![\"Headline](\"https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52338418581_981df91917_o.jpg\")
By Keisha B. Ta-asan
\nINFLATION likely held steady in August, but still above the Philippine central bank\u2019s target band for a fifth straight month as lower pump prices and power rates offset higher food costs, a BusinessWorld poll showed.
\nA BusinessWorld poll of 13 analysts yielded a median estimate of 6.4% for August inflation, well within the 5.9-6.7% forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
\nIf realized, August inflation would be unchanged from the 6.4% print seen in July which was the highest in 45 months or since the 6.9% print in October 2018.
\n
Inflation stood at 4.4% in August 2021.
\nAugust inflation would also likely exceed the central bank\u2019s annual 2-4% target range for a fifth straight month.
\nThe Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is scheduled to release the latest consumer price index (CPI) data on Sept. 6 (Tuesday).
\nAnalysts noted that food prices remain elevated and likely drove the faster year-on-year inflation in August.
\n\u201cThe higher prices of key food items are due to supply constraints and the higher suggested retail price issued by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry),\u201d Philippine National Bank economist Alvin Joseph A. Arogo said. \u00a0 \u00a0
\nThe DTI released on Aug. 12 the suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin for some basic and prime commodities, which reflected increases of between 3% and 10%.\u00a0
\n\u201cThe food basket is estimated to have contributed approximately 2.3%, remaining the prime inflationary factor especially with [storm] Florita\u2019s damage to food output, on top of the prolonged sugar shortage,\u201d Robert Dan J. Roces, chief economist at Security Bank Corp., said in an e-mail.
\nThe Department of Agriculture reported P1.13 billion worth of damage to agriculture due to severe tropical storm Florita last month.
\nSugar prices reached over P100 per kilo due to the shortage in supply, but several large supermarkets have agreed to sell sugar at P70 per kilo.\u00a0
\nLOWER OIL PRICES
\n\u201cOffsetting (inflation) is lower global oil prices and lower cost of other food stuff. Price growth remains mostly cost-push driven amid some demand-side recovery. Upside risks coming from global factors remain significant,\u201d Mr. Roces said.
Global oil prices fell for a third straight month in August over concerns that monetary tightening will hurt economic growth.
\nAs of Aug. 23, pump price adjustments for the month stood at a net decrease of P0.75 a liter, diesel by P1.25, and kerosene by P0.95.
\n\u201cWe estimate August inflation to be slightly lower than the previous month at 6.3% due to declines in pump prices in the first three weeks of the month. Electricity for Meralco-serviced areas and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) also posted lower rates for the month,\u201d Domini S. Velasquez, chief economist at China Banking Corp., said in an e-mail.
\nManila Electric Co. (Meralco) said the overall rate for a typical household went down by P0.2087 to P9.5458 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in August.
\nMeanwhile, Bank of the Philippine Islands Lead Economist Emilio S. Neri, Jr. said inflation can put a damper on economic growth, more than rising interest rates.
\n\u201cWe have observed a slowdown in spending on discretionary items and services like restaurants dragged by rapid inflation and peso depreciation,\u201d Mr. Neri said.
\nThe local unit closed at an all-time low of P56.77 on Friday, weakening by 35 centavos from its P56.42 finish on Thursday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.
\nFor the year so far, the peso has weakened by P5.77 or 11.31% from its Dec. 31, 2021 close of P51 per dollar. The currency is the third worst performer in Asia in 2022, after the Japanese yen and South Korean won.
\n\u201cWe are concerned about the effects of the exchange rate on inflation,\u201d BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said during the virtual Reuters NEXT Newsmaker event on Friday.
\nThe central bank has increased borrowing costs by 175 basis points since May as it seeks to bring inflation back within target.
\n\u201cIf only the midpoint of our forecast is the basis for decision, we are already on the right path. But personally, I want a little bit more room for comfort,\u201d Mr. Medalla said.
\n\u201cI will not say whether my preference function is above (75 bps), below that, or on that\u2026I don\u2019t want to make my colleagues feel that I\u2019m trying to pressure them to do what I like,\u201d he added.\u00a0
\nAt its August meeting, the BSP\u2019s inflation forecast for 2023 was lowered to 4% from 4.2%, as well as the 2024 outlook to 3.2% from 3.3%
\n\u201cSo far, despite the cumulative 175 bps policy rate hike, BPI has not increased charges on credit cards which somewhat indicates that consumer demand has not been constrained by monetary tightening yet,\u201d Mr. Neri said.
\n\u201cAs domestic inflation continues to rise, therefore, recovery to pre-COVID growth consumer demand has not been constrained by monetary tightening yet,\u201d he added.
\nThe Monetary Board will have its next policy-setting meeting on Sept. 22.
\n", "content_text": "By Keisha B. Ta-asan\nINFLATION likely held steady in August, but still above the Philippine central bank\u2019s target band for a fifth straight month as lower pump prices and power rates offset higher food costs, a BusinessWorld poll showed. \nA BusinessWorld poll of 13 analysts yielded a median estimate of 6.4% for August inflation, well within the 5.9-6.7% forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). \nIf realized, August inflation would be unchanged from the 6.4% print seen in July which was the highest in 45 months or since the 6.9% print in October 2018.\n\nInflation stood at 4.4% in August 2021.\nAugust inflation would also likely exceed the central bank\u2019s annual 2-4% target range for a fifth straight month.\nThe Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is scheduled to release the latest consumer price index (CPI) data on Sept. 6 (Tuesday). \nAnalysts noted that food prices remain elevated and likely drove the faster year-on-year inflation in August.\n\u201cThe higher prices of key food items are due to supply constraints and the higher suggested retail price issued by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry),\u201d Philippine National Bank economist Alvin Joseph A. Arogo said. \u00a0 \u00a0\nThe DTI released on Aug. 12 the suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin for some basic and prime commodities, which reflected increases of between 3% and 10%.\u00a0\n\u201cThe food basket is estimated to have contributed approximately 2.3%, remaining the prime inflationary factor especially with [storm] Florita\u2019s damage to food output, on top of the prolonged sugar shortage,\u201d Robert Dan J. Roces, chief economist at Security Bank Corp., said in an e-mail. \nThe Department of Agriculture reported P1.13 billion worth of damage to agriculture due to severe tropical storm Florita last month. \nSugar prices reached over P100 per kilo due to the shortage in supply, but several large supermarkets have agreed to sell sugar at P70 per kilo.\u00a0\nLOWER OIL PRICES\n\u201cOffsetting (inflation) is lower global oil prices and lower cost of other food stuff. Price growth remains mostly cost-push driven amid some demand-side recovery. Upside risks coming from global factors remain significant,\u201d Mr. Roces said.\nGlobal oil prices fell for a third straight month in August over concerns that monetary tightening will hurt economic growth.\nAs of Aug. 23, pump price adjustments for the month stood at a net decrease of P0.75 a liter, diesel by P1.25, and kerosene by P0.95.\n\u201cWe estimate August inflation to be slightly lower than the previous month at 6.3% due to declines in pump prices in the first three weeks of the month. Electricity for Meralco-serviced areas and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) also posted lower rates for the month,\u201d Domini S. Velasquez, chief economist at China Banking Corp., said in an e-mail.\nManila Electric Co. (Meralco) said the overall rate for a typical household went down by P0.2087 to P9.5458 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in August.\nMeanwhile, Bank of the Philippine Islands Lead Economist Emilio S. Neri, Jr. said inflation can put a damper on economic growth, more than rising interest rates.\n\u201cWe have observed a slowdown in spending on discretionary items and services like restaurants dragged by rapid inflation and peso depreciation,\u201d Mr. Neri said.\nThe local unit closed at an all-time low of P56.77 on Friday, weakening by 35 centavos from its P56.42 finish on Thursday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed. \nFor the year so far, the peso has weakened by P5.77 or 11.31% from its Dec. 31, 2021 close of P51 per dollar. The currency is the third worst performer in Asia in 2022, after the Japanese yen and South Korean won.\n\u201cWe are concerned about the effects of the exchange rate on inflation,\u201d BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said during the virtual Reuters NEXT Newsmaker event on Friday.\nThe central bank has increased borrowing costs by 175 basis points since May as it seeks to bring inflation back within target.\n\u201cIf only the midpoint of our forecast is the basis for decision, we are already on the right path. But personally, I want a little bit more room for comfort,\u201d Mr. Medalla said.\n\u201cI will not say whether my preference function is above (75 bps), below that, or on that\u2026I don\u2019t want to make my colleagues feel that I\u2019m trying to pressure them to do what I like,\u201d he added.\u00a0\nAt its August meeting, the BSP\u2019s inflation forecast for 2023 was lowered to 4% from 4.2%, as well as the 2024 outlook to 3.2% from 3.3% \n\u201cSo far, despite the cumulative 175 bps policy rate hike, BPI has not increased charges on credit cards which somewhat indicates that consumer demand has not been constrained by monetary tightening yet,\u201d Mr. Neri said.\n\u201cAs domestic inflation continues to rise, therefore, recovery to pre-COVID growth consumer demand has not been constrained by monetary tightening yet,\u201d he added.\nThe Monetary Board will have its next policy-setting meeting on Sept. 22.", "date_published": "2022-09-05T00:33:42+08:00", "date_modified": "2022-09-08T16:35:43+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/gas-station.jpg", "tags": [ "Keisha B. Ta-asan", "Editors' Picks", "Other News", "Top Stories" ], "summary": "INFLATION likely held steady in August, but still above the Philippine central bank\u2019s target band for a fifth straight month as lower pump prices and power rates offset higher food costs, a BusinessWorld poll showed." }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=469513", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/stock-market/2022/08/21/469513/stocks-seen-to-pull-back-after-robust-q2-results/", "title": "Stocks seen to pull back after robust Q2 results", "content_html": "PHILIPPINE SHARES may move sideways this week on profit taking after its last week\u2019s rally as investors wait for more economic catalysts that would point to sustainability.
\nThe Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) posted gains on Friday, inching up by 39.23 points or 0.57% to close at 6,863.86, while the broader all shares index went up by 15.80 points or 0.43% to 3,635.57.
\nWeek on week, the PSEi surged by 164.2 points or 2.45% from its close of 6,699.66 on Aug. 12.
\n\u201cThe local market has been riding on bullish momentum fueled by confidence towards the strength of the corporate sector evidenced by the robust results seen in our second-quarter and first-half company reports,\u201d Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a Viber message.
\nChina Bank Securities Corp. Research Director Rastine Mackie D. Mercado said in an e-mail the market maintained its strength during Friday\u2019s session \u201cas buying appetite continued to be robust\u201d despite the central bank\u2019s rate hike and continuing hawkish stance.
\nThe Monetary Board raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (bps) at its Thursday meeting.
\nMeanwhile, interest rates on overnight deposit facilities were raised to 3.25% and lending facilities to 4.25%.
\nThe Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) forecast for this year\u2019s baseline shifted higher as it expected inflation to breach the 2-4% target at 5.4%, while forecasts for 2023 and 2024 declined to 4% and 3.2%, respectively.
\nFor this week, Mr. Mercado said that he expects the market to move sideways as investors are expected to pocket profits from last week\u2019s rally.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t think that the market will continue to run away given that macro uncertainties (though easing) continue to remain high. As such, we think that the market is highly susceptible to a pullback in the coming weeks given the extent of the rally thus far in August. We expect investors [to] lock in some of those gains,\u201d Mr. Mercado added.
\nMr. Tantiangco said: \u201cNext week, investors are expected to watch out for catalysts that would point to the sustainability of the strong results we\u2019ve seen in the [first] half. Lack of such is seen to lead to profit taking.\u201d
\nHe added that: \u201cmacroeconomic concerns are expected to challenge the extension of the local market\u2019s rally.\u201d
\nThese concerns include the hawkish outlook of the US Federal Reserve, the possibility of more rate hikes by the BSP, further widening of our balance of payments deficit (BoP), and lingering supply problems in agricultural commodities.
\nIn the data released by the BSP on Friday, the country\u2019s BoP deficit widened to $1.819 billion in July, a reversal from a year ago\u2019s $642-million surplus.
\nThis is the widest deficit posted in 17 months or since $2.019 billion in February 2021 and it is also higher than the $1.574 billion gap in June.
\nMeanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell will give a speech on US economic outlook at the annual global central bankers\u2019 conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday from which investors may get more cues on the Fed\u2019s actions in the coming months.
\nChina Bank Securities\u2019 Mr. Mercado placed the PSEi\u2019s support at 6,720 and resistance at 6,900-7,000 levels, while Philstocks Financial\u2019s Mr. Tantiangco put support at 6,741.47, the local market\u2019s 200-day exponential moving average, and resistance at the 7,000-7,100 range. \u2014 Justine Irish D. Tabile with Reuters
\n", "content_text": "PHILIPPINE SHARES may move sideways this week on profit taking after its last week\u2019s rally as investors wait for more economic catalysts that would point to sustainability.\nThe Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) posted gains on Friday, inching up by 39.23 points or 0.57% to close at 6,863.86, while the broader all shares index went up by 15.80 points or 0.43% to 3,635.57.\nWeek on week, the PSEi surged by 164.2 points or 2.45% from its close of 6,699.66 on Aug. 12.\n\u201cThe local market has been riding on bullish momentum fueled by confidence towards the strength of the corporate sector evidenced by the robust results seen in our second-quarter and first-half company reports,\u201d Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a Viber message.\nChina Bank Securities Corp. Research Director Rastine Mackie D. Mercado said in an e-mail the market maintained its strength during Friday\u2019s session \u201cas buying appetite continued to be robust\u201d despite the central bank\u2019s rate hike and continuing hawkish stance.\nThe Monetary Board raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (bps) at its Thursday meeting.\nMeanwhile, interest rates on overnight deposit facilities were raised to 3.25% and lending facilities to 4.25%.\nThe Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) forecast for this year\u2019s baseline shifted higher as it expected inflation to breach the 2-4% target at 5.4%, while forecasts for 2023 and 2024 declined to 4% and 3.2%, respectively.\nFor this week, Mr. Mercado said that he expects the market to move sideways as investors are expected to pocket profits from last week\u2019s rally.\n\u201cWe don\u2019t think that the market will continue to run away given that macro uncertainties (though easing) continue to remain high. As such, we think that the market is highly susceptible to a pullback in the coming weeks given the extent of the rally thus far in August. We expect investors [to] lock in some of those gains,\u201d Mr. Mercado added.\nMr. Tantiangco said: \u201cNext week, investors are expected to watch out for catalysts that would point to the sustainability of the strong results we\u2019ve seen in the [first] half. Lack of such is seen to lead to profit taking.\u201d\nHe added that: \u201cmacroeconomic concerns are expected to challenge the extension of the local market\u2019s rally.\u201d\nThese concerns include the hawkish outlook of the US Federal Reserve, the possibility of more rate hikes by the BSP, further widening of our balance of payments deficit (BoP), and lingering supply problems in agricultural commodities.\nIn the data released by the BSP on Friday, the country\u2019s BoP deficit widened to $1.819 billion in July, a reversal from a year ago\u2019s $642-million surplus.\nThis is the widest deficit posted in 17 months or since $2.019 billion in February 2021 and it is also higher than the $1.574 billion gap in June.\nMeanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell will give a speech on US economic outlook at the annual global central bankers\u2019 conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday from which investors may get more cues on the Fed\u2019s actions in the coming months.\nChina Bank Securities\u2019 Mr. Mercado placed the PSEi\u2019s support at 6,720 and resistance at 6,900-7,000 levels, while Philstocks Financial\u2019s Mr. Tantiangco put support at 6,741.47, the local market\u2019s 200-day exponential moving average, and resistance at the 7,000-7,100 range. \u2014 Justine Irish D. Tabile with Reuters", "date_published": "2022-08-21T21:00:43+08:00", "date_modified": "2022-08-21T23:05:21+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IPO-PSE-bell.jpg", "tags": [ "Justine Irish D. Tabile", "Editors' Picks", "Other News", "Stock Market" ], "summary": "PHILIPPINE SHARES may move sideways this week on profit taking after its last week\u2019s rally as investors wait for more economic catalysts that would point to sustainability." }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=333161", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2020/12/10/333161/recreate-the-way-you-learn-with-globes-prepaid-wifi-internet-kit-for-education/", "title": "Recreate the way you learn with Globe\u2019s prepaid WiFi internet kit for education", "content_html": "The start of the academic school year proved challenging for students, parents, and educators. After years of face to face interactions in classrooms, everyone had to adjust by going online. This has placed great pressure on everyone involved, especially when connectivity issues begin to impact the overall learning experience. To address this crisis, a growing list of learning institutions have partnered with Globe for its Prepaid Internet Kit for Education.
\n\u201cLearning institutions have realized that a reliable internet partner is an effective tool for education. Globe is helping them seamlessly adapt to the changing times with an affordable and reliable device that will help both students and teachers in distance learning,\u201d says Mark Abalos, Globe Segment Head for Education.
\nThe prepaid kit comes with a WiFi modem that can support online learning. For just P999 per device, students have access to Globe\u2019s nationwide LTE and 3G networks. Each kit comes with a free 10GB data allocation valid for seven days. It is easy to install and has no monthly fees, so students can plug in the device and get started on online classes. It can connect multiple users so families can share it.
\nMoreover, Globe customized affordable mySchoolSURF internet promos with large data allocations. For just P199 a week, students get 34GB of data, including 6GB of open access data and 4GB daily for learning, productivity, and communication apps like Canva, Course Hero, and Canvas.
\nTo date, over 90,000 students and teachers from\u00a0 Ateneo de Davao University, Arellano University, Cebu Technological University, STI, De La Salle University, APEC Schools, Mapua University, National University, and the PHINMA Education Network (Araullo University and Cagayan de Oro College) enjoy mySchoolSURF offers.
\nThe Prepaid Internet Kit for Education is designed to help educators and parents integrate technology and digitally transform learning amid the COVID-19 crisis. As the education sector continues to adjust to the pandemic, Globe is strengthening its position as the country\u2019s most reliable and trusted connectivity and ICT solutions partner for 21st-century learning.
\nOn a much larger scale, Globe supports the call of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to address UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Globe has been committed to particularly uphold 10 UNSDGs, which included Education, to help address the country’s most pressing social and environmental issues.
\nAs a purpose-led organization, Globe Telecom seeks to create a wonderful world by combining innovation with the power of collaboration, to achieve inclusive and sustainable development for all. As the business continues to grow, the company strengthens its contribution to nation-building with an engaged and empowered workforce. Hinged on four (4) sustainability strategy pillars: Digital Nation, Care for the Environment, Care for People, and Positive Societal Impact.
\nFor more information, visit the website at https://www.globe.com.ph/business/sme/prepaid-internet-kit-education.html#
\n", "content_text": "The start of the academic school year proved challenging for students, parents, and educators. After years of face to face interactions in classrooms, everyone had to adjust by going online. This has placed great pressure on everyone involved, especially when connectivity issues begin to impact the overall learning experience. To address this crisis, a growing list of learning institutions have partnered with Globe for its Prepaid Internet Kit for Education.\n\u201cLearning institutions have realized that a reliable internet partner is an effective tool for education. Globe is helping them seamlessly adapt to the changing times with an affordable and reliable device that will help both students and teachers in distance learning,\u201d says Mark Abalos, Globe Segment Head for Education.\nThe prepaid kit comes with a WiFi modem that can support online learning. For just P999 per device, students have access to Globe\u2019s nationwide LTE and 3G networks. Each kit comes with a free 10GB data allocation valid for seven days. It is easy to install and has no monthly fees, so students can plug in the device and get started on online classes. It can connect multiple users so families can share it.\nMoreover, Globe customized affordable mySchoolSURF internet promos with large data allocations. For just P199 a week, students get 34GB of data, including 6GB of open access data and 4GB daily for learning, productivity, and communication apps like Canva, Course Hero, and Canvas.\nTo date, over 90,000 students and teachers from\u00a0 Ateneo de Davao University, Arellano University, Cebu Technological University, STI, De La Salle University, APEC Schools, Mapua University, National University, and the PHINMA Education Network (Araullo University and Cagayan de Oro College) enjoy mySchoolSURF offers.\nThe Prepaid Internet Kit for Education is designed to help educators and parents integrate technology and digitally transform learning amid the COVID-19 crisis. As the education sector continues to adjust to the pandemic, Globe is strengthening its position as the country\u2019s most reliable and trusted connectivity and ICT solutions partner for 21st-century learning.\nOn a much larger scale, Globe supports the call of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to address UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Globe has been committed to particularly uphold 10 UNSDGs, which included Education, to help address the country’s most pressing social and environmental issues.\nAs a purpose-led organization, Globe Telecom seeks to create a wonderful world by combining innovation with the power of collaboration, to achieve inclusive and sustainable development for all. As the business continues to grow, the company strengthens its contribution to nation-building with an engaged and empowered workforce. Hinged on four (4) sustainability strategy pillars: Digital Nation, Care for the Environment, Care for People, and Positive Societal Impact.\nFor more information, visit the website at https://www.globe.com.ph/business/sme/prepaid-internet-kit-education.html#", "date_published": "2020-12-10T04:00:43+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-10T04:00:43+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "LTE", "Wifi", "Economy", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=332963", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2020/12/09/332963/332963-2/", "content_html": "\n", "date_published": "2020-12-09T16:02:18+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-09T16:02:18+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/winseciontainkes/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f59e7220a06ddfc425bfe818926e652?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/winseciontainkes/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f59e7220a06ddfc425bfe818926e652?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=324421", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2020/10/22/324421/gamble-paid-off/", "title": "Gamble paid off", "content_html": "Anthony Davis was most definitely taking a risk when he asked the Pelicans to deal him in the middle of the 2018-19 season. The request, made public at the turn of the year through agent Rich Paul, played out more like a demand; he also said he wasn\u2019t going to sign a contract extension. Naturally, the disclosure shocked the Pelicans, whose colors he had been wearing since being drafted first overall in 2012. They figured, and rightly, that they were being forced to make a decision they didn\u2019t want. Which, in hindsight, could very well have prompted them to dig in their heels. Meanwhile, he was making off like a heel, with his willingness to stake his reputation underscoring his resolve to see his plans through.\u00a0
\nThe immediate aftermath wasn\u2019t pretty. All and sundry took a hit. The Pelicans were dead in the water; heck, they didn\u2019t even seem to have a choice of trade partners. Davis looked like a mercenary; his scorched-earth approach was fast dismantling his hitherto favorable reputation as a quiet superstar. Paul was compelled to bear the image of a modern-day Rasputin. Fellow Klutch Sports client LeBron James appeared too eager to throw current teammates under the bus in anticipation of his arrival. The Lakers, for whom he wished to ply his trade, subsequently had to cope with internal strife and wound up crashing out of the playoffs yet again.
\nLooking back, it\u2019s easy to argue that fortune favored Davis\u2019 boldness. He got what he wanted in the ensuing year. He packed his bags for the Lakers, got to play alongside James, saw his star shine even brighter, and finished the 2019-20 campaign with the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy in his hands. Yet, so many things had to go his way en route. If the Pelicans didn\u2019t land the number one draft pick that turned into generational talent Zion Williamson, if head of hoops operations David Griffin didn\u2019t already have a working relationship with Paul, if the Lakers didn\u2019t break the bank for him, if the most bizarre and most trying season in National Basketball Association annals didn\u2019t resume in a bubble, he would have been left to rue his choice to go all in.
\nHistory is, to be sure, written by the winners, and Davis is thus given the right to enjoy his spoils. He is certain to opt out of his contract, but, his coyness notwithstanding, he is also certain to re-up with the Lakers. If nothing else, they possess institutional knowledge in taking care of names on the marquee \u2014 where his will be for some time to come. And all because he dared to put all his chips on the table. His gamble paid off. Now, few remember that he once flipped a fan the bird, that he wore a \u201cThat\u2019s all Folks\u201d shirt on what would be his last day with the Pelicans, that he was anything but an ambassador for the sport. At 27, he\u2019s just about to enter his prime while already one of the top players in the league. The stage is set, the stage is his.
\n\n
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications,\u00a0and business development.
\n", "content_text": "Anthony Davis was most definitely taking a risk when he asked the Pelicans to deal him in the middle of the 2018-19 season. The request, made public at the turn of the year through agent Rich Paul, played out more like a demand; he also said he wasn\u2019t going to sign a contract extension. Naturally, the disclosure shocked the Pelicans, whose colors he had been wearing since being drafted first overall in 2012. They figured, and rightly, that they were being forced to make a decision they didn\u2019t want. Which, in hindsight, could very well have prompted them to dig in their heels. Meanwhile, he was making off like a heel, with his willingness to stake his reputation underscoring his resolve to see his plans through.\u00a0\nThe immediate aftermath wasn\u2019t pretty. All and sundry took a hit. The Pelicans were dead in the water; heck, they didn\u2019t even seem to have a choice of trade partners. Davis looked like a mercenary; his scorched-earth approach was fast dismantling his hitherto favorable reputation as a quiet superstar. Paul was compelled to bear the image of a modern-day Rasputin. Fellow Klutch Sports client LeBron James appeared too eager to throw current teammates under the bus in anticipation of his arrival. The Lakers, for whom he wished to ply his trade, subsequently had to cope with internal strife and wound up crashing out of the playoffs yet again.\nLooking back, it\u2019s easy to argue that fortune favored Davis\u2019 boldness. He got what he wanted in the ensuing year. He packed his bags for the Lakers, got to play alongside James, saw his star shine even brighter, and finished the 2019-20 campaign with the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy in his hands. Yet, so many things had to go his way en route. If the Pelicans didn\u2019t land the number one draft pick that turned into generational talent Zion Williamson, if head of hoops operations David Griffin didn\u2019t already have a working relationship with Paul, if the Lakers didn\u2019t break the bank for him, if the most bizarre and most trying season in National Basketball Association annals didn\u2019t resume in a bubble, he would have been left to rue his choice to go all in.\nHistory is, to be sure, written by the winners, and Davis is thus given the right to enjoy his spoils. He is certain to opt out of his contract, but, his coyness notwithstanding, he is also certain to re-up with the Lakers. If nothing else, they possess institutional knowledge in taking care of names on the marquee \u2014 where his will be for some time to come. And all because he dared to put all his chips on the table. His gamble paid off. Now, few remember that he once flipped a fan the bird, that he wore a \u201cThat\u2019s all Folks\u201d shirt on what would be his last day with the Pelicans, that he was anything but an ambassador for the sport. At 27, he\u2019s just about to enter his prime while already one of the top players in the league. The stage is set, the stage is his.\n \nAnthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications,\u00a0and business development.", "date_published": "2020-10-22T19:32:40+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-22T19:32:40+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/winseciontainkes/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f59e7220a06ddfc425bfe818926e652?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/winseciontainkes/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f59e7220a06ddfc425bfe818926e652?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=288763", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2020/04/09/288763/stuff-to-do-at-home-5/", "title": "Stuff to do at home", "content_html": "BGC High Street virtual stations for Holy Week
\nBonifacio High Street (BHS) provides the public with different ways to mark the Lenten season while under lockdown. The public can take a virtual walk through Walkway: Journey to the Cross of Christ, BGC\u2019s annual Stations of the Cross, at http://withoutwalls.ph/walkway
\u00a0
\nAndrea Brocelli live from Milan on Easter
\nItalian tenor Andrea Bocelli will give a solo performance at the historic Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy on April 12. It will be exclusively streamed live globally on the tenor’s YouTube channel at https://AndreaBocelli.lnk.to/
\u00a0
\nPETA\u2019s Charot! The Unwanted Prequel\u00a0
\nPhilippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) launches episodes of Charot! The Unwanted Prequel once a week at its official Facebook page. The story is a prequel to its play, Charot! The Musical. The prequel is set in a country known as \u201cP.I.,\u201d which is governed by Papsy, as the nation deals with the \u201cCharona veerus.\u201d New episodes will be uploaded on PETA\u2019s official Facebook page weekly. Aside from online content, the theater company is also conducting two donation efforts. One for the distribution of rice to 300 families in Brgy. Kristong Hari, Quezon City; and another for medical equipment such as personal protective equipment for the frontliners of East Avenue Medical Center. To stream the show and for more information on donation efforts, visit https://www.facebook.com/
\u00a0
\nBid for a role
\nTheater Fans Manila, in cooperation with Open House (an online fundraising project for the benefit of the performing arts community), is auctioning off two roles in a live streamed reading of Shakespeare\u2019s Twelfth Night by the members of C.A.S.T. (Company of Actors in Streamlined Theatre). The live online reading features Mako Alonso, Reb Atadero, Cathy Azanza-Dy, Maronne Cruz, Tarek El Tayech, Wanggo Gallaga, Nelsito Gomez, Jill Pe\u00f1a, Dean Rosen, and Brian Sy. Bids open at P2,500. State one\u2019s bid in the comments section of the Open House Instagram posts for the male role or the female role. Bidding closes at midnight on April 12. All proceeds will go to the Open House fundraising campaign. For details, visit https://www.facebook.com/
\u00a0
\nColor Manolo Blahnik designs
\nShoe designer Manolo Blahnik shares a selection of his original sketches in an online coloring book. The shoe designs are downloadable at https://www.manoloblahnik.com/
\u00a0
\nDUP\u2019s plays online
\nThree Dulaang UP\u00a0 plays – Floy Quintos\u2019 The Kundiman Party, Ang Nawalang Kapatid, and Nick Joaquin\u2019s Father\u2019s and Sons –\u00a0 are now available for streaming on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/
\u00a0
\nPodcasts on Philippine crime
\nStories After Dark features podcasts on Philippine true crime and mystery stories. It currently has 14 episodes including The Maguindanao Massacre (2009), The Ozone Disco Fire (1996), and Pepsi Paloma: Rape or Publicity Stunt? Suicide or Murder? (1982/1985). To listen, visit https://www.facebook.com/
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Open House show, classes, workshops
\nThe Artists Welfare Project Inc., Philstage, SPIT, Third World Improve, the Theater Actors Guild, and Ticket2Me continue with the Open House online fundraising project for the benefit of the performing arts community. The project allows viewers to stream live online classes, shows, and workshops featuring some of the industry\u2019s biggest names for free. On April 12 (10 p.m.), PalabasTayo AfterParty will feature the cast of Philippine Repertory\u2019s Anna in the Tropics for backstories, lighthearted tea, and general shop talk. For more information and to stream programs, visit https://www.facebook.com/
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Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals online
\nAndrew Lloyd Webber offers his musicals for free in the online series The Shows Must Go On. The series continues with Jesus Christ Superstar (2012), starring Tim Minchin, Melanie C and Chris Moyles. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/
\n
Palacio de Memoria virtual tour
\nArt and history enthusiasts can now go on a virtual tour of Palacio de Memoria, the Colonial Revival mansion, and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces online. It features the showroom of Palacio de Memoria\u2019s auction house, Casa de Memoria, which houses the Lhuillier family\u2019s collection of antiques, the Mosphil Lounge, and a passenger plane that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions. To view the Palacio de Memoria\u2019s virtual tour, visit https://www.palaciodememoria.
\n\n
Intramuros virtual tour\u00a0
\nVisit the sites of Intramuros through its virtual tours at https://artsandculture.google.
\u00a0
\nPhotography workshops with Canon PH
\nCanon Philippines is offering photography workshops for the month of April via its official Facebook page. The workshops will feature Canon brand ambassadors and professional photographers who will tackle basic to advanced techniques, and specialized topics such as food, architecture, wedding, and music events photography, and vlogging. View the workshop schedule at https://www.facebook.com/
\u00a0
\nMSO\u2019s music online
\nThe Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents Ennio Marricone\u2019s \u201cNella Fantasia\u201d from The Mission (1986), which was recorded separately by its musicians while in quarantine, in the hope that it brings some comfort to the listener’s soul. To listen, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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\nE-coloring books
\nThe Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute of Los Angeles offers the \u201cColor Our Collections\u201d edition for 2020. To view, visit http://library.nyam.org/
\u00a0
\nNFB animated shorts online
\nWatch animated short films from the National Film Board of Canada at
\nhttps://www.nfb.ca/animation/.
\u00a0
\nSilverlens launches Art Boost
\nTo keep in touch with art lovers, Silverlens presents Art Boost, an online drive to maintain engagement with art through social media, exhibition catalogues, and videos. Follow Silverlens\u2019 official social media pages for a series of #athomewith, #weeklyartwork, #trivia, and #sundayread. Visit Silverlens\u2019 official YouTube and Vimeo for artists profiles such as Gary-Ross Pastrana, and Patricia Perez Eustaquio.
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\nNational Museum of the Philippines\u00a0
\nThe National Museum uploaded a coloring sheet of Juan Luna\u2019s Spoliarium by Bryan Ferrer which may be physically or digitally colored. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/
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Children\u2019s books online
\nEnjoy digitized children\u2019s book titles from the University of California (UCLA)\u2019s children\u2019s book collection at https://archive.org/details/
\n
Five-hour museum tour
\nExperience a five-hour tour in Russia\u2019s Hermitage Museum, shot by filmmaker Axinya Gog on an iPhone 11 Pro. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?
\n
Guitar lessons with Fender
\nFender is offering three months of free lessons for guitar, bass and ukulele. It includes high-resolution videos with teachers, and a progress tracker. Follow along to videos, and practice at your own pace with the adjustable scrolling tablature and a metronome. To sign up, visit https://try.fender.com/play/
\n
Toei anime on YouTube
\nJapanese animation studio Toei\u2019s YouTube channel will stream shows for free. Seventy shows with English subtitles have been released; on April 13, it will release episode 3 and 4 of National Kid (updated on Mondays); and April 14, it will release episode 3 and 4 of Suki Suki Majo Sensei (updated on Tuesdays). To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/
\u00a0
\nEducational TV shows return to ABS-CBN
\nABS-CBN brings back 1990s educational TV shows every Saturday. Sineskwela (8:30 a.m.) explains topics on science, Bayani (9 a.m.) is about historical figures and events, and Hiraya Manawari (9:30 a.m.) which focuses on values.
\n\u00a0
\nCirque Du Soleil online
\nEnjoy free 60-minute specials from shows such as Kurios \u2013 Cabinet of Curiosities, O, and Luzia.To watch, visit https://www.cirquedusoleil.
\u00a0
\nAyala Museum online
\nContinue learning at home with the Ayala Museum\u2019s resources available online. Enjoy previous exhibitions and performances, coloring pages, and playlists. Visit https://www.ayalamuseum.org/
\u00a0
\nE-books for kids
\nExpand your kids\u2019 library at home through the BuriBooks app. Titles include books from publisher Adarna House, reviewers, and Filipino textbooks. Access the app via iOS, Android, or a web browser. Sign up via https://buribooks.com/. Enjoy it free for 30 days.
\n\u00a0
\nNational Gallery of Victoria\u2019s virtual tours\u00a0
\nThe National Gallery of Victoria has developed several virtual tours. Audiences can view exhibitions such as Companionship In The Age Of Loneliness of New York-based artist Brian Donnelly, a.k.a. KAWS; and the world premiere of Crossing Lines, featuring the works of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Visit\u00a0 https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/
\n
New free plays on Thursdays\u00a0
\nThe National Theatre in London brings its shows to YouTube. Every Thursday (7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. EST), National Theatre at Home will release a new play free to watch for one week. It includes cast and creative interviews and post-stream talks. The shows are Jane Eyre on April 9, Treasure Island on April 16, and Twelfth Night on April 23. For information, visit https://www.nationaltheatre.
\n
Ballets at the Bolshoi Theatre
\nThe Bolshoi Theatre in Russia showcases The Golden Series of classic opera and ballet performances via livestream on the theater’s YouTube channel. Livestreaming began on April 1 with The Tsar\u2019s Bride. To watch, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/
\n
Free Murakami books online\u00a0
\nJapanese best-selling author Haruki Murakami\u2019s stories are made available online for free at http://www.openculture.com/
\n
Free books on modern art
\nEnjoy PDF and ePubs on modern art from the Guggenheim Museum\u2019s archive. The collection includes books on Francis Bacon, Max Ernst, and Mark Rothko. Visit https://archive.org/details/
\n
Free vet consultations online
\nDr. Cyron Sarmiento opened his Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/
\n
Free Japanese courses
\nThe Japan Foundation Manila launched an e-learning program of free Japanese courses. It includes six-month beginner and intermediate lessons on calligraphy, vocabulary, grammar, and conversation. Sign-up for your chosen course at https://minato-jf.jp/?fbclid=
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Arts and Culture
\nLearn something new every day with Google Arts and Culture from virtual tours of sites, and museums to food, fashion, and design. Visit https://artsandculture.google.
\u00a0
\nFrida Kahlo\u2019s artworks online
\nView Frida Kahlo’s work online through the Google Arts & Culture platform. The website has 800 paintings, photographs, and objects by the Mexican artist from 33 international museums. To view the exhibition, visit https://artsandculture.google.
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Scribd materials for free for 30 days
\nEnjoy free books, audiobooks, magazines, and documents for 30 days at Scribd. To view titles, visit https://www.scribd.com/
\n
Classic Pinoy films online
\nDirector Mike de Leon uploaded classic Filipino films from the 1930s to 1960s on his vimeo account, Citizen Jake. Titles include Manuel Silos\u2019 Pista sa Nayon (1948), Gregorio Fernandez\u2019s Kung Ako\u2019y Mahal Mo (1960), and Lamberto V. Avellana\u2019s Aklat ng Buhay (1952). Watch films at https://vimeo.com/user83013343
\n
Free Neil Gaiman stories online
\nBest-selling author Neil Gaiman offers free essays, audiobooks, book excerpts, and videos at his official website under \u201cCool Stuff and Things.\u201d Visit https://www.neilgaiman.com/
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Arts BGC at Home
\nEvery Wednesday, Arts at BGC offers creative prompts at the Arts at BCG (https://www.facebook.com/
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Ballet and opera free online\u00a0
\nThe Royal Opera House is showing its performances online through its Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/
\n
Meg Cabot\u2019s The Princess Diaries – Quarantine Edition online
\nBest-selling author of The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot offers The Princess Diaries \u2013 Quarantine Edition for free on her official website. Entries are updated daily. Visit https://www.megcabot.com/2020/
\n
NHCP Documentaries on YouTube
\nThe National Historical Commission of the Philippines makes Philippine history education accessible through documentaries on YouTube. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/
\u00a0
\nDrawing lessons for kids with Mo Willems
\nBest-selling author and illustrator Mo Willems is hosting drawing lessons for kids called Lunch Doodles every weekday on YouTube. Each session will be between 20 to 28 minutes long. Mr. Willems is also welcome to questions (send to: LUNCHDOODLES@kennedy-center.
\n
Paulo Coelho\u2019s books online\u00a0
\nBest-selling author Paulo Coelho has made his books available for free. Titles include: The Way of the Bow, The Manuscript Found in Accra, and Brida. Visit his blog at https://paulocoelhoblog.com/
\n
Shakespeare plays online
\nShakespeare\u2019s plays recorded at the Globe Theater are now available for online streaming. Titles include Hamlet and The Two Noble Kinsmen. To watch, visit https://globeplayer.tv/
\n\n
Learn at home with Scholastic\u00a0
\nScholastic is offering free online courses for levels pre-kindergarten to Grade 6. Duration of the courses is approximately three hours per day. They include writing, research projects, and virtual field trips. The website is accessible on any device. Visit https://classroommagazines.
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\nFree opera streaming online
\nOperaWire will host Nightly Met Opera Streams of the Metropolitan Opera for free. The performances begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be available to stream for 20 hours. Visit https://operawire.com/
\u00a0
\nFree films on YouTube
\nCatch Filipino films for free on the following channels: Regal Entertainment (https://www.youtube.com/user/
\u00a0
\nFree online courses
\nEnjoy 1,500 free online courses from leading universities such as Stanford, Yale, Harvard, and more. Download the audio and video courses (from iTunes, YouTube, or university web sites). Topics include archeology, art, finance, writing, law, health, religion, mathematics, and personality development. Visit http://www.openculture.com/
\u00a0
\nOnline yoga classes
\nYogaPlus offers daily yoga classes via Facebook live. For schedules, visit https://www.facebook.com/
\u00a0
\nFree Broadway performances online
\nEnjoy your favorite Broadway performances online for a limited time at https://www.broadwayhd.com/.
\n\u00a0
\nVirtual tours\u00a0
\nExplore museums around the world through virtual tours: the Solomon R. Guggenheim https://artsandculture.google.
\u00a0
\nBayanihan Musikahan concerts
\nBayanihan Musikahan, a fundraising effort to help urban poor communities in Metro Manila who are suffering from the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, gathers Pinoy musical artists online in a marathon concert series. On April 9, it is the turn of Bayanihan Huntahan (5 p.m.) and Gary Valenciano (8 p.m.). For more information and live shows, visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/
Leading energy management firm Schneider Electric is calling for applicants to its 10th annual student competition, Go Green. With the goal of finding the next crop of bold ideas around sustainable energy, Go Green serves as Schneider Electric\u2019s platform to empower students to come up with solutions to shape the future.
\nGo Green 2020 is open to students pursuing their Master\u2019s degrees or at least on their sophomore year of their Bachelor\u2019s degrees. Interested applicants are required to form a pair to join, and must meet the following criteria:
\nThe Philippines has placed strongly in Go Green. In 2013, Ateneo De Manila University students Lorenz Ray Payonga and Alyssa Tricia Vintola were crowned World Champions. Their entry, Oscillohump, an alternative energy solution to harvest energy from road humps addressing road safety, energy efficiency and cost efficiency, bested 25 other teams from around the world. The pair was also the first Go Green Champions from Asia. In 2015, a team from Polytechnic University of the Philippines won third place in the Global Finals in Paris, France while in 2019, a team from Ateneo de Manila University reached the Global Finals in Barcelona, Spain.
\nTo enter, teams must register at https://gogreen.se.com/ and upload a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation stating their objectives and original ideas related to any of the SE\u2019s four business case challenges: Sustainability & Access to Energy, Buildings of the Future, Plants of the Future, or Grids of the Future. Entries must be submitted by February 16, 2020.
\nThe winning team will be announced on March 13, 2020 and will represent the country in the regional finals. Delegates will also receive mentorship from Schneider Electric experts to polish their proposals. Selected teams will be invited to a fully sponsored trip to the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit in Las Vegas to pitch for the Grand Prize.
\n", "content_text": "Leading energy management firm Schneider Electric is calling for applicants to its 10th annual student competition, Go Green. With the goal of finding the next crop of bold ideas around sustainable energy, Go Green serves as Schneider Electric\u2019s platform to empower students to come up with solutions to shape the future.\nGo Green 2020 is open to students pursuing their Master\u2019s degrees or at least on their sophomore year of their Bachelor\u2019s degrees. Interested applicants are required to form a pair to join, and must meet the following criteria:\n\nOnly students of Engineering, Business, Computer Science, Mathematics and Sciences are eligible.\nIn line with SE\u2019s Diversity & Inclusion philosophy, at least one team member must be female.\nTeams must be proficient in English, as the Grand Finale pitch will be presented in English.\n\nThe Philippines has placed strongly in Go Green. In 2013, Ateneo De Manila University students Lorenz Ray Payonga and Alyssa Tricia Vintola were crowned World Champions. Their entry, Oscillohump, an alternative energy solution to harvest energy from road humps addressing road safety, energy efficiency and cost efficiency, bested 25 other teams from around the world. The pair was also the first Go Green Champions from Asia. In 2015, a team from Polytechnic University of the Philippines won third place in the Global Finals in Paris, France while in 2019, a team from Ateneo de Manila University reached the Global Finals in Barcelona, Spain.\nTo enter, teams must register at https://gogreen.se.com/ and upload a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation stating their objectives and original ideas related to any of the SE\u2019s four business case challenges: Sustainability & Access to Energy, Buildings of the Future, Plants of the Future, or Grids of the Future. Entries must be submitted by February 16, 2020. \nThe winning team will be announced on March 13, 2020 and will represent the country in the regional finals. Delegates will also receive mentorship from Schneider Electric experts to polish their proposals. Selected teams will be invited to a fully sponsored trip to the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit in Las Vegas to pitch for the Grand Prize.", "date_published": "2020-01-16T14:37:59+08:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-16T14:37:59+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Go Green 2020", "Schneider Electric Innovation Summit", "Other News" ], "summary": "Participants will get the chance to compete for a trip to the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit in Las Vegas. Deadline for submissions is on Feb. 16, 2020" }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=249622", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2019/08/23/249622/sparkup-trends-coffee-project-named-one-of-the-worlds-most-instagrammable-cafes/", "title": "Coffee Project named one of the world\u2019s most \u2018instagrammable\u2019 caf\u00e9s", "content_html": "Coffee Project landed on the 24th spot on the \u201cTop 50 Most Instagrammable Cafes in the World\u201d listed by popular travel website, Big Seven Travel \u2013 the only one in the Philippines who made it to the prestigious list.
\nBesides its good quality concoctions of espresso based drinks and mouth-watering food, Coffee Project boasts of its exceptional interiors filled with flowers, greens, and rustic elements that create a vibrant and whimsical mood among its customers. With extraordinary concept and unique interiors, Coffee Project is dubbed by its loyal customers as the Most Instagrammable Cafe in the Philippines.
\nCoffee Project is the coffee chain under All Value Corp. of the Villar Group. To date Coffee Project has 37 branches across the country and continues to expand further to extend its passion of creating unique and beautiful spaces that is proudly Filipino.
\n", "content_text": "Coffee Project landed on the 24th spot on the \u201cTop 50 Most Instagrammable Cafes in the World\u201d listed by popular travel website, Big Seven Travel \u2013 the only one in the Philippines who made it to the prestigious list.\nBesides its good quality concoctions of espresso based drinks and mouth-watering food, Coffee Project boasts of its exceptional interiors filled with flowers, greens, and rustic elements that create a vibrant and whimsical mood among its customers. With extraordinary concept and unique interiors, Coffee Project is dubbed by its loyal customers as the Most Instagrammable Cafe in the Philippines.\nCoffee Project is the coffee chain under All Value Corp. of the Villar Group. To date Coffee Project has 37 branches across the country and continues to expand further to extend its passion of creating unique and beautiful spaces that is proudly Filipino.", "date_published": "2019-08-23T15:52:51+08:00", "date_modified": "2019-08-23T15:52:51+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "All Value Corp.", "Coffee Project", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=246749", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2019/08/07/246749/sparkup-community-watch-nine-filipino-female-tech-founders-pitch-their-startups/", "title": "Watch nine Filipino female tech founders pitch their startups", "content_html": "Last weekend, nine female founded tech startups competed for a chance to represent the country on the global stage at She Loves Tech 2019, to be held in Beijing, China. Watch their pitches below:
\n1Export was founded by Mel Nava and is a one-stop, end-to-end exporting platform helping MSMEs and farming communities. They carry out this service by matching suppliers with traditional wholesalers and retailers abroad through data analytics, and processing export-compliant documents and labels.
\nAntipara Exploration is an underwater 3D geospatial mapping and analytics company. Founded by Cherry Murillon-Cubacub, Laurice Dagum, Engr. Francis Corpuz, and Engr. Aaron Hilomen. it uses its own built underwater towed platform with camera and sonar system to provide maps and relevant information for marine management.
\nContainer Living provides a sustainable and modular-construction approach to modern building practices by using decommissioned shipping containers that are disaster-resilient and highly customisable. It was founded by Mac Evangelista, Engr. Aly Reyes, Mitch Menez, and John Aguilar.
\nFHMoms provides a platform which helps women find online jobs. Founded by Maria Korina Bertulfo, Lyra Jewel Decena, Rose Anne Fermocil, and Elisa Javier, their app narrows down employment options based on the results of their skill career matching quiz, and links users to online courses that will equip them with the knowledge and professional skills for their chosen online career path.
\nFounded by Gladis Morales and Rachel Jaro, Goally helps employees achieve their financial goals by providing an online dream planner, investment marketplace, and salary deduction facility.
\nCo-founded by Liron Gross, Payo is a gateway that manages and simplifies cash on delivery (COD) transaction for online sellers. We provide a full-suite of technological solutions including fraud detection, data analysis and courier optimisation, aimed to empower the merchants with abilities to seize control of the COD process, reduce cancellations and increase revenues.
\nFounded by Queency Kay Koh and Ira Manalastas, SmartBride is a virtual wedding planner powered by Artificial Intelligence. Their service automatically recommends free customisable wedding packages based on user’s preferences such as budget, location and target wedding date.
\nStyleGenie is an online personalised styling service, with over a hundred Fashion Brands and 30,000 users on their platform. Founded by Abbie Victorino, Minrie Macapugay, Steph Oller, and Rhij Sarenas, stylists outfits based on customers\u2019 Style Profiles and provide door-to-door delivery of the corresponding StyleBoxes.
\nFounded by Maureen Nova Ledesma, Jessica Manipon, and Yroen Guaya Melgar, Vesl is a financial technology company innovating the trade finance sector by providing a platform that connects trade lenders and businesses to per invoice trade credit insurers, among other specialised insurance products.
\n", "content_text": "Last weekend, nine female founded tech startups competed for a chance to represent the country on the global stage at She Loves Tech 2019, to be held in Beijing, China. Watch their pitches below:\n1Export\n\n1Export was founded by Mel Nava and is a one-stop, end-to-end exporting platform helping MSMEs and farming communities. They carry out this service by matching suppliers with traditional wholesalers and retailers abroad through data analytics, and processing export-compliant documents and labels.\nAntipara Exploration Inc.\n\nAntipara Exploration is an underwater 3D geospatial mapping and analytics company. Founded by Cherry Murillon-Cubacub, Laurice Dagum, Engr. Francis Corpuz, and Engr. Aaron Hilomen. it uses its own built underwater towed platform with camera and sonar system to provide maps and relevant information for marine management.\nContainer Living PH\n\nContainer Living provides a sustainable and modular-construction approach to modern building practices by using decommissioned shipping containers that are disaster-resilient and highly customisable. It was founded by Mac Evangelista, Engr. Aly Reyes, Mitch Menez, and John Aguilar.\nFHMoms\n\nFHMoms provides a platform which helps women find online jobs. Founded by Maria Korina Bertulfo, Lyra Jewel Decena, Rose Anne Fermocil, and Elisa Javier, their app narrows down employment options based on the results of their skill career matching quiz, and links users to online courses that will equip them with the knowledge and professional skills for their chosen online career path.\nGoally\n\nFounded by Gladis Morales and Rachel Jaro, Goally helps employees achieve their financial goals by providing an online dream planner, investment marketplace, and salary deduction facility.\nPayo\n\nCo-founded by Liron Gross, Payo is a gateway that manages and simplifies cash on delivery (COD) transaction for online sellers. We provide a full-suite of technological solutions including fraud detection, data analysis and courier optimisation, aimed to empower the merchants with abilities to seize control of the COD process, reduce cancellations and increase revenues.\nSmartBride\n\nFounded by Queency Kay Koh and Ira Manalastas, SmartBride is a virtual wedding planner powered by Artificial Intelligence. Their service automatically recommends free customisable wedding packages based on user’s preferences such as budget, location and target wedding date.\nStyleGenie\n\nStyleGenie is an online personalised styling service, with over a hundred Fashion Brands and 30,000 users on their platform. Founded by Abbie Victorino, Minrie Macapugay, Steph Oller, and Rhij Sarenas, stylists outfits based on customers\u2019 Style Profiles and provide door-to-door delivery of the corresponding StyleBoxes.\nVesl Pte Ltd.\n\nFounded by Maureen Nova Ledesma, Jessica Manipon, and Yroen Guaya Melgar, Vesl is a financial technology company innovating the trade finance sector by providing a platform that connects trade lenders and businesses to per invoice trade credit insurers, among other specialised insurance products.", "date_published": "2019-08-07T13:25:48+08:00", "date_modified": "2019-08-07T13:25:48+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/cedadiantityclea/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eda8ffc51ac7ec8b231b61b4c6a0d14e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "1Export", "Antipara Exploration Inc.", "Container Living PH", "FHMoms", "Goally", "Payo", "She Loves Tech Philippines", "SmartBride", "StyleGenie", "Vesl Pte Ltd.", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=220432", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2019/03/18/220432/key-meetings-set-in-beijing-to-nail-down-infrastructure-funding/", "title": "Key meetings set in Beijing to nail down infrastructure funding", "content_html": "OFFICIALS are set to meet with the Chinese government this week to discuss infrastructure projects under the Build, Build, Build program.
\nIn a statement on Monday, the Department of Finance (DoF) said meetings between officials from China and the Philippines are scheduled this week in Beijing.
\nThe Philippine delegation led by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea will meet officials of China\u2019s Ministry of Commerce today to \u201cfirm up possible new agreements on infrastructure cooperation between the two countries.\u201d
\nThe delegation will also meet with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan.
\nMeanwhile, other Philippine delegates are set to meet with officials of the Export-Import Bank of China, as well as China International Development Cooperation Agency, the office in charge of China\u2019s foreign aid projects.
\nA Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) will be conducted in Beijing on March 20 to discuss the country\u2019s macroeconomic developments and opportunities with potential investors.
\nLast week, National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said the PEB will be followed by non-deal roadshows in Nanjing, Fuzhou, Suzhou and Xiamen.
\nThe DoF has not provided further details regarding the meetings, but Ms. De Leon, who will be in China for the PEB, said the \u201chigh-level\u201d talks will be attended by government officials in charge of the Build, Build, Build program.
\nOfficials are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts this week amid the water crisis and public opposition to the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project.
\nOn Friday, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III rejected claims that high interest rates are attached to Chinese loans that will fund infrastructure projects under the Build, Build, Build program.
\nMr. Dominguez said the Kaliwa Dam project is funded by a $211 million loan from China at an interest rate of 2% per annum. The loan obtained by the administration of former President Gloria M. Arroyo for the Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project Phase II worth $116.6 million had a 3% interest rate
\nThe loan accord for the Kaliwa Dam project was signed on Nov. 20. Kaliwa Dam is meant to be a medium-term water source for Metro Manila, complementing the current main source, Angat Dam, which supplies about 96% of the Philippine capital\u2019s requirements. Kaliwa is expected to add 600 million liters per day (MLD) to augment the 4,000 MLD from Angat. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal
Today is the 33rd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution (EDSA I). \u201cIt commemorates the peaceful demonstrations that occurred in 1986 and led to the overthrow of the corrupt rule of President Ferdinand Marcos….In previous years, 25 February was a work holiday, but today, the Monday nearest that date is a holiday only for school,\u201d a travel service website informs interested tourists (https://publicholidays.ph).
\nThe celebration of EDSA I was downgraded noticeably after the term of Benigno Simeon \u201cNoynoy\u201d Aquino III, only son of EDSA hero Senator Benigno \u201cNinoy\u201d Aquino II and the first post EDSA I president of the dictator-free Philippines, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. In November 2017, the new president, Rodrigo Duterte integrated the functions of the EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), with the latter commission holding the chairmanship for EPPC and its EDSA-related activities and projects.
\nThe last EDSA I celebration under PNoy Aquino on February 24, 2016 was the last anniversary that could be called \u201cYellow\u201d (for the \u201cYellow Ribbon\u201d protest following the Aquino assassination on August 21, 1983), in recognition of his parents\u2019 symbolic leadership of the Revolution thrust on them — Ninoy by his assassination, and Cory by her actual but thwarted victory over Marcos in the February 7, 1986 snap elections.
\nIt was also an election year at the 2016 EDSA I Anniversary, as it is an election year now, in the first outspokenly anti-Aquino president since 1986, Rodrigo Duterte. In 2016, then Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte (Liberal Party) said, \u201cIn May, we choose new leaders. It should also be an occasion where voters should carefully assess choices based on history and our world-recognized achievement that was EDSA\u201d (The Philippine Star Feb. 24, 2016). \u201cWe are each called upon to do our role in choosing government leaders whom we can trust to continue to uphold the gains of EDSA and not set aside the very reason why we live in a democracy today,\u201d he added (Ibid.).
\nRodrigo Duterte of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party (LP) won the 2016 elections as President and Vice-President. The LPs won majority of the seats in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate, but many LPs changed loyalties to Duterte\u2019s PDP-Laban to create a \u201csupermajority coalition.\u201d Such was the \u201cfall of the \u2018dilawang\u2019 (Yellow) Liberal Party\u201d (Rappler, June 23, 2017). \u201cAs you can see, I am also partly a failure. Why? A lot of the people who were introduced here as PDP were in fact LPs at the time when the president [Aquino] told me to help everybody get in,\u201d Belmonte told reporters then (Ibid.).
\n\u201cMany local government officials — governors, mayors, provincial and city legislators, even barangay captains — remain loyal or at least, sympathetic to the Liberal Party. But reality on the ground and the need to win in the mid-term 2019 races, go beyond party loyalty and sympathy… Legislators — district representatives, especially — had specific concerns. Not being in the majority meant risking losing funding in their area…(and) risking a loss come 2019,\u201d an interview with Julio Teehankee, professor of political science at the De La Salle University brought out (Ibid.). \u201cOld habits die hard,\u201d he said of traditional politicians [pejoratively called \u201ctrapos\u201d] (Ibid.).
\nDuterte cannot help but be cocky about his \u201coversubscribed\u201d control and exceeded expectations about his power over friends and foes. He has vented disdain and distrust of the remaining few die-hard Liberals, the \u201cYellows\u201d whom he downgraded further to \u201cYellowtards.\u201d
\n![\"EDSA\"](\"https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/EDSA-022519.jpg\")
\nBy December 2016, the Duterte-controlled House had already put PNoy\u2019s former Justice Secretary and elected Senator Leila de Lima, a vocal Duterte critic, in detention for alleged complicity in drug trafficking at the Bureau of Prisons, which was under her in PNoy\u2019s time. In October 2017, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista (appointed by PNoy) was forced to resign his post before he would have been impeached for non-declaration of assets in his SALN, as exposed by his estranged wife, Patricia.
\nThe Duterte operatives hounded Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (appointed by PNoy) who spoke against the drug war and the legalities of his methods and style, until she was removed by \u201cquo warranto\u201d technicalities raised by the Justice Department and carried out by her majority pro-Duterte (and Duterte-appointed) peers at the Supreme Court. Duterte vowed to remove Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales who said she will investigate Duterte\u2019s bank accounts, which allegedly contain millions of pesos that he did not declare in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth [SALN] (The Philippine Star Oct. 4, 2017). She managed to finish her appointive term.
\nBut perhaps the attack on the \u201cYellows\u201d has been most defended by the ex-military man/putschist Sen. Antonio Trillanes, who first dared Duterte to bare his true assets even before Duterte won as president. Duterte lashed back: \u201cYung Left, pati ang kaalyado ng Left… \u2018yung mga dilaw. Gusto nila ako paalisin dito sa Malaca\u00f1ang (even the Left, the ally of the Left is the yellows. They want me out of Malaca\u00f1ang),\u201d the President said, referring to LP\u2019s color (philstar.com Oct. 5, 2017).
\n\u201cThere is no conspiracy. If at all, it exists as a product of his creative imagination,\u201d cause-oriented group Tindig Pilipinas said in a statement (Ibid.). Activist group Bayan said Duterte was \u201ccreating his own ghosts\u201d (interaksyon.com/breaking-news/2017/10/06). The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) accused Duterte of seeking to monopolize political power and, thus, \u201cwants to clampdown and silence all who disagree with his policies and methods\u201d (Ibid.).
\nAnd so last Saturday, February 23, Yellows (LP) and various multisectoral groups, as well as the Reds (CCP), who were missing in the 1986 uprising by default, trooped to major thoroughfare EDSA to mark the 33rd anniversary of the People Power Revolution where they called for a united fight against a return to authoritarian rule and against the prevailing culture of impunity in the country (GMA News Feb. 23, 2019).
\nSince he assumed the presidency in June 2016, Duterte has never joined the traditional celebration of the 1986 People Power Revolution (Sunstar Feb. 20, 2019). Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, \u201cThe President has so many duties and tasks to finish… He\u2019s industrious\u201d (Ibid.).
\nOf course, die-hard \u201cDutertists\u201d in government will not have anything to do with the EDSA Anniversary. Not even the former \u201cYellows\u201d now serving in Duterte\u2019s government will publicly mark February 25 as a special day. Neither will turncoat politicians who had anticipated and desperately prepared for the May 13, 2019 mid-term elections by shamelessly moving over to the \u201csupermajority\u201d early on in Duterte\u2019s assumption of office.
\nFor us ordinary citizens, whether pro-Duterte or anti-Duterte, Yellow, Red, Green, Orange, or whatever color, we must in our hearts and in action, fight to keep our freedoms. EDSA I is still a good symbol for our values and principles, though it is not colored yellow anymore.
\n
\nAmelia H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
\nahcylagan@yahoo.com
SANGGUNIANG Kabataan (SK) leaders in Iloilo City have been ordered to immediately organize special elections to fill up vacant pots in their respective youth councils, or face a zero-budget year in 2019. \u201cBased on the memorandum our department has issued, they have to complete their SK officials because we will not be receiving their proposed budget for 2019 if the signatures of the SK officials are not complete,\u201d said Ferdinand L. Panes, director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government\u2019s (DILG) city office. The memorandum also stated that the 2018 SK plans and budgets shall only be subjected to technical review by the DILG office and the Local Youth and Development Office (LYDO )upon proof of compliance. Mr. Panes issued the directive to SK leaders last Jan. 3. The special elections will be supervised by the respective SK chairpersons, Commission on Elections, board of election supervisors headed by the DILG with non-government or civil society group representatives as members. DILG records show that more than 300 SK positions across 75 barangays are vacant. Mr. Panes cited the lack of benefits, honorarium, work, and school among the reasons behind the resignation of some elected SK officials. \u201cWe hope all the vacancies will be filled-up because we are planning together with SK Federation and LYDO to conduct mandatory training, which is a requirement before assumption of SK officials both appointed and elected,\u201d Mr. Panes said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo
\n", "content_text": "SANGGUNIANG Kabataan (SK) leaders in Iloilo City have been ordered to immediately organize special elections to fill up vacant pots in their respective youth councils, or face a zero-budget year in 2019. \u201cBased on the memorandum our department has issued, they have to complete their SK officials because we will not be receiving their proposed budget for 2019 if the signatures of the SK officials are not complete,\u201d said Ferdinand L. Panes, director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government\u2019s (DILG) city office. The memorandum also stated that the 2018 SK plans and budgets shall only be subjected to technical review by the DILG office and the Local Youth and Development Office (LYDO )upon proof of compliance. Mr. Panes issued the directive to SK leaders last Jan. 3. The special elections will be supervised by the respective SK chairpersons, Commission on Elections, board of election supervisors headed by the DILG with non-government or civil society group representatives as members. DILG records show that more than 300 SK positions across 75 barangays are vacant. Mr. Panes cited the lack of benefits, honorarium, work, and school among the reasons behind the resignation of some elected SK officials. \u201cWe hope all the vacancies will be filled-up because we are planning together with SK Federation and LYDO to conduct mandatory training, which is a requirement before assumption of SK officials both appointed and elected,\u201d Mr. Panes said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo", "date_published": "2019-01-06T22:23:39+08:00", "date_modified": "2019-01-06T22:23:39+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/rgentribirthfurd/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/67e0d160ec455979f75e504cb026950a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/rgentribirthfurd/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/67e0d160ec455979f75e504cb026950a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.bworldonline.com/?p=190045", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2018/09/28/190045/tariffs-start-to-drag-on-u-s-economy-as-trade-deficit-widens/", "title": "Tariffs start to drag on U.S. economy as trade deficit widens", "content_html": "By\u00a0Bloomberg
\nFresh data on the U.S. economy show President Donald Trump\u2019s escalating trade war is shaping up as a clear drag on growth this quarter.
\nThe merchandise-trade deficit unexpectedly grew in August to $75.8 billion, the widest in six months, as exports of food, industrial supplies and autos declined, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. A separate report from the department showed corporate investment took a breather, with business equipment orders at U.S. factories falling in August following a run of strong gains, while shipments of those items slowed.
\nEconomists at Amherst Pierpont Securities and Capital Economics trimmed their estimates for gross domestic product growth this quarter. Before Thursday\u2019s data, the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey was for 3 percent expansion.
\nWhile analysts said the trade deficit partly reflected an expected drop in soybean exports following a second-quarter surge ahead of Chinese-imposed tariffs, and economic growth is projected to remain solid, the numbers illustrate how the trade war is spurring volatility in the data. In addition, the widening deficit runs contrary to Trump\u2019s aim of a narrower gap and underscores the challenges of achieving that goal amid strong domestic demand — which tends to boost imports — and retaliatory tariffs from abroad.
\n\u201cThe data are grim,\u201d Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics Ltd., said in a note, referring to the August goods trade gap. \u201cThe administration\u2019s narrative, that the second-quarter drop in the deficit was a result of their trade policies, has now fallen apart, as it was always likely to do.\u201d
\nAnother report on Thursday showed global trade is continuing to lose a little steam amid the tariff battle between the U.S. and China, the world\u2019s two biggest economies. Freight and logistics company DHL said its trade barometer weakened in September, dropping to the lowest since 2016 and indicating a slower pace of growth in the months ahead.
\nWhile economists say it may be too early to detect the exact impact from trade disputes, the data bear watching as the headwind and uncertainty look unlikely to dissipate. Thursday\u2019s reports come after the U.S. and China imposed tariffs on each other in late August, which followed others implemented in early July. The U.S. added tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese imports this week — the largest escalation of the trade war so far.
\nThe wider trade gap reinforced estimates that net exports are likely to be a drag on third-quarter economic growth after providing a 1.22 percentage-point boost in the previous period. Conversely, August figures released Thursday signaled inventories will give a large boost to growth this quarter, after subtracting 1.17 percentage point from the second-quarter GDP advance.
\n\u201cNet exports will be a drag\u201d in the July-September period, \u201cbut inventories will be a positive,\u201d said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist for Capital Economics, who trimmed his GDP growth forecast to 3 percent from a gain of between 3 percent to 3.5 percent before the Thursday data. That amounts to a pace of expansion that is \u201cstill very good, just not very, very strong like the second quarter.\u201d
\nRevised data on Thursday showed GDP posted a 4.2 percent annualized pace of expansion — the fastest since 2014. Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst, cut his third-quarter GDP growth estimate to 2.8 percent, from 3 percent. Net exports may subtract as much as 1.5 percentage point from third-quarter GDP growth, according to Omair Sharif, an economist at Societe Generale SA.
\nAfter the Thursday reports, Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., cut his GDP growth estimate for this quarter to 3 percent, from 3.5 percent, saying in a note that the economy was looking \u201cless boomy, more noisy.\u201d
\nThe latest figures come on the heels of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell\u2019s remarks Wednesday that the economy is having a \u201cbright moment\u201d and the trade tensions haven\u2019t caused a noticeable downdraft in broad data.
By Bloomberg
\nA TEXTILE-yarn company in western Indian soon will have more machines than workers. A manufacturer in southern India sold almost double the number of its automated goods last year. India\u2019s biggest carmaker has one robot for every four plant employees.
\nAutomation will double over the next three years in Indian factories, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson. Companies in the Asia Pacific region reckon machines will account for 23 percent of work, on average, over the next three years, compared with 13 percent today. In India, that figure is expected to rise to almost 30 percent from 14 percent over the same period.
\nIndia Inc. is turning to machines quicker than its global peers. But unlike companies in Japan and Germany — which are automating to move up the food chain as their workers age — factories in the world\u2019s second most populous country have a surprising motivation: They\u2019re running out of willing (human) workers.
\nThis is also happening as India\u2019s ballooning working-age population needs more jobs. Over the next decade, 138 million people will be added to the workforce, a 30 percent rise, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.
\nThe trouble is finding jobs that Indians actually want. The country\u2019s workers would rather drive for food-delivery services on the breezy, albeit steamy, roads of Mumbai and work in hotels than in factories. Fair enough. Who would want to work in a yarn mill, which needs to maintain a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) and 60 percent relative humidity? Conditions on other industrial factory floors are likely worse.
\nThat India\u2019s yarn and cloth-making industries — among the most labor-intensive in the country — have become the vanguard of automation speaks to the challenge. The textile-yarn company had to ramp up spending on hiring and venture deep into the Indian hinterland to find workers through recruitment camps, luring them with housing and attendance incentives. It even has had to pay them just to return to work after the holiday season or weddings.
\nThe rapid pace of automation has brought its own set of problems. The cost of adding machines is high while labor costs are relatively lower. Many of these companies wouldn\u2019t break even for years by automating, and according to the Willis Towers Watson survey, few believe they are prepared to deal with the onset of machines.
\nThe Indian government\u2019s job-guarantee program, with its skewed incentives, hasn\u2019t helped either. For every worker that signs up for the 100-day plan, fewer will fuel the manufacturing sector and the \u201cMake in India\u201d program. Because wages for those jobs are, in several states, set below the minimum wage, anecdotally workers have been signing up at multiple job sites just to squeak by.
\nOther laborers have given up altogether. Take the city of Bengaluru, whose ready-made garment industry is composed mostly of young, unskilled migrant women. Studies have found that over a fifth of workers there don\u2019t receive the minimum wage, and move from factory to factory only to end up in domestic-service work.
\nWho would\u2019ve thought that India\u2019s low- and unskilled workers, and the welfare programs designed to help them, would drive companies toward automation? In a country where manufacturing and construction each comprise 10 percent of the labor force — compared with 25 percent in services — these sectors should be driving India\u2019s economy, not weighing it down. The sad reality is that those in the bottom tiers of the labor force will be the most severely hurt by automation.
\nUpgrading rusty manual machines isn\u2019t a bad thing. The transition could help overall productivity, efficiency and quality. Research also has found that automation often leads to other, better jobs. The typewriter didn\u2019t replace the stenographer completely but taught people how to type instead.
\nThe difference is that those workers had skills that could be upgraded. Meanwhile, only 18.5 percent of India\u2019s labor force is skilled or holds an intermediate or advanced level of education, according to the United Nations Development Programme.
\nManufacturing, as Professor Dani Rodrik of Harvard University, puts it, is \u201cthe quintessential escalator for developing economies.\u201d For India, which became a service-heavy economy before it fully industrialized, the consequences of automating the sector are far more dire. The self-fulfilling cycle of India\u2019s manufacturing void means workers may not be fully equipped to move up the ladder or out of the still-large informal economy.
\nIndian politicians have vowed to create millions of new jobs a year. That hasn\u2019t happened. Ahead of a big election, India\u2019s accidental automation may make that promise even harder to fulfill.
When the term business process outsourcing (BPO) is mentioned locally, call centers come to mind and rightfully so. The industry has been booming for the past 15 years and currently employs some 1.3 million Filipinos. This makes the BPO scene a primary mover of the Philippine economyand is expected to expand\u00a0 even more for the next several years.
\nWhat most Filipinos aren\u2019t aware of is the fact that BPO is an umbrella term that encompasses many different disciplines. Back office functions such as accounting, software development, website design, order entry and virtually any other office function can now be outsourced as long as an internet connection, a computer and the correct process are accessible to a service provider.
\nAmong all these BPO subsets, one is emerging as an increasingly viable and important one in the Philippines. The craft is called search engine optimization (SEO) and it\u2019s an industry that\u2019s changing the lives of tens of thousands of Filipinos with hardly anyone noticing it.
\nWhat is SEO?
\nStrictly defined, search engine optimization is the process of applying known and proven best practices to improve the visibility of a website in the search results of web portals such as Google. The goal of SEO is to help a website\u2019s listings climb as close to the top of search results as possible so they can gain the best chance of being clicked on by potential customers.
\nSEO is central to any digital marketing campaign as any business will benefit from having Google refer them to the people searching for products and services that they offer. For instance, if a potential customer is looking for a website where they can buy leather shoes from but doesn\u2019t know where to do it, he\u2019ll likely go to Google to see what he can find. As one may guess, the top result on Google for \u201cleather shoes\u201d is the most likely to be clicked on, allowing it to sell to the potential customer before its competitors get a chance.
\nWhile other promotional channels on the web such as social media or affiliates can drive traffic to a website, none of them can send the kind of targeted visitors that only Google can. Traffic from Google tends to be more engaged and easier to convert into paying customers. Therefore, it\u2019s no wonder why companies in developed markets such as the USA, Canada and the UK are constantly embroiled in silent wars for search engine dominance. Being ahead of the pack on search results can literally make or break a business.
\nWhy is SEO Outsourced to the Philippines?
\nThe reasons why foreign companies outsource SEO to the Philippines is similar to the rationale behind the offshoring of other BPO work. Lower labor costs, a high level of English proficiency and the richness of its labor market made the Philippines ideal for foreign companies to source work from. According to one of the Philippines\u2019 leading SEO experts, the laws of supply and demand also favor the Philippines.
\n\u201cAs having a digital presence becomes a must for businesses of all sizes, the demand for SEO grows proportionally,\u201d says Glen Dimaandal, CEO of GDI Online Marketing. \u201cHowever, SEO is still a very niche industry and finding a reliable service provider even in the US can be hard and expensive.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s why many businesses turn to Philippine SEO agencies for help,\u201d he continues. \u201cFilipinos have shown that they can learn the craft rather quickly and deliver world-class results.\u201d
\nDimaandal says that typical SEO retainer rates in the US start at $3,000 per month, often providing only\u00a0 very basic work. With Philippine SEO service providers, comprehensive SEO service packages typically go for $1,500 per month maximum.
\n\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s all about value for money,\u201d Dimaandal adds. \u201cWhy would anyone want to pay twice or thrice the price for basic services when you can get premium work done for a lot less?\u201d
\nLocal SEO Demand
\nAccording to the SEO expert, it\u2019s not just foreign companies who are looking for SEO services. Dimaandal says that local businesses have started to recognize the value of SEO and are demanding the service themselves.
\n\u201cOur clientele used to be 80% US,UK and Australian businesses,\u201d he says. \u201cThese days, those account for maybe 50% of our revenue. Filipino companies are now 30% of our market while the rest are companies from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.\u201d
\nDimaandal credits the rise in the use of smartphones for the increased local demand. Phones have lowered the entry barrier for internet usage among Filipinos and helped even lower-income individuals participate in the online economy.
\n\u201cNow, even people in their 60s and beyond order from the likes of Lazada, Zalora, and Poundit,\u201d adds Dimaandal. \u201cEven if you own a locally targeted shop like a restaurant or a salon, people now prefer using Google to find businesses like yours.\u201d
\n\u201cOf course, that goes for your competitors as well. You\u2019ll need to do some SEO to make sure potential customers find you first.,\u201d he continues.
\nWhat Type of Companies do SEO?
\nHiring a good SEO service provider can be a tricky process. Due to the fact that it\u2019s a relatively new and very niche practice, organizations and individuals can claim expertise and offer it in an effort for a quick cash grab. Advertising agencies, PR firms, web design service providers are often seen offering SEO, but do they really get the job done?
\nDimaandal says that it\u2019s possible they can, but adds that it\u2019s unlikely.
\n\u201cSEO is a very distinct practice that requires highly specialized knowledge,\u201d he says. \u201cWhile there are indeed some overlaps between PR, advertising, web development and SEO, an agency that specializes in just optimizing for search visibility is still your best bet.\u201d
\nDimaandal confides that some of his clients are companies that tried to optimize their websites for search without much success after they sought the help of traditional PR firms and ad agencies. He says that
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why some of our clients are the biggest ad and PR agencies in the US, Singapore and Hong Kong,\u201d Dimaandal adds. \u201cThey know marketing, but not the fine details of SEO, so they source that from us. If you\u2019re the client, why would you want to pay extra to an ad agency when you can go straight to an SEO agency like GDI and cut the middleman?\u201d
\nHow Does One Enter the Industry?
\nAside from the high demand and the opportunities in it, the most exciting part of the SEO industry may be the fact that anyone can get into it regardless of background and academic attainment. Like call centers, the SEO industry is liberal and people who can perform the work can often find employment.
\n\u201cThere are plenty of online training materials out there to help take you from an absolute newbie to an intermediate-level SEO specialist,\u201d says the GDI CEO. \u201c I\u2019ve had colleagues who came from all sorts of backgrounds such as computer science, journalism, nursing or even fine arts.\u201d
\n\u201cThe important thing is the willingness to learn and a way for you to apply what you watch and read,\u201d he adds. \u201cOf course coding and writing skills will give you an added advantage.\u201d
\nAccording to Dimaandal, an entry-level SEO specialist will make around 15,000-18,000 pesos per month. As the years of experience and skill set grows, so does the pay.
\n\u201cMid-level SEOs will make between 40,000-60,000 pesos a month,\u201d he notes. \u201cVery experienced and managerial-level SEOs make 80,000 to 200,000 per month locally. Abroad, rockstar-level SEOs can make as much as $15,000 per month.\u201d
\nWhile the exact number of SEO practitioners in the country is unknown, Dimaandal estimates that there must be around 15,000 Filipinos in the industry. This is about 10% of the global total, which is a significant share of the market.
\nLike call centers, the SEO outsourcing scene is expected to grow even more in the next several years. Unlike call centers, though, search engine optimization and other digital marketing subsets don\u2019t face the threat of AI.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has appointed Department of Tourism (DoT) Undersecretary Katherine Chloe S. De Castro as a member of the board of directors of the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13), Malaca\u00f1ang said on Wednesday, Aug. 22.
\nMs. De Castro was replaced by Edwin R. Enrile as tourism undersecretary.
\nThe President signed the appointment papers of Ms. De Castro and Mr. Enrile last Monday, Aug. 20.
\n“Pursuant to the provisions of existing laws, you are hereby appointed Member, Board of Directors, Intercontinental Boadcasting Corporation (IBC-13), to serve the unexpired Term of Office (of Manolito O. Cruz) that began on 01 July 2018 and will end on 30 June 2019,” Ms. De Castro’s appointment paper read in part.
\nIBC-13, according to the official Web site of the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and-Controlled Corporations (GCG), “started out in 1960 as a private company known as Inter-Island Broadcasting Corp., and then was sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) in 1986 as part of the recovery of ill-gotten wealth.”
\n“It has been one of 2 networks considered as GOCCs aside from Philippine Television Network, Inc. (PTV-4). The State also has a minority share in Radio Philippines Network (RPN-9),” the GCG also said.
\nThe President has also signed the appointment papers of the following new officials:
\n\u2022 Michael P. Ong, Acting Senior Deputy Executive Secretary, Office of the President
\n\u2022 Mcjill Bryant T. Fernandez, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration, Office of the President
\n\u2022 Vanessa B. Goc-ong, Assistant Secretary, Office of the President
\n\u2022 Beatrice A. Avelino-Vega, Assistant Secretary, Office of the President
\n\u2022 Francisco P. Acosta, Chairman, Commission on Filipinos Overseas
\n\u2022 Ruben V. Lopez, Member, Board of Directors, United Coconut Planters Bank
\n\u2022 Joe Jay T. Doctora, Member, Board of Directors, Small Business Corporation
\n\u2022 Dengel P. Palmares, Member, Board of Directors, Philippine Sugar Corporation
\n\u2022 Danilo C. Trongco, Member, Board of Directors, National Tobacco Administration
\n\u2022 Amador T. Tabuga, Jr. Member, Board of Directors, Philippine Mining Development Corporation
\n\u2022 Paul J. Paulin, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer I, Department of Agrarian Reform
\n\u2022 Peter Joseph L. Fauni, Register of Deeds II, Land Registration Authority, Department of Justice
\n—\u00a0Arjay L. Balinbin
When it comes to traveling, one of the biggest and perhaps most difficult decisions you have to make is picking a hotel. Apart from budget considerations, you also have to check if the place is clean, safe, and has access to necessities like water and dining options. This might take a while, especially if you\u2019re meticulous. The wide array of accommodations available might also add to the challenge of honing in on that one hotel that meets all your requirements.
\nFor those with a limited budget, the difficulty usually stems from finding an affordable place that also isn\u2019t \u201ckuripot\u201d or worse, has substandard facilities. For those who can splurge a bit more, the problem may lie in the service; there are establishments that have a five-star rating but have poor customer reviews.
\nTo help make things easier for travelers, online flight and hotel booking platform Traveloka has compiled a list of the top hotels in 26 tourist destinations in the Philippines. The list includes three hotels per destination: budget (up to P2,000/night), midrange (up to P5,000/night), and luxury (P5,000 above/night).
\nThe round-up includes hotels in locations like Baguio, Subic,Tagaytay, Makati, Manila, Cebu,Boracay, Iloilo, Coron, Vigan, Davao, Panglao Island, and 14 other tourist hotspots in the country. Places like New Orleans Auberge Hotel in Tagaytay and Lub d Philippines in Makati are listed in the budget hotel category; Montebello Villa in Cebu and Best Western Plus in Subic are in the midrange category; and South Palms Resort in Panglao Island and Richmonde Hotel in Iloilo are in the luxury category.
\nTraveloka crafted the list based on the popularity of the destinations, price points, and customer reviews. The last one is especially important because Traveloka wants to ensure that every traveler experiences only the best, from the beginning until the end of their trip.
\nHave you finally decided where your next trip is going to be? Let Traveloka help you have an enjoyable and hassle-free vacation! Visit https://www.traveloka.com/en-ph/hotel and book your hotel today.
Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) has started its offer of long-term negotiable certificates of deposit (LTNCD) which will be used to expand its consumer banking segment.
\nIn a regulatory filing Tuesday, July 24, the listed thrift banking arm of Ty-led Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) said it is offering at least P3 billion in LTNCDs with an option to upsize.
\nThe LTNCDs will be offered from July 24 to Aug. 2, while issue date will be on Aug. 9.
\nThe instruments will mature in five years and six months and carry an interest rate of 5% to be paid quarterly. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal
An 18th-century Chinese vase forgotten for decades in a shoe box in a French attic sold for 16.2 million euros ($19 million) at Sotheby’s in Paris on Tuesday — more than 30 times the estimate.
\nExperts at the auction house said the exquisite porcelain vessel was made for the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong and had set a guide price of a much more modest 500,000 euros.
\n“This is a major work of art, it is as if we had just discovered a Caravaggio,” Olivier Valmier, the Asian arts expert at the auction house, told reporters before the sale.
\nThe vase, which was in perfect condition, “is the only known example in the world bearing such detail,” he added.
\nRare porcelain from the Qianlong period has been going for astronomical prices recently, with a bowl sold last April by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for 30.4 million dollars.
\nThe vase — which is decorated with images of deer and cranes — was found by chance among dozens of other pieces of Chinoiserie in the attic of a house in France earlier this year.
\nThe family had acquired it at the end of the 19th century but it has lain unloved in a shoe box in the attic for decades.
\n“We didn’t like the vase too much, and my grandparents didn’t like it either,” said the owner of the piece, who only got in touch with Sotheby’s in March.
\nIt was still in the shoe box when it was presented to Sotheby’s experts for authentification.
\nThe staggering price paid by a young Chinese collector, who was at the auction himself, is the highest ever recorded by the auction house in Paris.
\n“Such elaborate and challenging designs are\u00a0exceedingly rare\u00a0on Qing imperial porcelain,” Sotheby’s said on its website. \u2014 AFP
4 films to see on the week of June 8-15, 2018
\n![\"Jurassic](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Jurassic-World-Fallen-Kingdom-060818.jpg\")
Jurassic World: Fallen KingdomTHREE years after the Jurassic World theme park was destroyed by escaped dinosaurs, the remaining dinosaurs are threatened with extinction when the island\u2019s formerly dormant volcano wakes up. To save them from extinction, a rescue mission is mounted. Directed by J.A. Bayona, the film — the fifth in the franchise — stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, and B.D. Wong. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes (where the film got a 59% rating) states: Critics Consensus: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom adds another set piece-packed entry to the blockbuster franchise, although genuinely thrilling moments are in increasingly short supply.\u201d
\nMTRCB Rating: PG
![\"Don\u2019t](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Dont-Knock-Twice-060818.jpg\")
Don\u2019t Knock TwiceA TROUBLED TEENAGER escapes to the country home of her estranged mother after unwittingly waking a shape-shifting demon. Directed by Caradog W. James, it stars Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Boynton, Javier Botet, Nick Moran, Jordan Bolger, and Richard Mylan. Empire\u2019s David Parkinson writes, \u201cReturning to the theme of matriarchal compassion that he explored in The Machine, director Caradog James demonstrates again the knack for lighting sets and sustaining atmosphere that is frustratingly undermined by his shakier storytelling skills.\u201d
\nMTRCB Rating: R-13
![\"Submergence\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Submergence-060818.jpg\")
SubmergenceWIM WENDERS (Wings of Desire, Pina) directs this story of a British undercover agent and a bio-mathematician who unexpectedly fall in love as they prepare to go to their respective missions far from each other. The film stars James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, and Celyn Jones. The Guardian\u2019s Benjamin Lee writes, \u201cThere\u2019s something to be admired about a film that can gracefully defy simple genre categorization but Submergence feels like a clumsy melange, a confused adaptation made by people who don\u2019t seem quite sure what they have on their hands.\u201d
\nMTRCB Rating: R-13
![\"Detective](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Detective-Conan-Zero-the-Enforcer-060818.jpg\")
Detective Conan: Zero the EnforcerA JAPANESE animated movie, the latest in a long series of films — the 22nd of the Case Closed film series based on the manga series of the same name. Detective Conan gets on the case after a mysterious explosion at Tokyo\u2019s new Edge of Ocean facility just before a summit and he finds himself tracing the movements of T\u014dru Amuro from the National Public Security Police. Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, it features the voices of T\u00f4ru Furuya, Megumi Hayashibara, and Rikiya Koyama.
\nMTRCB Rating: PG
By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
\nThe European Union (EU) business community in the Philippines on Tuesday, May 29, vowed that they will \u201ccontinue to strongly engage with the government against the removal of fiscal incentives\u201d under the proposed second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN 2).
\nEuropean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) President Guenter Taus said this when sought for comment in response to the Department of Finance\u2019s (DoF) move to rationalize the fiscal incentives under the proposed tax reform measure.
\n\u201cThe Philippines does not exist in a vacuum, it stands in competition with other countries in the region almost all of which offer attractive fiscal incentives to investors. As noted by several investment rating agencies, Philippine corporate income tax is still one of the highest in ASEAN despite the proposed reduction. This further highlights the importance of fiscal incentives to help the country keep up with attractive investment destinations. Even the possible removal of incentives has stopped new investors in their tracks while investors already in the country are halting expansion plans and considering more favorable climates,\u201d Mr. Taus told BusinessWorld in a text message.
\nHe added that apart from attracting investments, fiscal incentives also allows Philippine products to compete in the global market. \u201cGiven the government\u2019s thrust towards increasing the quantity of exports and moving up the global value chain, the retention of these incentives is important in maintaining the profitability of the Philippine exporters,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cConsidering all of the above, the EU business community asserts that fiscal incentives are a pillar of Philippines competitiveness and their benefit to Filipinos should be measures in terms of the development and jobs that they bring. We continue to strongly engage with government against the removal of fiscal incentives under TRAIN 2. We are confident that the legislative will recognize the positive effect of fiscal incentives on the lives and wellbeing of the average Filipino,\u201d Mr. Taus also said.
\nIn a press briefing at the Palace on Monday, May 29, Finance Assistant Secretary Paola A. Alvarez said that TRAIN 2 gets \u201cpositive\u201d feedback from the \u201cchambers of commerce.\u201d
\nFor her part, Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa S. Habitan said: \u201cFor the locators of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), at first, they thought that all incentives will be removed, but as Assistant Secretary Paola A. Alvarez explained, it is not the thrust of the government. We will still retain the incentives, but we will change how these are going to be administered. So, it is important that it is performance-based, time-bound, transparent, and targeted.\u201d
\nWhen sought for comment, PEZA Director-General Charito B. Plaza did not respond to calls.
Filipinos are known for having close family ties. In everything they do, the family is always involved, even the extended ones.\u00a0In fact, they build spacious abodes or homes next to each other to accommodate more of their loved ones or simply be near with them.
\nMost of the time, for families with a growing number of members, a normal four- or five-seater car is simply not enough. Just like having big homes, large families, for practical purposes, also opt for bigger, roomy cars such as seven-seater ones.
\nNot only do these cars provide extra seats for more persons, it also ensures maximum space and comfort for all passengers. These features are tailored to suit the needs of families\u2019 everyday style of living like traveling, or simply for going to and from work and/or school together.
\nFor traveling with the family or even with group of friends, spacious cars are definitely the top pick because it can give you the flexible option on how to use its space \u2014 whether for seating capacity or for storing extra luggage.
\nMost of these cars have foldable seats at the back that can easily and neatly be stowed away to make room for extra stuff. When not needed, these foldable rear seats come in handy to transport large cargoes that need additional space.
\nAlong with this, most seven-seater cars are made with larger leg room and head room for convenient alighting and boarding. With broader areas to move around or sit leisurely, passengers and drivers alike would not feel cramped or uncomfortable during long rides.
\nSome seven-seater cars, particularly sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have high ground clearance and a rugged suspension system \u2014 making it the perfect road buddy for traveling. These features enable it to adapt to different kinds of terrain and conditions like floods, or even driving on a rocky path, shallow rivers, or muddy slopes.
\nFor day-to-day city driving, most parents with two or more children would also rely on family-friendly spacious cars to transport them altogether to school before going to work themselves or the other way around when going home.
\nTo complement the comfort provided by the generous space of seven-seater vehicles, car brands also make sure to amplify driving experience through furnishing cars with cozy upholstery made from top-notch materials.
\nMost of these cars also have enviable amenities such as advanced\u00a0infotainment systems like premium sound system, among others, to keep even the longest of journeys interesting and fun. Moreover, these types of vehicles also have air-conditioning system that makes sure to cover all corners of the car cabin.
\nMore importantly, since these cars with seven-seating configuration are made with the families as potential market, it is equipped with cutting-edge safety features aimed to create a safer driving experience whether for daily or long road trips. Some of these include additional air bags, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection system, and features that aids in parking, among many others.
\nHand in hand with the comfortable, functional, and entertaining features inside the car cabin, these vehicles are also equipped with notable engines that boosts performance on the road and yet, are fuel-efficient \u2014 also a vital feature that makes seven-seater cars a practical choice for those thinking of buying a new car; not to mention that these cars have a attractive price points as well.
\nApart from having generous space, safety features, noteworthy engines, and a set of entertaining system, the exterior of seven-seater cars also does not disappoint. Most seven-seater car models with well-made interiors have equally tough yet stunning and stylish external body structure that is sure to standout both on and off the road.
\nWith a robust demand for these types of vehicles, car companies offer versatile models in the market wanting to cater not only to different types of families with various lifestyle needs and preferences that fit their personality, but also to other set of clienteles as well. Seven-seater cars also gained popularity among companies to chauffeur their employees, guests, or even cargoes around. \u2014 Romsanne R. Ortiguero
\n", "content_text": "Filipinos are known for having close family ties. In everything they do, the family is always involved, even the extended ones.\u00a0In fact, they build spacious abodes or homes next to each other to accommodate more of their loved ones or simply be near with them.\nMost of the time, for families with a growing number of members, a normal four- or five-seater car is simply not enough. Just like having big homes, large families, for practical purposes, also opt for bigger, roomy cars such as seven-seater ones.\nNot only do these cars provide extra seats for more persons, it also ensures maximum space and comfort for all passengers. These features are tailored to suit the needs of families\u2019 everyday style of living like traveling, or simply for going to and from work and/or school together.\nFor traveling with the family or even with group of friends, spacious cars are definitely the top pick because it can give you the flexible option on how to use its space \u2014 whether for seating capacity or for storing extra luggage.\nMost of these cars have foldable seats at the back that can easily and neatly be stowed away to make room for extra stuff. When not needed, these foldable rear seats come in handy to transport large cargoes that need additional space.\nAlong with this, most seven-seater cars are made with larger leg room and head room for convenient alighting and boarding. With broader areas to move around or sit leisurely, passengers and drivers alike would not feel cramped or uncomfortable during long rides.\nSome seven-seater cars, particularly sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have high ground clearance and a rugged suspension system \u2014 making it the perfect road buddy for traveling. These features enable it to adapt to different kinds of terrain and conditions like floods, or even driving on a rocky path, shallow rivers, or muddy slopes.\nFor day-to-day city driving, most parents with two or more children would also rely on family-friendly spacious cars to transport them altogether to school before going to work themselves or the other way around when going home.\nTo complement the comfort provided by the generous space of seven-seater vehicles, car brands also make sure to amplify driving experience through furnishing cars with cozy upholstery made from top-notch materials.\nMost of these cars also have enviable amenities such as advanced\u00a0infotainment systems like premium sound system, among others, to keep even the longest of journeys interesting and fun. Moreover, these types of vehicles also have air-conditioning system that makes sure to cover all corners of the car cabin.\nMore importantly, since these cars with seven-seating configuration are made with the families as potential market, it is equipped with cutting-edge safety features aimed to create a safer driving experience whether for daily or long road trips. Some of these include additional air bags, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection system, and features that aids in parking, among many others.\nHand in hand with the comfortable, functional, and entertaining features inside the car cabin, these vehicles are also equipped with notable engines that boosts performance on the road and yet, are fuel-efficient \u2014 also a vital feature that makes seven-seater cars a practical choice for those thinking of buying a new car; not to mention that these cars have a attractive price points as well.\nApart from having generous space, safety features, noteworthy engines, and a set of entertaining system, the exterior of seven-seater cars also does not disappoint. Most seven-seater car models with well-made interiors have equally tough yet stunning and stylish external body structure that is sure to standout both on and off the road.\nWith a robust demand for these types of vehicles, car companies offer versatile models in the market wanting to cater not only to different types of families with various lifestyle needs and preferences that fit their personality, but also to other set of clienteles as well. Seven-seater cars also gained popularity among companies to chauffeur their employees, guests, or even cargoes around. \u2014 Romsanne R. Ortiguero", "date_published": "2018-04-23T10:15:33+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-04-23T10:15:33+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "cargoes", "comfort", "engine", "fuel-efficient", "infotainment", "safety", "seven-seater cars", "space", "SUVs", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=149454", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2018/04/10/149454/couple-nabbed-in-p900-million-bitcoin-scam/", "title": "Couple nabbed in P900-million bitcoin scam", "content_html": "The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested a couple allegedly responsible for a multi-million scam involving the virtual currency bitcoin.
\nThe suspects, identified as Arnel and Leonady Ordonio, registered owners of NewG company, were apprehended in an entrapment operation last April 4 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. They were charged with syndicated estafa before the Office of the Special Prosecutors for amassing P900 million from more than 50 victims.
\nThe couple purportedly promised the victims of 30% return of investment after 16 days, with P90,000 to P160,000 as capital. The investment scam, which operated via social media, victimized individuals from various locations.
\n“Sa una ibibigay niya muna (earnings), first at saka second. After that, mawawala na siya. This is a simple case ng estafa at saka pyramiding kasi meron silang upline, may downline,” CIDG Police Director Roel B. Obusan said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
\n(Initially they will give the earnings, the first and the second. After that, they disappear. This is a simple case of estafa and pyramiding because it has upline and downline.)
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects the national identification (ID) system to be enacted next month.
\nSpeaking at the national convention of Chamber of Thirft Banks in Makati, BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. said the monetary authority sees the National ID System to be passed into law next month.
\n“Our great expectation is that we will have finally a proper national ID law as early as next month,” Mr. Espenilla said yesterday, adding that the Senate and House versions have been certified as urgent.
\nThe Senate and House versions of the bill establishing the national ID system has been approved on third and final reading. Mr. Espenilla said he expects the bicameral conference committee to convene next month to consolidate the two versions. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal
\u201cWE ARE SORRY to learn about the unfortunate incident that happened to Dj and Karen\u2019s son, David. Let this serve as a wake up call to national and local government that the safety of all tourists is of paramount importance. Qualified medical personnel and life saving equipment must always be present and ready, especially in places where adventure sports are main attractions such as wind and boardsurfing in Siargao.\u201d \u2014 Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar, on the surfing accident involving a son of journalist Karen Davila.
\n", "content_text": "\u201cWE ARE SORRY to learn about the unfortunate incident that happened to Dj and Karen\u2019s son, David. Let this serve as a wake up call to national and local government that the safety of all tourists is of paramount importance. Qualified medical personnel and life saving equipment must always be present and ready, especially in places where adventure sports are main attractions such as wind and boardsurfing in Siargao.\u201d \u2014 Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar, on the surfing accident involving a son of journalist Karen Davila.", "date_published": "2018-04-01T20:03:45+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-04-01T20:03:45+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=135804", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2018/02/22/135804/peso-ends-flat-p52-101/", "title": "Peso ends flat at P52.10:$1", "content_html": "The peso traded flat against the dollar on Thursday, Feb. 22, following the hawkish minutes of the January meeting of the US Federal Reserve (Fed).
\nThe local currency ended yesterday\u2019s session at P52.10 against the greenback, trading flat from its finish on Wednesday.
\nThe peso opened the session at P52.13 versus the dollar, while its best showing stood at P52.03. Yesterday\u2019s intraday low, on the other hand, was at P52.17 against the greenback.
\nDollars traded slipped to $668.4 million yesterday from the $965.95 million that changed hands in the previous session.
\n“The peso closed sideways [yesterday], though intraday rates were generally weaker following hawkish cues due to strong US economic growth outlook from the recently-released Fed policy meeting minutes,” a trader told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Thursday. \u2014 Karl Angelo N. Vidal
\n", "content_text": "The peso traded flat against the dollar on Thursday, Feb. 22, following the hawkish minutes of the January meeting of the US Federal Reserve (Fed).\nThe local currency ended yesterday\u2019s session at P52.10 against the greenback, trading flat from its finish on Wednesday.\nThe peso opened the session at P52.13 versus the dollar, while its best showing stood at P52.03. Yesterday\u2019s intraday low, on the other hand, was at P52.17 against the greenback.\nDollars traded slipped to $668.4 million yesterday from the $965.95 million that changed hands in the previous session.\n“The peso closed sideways [yesterday], though intraday rates were generally weaker following hawkish cues due to strong US economic growth outlook from the recently-released Fed policy meeting minutes,” a trader told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Thursday. \u2014 Karl Angelo N. Vidal", "date_published": "2018-02-22T18:15:49+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-02-22T18:15:49+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "dollar", "peso", "trading", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=135590", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2018/02/22/135590/davaos-cacao-beans-reach-japanese-market-dti/", "title": "Davao\u2019s cacao beans to reach Japanese market \u2014 DTI", "content_html": "The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) eyes better growth in the local cacao sector as Japanese department store giant Isetan Mitsukoshi Group will be sourcing its cacao beans from Davao for its new chocolate brand.
\nIn a statement released on Thursday, Feb. 22, Isetan will be importing from Plantacion de Sikwate Cacao Producers Association in Davao for its Nayuta Chocolatasia. According to DTI, 80% of the country’s total cacao production is found in the Davao region.
\nUndersecretary fro Trade and Investment Promotions Group Nora K. Terrado said the department is seeing a lot of budding cacao manufacturers and producers amid the government’s continuing implementation of agro-business industry roadmaps.
\n\u201cThe presence of Philippine cacao beans in the mainstream Japanese market is a clear manifestation that our produce are truly world-class,” she added.
\n“With sufficient support and aggressive marketing strategies being implemented by various private and public sector partners, we hope more and more Philippine goods will join the global market.” \u2014 Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
\n", "content_text": "The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) eyes better growth in the local cacao sector as Japanese department store giant Isetan Mitsukoshi Group will be sourcing its cacao beans from Davao for its new chocolate brand.\nIn a statement released on Thursday, Feb. 22, Isetan will be importing from Plantacion de Sikwate Cacao Producers Association in Davao for its Nayuta Chocolatasia. According to DTI, 80% of the country’s total cacao production is found in the Davao region.\nUndersecretary fro Trade and Investment Promotions Group Nora K. Terrado said the department is seeing a lot of budding cacao manufacturers and producers amid the government’s continuing implementation of agro-business industry roadmaps.\n\u201cThe presence of Philippine cacao beans in the mainstream Japanese market is a clear manifestation that our produce are truly world-class,” she added.\n“With sufficient support and aggressive marketing strategies being implemented by various private and public sector partners, we hope more and more Philippine goods will join the global market.” \u2014 Anna Gabriela A. Mogato", "date_published": "2018-02-22T17:44:44+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-02-22T17:44:44+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "agriculture", "cacao", "chocolate", "Davao", "DTI", "Isetan Mitsukoshi", "Japan", "Nayuta Chocolatasia", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=75338", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2017/11/12/75338/ban-trump/", "title": "\u2018Ban Trump\u2019", "content_html": "A protester shouts slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit at the Philippine International Convention Center, venue of the upcoming 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila on November 11, 2017. — REUTERS
\n", "content_text": "A protester shouts slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit at the Philippine International Convention Center, venue of the upcoming 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila on November 11, 2017. — REUTERS", "date_published": "2017-11-12T04:55:08+08:00", "date_modified": "2017-11-12T04:55:08+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "ASEANPHOTOS", "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=68982", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2017/10/20/68982/coming-home/", "title": "Coming home", "content_html": "A family arrives to check on their house in Raqa on October 20, 2017, after a Kurdish-led force expelled the Islamic State group from the northern Syrian city. — AFP
\n", "content_text": "A family arrives to check on their house in Raqa on October 20, 2017, after a Kurdish-led force expelled the Islamic State group from the northern Syrian city. — AFP", "date_published": "2017-10-20T01:53:20+08:00", "date_modified": "2017-10-20T01:53:20+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=58172", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/other-news/2017/09/29/58172/entrepreneurial-honorees/", "title": "Entrepreneurial honorees", "content_html": "Since 2007, the ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) has been on a mission to give outstanding enterprises and business leaders in the Southeast Asian region recognition, as well as to dispense information on the ASEAN Economic Community and draw attention to small and medium-sized enterprises with the potential to become global players in their respective industries.
\nThe 12 Priority Integration Sectors Awards of ABA are given to entities that have demonstrated outstanding performance in the following industries: fisheries, electronics, e-ASEAN, textiles, logistics, wood-based, rubber-based, agri-food, health care, tourism, automotive and retail.
\nSME Excellence Awards, meanwhile, honor SMEs that have achieved outstanding commercial success and sustainable growth (Growth category), that have demonstrated a high standard of commitment to the way they organize and integrate their responsible business practices (Corporate social responsibility category), that have demonstrated the provision of a stimulating and supportive workplace (Employment category), and that have demonstrated a proven ability create, nurture and develop new products or services (Innovation category).
\nAlso bestowed are the Young Entrepreneur and Women Entrepreneur excellence awards. The former honors a business owner below the age of 45, while the latter recognizes female business owner. Both should have attained significant success through leadership, market positioning and company performance. Other special prizes include Friend of ASEAN award, given to a non-ASEAN-owned enterprise committed to growing its presence in the region, and Green Technology Award, which a company that commits to integrating environmentally sustainable practices into its business model receives.
\nFor the 10th edition of the ASEAN Business Awards, held last Sept. 6 at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque City, two new award categories were added. One is the Inclusive Business award for the business model that creates sustainable social impact, and the other is the Legacy Award for the entrepreneur who has passionately committed herself or himself to growth and excellence while making positive impact on the ASEAN community.
\nFilipino businessmen walked away with a total of nine awards that September evening. In the Priority Integration Sectors categories, Asian Marine Transport Corp. was named the logistics winner. According to ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), which launched the ABA, the shipping company and operator of the Super Shuttle Ferry, Super Shuttle Roll-on, Roll-off (RoRo) and Shuttle Fast Ferry Vessels has contributed to the ASEAN Integration \u201cthrough the facilitation of international trade, investment, tourism, and development made possible by the launch of the ASEAN RoRo Connectivity in April 2017, of which it is the lead.\u201d
\nNature\u2019s Legacy Eximport, a Cebu-based global manufacturer of home furnishings and garden accessories, was the wood-based awardee. ABA noted that the company is renowned for its advocacy of using eco-friendly alternative materials like stonecast in producing its art pieces. \u201cIn addition to being renowned for its use of eco-friendly materials, Nature\u2019s Legacy also sources locally so as to benefit local economy and encourage its competitiveness, create job opportunities, and promote the Filipino culture,\u201d ASEAN-BAC said.
\nThe agri-food winner was Destileria Limtuaco & Co., which, for more than a century, has been marketing distilled spirits, whiskies, brandies, and a host of other alcoholic beverages.
\nGolden ABC was the retail category winner. \u201cGOLDEN ABC is a recognized pioneer in the Philippine fashion retail scene, leveraging the latest business innovations to grow all areas of its business, from operations and sales to design and professional partnerships,\u201d ASEAN-BAC noted. The company, which began operations in 1986, produce and market clothing and accessories under the Penshoppe, Oxygen, Forme, Memo, Regatta and Tyler brands.
\nThe SME Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility was bestowed on Lamoiyan Corporation, the company behind the Happee brand of toothpaste that has become a competent alternative to international toothpaste brands. \u201cAside from thriving in business, Lamoiyan is also involved in diverse civic undertakings. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is deemed the company\u2019s intrinsic aspect and all-important pillar. Lamoiyan is fueled by its corporate philosophy to make a difference for the glory of God,\u201d the ABA organizer said.
\nImperial Homes Corp. was the Green Technology Award recipient. In 2015, the company launched the first solar-powered community in Batangas, composed of 1,000 homes specifically designed to save up to 42% in energy consumption, 28% in water consumption and 38% in building materials.
\nThe Legacy Award winner is John Gokongwei, Jr., the founder and chairman emeritus of one of the largest and most diverse conglomerates in the Philippines, JG Summit Holdings, Inc. \u201cJG Summit\u2019s place in Philippine business has for its cornerstone a business portfolio of market leaders, a solid financial position, a formidable management team, and a vision of leading the country to global competitiveness and making life better for every Filipino,\u201d ASEAN-BAC said.
\nThe retail drugstore Generika received the Inclusive Business award. According to ASEAN-BAC, \u201cGenerika saw the need to set up a company to specifically address the market gap of quality, affordable generic medicines that caters to the means of the bottom of the pyramid communities while providing superior customer service and a strong sense of social purpose.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Entrepreneurial_Honorees2-300x214.jpg\")
The Young Entrepreneur of the year was Dennis Uy of Udenna Corp. \u201cThe ASEAN-BAC is proud to confer the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Mr. Dennis A. Uy of Udenna Corporation,\u201d the ABA organizer said. \u201cUnder the leadership of Mr. Uy, Udenna Corporation grew from a humble, provincial business to one with national reach in petroleum, shipping, logistics, distribution, real estate and environmental service.\u201d ASEAN-BAC believes that the success story of Mr. Uy serves as a catalyst for awareness on the abundant opportunities to engage in entrepreneurship and for the innovation to create new business models that have the effect of increasing competitiveness of local markets and driving the region\u2019s economic growth.
\nPresident Rodrigo Duterte, a guest of honor at the awarding ceremony, called on big businesses to help the smaller ones contribute to the growth and development of ASEAN. \u201cIt is now your responsibility to help your fellow entrepreneurs do better and achieve more, to propel micro entrepreneurs to become small, and the small to become medium and so on,\u201d Mr. Duterte was quoted as saying in government news report. \u201cYou are the next breed of role models, and I look forward to your becoming the future mentors.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "Since 2007, the ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) has been on a mission to give outstanding enterprises and business leaders in the Southeast Asian region recognition, as well as to dispense information on the ASEAN Economic Community and draw attention to small and medium-sized enterprises with the potential to become global players in their respective industries. \nThe 12 Priority Integration Sectors Awards of ABA are given to entities that have demonstrated outstanding performance in the following industries: fisheries, electronics, e-ASEAN, textiles, logistics, wood-based, rubber-based, agri-food, health care, tourism, automotive and retail.\nSME Excellence Awards, meanwhile, honor SMEs that have achieved outstanding commercial success and sustainable growth (Growth category), that have demonstrated a high standard of commitment to the way they organize and integrate their responsible business practices (Corporate social responsibility category), that have demonstrated the provision of a stimulating and supportive workplace (Employment category), and that have demonstrated a proven ability create, nurture and develop new products or services (Innovation category).\nAlso bestowed are the Young Entrepreneur and Women Entrepreneur excellence awards. The former honors a business owner below the age of 45, while the latter recognizes female business owner. Both should have attained significant success through leadership, market positioning and company performance. Other special prizes include Friend of ASEAN award, given to a non-ASEAN-owned enterprise committed to growing its presence in the region, and Green Technology Award, which a company that commits to integrating environmentally sustainable practices into its business model receives.\nFor the 10th edition of the ASEAN Business Awards, held last Sept. 6 at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque City, two new award categories were added. One is the Inclusive Business award for the business model that creates sustainable social impact, and the other is the Legacy Award for the entrepreneur who has passionately committed herself or himself to growth and excellence while making positive impact on the ASEAN community.\nFilipino businessmen walked away with a total of nine awards that September evening. In the Priority Integration Sectors categories, Asian Marine Transport Corp. was named the logistics winner. According to ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), which launched the ABA, the shipping company and operator of the Super Shuttle Ferry, Super Shuttle Roll-on, Roll-off (RoRo) and Shuttle Fast Ferry Vessels has contributed to the ASEAN Integration \u201cthrough the facilitation of international trade, investment, tourism, and development made possible by the launch of the ASEAN RoRo Connectivity in April 2017, of which it is the lead.\u201d\nNature\u2019s Legacy Eximport, a Cebu-based global manufacturer of home furnishings and garden accessories, was the wood-based awardee. ABA noted that the company is renowned for its advocacy of using eco-friendly alternative materials like stonecast in producing its art pieces. \u201cIn addition to being renowned for its use of eco-friendly materials, Nature\u2019s Legacy also sources locally so as to benefit local economy and encourage its competitiveness, create job opportunities, and promote the Filipino culture,\u201d ASEAN-BAC said.\nThe agri-food winner was Destileria Limtuaco & Co., which, for more than a century, has been marketing distilled spirits, whiskies, brandies, and a host of other alcoholic beverages.\nGolden ABC was the retail category winner. \u201cGOLDEN ABC is a recognized pioneer in the Philippine fashion retail scene, leveraging the latest business innovations to grow all areas of its business, from operations and sales to design and professional partnerships,\u201d ASEAN-BAC noted. The company, which began operations in 1986, produce and market clothing and accessories under the Penshoppe, Oxygen, Forme, Memo, Regatta and Tyler brands.\nThe SME Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility was bestowed on Lamoiyan Corporation, the company behind the Happee brand of toothpaste that has become a competent alternative to international toothpaste brands. \u201cAside from thriving in business, Lamoiyan is also involved in diverse civic undertakings. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is deemed the company\u2019s intrinsic aspect and all-important pillar. Lamoiyan is fueled by its corporate philosophy to make a difference for the glory of God,\u201d the ABA organizer said.\nImperial Homes Corp. was the Green Technology Award recipient. In 2015, the company launched the first solar-powered community in Batangas, composed of 1,000 homes specifically designed to save up to 42% in energy consumption, 28% in water consumption and 38% in building materials.\nThe Legacy Award winner is John Gokongwei, Jr., the founder and chairman emeritus of one of the largest and most diverse conglomerates in the Philippines, JG Summit Holdings, Inc. \u201cJG Summit\u2019s place in Philippine business has for its cornerstone a business portfolio of market leaders, a solid financial position, a formidable management team, and a vision of leading the country to global competitiveness and making life better for every Filipino,\u201d ASEAN-BAC said.\nThe retail drugstore Generika received the Inclusive Business award. According to ASEAN-BAC, \u201cGenerika saw the need to set up a company to specifically address the market gap of quality, affordable generic medicines that caters to the means of the bottom of the pyramid communities while providing superior customer service and a strong sense of social purpose.\u201d\nUdenna Corporation\u2019s Dennis Uy (second from right) receives his trophy as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.\nThe Young Entrepreneur of the year was Dennis Uy of Udenna Corp. \u201cThe ASEAN-BAC is proud to confer the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Mr. Dennis A. Uy of Udenna Corporation,\u201d the ABA organizer said. \u201cUnder the leadership of Mr. Uy, Udenna Corporation grew from a humble, provincial business to one with national reach in petroleum, shipping, logistics, distribution, real estate and environmental service.\u201d ASEAN-BAC believes that the success story of Mr. Uy serves as a catalyst for awareness on the abundant opportunities to engage in entrepreneurship and for the innovation to create new business models that have the effect of increasing competitiveness of local markets and driving the region\u2019s economic growth.\nPresident Rodrigo Duterte, a guest of honor at the awarding ceremony, called on big businesses to help the smaller ones contribute to the growth and development of ASEAN. \u201cIt is now your responsibility to help your fellow entrepreneurs do better and achieve more, to propel micro entrepreneurs to become small, and the small to become medium and so on,\u201d Mr. Duterte was quoted as saying in government news report. \u201cYou are the next breed of role models, and I look forward to your becoming the future mentors.\u201d", "date_published": "2017-09-29T11:00:00+08:00", "date_modified": "2017-09-29T11:00:00+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "BusinessWorld", "url": "https://www.bworldonline.com/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bb9711778f8535a5c41d2e047686ad3e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Other News" ] } ] }