors in his fight against corruption. In a post on his social media account, Mayor Sotto said that though reforms have been implemented in Pasig, there were lapses committed during his tenure of office.

Opinion Teen moms: A lost generation? Tin eventually went back to Chester’s home. She was on pills because she did not want to get pregnant again. But she thought the pills gave her headaches, so she stopped. Soon after, she was pregnant for the second time. “People say things, but Chester is only the second man I have had sex with,” shares Tin. “The second pregnancy is risky but I was willing to see it through. He said he wasn’t like the father of my first born.” Tin had a normal delivery for her second pregnancy but still experienced elevated blood pressure and had to have her heart condition monitored. “What I dreamt of becoming when I was a child, was to be a stewardess to see new places and have new experiences. Now I am just relegated to the house, minding it, Chester, and the children. It is very difficult because it’s very tiring. I cannot go out and no longer have time for myself. I also miss my friends. I don’t want to study anymore but I wish my children would be able to go to school and finish the courses of their choice. That is now my dream,” Tin said with a sigh. This is a true story of one of the sixty (60) young women who experienced teen pregnancy interviewed by my NGO, the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP). Their stories have been written and now being finalized. To respect the girl’s rights to privacy, her identity has been changed. An analytical paper is also being prepared about these experiences and will be made public soon. This undertaking is part of a project on the twin issues of teen pregnancy and women and HIV in partnership with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). According to the Commission on Population (POPCOM), in 2019, births among girls fifteen years old and below increased by 7 percent compared with the figures in 2018. This means that 2,411 girls aged between ten and 14 gave birth in 2019. Moreover, POPCOM said that 10 percent of all pregnancies in the country are teen pregnancies. While some may think that this is small, this translates to 62,510 minors getting pregnant in 2019. The experiences gathered by the DSWP made these data real. These are not just numbers but represent the lives of girls and their families, lives that have been made much worse because of teen pregnancy. It was difficult to listen to the interviews and write the stories because most were very sad, bordering on the tragic. One could not help but feel affected by these heartbreaking stories. This problem is not simple. Teen pregnancy has to do with our culture that gives little value to women’s and girls’ human rights, and our politics that marginalizes women’s and girl’s needs. If teen pregnancy is not effectively addressed, we may create a lost generation. A generation of girls without opportunities, who can hardly contribute to meeting their family’s needs, and who will be dependent on the meager social services made available by the state. These girls may have very well lost their future. Kristine’s experience provides a glimpse of the kind of life faced by young mothers and their families. More next week.

Part 1 LET ME tell you about Kristine. Her father was very strict. “We were eight children, four boys and four girls. I was in the middle. Our father was very cruel and violent toward us. Even when we were already in our teens he never stopped hitting and shaming us, even in public. He would hit us with anything he could grab. If he can’t ﬁnd something, he slapped, punched and kicked us for the slightest infraction.” Tin recounts an incident when her father kicked her when he saw her in public. She had stowed away from home and living with a friend for already two months to escape his violence. She had left their house three more times for the same reason. She tried to apply for a job to be able to afford even a bed space but nobody wanted to hire a minor.

These are girls without opportunities, who can hardly contribute to meeting their family’s needs, and who will be dependent on the meager social services made available by the state. She ﬁrst got pregnant when she was 16 and in second year high school. When she told her then-boyfriend, he denied it was his baby and refused to take responsibility. “You’ve had at least three boyfriends before we got together. How do I know that I’m the only one you’ve been having sex with?” he snapped. Tin went ballistic when she heard him say these. She went on nightly drinking sprees. She dropped out of school and did not go for pre-natal check-ups. When it was time to give birth, her blood pressure shot up and they discovered that she had a pre-existing heart condition. Tin experienced eclampsia and had to undergo an emergency Caesarean procedure. Fortunately, her baby girl was delivered safely with no further complications. Before she turned 18, a friend introduced Chester, a construction worker to her. He courted her, even after she told him that she already had a daughter. “He didn’t mind, but his parents did because his mother was very cold to me when he brought me to live in their house. They looked very strict so I escaped and took refuge with a friend.” Chester found her and asked her to return. Tin refused and explained. He couldn’t say anything because he was a mama’s boy. His mother had high expectations of him being the eldest of four children and the breadwinner of the family. His father still worked as a ﬁsherman, but his earnings have been erratic.

@bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

When sauce for the gander is not good for the goose THIS one’s for the books. Let us go over to Bantayan Island in Cebu province where a literal power play is unfolding at the moment to the amusement of disinterested parties and the consternation of biased observers. The key actors in this real-life drama are the current holder of the contract to energize the island which incidentally is set to expire in November 2021, and its upstart adversary but obviously heavily favored by the Bids and Awards Committee. It goes without saying that the incumbent franchisee—Bantayan Island Power Corp. (Bipcor)—has the existing infrastructure as a power distribution utility and therefore, would have no problem sustaining Bantayan’s power supply. On the other hand, the consortium of Vivant Industrial Diesel Corp. and Gigawatt Power Inc. has the trimmings of a well-oiled corporation hence, ready and eager to do business in the fast-growing island. If you think that the bidding, held in July last year, was above-board and the bidders dealt with fairly and squarely, you have another thought coming.

Upon opening of the first envelope containing the technical offers for the 15-megawatt project, the third party bids and awards committee (TPBAC) created by the Bantayan Island Electric Cooperative Inc. (Banelco) disqualified Bipcor based on a minor ground, to say the least—technicality. The bidding panel said one of Bipcor’s submissions, a supplier’s certification was not notarized, hence unacceptable, and ground enough for outright disqualification.

There is a literal power struggle happening on Bantayan Island in Cebu. On that note, the TPBAC eventually declared the Vivant-Gigawatt consortium as the winning bidder. Wait! Shouldn’t it have been a failed bidding since only one bidder is qualiﬁed? CSP rules or the Competitive Selection Process mandates that there should be two qualiﬁed bidders. But of course, Bipcor felt it was given a raw deal. Bipcor was aghast, so they raised a howl of protest. They felt cheated in what was supposed to be a transparent and even-handed contest. However, their protestations and motions

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

EDITORIAL

Doing it right

O SAY that we are inﬂamed by the shootout that took place Wednesday this week at the Ever Gotesco Mall between armed men of government agencies is a euphemism for our overwhelming indignation.

The bloody incident revealed the utter lack of coordination between the two agencies crucial to fighting the drug menace.

However we try to understand the situation, even in layman’s terms, we cannot fathom the logic of what senior police ofﬁcers described as a legitimate operation being implemented by the Quezon City cops of the Philippine National Police and anti-drug agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. The bloody incident revealed the utter lack of coordination, a frightening ﬁasco beyond doubt, between armed men of the two government agencies

which put at high risk the lives of shoppers at the mall along busy Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City who were caught inches off the bullets’ burning wheeze. We understand President Rodrigo Duterte’s sadness and concern. He has ordered an investigation to get to the bottom of the incident, which he learned soon after his brieﬁng with public ofﬁcials Wednesday night.

The Department of Justice has also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct its own inquiry, separate from the probes being considered by the House of Representatives and the Senate. At this junction of the coronavirus pandemic, when vaccines are projected to be rolled out in this country before too long and plans to reopen the domestic economy gate, it is incumbent upon the authorities to shift to high gear and ﬁnish the investigation with slap speed. At the same time, we need to be assured that police and the PDEA, important agencies in law enforcement to implement the law in the government’s anti-drugs campaign, are doing their best and are coordinating with each other always and at all times to protect the population against the drug danger.

Misleading policies and defense priorities BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN THREE US senators issued a statement reiterating their demand for the release of Senator Leila de Lima. This misplaced demand came on the heels of her acquittal of one of the three charges for drug trafficking. The three senators namely, Edward Markey, Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy branded the case as “illegitimate”; that she has been “wrongfully imprisoned”, and she stands as the country’s “prisoner of conscience.” The three said the charges are a political vendetta filed by the Duterte administration. For whatever reason, the least they can do is take into account the circumstances why she landed up in jail. Most important, their ranting of the case has no bearing because it gives plausibility, not probability, of the charges filed against her. Duterte cannot just file tramped-up charges because such could trigger political backlash even if his intention is to make her a “political martyr” of some sort. Alas, nothing of that has been pointed to by the detained senator and her foreign brokers that she was wrongfully arrested, and her arrest is the result of political vendetta. But as it is, the opposition and her supporters are the ones who refuse to talk about the case, aware that discussing the evidence could pin her down. They instead resort to political monologue to harangue the administration. The judge would not have issued an arrest order had she not taken into account the prima facie evidence against De Lima. Moreover, what the three US senators did is interfere in our country’s internal affairs. No sovereign and independent state will lightly take such interference without jeopardizing its diplomatic relations with this country. The action taken by Durbin was not for reconsideration turned out to be exercises in futility. The TPBAC would have none of their objections. Henceforth, the TPBAC made life even more difficult for Bipcor, changing the rules in the middle of the game, so to speak. The changes included specs of new generators which is next to impossible to accomplish by Bipcor who, being the current power distributor, claims using relatively new generators and were not yet due for replacement in the not so distant future. So it came to pass that Banelco and the purported winning bidder that answered to the name Isla Norte Electric Corpo. or INEC submitted a joint application with Vivant-Gigawatt Consortium for approval by the Energy Regulatory Commission of their 15-year power supply agreement (PSA) that was meant to supplant Bipcor’s 15-year contract. Wait a minute there. If memory serves, it was the Vivant-Gigawatt consortium that took part in the bidding and was questionably declared the winner by the TPBAC. INEC surprisingly popped into the picture. Now, suddenly, out of nowhere, it was INEC that went with Banelco to the ERC for the regulatory body’s stamp of approval on their PSA. Wasn’t the switch of parties to the contract a clear violation of the rules of the bidding, or the CSP if you may? The TPBAC nonetheless maintained it was perfectly all right and within the bounds of the

pursuant to a bi-partisan Senate Resolution No. 145, otherwise known as the Magnistky Act, enacted to authorize the US to sanction countries for human rights violation, freeze their assets, and ban them from entering the U.S., like what they did to cancel the visa of Senator Dela Rosa. The three senators cannot collaterally apply the Magnitsky Act, notwithstanding that US jurisdiction cannot be made to apply here.

The three US senators cannot treat the Philippines as a banana republic. It is not for the US to judge the policy of a country, that it made a wrongful decision, or to question the Duterte policy. Rather, the US should cultivate friendship with countries to supplement its dwindling financial resources against the increasing economic and political influence of China. Even assuming that the Duterte administration is wrong in ordering the filing of criminal charges against De Lima, the case has yet to be proven in court. To pre-empt the case could put the President in a bad light because releasing her without judgment would result in an admission that she was unjustly persecuted. The three US senators cannot treat the Philippines as a banana republic at their beck and call like their errand boy. Earlier this month, the French navy sailed through the South China Sea passing the contested waters separating China and Taiwan. The passing through the narrow strait prompted protests from China. What is rather perplexing is the arrogant claim by France that it has “an exclusive economic zones in the Pacific around its overseas territories,” second, “stressed the importance of freedom CSP and pertinent laws. What nonsense. Bipcor insisted that it was indeed a blatant infraction of the rules and pertinent statutes, including the constitutional guarantees on equal protection of the laws. Hence, a formal petition questioning the validity and legitimacy of such irregular acts was filed with the courts of law by the offended bidder. INEC was not a party to the bidding process, so how come it is the winner? Your guess is as good as mine. Meanwhile, it is up to the courts, including the High Tribunal, to decide who is right and who is wrong. The waiting game is on, folks. But personally, I find it annoying, baffling and disconcerting to learn that the scale of justice as it is held by the TPBAC weighed heavily on one bidder at great expense to the other bidder. The TPBAC summarily and arbitrarily disqualified Bipcor over an incredibly faulty reason of a document not being duly notarized by a lawyer thereby totally ignoring Bipcor’s argument that such notarization was not even in the bidding rules. And then, the TPBAC allowed the switch of parties from the consortium to INEC which is explicitly disallowed by the CSP rules, and maybe, the judicial protocols. I believe that graft charges are an incident waiting to happen in the Bantayan power struggle. Let’s see how this plays out in Bantayan’s power struggle.

of navigation in the region,” and third “taking as example the passage of the Australian, American and Japanese navies being its strategic partners.” Beyond the show that France still has the capacity to deploy its navy to faraway places for a long period of time, the seeming interest of France is to sell to the Philippine navy a Scorpion class submarine. This came following the visit by Defense Secretary Delﬁn F. Lorenzana, which the Philippines and France signed a letter of intent on maritime cooperation. Anne Clausard, Country Head of Naval Group, in the Indo-Paciﬁc region, listed as priority the following considerations: defence and to ensure the integrity of its sovereignty, the protection of its nationals, territories and EEZ; to contribute to the security of regional environment through military and security cooperation; to maintain a free and open access to the commons, in cooperation with France’s partners, in the context of global strategic competition and challenging military environments; and to assist in maintaining strategic stability and balances through comprehensive and multilateral action. The claim of France of having an exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea is awkward, not to say provocative. The right of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) can only give rise if a state that has sovereign right over an island or territory is within the EEZ. The last of the French colony in the contested waters of the South China Sea was on May 7, 1954 when the Vietnamese Liberation Forces defeated the French enclave in Dien Bien Phu. France can only have the right of freedom of navigation for its navy or submarine but not violate the territorial waters of the coastal states in the SCS, or navigate in the contested area of the Strait of Taiwan or convert SCS as their private lake to regularly patrol. Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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The promise of the Transfiguration

EVERYMAN Vaccine crisis and opportunity By Herman Tiu Laurel

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Twitter eyes fee for special content

WITTER said it plans to offer a subscription service in which users would pay for special content from high-profile accounts, part of an economic model to diversify its revenue. The globally popular social media platform announced the potential new Super Follows service at its annual investor meeting, as it searches for new revenue streams beyond targeted advertising.

“Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivize them to continue creating content that their audience

loves,” a Twitter spokesperson told AFP. Top Twitter executives discussed Super Follows while outlining goals and plans for the near future during the streamed presentation. “We are examining and rethinking the incentives of our service – the behaviors that our product features encourage and discourage as people participate in conversation on Twitter,” the spokesperson said. Super Follows was described during

the presentation as a way for Twitter audiences to financially support creators and receive newsletters, exclusive content and even virtual badges in exchange. Twitter, which currently makes money from ads and promoted posts, might be able to add additional revenue via the Super Follows transactions. Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi was not convinced people will be inclined to pay for special content on

Twitter. Such a model makes sense for content on platforms like YouTube, where hours of craftsmanship might be devoted to producing entertaining videos, but it is debatable whether the same could be said for tweets on Twitter, she said. No timeline was given for when Super Follows might become a feature, but it is expected that the tech giant will make further announcements in the coming months. AFP

US to release report tagging prince in Khashoggi murder THE US director of national intelligence is expected to release a damning report Friday that fingers Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. The classified report is believed to say that, based on intelligence collected by the CIA and other spy bodies, the kingdom’s de facto leader directed the assassination of the respected US-based writer in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The prince has steadfastly denied a part in the murder, even as some of his closest advisors have been shown to be deeply involved. Intent on strengthening relations with Riyadh, previous US president Donald Trump’s administration avoided making the report public or naming Prince Mohammed in the case. Its declassification and release comes just as President Joe Biden endeavors to reset US relations in the Middle East and return principles of human rights to a prominent position in US policy. Ahead of the release, Biden spoke on the telephone Thursday with Saudi King Salman, Prince Mohammed’s father, in their first discussion since he became president five weeks ago. A White House statement on the call did not mention the Khashoggi report, but Biden said Wednesday that he had read it. A respected veteran Saudi journalist and editor, Khashoggi was in self-exile and residing in the United States, writing articles critical of the crown prince when he was assassinated on October 2, 2018. The 59-year-old writer had been told by Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States to go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul if he wanted to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage to a Turkish woman, Hatice Cengiz. There, he was killed and his body dismembered by a team sent from Riyadh under the direction of a top aide to Prince Mohammed, Saud al-Qahtani. Just one month after the murder, the US Central Intelligence Agency concluded with high confidence that Prince Mohammed had ordered the assassination, according to The Washington Post. But, determined to maintain strong relations with Riyadh, Trump would not publicly hold the Saudi strongman responsible, even as the US government demanded the perpetrators be punished. According to the Post – for which Khashoggi regularly wrote – US intelligence had several key pieces of evidence pointing to Prince Mohammed. One was a phone call from Prince Mohammed to his brother Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, that was monitored by US intelligence. In that call, Prince Mohammed instructed his brother to tell Khashoggi to go to Istanbul to obtain the documents he needed for his marriage. Another piece of evidence was a recording of the murder from inside the Istanbul consulate made by Turkish intelligence, which made clear what happened, helped identify the participants and showed communications between them and Riyadh. The prince has denied ordering or knowing about the plot to kill Khashoggi. AFP NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION DYNALEAD FIRST CORP. Notice is hereby given that the Amended Articles of DYNALEAD FIRST CORP. with the TIN of 009-888-125-000, shortening the term of its existence and thereby dissolving the said corporation as of February 8, 2021. a Balance Sheet showing that no creditors thereof will be affected by such dissolution, have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All persons having claims against the corporation are required to present the same at its principal office at UNIT 2119, HERERA TOWER RUFINO COR. VALERO ST. SALCEDO VILLAGE BEL-AIR MAKATI CITY for immediate settlement. This announcement will serve as a notice to all parties concerned of the legal dissolution of the said corporation. Makati City. Philippines. February 8, 2021 GISELLE MAE LETRAN GONZALES Corporate Secretary (MS-FEB. 27/MAR. 6/13, 2021)

ONE MAN’S STAND FOR FREEDOM. A protester holds up a sign as they face off with a line of police at the end of the street during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Feb. 26, 2021. AFP

Boeing 777 makes India, China discuss further emergency landing troop pullback from border in Moscow A BOEING 777 airliner on Friday made an emergency landing in Moscow with engine problems, the operating airline said, days after another model rained down engine debris over the United States. State-owned Rossiya airline said the crew had registered the “incorrect operation of the engine control sensor” on a cargo flight from Hong Kong to Madrid and that they “decided to make an emergency landing in Moscow.” Online flight trackers confirmed the flight was carried out with a Boeing 777. The airline said the unscheduled landing went ahead without incident and that no one was injured. The aircraft will continue its onward journey to Madrid after a delay of several hours, it added. The incident came just days after Boeing confirmed that dozens of its 777 aircraft were grounded globally resulting from the engine of a United Airlines plane catching fire and scattering debris over a suburb of Denver, Colorado. It was not immediately clear whether the Boeing 777 that made the emergency landing in Moscow on Friday was equipped with the same engine that shed parts over Colorado last week. The United Flight engine failure was a fresh blow for the beleaguered US aviation giant that was forced to ground another fleet of planes after a series of deadly crashes. AFP

N OTICE

Notice is hereby given that BRIA HOMES, INC. (FORMERLY: CASA REGALIA, INCORPORATED) with office address at LGF Bldg. B, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Almanza Dos, Las Piñas, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing Project (Bria Homes Executive Calamba) with a capacity of 780 economic and low-cost housing units on a non-pioneer status with project site located at Brgy. Majada Out, Calamba City, Laguna.

Notice is hereby given that BRIA HOMES, INC. with office address at LGF Bldg. B, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Almanza Dos, Las Piñas, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing Project (Lumina Classic) with a capacity of 252 economic and low-cost housing units on a nonpioneer status with project site located at Brgy. Isugan, Bacong, Negros Oriental.

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Director Infrastructure and Services Industries Service (MS-FEB. 27, 2021)

N OTICE

Notice is hereby given that BRIA HOMES, INC. (FORMERLY: CASA REGALIA, INCORPORATED) with office address at LGF Bldg. B, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Almanza Dos, Las Piñas, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Economic and LowCost Housing Project (Bria Homes Alaminos) with a capacity of 574 economic and low-cost housing units on a non-pioneer status, with project site located at Brgy. Del Carmen, Alaminos, Laguna.

Notice is hereby given that BRIA HOMES, INC. (FORMERLY: CASA REGALIA, INCORPORATED) with office address at LGF Bldg. B, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Almanza Dos, Las Piñas, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing Project (Bria Homes General Santos) with a capacity of 1,010 economic and low-cost housing units on a non-pioneer status with project site located at Napal Road, Barangay San Isidro, Gen. Santos City.

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Director Infrastructure and Services Industries Service

(MS-FEB. 27, 2021)

look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of peace and tranquillity,” a statement said. Wang said the situation on the ground in the Pangong Tso lake area had “significantly eased,” according to a report from China’s official Xinhua news agency. “The two sides must cherish the hard-won progress, jointly consolidate the achievements and maintain the momentum of consultation, so as to further ease the situation,” he was quoted as saying. Xinhua reported that Wang said the border issue “is not the whole story of China-India relations, and should be placed in a proper position in their relationship.” But he added that India “has vacillated and even moved backward over its policy on China, which has affected and disrupted bilateral pragmatic cooperation.” The two sides said they had agreed to establish a hotline, although one is already in place between senior military commanders. AFP A workers wearing a protective suit and carrying an umbrella walks past the graves of COVID-19 victims at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery, in Manaus, Brazil, on Feb. 25, 2021. Brazil surpassed 250,000 deaths due to COVID-19. AFP

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Director Infrastructure and Services Industries Service (MS-FEB. 27, 2021)

INDIA and China’s foreign ministers have discussed further de-escalating tensions at a disputed border after a pullback of troops in response to a deadly clash last year, New Delhi and Beijing said Friday. The nuclear-armed neighbors fought a border war in 1962 and last June their worst skirmish in decades left 20 Indian troops and four Chinese dead on the inhospitable frontier between Ladakh and Tibet, the Line of Actual Control. Both sides have sent thousands of extra troops and military hardware to the area since the clash. But India on Sunday said the two countries had completed a “disengagement” of troops and tanks from one part of the disputed zone around the highaltitude Pangong Tso lake, following nine rounds of military talks. In a 75-minute call with counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said they “should now quickly resolve the remaining issues,” according to his office. “(Jaishankar) said that once disengagement is completed at all friction points, then the two sides could also

EU declares Venezuela envoy persona non grata THE European Union declared Venezuela’s ambassador to the bloc “persona non grata” on Thursday in a tit-for-tat move after Caracas expelled its own envoy. A statement said member states had agreed on the move, proposed by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after Venezuela ordered the European ambassador to leave. “This is a response to the decision by the Venezuelan government to declare the head of the EU delegation to Venezuela as persona non grata,” it said. “The EU considers this declaration as wholly unwarranted and contrary to the EU’s objective of developing relations and building partnerships in third countries.” Claudia Salerno, Venezuela’s representative to the EU, responded by saying on Twitter that “the independence and sovereignty of our homeland are not negotiable.” On Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced the move against EU ambassador Isabel

Brilhante Pedrosa, and gave her 72 hours to leave the country. This came two days after EU foreign ministers agreed to sanction 19 Venezuelan officials for “undermining democracy.” The EU expanded its sanctions list after rejecting a December legislative election that saw Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro win control of parliament after an opposition boycott. Until the disputed vote, the National Assembly was run by an opposition majority with Juan Guaido at the helm as speaker – the only branch of government not under Maduro’s control. Guaido is considered Venezuela’s legitimate head of state by some 50 foreign governments, while Maduro is subject to Western sanctions and labelled a dictator over alleged voter fraud and other abuses. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business Big Norway wealth fund excludes tax delinquents OSLO, Norway—Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest with assets of $1.3 trillion, said Thursday it had last year, for the first time, divested from companies it believes had dubious tax reporting practices. The fund uses a slew of criteria in its investments—ranging from human rights and climate change to corruption—in order to measure companies’ sustainability and calculate their financial risk. It informs the 9,100 companies worldwide in which it holds stakes of its expectations, holds discussions with them, and, barring compliance, can exclude them from its portfolio. For the first time last year, it divested from seven companies, citing a lack of fiscal transparency, but did not specify which companies had fallen short. “Our analysis showed that there may be an elevated risk of tax not being paid where economic value is created,” the fund wrote in a report on Thursday. “These were also companies that had very weak or non-existent reporting on tax.” In total, the fund divested from 32 companies in 2020 due to practices it said posed a financial risk. That brings the number of companies blacklisted since 2012 to 314, including 170 for climate risks. According to the fund the divestments have paid off and over the years they have increased the return on its share portfolio by around 0.41 percentage points, or 32.7 billion kroner (3.2 billion euros). In addition to its own financial risk criteria, the fund also follows several purely ethical guidelines laid out by the Norwegian parliament, which bar it from investing in makers of nuclear or “particularly inhumane” weapons, and the coal and tobacco industries, among others. AFP

Dutch sex workers dare COVID curbs THE HAGUE, Netherlands—Dutch sex workers said Thursday they would demonstrate next week against the continued closure of brothels under government COVID curbs while scores of restaurants and cafes vowed to reopen in defiance of a ban. The challenges follow Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s announcement Tuesday to relax some measures but to extend the country’s controversial nightly curfew and maintain bans on sex work and on the hospitality industry. Rutte said his government would allow hair salons, massage spas and some secondary schools to reopen next Wednesday. But Rutte said prostitution, which is legal in the Netherlands, will remained curbed because “of the specific nature of the job, which means very close contact and possibility of virus transmission.” Sex workers, under a ban since early December, said they would gather outside parliament on Tuesday to make their voices heard. “We are going to protest because we are the only contact profession now excluded by the ease in the government’s measures,” said sex worker Moira Mona, one of the demonstration’s organizers. “We have a strict hygiene protocol and we know, perhaps better than anybody, how to prevent virus transmission,” she told AFP. Meanwhile, at least 65 Dutch cafe and restaurant owners said they would open terraces on the same day in defiance of a government-ordered closure since mid-October, the NOS public broadcaster reported. The announcement comes after recent warm and sunny weather saw thousands of people gather in parks— often contravening social distancing and other measures. “Weekend after weekend we see crammed city parks. It’s bizarre,” said business owner Johan de Vos. “We are upset about this, because it’s an unregulated situation, whereas we can do it much better with a 1.5-meter social distancing rule, registration and supervision,” he told the NOS. The Royal Dutch Hospitality umbrella organization it “understood the decision by some cafe and restaurant owners” even if unauthorized reopenings were not official policy. “It’s a clear signal to The Hague and one we fully support,” it added in a statement mailed to AFP. AFP

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Bargain hunting lifts stocks; BPI, BDO gain

TOCKS rose Friday on bargain hunting as the Philippines awaits the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines Sunday from China’s Sinovac.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 38.91 points, or 0.6 percent, to 6,794.86 on a value turnover of P13.7 billion. Gainers beat losers, 121 to 96, with 42 issues unchanged. Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest lender in terms of assets, climbed 5.8 percent to P89, while BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest bank, advanced 2.2 percent to P105.50. JG Summit Holdings Inc. of the Gokongwei Group increased 3.8 percent to P64.45, while SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group rose 3.3 percent to P36.15.

Meanwhile, the rest of Asian equity markets were pummeled Friday, on growing fears that an expected strong global economic recovery this year will fan inflation and force central banks to hike interest rates, despite reassurances that ultra-loose monetary policies will be kept in place for as long as needed. The rollout of vaccines, slowing of infections and Joe Biden’s impending huge US stimulus are proving to be a double-edged sword for traders as they weigh the much-needed return to prepandemic life with the prospect that prices will soar. And there is a worry this would threaten one of the key pillars of the rally on world markets from their March nadir—record-low borrowing costs and a vast bond-buying program. Alarm bells have been ringing for weeks as the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasuries climbed to one-year highs as investors moved out of the safe ha-

vens—yields rise as prices fall—and on Thursday a better-than-expected read on US jobless claims pushed them up further. Yields have also advanced in other parts of the world, including Australia, France and Germany, New Zealand and even Japan, which has struggled for decades to fire inflation. That sparked a hefty sell-off in New York as all three main indexes tanked— led by the Nasdaq’s 3.5 percent plunge as tech firms are more susceptible to higher interest rates. And Asia followed suit, suffering one of its worst sessions since the dark days of last March’s collapse. Tokyo led the way, tanking four percent, while Hong Kong, Mumbai and Taipei were more than three percent off and Seoul shed 2.8 percent. Sydney and Shanghai also lost more than two percent while Singapore gave back more than one percent and Jakarta slipped 0.8 percent. With AFP

PSEi February 26, 2021

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

LRW PHES

2 0.56

0.97 0.11

94.17% 24.44%

MAH

3.25

0.54

19.93%

MAHB

3.08

0.49

18.92%

5 6

BKR CLI

1.62 6

0.23 0.75

16.55% 14.29%

GREEN

4.6

0.56

13.86%

8 9

FERRO MJIC

3.56 1.98

0.34 0.18

10.56% 10.00%

MED

0.45

0.04

9.76%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

FFI OV

7.37 0.013

-0.63 -0.001

-7.88% -7.14%

OPMB

0.013

-0.001

-7.14%

4 5

MG GPH

0.375 10.22

-0.025 -0.68

-6.25% -6.24%

ALHI

7.46

-0.44

-5.57%

REG

2.79

-0.16

-5.42%

8 9 10

IPO ZHI OM

8.07 0.227 0.43

-0.4 -0.011 -0.02

-4.72% -4.62% -4.44%

MOST ACTIVE

DEFIANCE. A man set ups a terrace outside a bar in Helmond on February 25, 2021. A group of 65 regional departments of the Dutch hospitality federation is calling on catering entrepreneurs to open the terraces on March 2. Food and beverage outlets must remain closed due to the lockdown, but according to the action group, that rule makes no sense for the outdoor areas. AFP

BDO

VOLUME 12947110

VALUE (PHP) 1367784545

2 3

DITO SM

72311200 848115

1157459602 859280945

4 5

AC URC

820260 4060760

615342030 520231010

6 7

ICT BPI

3921810 5357610

479158724 469667793.5

8 9

ALI SMPH

11816900 12020100

460716515 431722500

MBT

7941710

404758011.5

Two self-made South Korean billionaires promise to give half away By Claire Lee SEOUL—Two self-made South Korean billionaires have pledged in as many weeks to give away half their fortunes— a rarity in a country where business is dominated by family-controlled conglomerates and charity often begins and ends at home. Kim Beom-su, the founder of South Korea’s biggest messaging app KakaoTalk, announced this month he will donate more than half his estimated $9.6 billion assets to try to “solve social issues.” Shortly afterwards, Kim Bong-jin of food-delivery app Woowa Brothers and his wife, Bomi Sul, became the first South Koreans to sign the Giving Pledge. The philanthropic initiative was set up by Bill and Melinda Gates, alongside Warren Buffett, for billionaires to give away at least half their wealth. Both Kims contrast with most of South Korea’s ultra-wealthy, who are largely descendants of the founders of the chaebol, the sprawling, usually family-run conglomerates that powered the country’s post-war boom and still dominate the economy. Unlike the chaebol heirs who inherited their wealth, power and connections, the two Kims were born to workingclass families. In his Giving Pledge statement, Kim of Woowa Brothers described his “humble beginning” on a small island. His parents ran a small restaurant, where he slept at night, and as a teenager he gave up his dream of attending an art high school, enrolling instead in a cheaper vocational school. Wealth, he said, had value when it was used for “the greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society.”

Kim Bong-jin (left), the founder of South Korea’s food-delivery app Woowa Brothers, poses during an interview with a South Korean newspaper in Seoul in this picture taken on November 13, 2019. At right is Kim Beom-su, the founder of South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger operator KakaoTalk, in an undated handout photo provided by KakaoTalk on February 23, 2021. The two South Korean billionaires have pledged in as many weeks to give away half their fortunes. AFP

Rather than keeping the entirety of their fortune, Kim and his wife said in their statement: “We are certain that this pledge is the greatest inheritance that we could provide for our children.” Neither of the billionaire Kims has so far provided a precise timeline for their pledged donations, or detailed the recipient organizations. Tech industry More than 200 super-wealthy from around the world have signed the Giving

Pledge, according to its website. But it has previously been criticized for not being legally binding, and it acknowledges it is only a “moral commitment.” It has struggled to make headway in East Asia, listing only a handful of donors from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and none from Japan. Like many East Asian societies, South Korea remains largely family-oriented, with financial ties extending well into adulthood as parents help finance higher

education and housing, and little sense of obligation to give to non-relatives. South Korea ranks 57th in the Charities Aid Foundation’s most recent World Giving Index—with Japan at 107 and China at 126. Public philanthropy has a limited history among super-wealthy South Koreans, while the chaebols’ founding families often maintain their grip through complex webs of cross-holdings between subsidiaries. “When the country was just reeling from the war, the priority was survival, not philanthropy, and working with your own family members was seen as the most efficient way of running a business,” Jangwoo Lee, a business administration professor at Kyungpook National University, told AFP. But both Kim Beom-su and Kim Bong-jin have been at the forefront of South Korea’s social media and mobile tech industries boom, each founding their company in 2010 and rapidly accumulating a fortune. Kakao’s flagship messaging application is installed on more than 90 percent of phones in the country. Woowa owns South Korea’s biggest food delivery app, with more than 10 million monthly users—around 20 percent of the population. The children of Kakao’s Kim have been appointed to positions in his holding company, but professor Lee said chaebolstyle succession was effectively obsolete for such firms. “Family-oriented management strategies may have worked for manufacturing businesses, but we have now entered an era where newly emerging enterprises do not really benefit from such ways,” he said. AFP

Airbnb and DoorDash register losses as they ride out coronavirus pandemic SAN FRANCISCO—Airbnb and DoorDash on Thursday reported their first financial results as publicly traded companies, each of the tech industry darlings logging losses as they ride out the pandemic. Home-sharing platform Airbnb lost less money than expected by financial analysts, and was optimistic the travel industry was showing signs of recovery after being crushed by the spread of COVID-19. Restaurant meal delivery service DoorDash, though, saw trouble ahead, as a growing number of jurisdictions limit the commissions and fees it can charge while dining in restaurants is still not an option. DoorDash estimated that such price

controls cut its revenue and profit by $36 million in the final quarter of last year, and could cost it twice as much in the current quarter. “To date, all of the price controls we operate under are temporary and specifically tied to emergency status or dine-in rates,” DoorDash said in an earnings letter. “In order to offset some of this pressure, we have begun implementing incremental consumer fees in many markets with price controls.” DoorDash shares sank more than 12 percent in after-market trades that followed the release of its earnings figures.

But the service said it gained market share in the US and set new records for orders in the quarter. Revenue soared to $970 million, some 226 percent higher than the same quarter a year earlier before the pandemic disrupted lifestyles. However, DoorDash’s reported loss more than doubled to $312 million in a similar comparison. DoorDash rivals include UberEats, and the surge in demand for restaurant or grocery delivery service is likely to ebb as pandemic-related restrictions on movement ease. Focused on ‘travel rebound’

Airbnb, on the other hand, expects its business to revive as people feel more confident traveling. “Our performance in 2020 showed that Airbnb is resilient and inherently adaptable,” Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky said in an earnings release. “Travel is coming back and we are laser-focused on preparing for the travel rebound.” Airbnb said revenue last year did not plunge as deeply as the company had expected due to the pandemic, and said that its revenue in the final quarter of last year declined “only” 22 percent to $859 million. AFP

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, February 26, 2021

38.91 PTS. 6,794.86

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

12,277,062,990 188,472 13,736,057,510.23 121 96 42

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.6370

Japan

Yen

0.009415

0.4579

Pound

1.401700

68.1745

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128966

6.2725

Switzerland

Franc

1.105828

53.7842

Canada

Dollar

0.793714

38.6039

Singapore

Dollar

0.754603

36.7016

Australia

Dollar

0.787200

38.2870

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652238

128.9969

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.9692

Brunei

Dollar

0.751767

36.5637

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.033190

1.6143

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

13.2421

Euro

1.217900

59.2350

Korea

Won

0.000894

0.0435

China

Yuan

0.154902

7.5340

India

Rupee

0.013748

0.6687

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.247647

12.0448

New Zealand

Dollar

0.737200

35.8552

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035889

1.7455 Source: BSP

Ayala’s Healthway finalizes takeover of QualiMed chain AYALA Healthcare Holdings Inc., a unit of the Ayala Group, said Friday it completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Mercado General Hospital Inc. which owns and operates a chain of hospitals and clinics across the country. Ayala Health said the purchase was made through subsidiary Healthway Philippines Inc., which acquired shares from White Knight Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Land Inc. and other shareholders. Ayala Health did not disclose the acquisition cost. MGHI owns and operates the QualiMed Health Network, which includes four hospitals—QualiMed Sta. Rosa in Nuvali, QualiMed San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan, QualiMed Iloilo in Iloilo City and Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center in Tanauan, Batangas. QualiMed also operates an ambulatory surgical center at UP-PGH and has clinics in Makati, Quezon City and Cebu IT Park. QualiMed also introduced Jaime Ysmael, who formerly headed Ortigas Land Corp., as its new president and chief executive. “The addition of QualiMed into the AC Health network comes at an opportune time, now that health has become top of mind for all of us. QualiMed helps complete AC Health’s service delivery network by providing healthcare at the tertiary level, and by expanding its portfolio of specialty clinics,” Ysmael said. The acquisition will boost AC Health’s clinics and hospitals portfolio which includes 85 outpatient clinics and 80 corporate clinics under the Healthway brand and the country’s first specialty cancer hospital, which is set to open in 2023. The agreement was signed on Feb. 26, 2021 between HPI led by AC Health president and chief executive Paolo Borromeo, QualiMed’s founding president and chief executive Dr. Edwin Mercado and Alfonso Javier Reyes of Ayala Land. “We are excited and honored to be part of the AC Health family. Over the years, we have worked hard to establish the QualiMed Health Network as a trusted provider of affordable and accessible healthcare. We are also excited to develop synergies with the AC Health family, including a stronger pharma supply chain, digital integration and our upcoming COVID-19 vaccination program” said Mercado. Jenniffer B. Austria

DISKWENTO CARAVAN.

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary for consumer protection group Ruth Castelo checks the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities in the Diskwento Caravan in Barangay San Roque, Marikina City. Diskwento Caravan is a DTI initiative that aims to provide reasonablypriced quality products to the consuming public. The program is in partnership with the manufacturers and distributors of basic necessities and prime commodities, and the local government units.

Business 2020 budget deficit ballooned to P1.37t as tax collection fell By Julito G. Rada

HE government’s budget deficit widened to P1.371 trillion in 2020, or more than double the previous year’s P660.2-billion shortfall, reflecting the 11.31-percent growth in public spending combined with the 8.97-percent reduction in revenue collection amid the pandemic, the Bureau of the Treasury said Friday.

The deficit, however, was 24.45 percent lower than the revised full-year program of P1.815 trillion. It was equivalent to 7.63 percent of the gross domestic product, lower than the 9.63-percent revised program, but much higher than 3.38 percent registered in 2019. “Nonetheless, this is broadly in line with the 7.6 percent of GDP deficit outlook reported during the 178th Development Budget Coordination Committee Meeting in December 2020,” the Treasury said in a statement. Data showed that the budget shortfall in December reached P302.6 billion, up by 20.50 percent from P251.1 billion incurred in the same month in 2019. Revenue collection declined P281.5 billion or 8.97 percent

in 2020 to P2.856 trillion from P3.137 trillion raised in 2019. This, however, was 13.34 percent better than the P2.519-trillion revised program for the year. The Treasury said that of the total, 87.69 percent or P2.504 trillion was generated through tax collection, outperforming the revised program by 13.57 percent but lower by 11.44 percent year-on-year. The balance of 12.31 percent or P351.5 billion from nontax revenue grew by 13.52 percent over the 2019 level and exceeded the revised estimate by 11.74 percent. The December collection of P238.5 billion represents a 1.95-percent or P4.7-billion drop from a year ago. Collection by the Bureau of Internal Revenue hit P1.951 trillion in 2020, surpassing the revised goal of P1.685 trillion by 15.74 percent or P265.3 billion, but still 10.32 percent lower than the 2019 outturn. BIR’s December tax take inched up to P163.4 billion from P162.6 billion achieved in 2019. The Bureau of Customs booked P537.7 billion in revenue in 2020, higher than the revised full-year target of P506.1 billion by 6.23 percent or P31.5 billion backed by the improved valuation and gradual improvement of importation volume and intensified collection efforts by the agency. The Customs’ collection for 2020, however, lagged behind 2019’s P630.3 billion by 14.69 percent or P92.6 billion. Collection in December went down by 13.1 percent to P45.3 billion from a year ago.

SM Investments says net income down by 48% to P23.4b last year By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE SM Investments Corp. said Friday net income fell 48 percent in 2020 to P23.4 billion from P44.6 billion in 2019 as core banking, real estate and retail businesses took a big hit from the pandemic. Consolidated revenues also declined by 21 percent last year to P394.2 billion from P502 billion in 2019. The banking and property businesses accounted for 55 percent and 33 percent of net income, while retail contributed 12 percent. “Our businesses continued to build momentum through the end of 2020 as they addressed the changed behaviors and needs of our customers. Our banks, food retailing and residential property all performed well, while our malls and non-food retail operations showed steady improvements as conditions allowed. We continue to innovate and focus on safety and are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead,” said SM Investments president Frederic DyBuncio. SM Retail Inc., which consists of food, non-food and specialty stores, posted a 19-percent decline in sales to P296.8 billion from P366.8 billion in 2019. Net income was also lower by 67 percent to P4.1 billion. SM Retail opened two department stores in Butuan and Zamboanga to end 202 with 66 stores with total gross selling area of 816,958 square meters. It also added 287 supermarkets stores under various formats. SM Retail had a total of 3,019 outlets across the country as of endDecember. Property unit SM Prime Holdings Inc. recorded net income of P18 billion in 2020, down 53 percent from a year ago as revenues declined 30.7 percent from P118.3 billion in 2019.

IN BRIEF February inflation may hit as high as 4.7%

HANDYMAN’S NEW STORE. Officials and staff of hardware and improvement store chain Handyman Do-it Best lead the opening of their 177th store at Lima Exchange inside Lima Estate in Lipa-Malvar, Batangas. Handyman offers a wide range of hardware and home improvement products at affordable prices. The Lima Exchange branch also extends additional services, such as ‘call and collect’ for the convenience of shoppers amid the pandemic. Lima Estate is a 700-hectare Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered economic zone that is home to 127 locators, 167 retail and restaurants spaces, 138-room four-star hotel, a transportation hub, over 2,000 households and more than 58,000 employees.

Spot market operator expects stable power MGDC gets notice supply during dry months on weak demand to proceed with bay By Alena Mae S. Flores reclamation project POWER supply is expected to remain stable during the dry months with peak demand likely reaching only 12,611 megawatts in June, the same level as last year’s peak, according to officials of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines. “Based on availability of supply and our big supply margin because system demand has not taken off, we can say that supply is stable even during summer,” IEMOP chief operating officer Robinson Descanzo said. Descanzo said this could change because some power plants might go on forced outages during the dry months which could affect supply. “Historically if temperatures go up, some plants bog down. So let’s hope there is no simultaneous shutdown, and still there is enough supply and we can avoid brownouts,” he said. Based on IEMOP projections, supply will reach around 15,267 MW in June, enough to address the anticipated maxi-

mum demand of 12,611 MW. “For the demand, we just follow or adapt to the actual demand during GCQ. In consideration of La Nina, we assume that demand is projected to reach peak during the pandemic period. The peak demand during quarantine was 12,611 MW which happened last June 2020,” John Paul Grayda, IEMOP manager for pricing validation and analysis, said. Power demand is seen to steadily increasing starting March to 11,426 MW, 11,821 MW in April and 12,261 MW in May. Grayda said prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market were projected to remain at around P2 per kilowatt-hour level in the summer months. IEMOP operates WESM, the country’s trading floor of electricity. “For the upcoming summer months, we see the resulting price at P2, so of course it will depend on the supply demand condition. Here, we mentioned that in terms of supply, we follow the grid operating plan of NGCP, so we see some dip in supply particularly during mid of April as well as early May,” he said.

MANILA Goldcoast Development Corp. led by the Tieng family received a notice from the Philippine Reclamation Authority to proceed with the 148-hectare Solar City Manila Manila Bay reclamation project. Documents showed the PRA Governing Board approved Resolution No. 5265 series of 2021 and a notice to mobilize and a notice to commence actual reclamation works to MGDC and the city of Manila on Feb. 22. The PRA said the NTM and the NTCARW were issued following the clearance from the Office of the President through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea Jr. The PRA received a memorandum from Medialdea on Feb. 18 indicating that the OP had no objection to the start of the project. “This refers to your Memorandum dated Dec. 7, 2020, requesting authority from the Office of the President to issue the notice to mobilize and the notice to commence actual reclamation works for the Manila Solar City Project, as well as the confirmation of the PRA Board Resolution relative thereto,” Medialdea said in the Feb. 18, 2021 memorandum. “Pursuant to Executive Order Nos. 543 [s. 2006] and 74 [s.2019], considering the memorandum of this office dated Feb. 1, 2019 granting clearance to proceed with the Solar City Project, and upon the representations of the PRA on the completion of the documentary requirements and concurrences of the relevant government agencies, please be informed that this Office interposes ‘no objection’ in the grant of the NTM and NTCARW for the Manila Solar City Project, subject to compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations,” Medialdea said. “The PRA’s request for NTMs and NTCARWs relative to the Horizon Manila Reclamation Project and Manila Waterfront Reclamation shall be acted upon separately,” Medialdea said.

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Friday inflation rate in February likely accelerated to as high as 4.7 percent from 4.2 percent in January, on the back of higher global oil prices. Diokno said in a statement to reporters the BSP was expecting inflation in February to settle within a range of 4.3 percent to 5.1 percent. “Upward price pressures for the month emanate from the continued uptick in global crude oil prices and elevated fish prices,” Diokno said. Diokno said the implementation of the temporary price caps on meat products for National Capital Region, stable rice prices and lower power rates in Meralco-serviced areas contributed to the downward price pressures during the month. He said earlier the uptick in inflation in January could be attributed to transitory supply-side pressures. He said BSP measures were aimed at ensuring economic recovery and limiting the pandemic’s potential scarring effects in the long run. Julito G. Rada

BSP upbeat on ‘21 economic recovery BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Friday the government’s 2021 gross domestic product target range of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent is doable, as he expressed optimism about gradual recovery in the coming months from the record 9.5-percent contraction in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Diokno, in an online economic forum, cited a number of factors supporting this optimism. He said that at the peak of the pandemic in 2020, the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals remained broadly intact. These indicators included the quarter-onquarter improvements in GDP outturn towards year-end; better business and consumer outlook; within-target inflation; ample liquidity in the system; sound and stable banking system; robust external payments position; and manageable fiscal deficit. He said that by reallocating resources to sectors which needed help the most, the economy was able to register sustained improvements on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Data showed that from the 16.9-percent contraction recorded in the second quarter of 2020, the economy registered slower declines of 11.4 percent and 8.3 percent in third quarter and fourth quarter, respectively. Julito G. Rada

Meralco awards supply contracts to SMC units THE Third Party Bids and Awards Committee of Manila Electric Co. issued the notices of award to two companies controlled by San Miguel Corp. for the 20-year supply of 1,800 megawatts of capacity. Meralco TBAC committee secretariat and head of utility economics department Lawrence Fernandez said the committee completed the post-qualification evaluation on Friday and resolved to issue notices of award to Excellent Energy Resources Inc. and Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. as the two best bids. “The TPBAC requested both to coordinate with Meralco for the signing and execution of their respective power supply agreements and for the preparation of the applications that will be filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission,” Fernandez said. The move followed the successful competitive selection process for Meralco’s power supply. TPBAC earlier announced that EERI and MPPCL were the “two best bids.” Alena Mae S. Flores

Sports

Catantan helps Penn State claim 3-1 record

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

By Peter Atencio FILIPINA fencing recruit Samantha Catantan finished with an unbeaten record to help the Penn State University women’s team claim a near perfect performance in their second encounter during the recent Temple University Invitational. Catantan, a medallist in last year’s Southeast Asian Games, joined her teammates with the Nittany Lions in posting a 3-1 win-loss record over the Temple University Owls during the finals at the Owls’ home grounds in Philadelphia. This will help the Nittany Lions get ready for their coming campaign in the 2021 season of the US NCAA Division 1. According to the University’s official website, the Nittany Lions picked up their first triumph over North Carolina 19-8, before routing St. John’s 24-3. The John Glon-mentored PSU women’s team then fenced with the Temple University Lady Owls twice, first beating the host Owls in Round One, 18-9, before losing in Round Four, 11-16. Catantan, Ukrainian teammate Kateryna Chorniy, Italian bet Lodovica Bicego and French rookie Pauline Conscience each had three straight wins out of three encounters in two of their four duals. Their good showing allowed the Nitanny Lions women’s team to close out the 2021 dual season at 7-3 overall. Meanwhile, the men’s team went undefeated after sweeping all four of their duals. The Lions defeated North Carolina, 17-10, and St. John’s 17-10, and ended their stint 6-3 overall. Their title defense in division 1 of the US NCAA is next. And if organizers will let the 2021 Championships take place, Penn State will most likely serve as the host venue from March 25 to 28.

The thrilling Philippine Cup bubble Game 5 semifinal match between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco is the unanimous choice as the Game of the Bubble in PBA Press Corps virtual Awards Night. The Kings won that one, 83-80. The two-in-one awards night that will also have the 2019 awardees being recognized, is set on March 7 at the TV5 Media Center and presented by Cignal TV.

Ginebra-Meralco faceoff named PBA bubble’s best V

ETERAN guard RJ Jazul and the thrilling Philippine Cup bubble Game 5 semiﬁnal match between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco will have their share of the limelight in the coming PBA Press Corps virtual Awards Night.

Jazul, 34, and team captain of the Fuel Masters, is named Mr. Quality Minutes for his immense contributions coming off the bench, while the Kings’ 83-80 victory over the Bolts in their do-or-die match is the unanimous choice as the Game of the Bubble by the men and women who regularly cover the PBA beat. The two-in-one awards night that will also have the 2019 awardees being recognized, is set on March 7 at the TV5 Media Center and presented by Cignal TV. The 5’11” Jazul averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 17 games during the lone conference last

season. He registered a career-high 33 points, spiked by nine three-pointers, in the Fuel Masters’ 110-101 win over five-time champion San Miguel Beer to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals. The Kings, seeded as the no.1 team, also made their presence felt, following their hard-earned win over the fifthseeded Bolts, highlighted by Scottie Thompson’s clutch three-pointer at the buzzer to clinch a berth in the best-ofseven finals. Jazul and the Barangay GinebraMeralco game are part of the distinct bubble awards to be handed out in the event to be shown on PBA Rush on March 8.

Earlier announced as part of the honor roll list are CJ Perez (Scoring Champion) and the All-Rookie Team (Aaron Black, Arvin Tolentino, Roosevelt Adams, Barkley Ebona, and Renzo Subido). Still to be named are the Outstanding Coach of the Bubble, Mr. Executive, President’s Award, Top Bubble D-Fender, the All Bubble D-Fenders, and a special citation. Meanwhile, 2019 Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year Leo Austria of San Miguel and Danny Floro Executive of the Year PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas lead the honorees the previous season that also include Presidential Awardee Vergel Meneses, mayor of Bulakan, Bulacan and one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players, and Defensive Player of the Year Sean Anthony of NorthPort.

Vera shares experience on The Apprentice REIGNING ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera is among a handful of martial arts superstars to guest on upcoming reality television show, “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.” The 43-year-old Filipino-American mixed martial arts veteran joined legendary fighters Georges St-Pierre, Renzo Gracie, and former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren, as well as high-profile CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies. Vera, who is currently in Florida training alongside fellow athletes Aung La N Sang and Martin Nguyen at Sanford MMA, recalled his experience on ONE Championship’s version of the iconic TV franchise. “It was very educational and refreshing not to have any pressure on me in front of the camera. I got to learn a lot from the candidates. I look forward to seeing ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,’” said Vera. “It was an honor, an absolute privilege to be standing next to greatness both in the martial arts and business worlds.” The show, based on the popular non-scripted television franchise, is a complete departure from the classic American version, and offers viewers an entirely new experience. “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” invites 16 candidates hand-picked from around the world to participate in a series of business and physical challenges, as they compete for a US $250,000 job offer to work directly for ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege. Vera, who was front and center to witness the candidates scrap and battle to reach the finale and ultimately

win the competition, says viewers will be in awe of just how tough this version of “The Apprentice” truly was. “I think the physical challenges for the candidates were something very unexpected. They were definitely not prepared even though they thought they were. It was very cool seeing some of them push beyond their limits, while some just fell apart,” said Vera. Apart from being one of the most dominant world champions in ONE Championship, Vera is also an entrepreneur himself, owning several businesses including the Asian branch of renowned gym Alliance MMA. He, in particular, learned a lot from his time on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.” Vera described his experience working with guest CEOs such as Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Grab’s Anthony Tan, and Catcha Group’s Patrick Grove, among others. “It was a combination of being nervous, because I didn’t want to miss anything, and being nervous to discover some of my thought processes to be incorrect. It was definitely a learning curve all the time, and I’m very blessed to have this opportunity over and over with ONE Championship,” said Vera. “The Apprentice” is one of the biggest non-scripted reality television programs in history, judging the business skills of candidates who are competing for a job offer under a high-profile CEO. It has aired in more than 120 countries. The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” consists of 13 episodes. It’s scheduled to premiere across Asia on Thursday, March 18, on AXN, the show’s official Asian

Brandon

broadcast partner, followed by a global launch in June across broadcast and streaming platforms. Having been witness to the candidates’ struggles, Vera learned exactly what it takes to be a contestant on the show, and has some advice for those wanting to join the show if it’s ordered for future seasons.

Sta. Lucia, Abanse win PSL games SUBIC—Sta. Lucia and Abanse Negrense opened their respective campaigns on a high note as they crushed their respective foes in the 2021 Gatorade-Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup at the Subic Bay sands court here. Bang Pineda and Jonah Sabete of Sta. Lucia B showed no sign of rust as they routed Ariane Alarcon and Christina Canares of Kennedy Solar Energy-PetroGazz, 21-10, 21-9, in the opening match of this historic tourney that has Cherrylume, Ube Express and Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel as sponsors and Cocolife, Cocogen Insurance, Data Project and Genius Sports as technical partners. A few hours later, it was the tandem of DM Demontano and Jackie Estoquia of Sta. Lucia B that made its presence felt as it clobbered Jonah San Pedro and Javen Sabas of Toby’s Sports, 21-18, 21-13. Also emerging victorious was the duo of Alexa Polidario and Erjan Magdato of Abanse Negrense, which crushed Jennymar Senares and Kyla Gallego of F2 Logistics, 21-15, 21-12, to wrap up the morning battles of this competition that was made possible through the support of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and InterAgency Task Force Region 3. Their counterparts, Jennifer Cosas and Gelimae Villanueva of Abanse Negros B, also pocketed an early victory after dominating Ella Viray and Theresa Ramas of United Auctioneers, Inc., 21-13, 21-12, in Pool B. But more than winning their first assignment, Pineda and Sabete said they were happy to see action for the first time in 11 months owing to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. “At this point, more than winning the game, we are very happy to play again in a tournament,” said Pineda, a noted floor defender during her stint with the Lady Realtors in the indoor battle. “Missing the game for so long made me more inspired and I’m sure all players are motivated to win in this very competitive tournament.” Sabete agreed, saying that they are more than glad to see action in the PSL, which is the country’s first-ever volleyball league to roll out its season in this time of pandemic.

Irving scores 27 as Nets roll over Magic

Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets drives against Nikola Vucevic during the game against the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Kyrie Irving finished with 27 points and nine assists as the Brooklyn Nets stretched their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 129-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The Nets recorded their most one-sided win of the season by shooting 61 percent from the floor over the last three quarters. “We put a few possessions together and we ended the first quarter well and I feel like that put us in position to take control of the pace of the game,” Irving said. James Harden finished with 20 points, seven assists and nine rebounds for the Nets, who nailed 20 three pointers in front of a pandemic-limited crowd of 327 people at the Barclays Center arena. Reserve Landry Shamet added 19 while Joe

Harris and Bruce Brown chipped in 14 apiece in a dominant win. Brooklyn are on their longest winning streak since 2006 and won their sixth straight contest without Kevin Durant with a strained left hamstring. Nikola Vucevic tallied 28 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, who suffered their worst loss of the season, missing 27 of 36 threes. “We can’t beat ourselves and we can’t turn the ball over and that’s where it started,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. James Ennis added 15 points while Michael Carter-Williams and Dwayne Bacon chipped in 11 each for the Magic, who were outrebounded 51-35. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds as the first place

Philadelphia 76ers took advantage of a rare off night by Luka Doncic to overpower the Dallas Mavericks 111-97 on Thursday. Embiid shot five of 20 from the field but made 11 of 12 free throws. Ben Simmons added 15 points and seven assists while Seth Curry contributed 15 points for the Sixers, who improved to 14-2 at home. “I was just being me. Doing what I do,” Simmons said. Dwight Howard had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Shake Milton chipped in with 10 points in the rout. Doncic, who was coming off his best performance of the season in a thrilling win over Boston on Tuesday, scored 19 points but was just three of nine from the floor at the half. AFP

Tech & Gadgets

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

STL Partners, Vertiv: Telcos must prioritize 5G deployment efficiency

THE Asia Pacific Predator League 2020/21 Grand Finals will be pushing through as an online-only tournament from April 6-11, 2021.

ACER announces APAC Predator League 2020/21 on April 6 to 11 ACER announced the Asia Pacific (APAC) Predator League 2020/21 will be held from April 6-11, 2021. Fans who were left on the edge due to the 2020 league’s postponement have something to look forward to as teams across the Asia Pacific will finally battle it out in an online-only tournament. “The decision to host the Asia Pacific Predator League fully online, instead of a cancellation, demonstrates Acer’s commitment to the gaming community,” said Andrew Hou, President of Acer Pan Asia Pacific Regional Operations. “With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we made the decision to move the competition to Spring 2021 for the safety and best interests of the tournament’s competitors, fans, spectators and staff.” The teams who qualified for APAC Predator League 2020 Grand Finals are the first ones to claim a slot for this year’s tournament, while the remaining will be filled by other teams invited by Acer. Altogether, these teams will battle head-to-head to take home the coveted APAC Predator League shield. This year, the league has been divided into four sub-tournaments. The teams will be pre-assigned based on their geographical location: 1. APAC Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final Dota 2 Asia 2. APAC Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final Dota 2 APAC 3. APAC Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final PUBG Asia 4. APAC Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final PUBG APAC A sum of US$400,000 is pooled across the competitions of the APAC Predator League 2020/21. All ticket holders of the postponed APAC Predator League 2020 Grand Finals will be compensated in full while VIP ticket buyers are guaranteed of Predator League souvenirs as a token of appreciation for their patience and support. Acer will soon release further details regarding the refund process. The APAC Predator League 2020/21 will be broadcasted live on Acer Predator’s channels, Facebook and Twitch. Follow the league’s official site, and Acer Predator’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for up-to-date tournament schedules and programs.

INGAPORE—5G will be the most transformative communications technology in a generation and enable a universe of new services, including advanced energy management capabilities that will be critical to solving growing energy and sustainability challenges. But new research highlights the practical challenges of 5G energy management facing telecommunications operators. Estimates suggest 5G networks can be up to 90% more efficient per traffic unit than their 4G predecessors, but they still require far more energy due to increased network density, heavy reliance on IT systems and infrastructure, and increased network use and accelerated traffic growth. The report from telecommunications consultancy STL Partners and Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, concludes telecom operators should address these challenges in two ways: By adopting energy efficiency best practices across their networks, and by encouraging their customers to adopt 5Genabled services to reduce consumption and emissions in all walks of life. STL Partners estimates global 5G traffic will overtake 3G/4G as soon as 2025, making sustainability an urgent priority for operators. In fact, 40% of enterprises surveyed for the report indicated energy efficiency should be the first or second priority for telecom operators when deploying 5G networks. The report, Why Energy Manage-

ment Is Critical To 5G Success, uses research including a survey of 500 enterprises globally to outline the challenges telcos face as they wrestle with the increased energy use and costs associated with 5G. The paper identifies several best practices aimed at mitigating those increases and costs, organized across five categories: 1. Network technology: Deploying hardware and software designed and operated for efficiency 2. Facilities infrastructure: Including new edge data centers to support cloud native IT 3. Infrastructure management: Deploying the appropriate hardware and software to measure, monitor, manage, improve and automate the network 4. Organization and evaluation:

KCAT, Inc. ramps up cybersecurity with Globe Business AS THE economy proceeds to embrace the new normal, cybersecurity has become necessary in ensuring that all digital transformation initiatives happen without disruption. To address the public’s growing need for secure connectivity services, Kabankalan Community Antenna Television, Inc. (KCAT) tapped Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, for support in managing its cybersecurity defense. “We aim to be the best Cable TV and Internet Service Provider in the Southern Area of Negros,” said Joel Dabao, President & CEO of KCAT. “Our vision requires us to be one step ahead of our customers’ needs. Seeing that demand for connectivity has steadily increased over the past months, we knew that we needed to upgrade our cybersecurity. However, doing so would mean investing in manpower, technology, and training. Thanks to Globe we were able to do just that—minus the time and effort of putting up a whole new cybersecurity department.” Dabao shared that, through Globe Secure Internet Access (SIA) Proactive Response, KCAT received on-demand incident response support, ensuring that its network remains guarded with cybersecurity experts on standby 24/7. With the solution, KCAT has access to premium internet service, proactive cybersecurity consulting, and priority incident response support from Secureworks— one of Globe’s esteemed partners in cybersecurity. SIA Proactive Response allows enterprises to gain

Peter Maquera, Senior Vice President for Globe Business, and Joel Dabao, President and CEO of KCAT

entry to Secureworks Incident Management Retainer (IMR), which affords companies to collaborate with seasoned experts to limit damage, minimize work stoppages, expedite recovery efforts, and help prevent future cyber threat incidents. Secureworks—a leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Services, Worldwide (March 2019)—is Globe's partner in cybersecurity, leveraging machine learning, analytics, and human intelligence. Its solutions help prevent, detect, and respond to global threats across six international Security Operations Centers, processing up to 310 billion security events daily for over 4,000 customers in more

SAMKoin cryptocurrency opens pre-order with 12,000 members SAMKoin, the utility cryptocurrency coin developed by Smart Asset Management (SAM) Digital Technologies, opened its successful pre-order run this month, its founding chairman Rommel Santos stated. SAMKoin serves as a transaction tool “that makes it easy to record in the

Rommel Santos

Taking a holistic, full lifecycle view of costs and investments across the network 5. Working with others: Embracing innovative and non-traditional commercial models, standards and collaboration “Telecom operators making meaningful energy and cost reductions are doing so by evaluating the entire ecosystems around their network operations – people, objectives, infrastructure and partners,” said Scott Armul, vice president for global DC power and outside plant at Vertiv. “Because of the reliance on IT to enable 5G applications, a high degree of collaboration will be required across operators, OEMs and infrastructure providers, and customers to ensure deployments are optimized and every

possible efficiency is pursued.” 5G AS SUSTAINABILITY TOOL The report makes clear that network efficiency improvements and best practices, while important, are only one piece of the energy puzzle that comes with 5G. Those efforts must be paired with a more holistic, societal approach to curbing energy use and emissions that leverages 5G capabilities in ways far beyond the control of the telco operator. “Operators are deploying 5G networks to grow new revenues. This growth will come from new connectivity and applications enabling operators’ customers’ own transformation journeys,” said Phil Laidler, director at STL Partners. “To be credible, informed partners for their customers, operators must lead by example. Energy strategy is a great place to start.” OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESS In terms of influencing customer behaviors in order to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, the report identified three industries with the potential for significant improvement through the use of 5G services. The manufacturing sector could achieve up to $730 billion worth of benefits by 2030 through the use of 5G to enable advanced predictive maintenance and automation. Transportation and logistics could get up to $280 billion in benefits by 2030 through advanced driver assistance, connected traffic infrastructure, and automated home deliveries. And, finally, the report suggests 5G could allow the healthcare sector to provide improved access to healthcare services for up to 1 billion patients by 2030 while simultaneously reducing emissions through higher asset utilization, reduced patient and clinician travel, and higher clinician productivity.

blockchain's necklace.” The ofﬁcial pre-order for the cryptocurrency comes as the number of SAM members breached over 12,000 members across the globe in just a few days after its incorporation. SAM members comprise the SAM ecosystem and will have access to a variety of traditional businesses as well as digital-focused enterprises that offer ﬁnancial opportunities. “The conventional method of the entrepreneurial journey through sharing economy is now fully understood. You should be proud that SAMKoin is a utility coin that gets recognition from those two important sources, ” Santos. These are the Austrac of Australia and the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, including an Electronic Money Issuers license, that allows it to conduct e-money transactions. In addition, SAM is also processing compliance requirements with the regulatory bodies in Malaysia and Indonesia. According to Santos, one of the major advantages of the SAMKoin is the “complimenting system with complimenting ecosystem” within SAM. This complimenting ecosystem “has 17 conventional businesses that have their niche market and this is very unique.” The conventional businesses

include remittance, logistics, agriculture, delivery services, petroleum, online universities, and others. He explained that the global COVID-19 pandemic offers unprecedented opportunities for the ﬁntech sector, particularly the use of cryptocurrencies, as Santos expects the digital lifestyle to ride a robust tide in the months ahead. “The potential of the digital technologies right now is actually 10 years ahead of the conventional technology that has long been in place. So, I think, people need to look at the digital side of everything,” Santos said. “What I suggest is that they enhance the digital services that they are offering to people. Because, right now, it’s about adaptation.” Commenting on the importance of SAMKoin’s function as a transaction tool to record in the “blockchain’s necklace,” he said that both the SAM Digital Technologies and the SAM Project Development have received licenses for business by the SEC and the BSP. “As a license holder, all statements and transactions within the SAM system are recorded in the blockchain. SAM should also be compliant with the Anti Money Laundering (AML) rules. Therefore, SAM’s reporting agency is responsible for keeping its customer’s assets safe and secure,” he said.

than 50 countries. “At Globe, we take security seriously,” mentioned Peter Maquera, Senior Vice President for Globe Business. “It’s every business’s responsibility to add a cybersecurity layer to their initiatives. Digital transformation is not without its challenges, especially when business success also means that threats are more than ready to strike at any moment. Together with Secureworks, we’re able to combine proprietary technology and threat intelligence with Globe’s robust direct internet services, enabling our clients to uninterruptedly serve their customers digitally.”

SAS analysis software helps improve development of new pharmaceuticals FACING the challenges of COVID-19, health and pharmaceutical organizations globally are innovating and digitally transforming clinical research analytics—from getting trials up and running, to modernizing trial designs, to delivering new therapies and vaccines faster. Supporting clinical-trial modernization is the updated SAS® Life Science Analytics Framework, which helps transform data into life-changing insights and deliver better, safer therapies to patients faster in a highly regulated landscape. “Clinical development is at an inﬂection point with accelerated development for new therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19, coupled with a move toward decentralized, virtual hybrid clinical trials,” said Mark Lambrecht, PhD, Global Director of the Health and Life Science Practice at SAS. “In our SAS Health product portfolio, we continue to invest in industry-leading analysis solutions for small biotech entities just getting started in clinical development to large pharmaceutical enterprises with thousands of users.” SAS offered a demonstration of SAS Health and the updated SAS Life Science Analytics Framework during this week’s virtual PhUSE EU Connect conference. A singular analytics foundation for clinical research For decades, health and life sciences organizations have relied on the SAS Life Science Analytics Framework – a single, open, cloudbased analytics solution for clinical research, with embedded analytic tools, support for data

standards and optional integrated analytic applications. SAS Life Science Analytics Framework 5.3 is designed to reduce development timelines and drive modernization of clinical trials, while ensuring regulatory compliance. New functionality provides even greater efficiency: • A seamless open-source integration with the ability to program in SAS, R or Python. • Inclusion of study metadata and data standards enhancements for easier and more complete definition of study details. • Automation of the development process for tables, listings and figures to ease tracking effort for clinical study report development. • Addition of two-factor authentication for increased data security. Ferring, a Swiss biopharmaceutical group, selected SAS as a long-term strategic analytics partner to support its mission. SAS helps Ferring deliver personalized health care solutions and optimize health outcomes by integrating pharmaceutical products with diagnostics, data, devices, education and support services. “The SAS Life Science Analytics Framework, hosted and managed by SAS in a fully regulatory-compliant cloud environment, helps international virtual teams at Ferring and clinical research organizations (CROs) to access clinical data in the same way and continuously optimize working procedures,” said Bjarke Klein, Vice President of Global Biometrics at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This foundational solution enables execution of modern trial designs and has the potential to support decentralized clinical trials,” Klein added.

Tech & Gadgets

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

Huawei advances tech ecosystem to accelerate digital transformation 5 steps to a fresh start with Security Bank WHENEVER a new year comes around, most look forward to it with a positive conviction and an opportunity for a fresh start. But 2020 had different plans for the world. Events and vacations were cancelled, routines and roles shifted, and mindsets turned inward as we reflected on our faith and resilience. As we all slowed down, many regrets also surfaced. We started thinking about decisions and risks that we should have taken in the past. And how frustrating it was to be unable to move on any of these, as we were locked down and confined in our safe little bubbles. Now that a new year has finally come, many are ready to begin anew. With all the adjustments its customers had to go through last year, Security Bank has adapted to help people rebuild their lives again. 1. Bank better by banking safer. That is why Security Bank made digital banking the driver of its transactions last year. InstaPay is a cashless and contactless mode of payment that has been made available in the Security Bank mobile app since 2020. “We’ve seen how useful and convenient InstaPay is to our clients over the pandemic. Likewise, we support BSP’s call for digitalization and usage of online banking, which is in line with our goal to let our clients thrive at home,” said Maki Tingson, Security Bank’s Retail Banking Segment Head, as the Bank extended their waived InstaPay transfer fees for retail clients, until April 20, 2021. 2. Prepare for the future. No matter what life stage you find yourself to be in, Security Bank has a multitude of accounts to choose from depending on its client’s goals and lifestyle. Choose between Easy Savings designed for everyone’s basic banking needs or the All- Access Checking, an all-in-one account that comes with a free Life Insurance Coverage. 3. Realize your goals sooner than later. Whether it’s finally going on a longawaited trip, a marriage proposal or a down payment for your first car or home, Security Bank’s Secure Goals Plus is a high-interest account that allows its clients to force save a fixed amount monthly to help them reach any dream faster. Setting is up is easy and fast, too. Account holders can apply for it online which comes with a user-friendly calculator that helps compute how much needs to be placed aside per month, making monthly budgeting for this easy. 4. Grow by expanding what you know. With Security Bank’s involvement in GoNegosyo Mentorship Sessions on Facebook, aspiring business people can learn how to build their start-ups. In one episode, “Financing Opportunities for MSMEs”, Security Bank’s Assistant Vice President Maricel dela Cerna discussed what are secured and unsecured loans, giving viewers a better understanding on what kind of loans are needed to start an enterprise. 5. Bank on the go. Banking need not be long lines and long waits. Security Bank is also making banking even more accessible with the launch of its BetterBanking on the Go last January 25, 2021. It is a mobile banking service that also comes as ATMs, iPads and interactive screens in various mobile branches, allowing clients to do their basic banking transactions on the go. If any of your plans have been on hold from the past year, regret no more. Security Bank will help us reach our goals.

MWC Shanghai 2021 Exhibition Hall

HANGHAI—Huawei opened its first Digix Lab in the Asia Pacific in Singapore to empower developers and partners for the HMS ecosystem. This is one of the programs that the leading global tech company initiated to cultivate a diverse tech ecosystem and accelerate the digital transformation in the region, Huawei Asia Pacific spokesperson told the media on Thursday during the MWC Shanghai 2021. Located at Changi Business Park, Huawei leverages Singapore’s importance as a growing technological hub in Asia Pacific, boosting the mobile ecosystem throughout the region. Equipped with AR, VR, HMS Core Kits, and other open technological capabilities, the lab is designed to support developers of all levels throughout their mobile app development journey. “In the new intelligent era, Huawei

aims to build a ‘1+8+N’ all-scenario mobile ecosystem with HMS that empower developers to innovate as they build their business. The Digix Lab provides a platform to cultivate and equip developers with the necessary app development tools to innovate and advance the future of the digital space,” Jay Chen, Vice President of Huawei Asia Paciﬁc, said in an interview during the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which runs from February 23 to

February 25 in Shanghai. Headlined “Connected Impact,” the MWC Shanghai 2021 showcases how the entire digital ecosystem continues to transform our lives towards a safer and better world. According to Jay, the Huawei will collaborate with its partners on multiple programs to cultivate the technology ecosystems in order to accelerate the digital transformation in the Asia Paciﬁc region. Complementing the DIGIX Lab, Huawei also announced that it will bring more local in-demand apps onboard HUAWEI App Gallery to elevate its mobile ecosystem in the region. Asia Paciﬁc will be the leading region in terms of 5G technology adoption with 1.14 billion subscribers, accounting for 65% of global 5G subscriptions by 2024, according to latest statistics by GlobalData.

IT security employees spend 6 hours of work week on hobbies AS MUCH as 85% of IT Security staff engage in leisure activities during working hours. Typically, these hobbies account for six hours a week, which is an hour more than staff across the company overall. A reason for these breaks may be to find a distraction from high workloads, which was also cited as the most common reason to leave a cybersecurity job. These are findings extracted from a new Kaspersky report titled “Managing your IT security team”. Cybersecurity can involve routine and repetitive tasks, which affects both productivity and motivation to work. A shift to remote work has further blurred the lines between working and personal time. This combination of factors can lead to situations where employees are often distracted from work. Kaspersky’s report surveyed more than 5,200 IT and cybersecurity practitioners globally. According to the research, among the most common activities IT security staff participated in at work included reading the news (42%), watching videos on YouTube (37%), and watching films or TV series (34%). A third of the respondents managed to do physical exercise (31%) and read professional literature (33%). Additionally, almost half (46%) of IT security employees believe that their colleagues left a job because of these high workloads, while 41% of employees across all departments shared this opinion. This may seem contradictory, with so

much working time being spent on leisure activities, but 48% actually explained their distractions from work were due to a need for a break between tasks, rather than because of boredom or a lack of work. Types of hobbies IT security employees In addition, when working take during working hours from home, some duties and meetings may now be scheduled outside the standard 9-5 workday. During manager is to inform employees about poor longer work days it is even more important productivity as early as possible so they can that workers take breaks, so they are able to find ways to solve the issue,” agrees Sergey remain productive over this extended period. Soldatov, Head of Security Operations Center “I don’t think that it’s an issue that em- at Kaspersky. ployees are distracted from work. There Kaspersky experts responsible for IT seshould be control over task performance, curity and SOC share the following recomnot how many working hours are spent on mendations on how to manage IT security a hobby. Also, it may be normal for people teams: to watch videos, as it may give insights into Ensure that your company is fully equipped how to solve a problem. All in all, if work with IT security staff. Optimal numbers can be is not interesting for someone and there is a estimated as one cybersecurity employee for lack of task management, an employee will every 10 IT professionals; find a way to do something different, even For round-the-clock SOC operation, from the office,” - comments Andrey Ev- there should be at least five employees redokimov, Head of Information Security at sponsible for monitoring. Organize shift Kaspersky. work to avoid overworking; “Employees should have goals, KPIs, obOutsource typical IT security tasks. It jectives and metrics that characterize the qual- grants in-house employees more time to focus ity and speed of their work. If performance is on company-specific requirements and the not affected, there are no problems with the protection of legacy IT infrastructure; fact that a person is distracted from work. If efEnsure that you give employees different, ficiency has fallen or differs from colleagues, non-standard tasks so they are not stuck in a it should be paid attention to. The aim of the rut and can develop their skills.

Good deals, freebies in Beko’s OXtra Ordinary Sale

HIMW75225SX BEKO, Europe's No. 1 appliance brand, is always on the lookout for ways to make people's lives easier. Aside from providing consumers appliances equipped with the latest technologies, Beko also holds seasonal sales so that more people can experience using the brand's products. Avail of substantial discounts, freebies and amazing bundles from Beko's OXtra Ordinary Sale! The BIM25301X, a multifunctional 60cm built-in oven with eight cooking functions, is priced at P19,992 from P24,990 while the HIMW75225SX, a 70cm built-in gas hob, is at P14,990 from P19,990. The HISW72225SOB, a 75cm built-in gas hob, is now at

only P10,392 from P12,990 while the HISW73225SOB, another 75cm built-in gas hob, is at P11,192 from P13,990. The HIZG64120SX, a 60cm built-in gas hob, is now only P7,192 from P8,990 while the HIZM64121SX, a 60cm gas + electric hob, is now only P9,192 from P11,490. The 12 cu. ft. RCNT340E50VZP, a bottom mount no frost refrigerator, is now at P27,690 from P31,990, while the 8.8 cu. ft. RDNT251I50VS, a top mount no frost refrigerator, is now only P17,290 from P21,990. The 12 cu. ft. RDNT340I20VZP, a top mount no frost refrigerator, is now at P23,490 from P27,990. The WCV7612X0, a front load fully automatic washer with 7-kilo capacity, is now priced at P24,090 from P27,990. You can also get freebies on top of discounts when you purchase other Beko models. Get a free Beko vacuum cleaner when you buy the BDC6C55X , a 60-c.m. 4 vitro-ceramic hob oven, priced at P46,791 from P51,990. The DH10444RX0, a front load fully automatic dryer with 10-kilo capacity and heat pump technology, also comes with a free vacuum cleaner and is now at P34,191 from P37,990. The 60 c.m. FSET63110DX, a 3 gas + hot plate electronic oven, is now only P32,391 from P35,990 and also comes with a free Beko vacuum cleaner. The electronic oven has Halogen

Illumination and offers faster and more efﬁcient cooking with special burner design. The 60 c.m. FSM63320TXDL, a 3 gas + hot plate multifunctional oven, is at P35,991 from P39,990. The 90 c.m. GG12116GX, a gas oven and electric grill with 4 gas and 2 hot plates, is priced at P47,791 from P51,990 and comes with a free Beko range hood. The GG15126DXPR, a 90 c.m. electric oven and grill with 4 gas and 1 wok burner, is now at P55,791 from P61,990 and comes with a free range hood. This oven and grill gives you a clear view of what's happening inside with Halogen Illumination so you don't need fo open the oven door to see what's happening inside. Meanwhile, the GM15326DXPR, a 90cm electric oven and grill with 4 gas and 1 wok burner with an oven size cavity volume of 112L, is now only at P65,691 from P72,990. Aside from Halogen Illumination, the oven and grill has Telescopic Shelves to make your life easier. The runner system lets you pull out the shelf all the way out (or 2/3 of it, for partial Telescopic version) of the oven while supporting the dish. If you're looking at upgrading and replacing your household appliances, check out Beko's OXtra Ordinary Sale which runs until February 28. For more information, visit Beko Philippines at facebook. com/bekoph.

Through joint innovation and strategic partnerships with its customers, Huawei is working to coordinate 5G communication and industry standards to scale up 5GtoB applications. To cultivate the 5G ecosystem, Huawei plans to invest 475 million Thai baht (about 1.5 million USD) to support the 5G Ecosystem Innovation Center (EIC) in Bangkok. The tech company is committed to incubating more than 100 local SMEs and startups every year to adopt 5G solutions for different vertical industries within three years in the Asia Pacific country. “This 5G EIC is as a sandbox for digital innovations of 5G applications and services across various industries. These innovations will create new business opportunities for SMEs, startups and educational institutions, paving the way to achieve Thailand 4.0 and build the digital hub in the ASEAN region,” said Mrs. Vunnaporn Dehastin, Thailand Secretary-General of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission. “This goal must be achieved through cooperation between the public and the private sectors, at both domestic and international level. Together, we can overcome the challenges and build a better future,” she said. For the startup ecosystem, Huawei Asia Pacific kicked off its Spark Program in Singapore in 2020 to support deep tech startups with the use of 5G, Machine Learning & Analytics, IoT, Mobile Edge Computing, and Mobile & SaaS applications. The program has attracted more than 500 startups from 75 countries. The rapid development of the digital economy also means a potential shortage of ICT talent in the Asia Pacific region. Through projects such as Huawei Academy, ICT Certification, and Seeds for the Future, Huawei will help to train at least 200,000 ICT talents in the next five years. “In the era of ecosystem collaboration, it is more important to manage cooperation than to manage competition. With this in mind, Huawei will continue to increase investment in building a diversified and prosperous ecosystem to build a fully connected, intelligent Asia Pacific,” said Jay Chen.

Xendit launches cardless installment option in PH XENDIT, the Indonesia-based financial technology company that provides payment solutions, and FDFC, the fintech company behind the Buy Now Pay Later app BillEase, announce today the launch of their joint PayLater solution to help merchants offer convenient, cardfree installments in the Philippines, where majority of shoppers remain uncarded or unbanked. Xendit, which allows merchants to accept payments online, can now make it easier for merchants to provide an affordable and transparent installment option at checkout through a single integration. This means Xendit's merchants can now add BillEase as a payment option with a few clicks. By offering BillEase at checkout, merchants can give their customers the option to split the cost of their purchases into installments either monthly or bi-weekly with no hidden fees. "Shoppers are increasingly looking for alternative ways to pay, and merchants who offer flexible payment options can rapidly improve their conversion rates and increase average order value," said Georg Steiger, Co-founder and CEO of FDFC. "We're excited to partner with Xendit to help Filipino merchants grow more by removing unnecessary challenges customers face at checkout, especially for those who are unable to use credit and debit cards.” "At Xendit, we aim to give our merchants the options needed to help their business grow by offering all types of payment methods," said Yang Yang Zhang, Managing Director of Xendit Philippines. "Partnering with BillEase is crucial as the demand for installment solutions has grown in recent years, partly fueled by the pandemic. Additionally, merchants also see a huge demand from their consumers for this type of payment option. That's why we’re excited to bring our PayLater solution to online retailers in the country." Xendit merchants that offer BillEase can allow customers to pay for their purchases online on monthly installments and pay the app over a period of three, six, nine, or 12 months with monthly interest rates between 0 to 3.49 percent — the cheapest rate in the country. Merchants can also choose to offer 0 percent annual percentage rate (APR). For example, a P18,000 purchase would only cost P2,500 over 6 months at 0% APR.

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

Tesla is going mainstream

Electric car king Tesla sold 499,535 cars in 2020, a new record for the American automaker.

Tesla founder Elon Musk

WITH almost half a million vehicles sold worldwide in 2020, Tesla has unquestionably passed a milestone, with a record sales peak of 180,600 models sold in the final quarter of the year. As the world leader for all-electric cars, Tesla is more than ever gaining ground as a mainstream car-maker—and one to be taken seriously. Tesla sold some 499,535 cars in 2020, achieving its goal of selling half a

million vehicles that year. Note that the Model 3, the firm’s most economically accessible model, represents almost three quarters of sales, with 365,000 models sold. When it comes to electric vehicles, Tesla has sold more than twice as many cars as its nearest rival, Volkswagen (220,220 vehicles). French automaker Renault has sold just over 124,000 cars, principally its ZOE mod-

el, in Europe. With ever-increasing sales figures and healthy stock prices, Tesla is currently taking shape as a key player in the auto market, even if the firm was still viewed as a something of a black sheep not so long ago. Now, the manufacturer just has to stay on track, shifting upwards of 500,000 vehicles a year, to maintain its newfound status as a mainstream carmaker. AFP

F3 Asian Champions

tilt goes down the wire Chinese ace bags crown with dominant pole-to-flag victory Max Verstappen won two GPs during the last F1 season

China’s Zhou Guanyu is flanked by PierreLouis Chovet (left) and Jehan Daruvala at the podium.

Formula One : Focus on Verstappen MAX Verstappen said Thursday he is not thinking about succeeding Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes as he gets ready to launch a bid to dethrone the all-conquering Formula One champion. Hamilton signed a one-year extension with the Silver Arrows for the 2021 season earlier this month, for what could be his last campaign for the team with which he has won six of his seven world titles. “I don’t know what Lewis is going to do at the end of the day,” Red Bull racer Verstappen replied when asked by a reporter whether he saw himself as a potential successor. “I am focusing on myself, on this year and try to make it a success, it’s so early in the season, that kind of things I am not really thinking about at this stage.” Verstappen, 23, is considered one of the few who could end Hamilton’s F1 hegemony as the 2021 season looms into view, with testing in Bahrain starting in two

weeks’ time. The Dutchman finished third in the drivers championship last season, winning two GPs and collecting 11 podiums while his former teammate Alexander Albon could do no better than two third place finishes. Red Bull finished second in the constructors championship, 254 points behind champions Mercedes, and Verstappen is hoping that the new RB16B car unveiled by Red Bull this week could help close the gap. “With Mercedes being the dominant car towards the end of the season, we know of course that what have to keep improving,” said the Dutchman. “More grip, more power, it’s all looking promising but it doesn’t make sense now to hype everything up, the most important thing is to get a bit of track in Bahrain and to do the best amount of learning we can.” AFP

HARI, Bacoor: Ties that bind

BU DHABI, UAE—China’s Zhou Guanyu was crowned the 2021 F3 Asian Champion at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit today after a dramatic season finale saw the hopes of title rival Pierre-Louis Chovet of Pinnacle Motorsport dashed after retirement from the penultimate race. Zhou’s Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema sealed the Teams title after an impressive debut championship season, while Hitech GP’s Ayumu Iwasa won the Rookie Cup after a close-fought battle for honours with team mate Reece Ushijima.

Said Alpine Academy member Zhou: “Coming to the last round 32 points behind, it wasn’t easy but I never gave up right to the last race. Today we made a perfect start, got into the lead and it was head down to get the win here. It’s unbelievable to be the F3 Asian Champion. It’s been a good experience and I’ve really enjoyed my four weeks here.” Racing on the full 5.554km F1 configuration of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the first time this season, the championship produced a trio of nail-biting races in the fifth and final round of the season. Heading into the final round, Chovet had a 32-point lead at the top of the Driver Classification,

Aston Martin suffers huge losses JAMES Bond’s favourite carmaker Aston Martin revealed Thursday that losses almost quadrupled in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus fallout. Pre-tax losses widened to £466 million ($659 million, 542 million euros) last year from £119.6 million in 2019, Aston Martin Lagonda said in a results statement. The luxury group also wrote off al-

but 21-year-old Zhou’s elevation to first after 3Y Evans GP’s Patrik Pasma incurred a penalty in Race 13, followed by retirement by the Frenchman in Race 14 following a racing incident, gave the Chinese driver a single point advantage going in to the final race. Zhou didn’t put a wheel wrong, a dominant victory earning him both the championship title and 18 FIA Super Licence points. Chovet, 18, finished second in the championship, 16 points behind Zhou, thereby earning 14 Super Licence points, with Mumbai Falcons India Racing Ltd. and Red Bull Junior Driver Jehan Daruvala third ahead of Pasma. Hitech GP’s Roy Nissany ends the

season fifth, ahead of 3Y Evans GP’s Isack Hadjar of France, Sweden’s Dino Beganovic, Iwasa, BlackArts Racing’s Cem Bolukbasi, who was also third in the Rookie Cup, and Hitech GP’s Roman Stanek in tenth place. While Zhou Guanyu made a good start from pole for Race 13, he wasn’t able to shut the door fast enough on the rocketing Finn, Patrik Pasma, who had started alongside. The 3Y Evans GP driver took the inside line to snatch the lead into Turn 1 and never looked back, powering towards the chequered flag. Mindful of the title stakes – and with uncanny prescience - Zhou kept his cool, setting the fastest lap of the race to lock in pole position for the penultimate race of the season, and keeping Pasma within reach. Meanwhile, points leader Pierre-Louis Chovet in P5 initially had a look at Kush Maini off the start but the Mumbai Falcons India Racing Ltd. driver was having none of it and held on to fourth behind Roman Stanek. Instead, the Frenchman suddenly found himself having to contend with Roy Nissany who got alongside. The pair made contact, forcing Chovet to run wide before rejoining ahead of the Israeli. David Vidales had made gains on the opening lap from his P8 starting position, moving up to fifth in the order behind Maini and ahead of Chovet, Nissany and Jehan Daruvala.

most £100 million of investments in scrapped projects, including its electric car plans. Revenues sank 37 percent to £611 million on tumbling demand with dealerships shuttered by lockdown restrictions, despite a fourth-quarter boost from its new DBX sports utility vehicle. Retail sales nevertheless dived by almost a third to a total of 4,150 cars. “The uncertainty surrounding the duration and impact of the pandemic on the global economy continues, with the pace of emergence from lockdown and recovery in consumer demand varying significantly

across geographies,” the company warned. Aston Martin’s fortunes have also been hit by coronavirus-related delays to James Bond spy blockbuster ‘No Time To Die’. The film, which originally slated for release in March 2020 and has been pushed back multiple times, is currently set to hit cinemas in October. Bond films traditionally feature various top-end Aston Martin cars that give the company a valuable marketing boost. The company launched on the stock market in 2018 to great fanfare, with a string of its luxury supercars parked outside the London Stock Exchange. AFP

BACOOR City, Cavite. Hyundai Asia Resources, Incorporated, the official distributor of Hyundai trucks and buses in the Philippines, has fulfilled another round of Modern Public Utility Vehicle turnover activities to the City of Bacoor, Cavite. Hyundai Trucks and Buses Alabang turned over 15 units of HD50S Modern PUV Class 3 to the Magnificat Transport Cooperative, a group that aims to provide the commuting public with a safe, reliable, efficient, and environment-friendly transport system. This activity is Hyundai’s second show of support for Cavite’s and the region’s drive to improve mass mobility and to accelerate economic activity in partnership with the local government, transport groups, and key government agencies Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Department of Transportation. Hyundai is set to deliver the remaining first batch of HD50S Modern PUV Class 3 units to the said transport group within the year. The event was well-attended by key officials from the local government and the LTFRB, headed by Lani MercadoRevilla, Mayor of Bacoor, Cavite, and

LTFRB Region 4 Director Col. Renwick Rutaquio, respectively. During her welcome address, Revilla emphasized that modernizing PUVs is “truly the call of the times in the new normal” and expressed hope that more transport groups in their community will support the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). Rutaquio lauded the city’s initiatives for PUV modernization, as exemplified by the many transport groups that have already complied, with strong support from the local government. Through HARI CV Sales Head Monch Osorio, Hyundai Trucks and Buses President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo reinforced Hyundai’s commitment to continue the partnership that the company started with the local government of Cavite and their hard-working transport group: “Ang pagtitipon natin ngayon ay siya ring patunay ng ating kalakasan kapag tayo’y sama-sama, tulong-tulong upang mai-angat ang bawat isa. Atin pong ipagpatuloy ang biyahe tungo sa pag-unlad (Our gathering today is proof of what can be achieved through our collective strength and commitment to uplift one another. Let us journey forward to progress.).”

MODERN [PUV. The Hyundai HD50S Modern PUV Class 3 receives the thumbs-up from Bacoor City and Magnificat Transport Cooperative during a test drive conducted at the turnover cremony attended by Mayor Lani Revilla (2nd from right) and LTFRB region 4 director Renwick Rutaquio (right).