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Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce to improve poor corporate SOGIE-inclusivity

Ranking among the top nations in terms of women empowerment, the Philippines has a global reputation for gender inclusivity. Similarly, one look at the local media landscape reveals how prominently LGBTQIA+ personalities are featured in Filipino entertainment. It must stand to reason then that the Philippines is a universally inclusive society.
Or does it?
A new study commissioned by the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce revealed that, in the workplace, policies are often anything but inclusive. According to the first Philippine Corporate SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression) Diversity and Inclusiveness Index, only 17 out of the 100 companies covered by the study have any policies, none of which homegrown.
Conducted by Cogencia Consulting, Inc. and published on Nov. 7, the study revealed that only 17% of the respondents — all foreign-headquartered companies in the business process outsourcing sector —  have anti-discrimination policies explicitly referencing measures to counteract gender discrimination.
These policies refer to explicitly prohibiting specific actions such as misgendering, “outing” (publicizing an employee’s SOGIE without their consent), and making use of slurs against LGBTQIA+ employees.
Among those 17 companies, only 10 actually implemented ways to track SOGIE inclusiveness educational programs. This means a vast majority of respondents had no means to actively support anti-discrimination efforts.
Brian U. Tenorio, the Chamber’s founder and president, noted that the study was not meant to represent the full reality of workplaces nationwide. Local companies aren’t hostile to SOGIE-inclusivity efforts, he said. But there is a general lack of concern for providing equal opportunities to all employees.
“[I think it’s safe to say] Philippine organizations do not accept or tolerate the LGBT. It’s unfortunate to say,” he said.

Carrot and stick

Filed in 2000, the SOGIE Equality Bill was meant to elevate the lives of LGBTQIA+ workers by establishing a legislative framework for anti-discrimination in the country. It was passed all the way through its third and final reading in the House of Representatives, but ultimately stalled in the Senate, where it sits dormant to this day.
“In the absence of laws, we cannot really demand the companies to be inclusive…. What we can do now is … to sort of incentivize the local companies and celebrate the ones that are doing the best practice out there,” said Evan A. Tan, vice chair for business and industry at the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
“We can present data, we can present this (the SOGIE Index), we can show them that there [may be] economic loss,” he said. “[B]ut then again, if the company says ‘I don’t care,’ then there’s nothing we can do about that.”
While there are currently no local reports on how diversity impacts a company’s profit, the Chamber pointed to studies conducted overseas showing how diversity in various forms helps elevate a company’s productivity and profitability. Tenorio pointed out that diversity is an “intangible asset” and not a liability for companies.
“The more diverse [the companies] are, it [doesn’t mean they’re] gonna spend more money,” Tenorio said, referring to the claims that efforts to improve diversity in the workplace such as gender-neutral restrooms and programs.
“[W]hat it means, is you’re going to be more progressive and profitable in the long run.”
Companies with non-progressive policies won’t attract the best talents, Tan said. By virtue of their exclusivity, they shut out potential candidates, limiting their talent pools from the get-go.
“It’s safe to assume these companies suffer when they are not inclusive. That’s when you don’t attract the best talent …  [because] you’re kind of, separating them and they’re unable to contribute well in their organization. Definitely, there’s an impact,” Tan said.

Zero to 100

Starting next year, the Chamber will be embarking on a campaign to promote SOGIE-inclusivity among Philippine companies — starting with the 100 it surveyed in its study.
On the same day it published its report, the chamber launched #ZEROto100PH, an umbrella campaign for the projects the group will undertake next year. These include corporate educational programs to promote SOGIE-inclusivity efforts.
Having already piloted the program with one company, Tan says the Chamber is ready to scale up its operations with more volunteers. By the end of 2019, they hope to train their entire first batch of 100 companies.
With the lack of national legislation to enforce SOGIE-inclusivity, Tan says he understands that the road ahead is long yet. But progress is progress, and any steps towards full inclusivity are victories, no matter how small.
“I don’t think 100 companies will be able to be 100 percent inclusive [right away],” Tan said. “But [these are] actionable steps, baby steps towards achieving that, especially for the ones that have zero inclusion in their policies or practices.”

Tax amnesty, alcohol levy hike advance

A PLANNED general tax amnesty stepped closer to offer as the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the measure on third and final reading a day after the Senate did the same, while a proposal to increase the tax on alcohol products bagged committee approval.
House Bill 8554, or the proposed “Tax Amnesty Act of 2018,” covers estate tax and general tax liabilities for taxable years up to 2017.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Estrellita B. Suansing of Nueva Ecija’s 1st district had said during her sponsorship speech on Nov. 14 that the measure is projected to add P114.8 billion in revenues. The program, however, is designed more to bring more tax delinquents into the fold, thereby expanding the country’s tax base.
The bill will grant an estate tax amnesty at a six percent rate based on a decedent’s net estate, provided that legal heirs apply within two years from effectivity of the measure’s implementing rules and regulations. The general tax amnesty provision imposes a two percent rate based on an applicant’s total assets as of Dec. 2017. Interested parties will have a year from start of the program to apply.
The immunities and privileges under the amnesty package, however, will not be applied should it be proven that the declared estate value and total assets are understated by at least 30%.
Further, the bill will grant an amnesty on delinquencies under various stages of prosecution. Ms. Suansing had said in the same speech that this move intends to “decongest the dockets of BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), Regional Trial Courts, Court of Tax Appeals and the Supreme Court.”
The measure provides that tax assessments which have become final and executory; tax cases that are subject of final and executory judgment by courts; and pending tax evasion cases will have amnesty rates of 40%, 50% and 60%, respectively.
ALCOHOL TAX
Also on Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved its version of a tax reform that will raise the excise tax of alcohol products, which the Department of Finance (DoF) said will contribute just P7.8 billion in revenues.
“Our initial estimate on the revenue arising from the changes to the House bills on alcohol, in total for 2019, from the original P32 billion, we estimate that the substitute bill that is emerging is going to generate only P7.8 billion, that is 24% of the original,” Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua told lawmakers in the committee.
He also noted that by 2022, the reform will yield collections of P60 billion, instead of the P173 billion projected for the original proposal the department had submitted to Congress.
The unnumbered substitute bill proposed that, effective Jan. 2019, distilled spirits will be levied a specific tax rate of P30 per proof liter, in addition to a 22% ad valorem tax of net retail price (NRP) per proof, excluding the excise tax and the value-added tax. The specific tax rate will be increased by P5 per year until 2022 and by seven percent every year beginning 2023.
This compares to the existing tax on distilled spirits that consists of a 20% ad valorem tax on NRP per proof and a specific tax per proof liter of P23.40 in 2019.
Moreover, sparkling wines will have an ad valorem rate of 15% based on NRP per liter, which is currently not imposed, and a P650 specific tax.
For still wines and carbonated wines containing 14% alcohol by volume, the excise tax will be P40 from P37.90 currently; whereas those containing more than 14%, the rate will be increased to P80 from P75.90.
The excise tax for sparkling and still wines will increase by seven percent every year, starting 2020.
For fermented liquors, the excise tax will increase to P28 from P25.42 in 2019, to P32 in 2020, P34 in 2021 and P36 in 2022. Rates will rise by seven percent every year starting 2023. — C. A. Tadalan

2019 budget bags final reading OK in House

THE HOUSE of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third reading the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019.
With 196 affirmative and eight negative votes, House Bill No. 8169, or the “2019 Fiscal Year General Appropriations Bill,” secured final-reading approval ahead of a Nov. 28 deadline, which Senate leaders said on Monday risks leading to a reenacted 2018 budget since senators will not have enough time to examine the spending plan for questionable insertions before Congress adjourns for its Dec. 15-Jan. 13, 2019 Christmas-New Year break.
“We’ll pass it today and then transmit to the Senate. So walang pagdududa, walang haka-haka na magkakaroon tayo ng (there should be no doubt, no speculation that we will have a) reenacted budget,” Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. of Camarines Sur’s 1st district had said in a press briefing earlier in the day.
“’Yung nakita niyo sa diyaryo na Nov. 28 (The Nov. 28 third-reading approval deadline that you have read in the news) was the worst-case scenario which we have agreed upon with the Senate Finance Committee.”
The new budget gives state agencies a year to complete procurement of projects and other items in order to ensure they keep up with the spending program. — C. A. Tadalan

IMD World Talent Ranking 2018

THE PHILIPPINES’ ability to develop, attract and retain highly skilled professionals worsened in 2018 due to a persistent job-skills mismatch despite increasing investments in education, according to the annual survey of Switzerland-based business school International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) research arm. Read the full story.
IMD World Talent Ranking 2018

Study finds Philippines’ talent competitiveness eroded

By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES’ ability to develop, attract and retain highly skilled professionals worsened in 2018 due to a persistent job-skills mismatch despite increasing investments in education, according to the annual survey of Switzerland-based business school International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) research arm.
The Philippines placed 55th out of 63 economies in the IMD World Competitiveness Center’s World Talent Ranking 2018 report published on Tuesday, down 10 rungs from 45th in 2017.
IMD World Talent Ranking 2018
The study takes into account three main factors to determine countries’ ranking. The investment and development factor measures resources used to cultivate homegrown human capital, the appeal factor evaluates the extent to which a country attracts and retains foreign and local talent, while the readiness factor looks at the quality of skills and competencies of a country’s labor force.
The report attributed the Philippines’ fall in rank to the “sharp drop” in the readiness category to the 37th rank in 2018 from 11th last year.
“This change is driven by a marked deterioration in every criterion related to the business community’s perceptions on the quality of education, as well as a decline in labor force quality,” the report explained.
The Philippines likewise declined to 38th rank from 34th last year in the appeal factor, but inched up in terms of investment and development to 62nd from the bottom spot last year.
Responding to queries via e-mail, IMD World Competitiveness Center director Arturo Bris noted that the Philippines’ labor force is not as equipped with skills that firms are looking for.
“It is true that Philippines is making progress in managing its talent pool, and indeed it is one of the two countries in SE (Southeast) Asia (together with Malaysia) which has improved the government investment in education as a percent of GDP (gross domestic product). However, in 2018 Philippines has witnessed a deterioration of its ability to provide the economy with the skills needed, which points out to a mismatch between the school curriculums and the demands of companies,” Mr. Bris said.
“The country needs to continue investing more and more in education. It currently invests 3.07% of GDP, but it is far from the world average of 4.7%. It also needs to make education more adapted to the economy. Which are the skills that the economy needs? Do companies partner with the public sector to help design curriculums?”
The report cited the Philippines’ overall strengths such as employee training, effective personal income tax rate, skilled labor, competent senior managers and language skills.
At the same time, it cited the country’s top weaknesses in the areas of total public expenditure on education, pupil-teacher ratio in primary and secondary schools, remuneration in service professions and labor force growth.
“If, as all the other countries in the region, Philippines facilitates the access to companies to foreign talent, and makes the country more attractive to foreigners, it will consequently make the domestic talent pool more competitive as well,” said Mr. Bris.

UA&P sees GDP growth picking up next year

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez
Senior Reporter
THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY could grow faster in 2019 on the back of strong investments and spending related to the midterm elections, while slower inflation should help prod household consumption.
Economists at the University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P) said in a briefing yesterday that faster gross domestic product (GDP) growth can be expected next year, together with a recovery of financial markets from the current slump.
UA&P professor Victor A. Abola said economic growth will rebound to above seven percent in the coming quarters as infrastructure spending remains “on track” and sustains above 20% year-on-year increases.
“I think growth can accelerate especially in light of the elections, which usually add 0.1-0.2% to GDP. Growth will be led again by the industrial sector, especially construction and manufacturing,” Mr. Abola said in the UA&P Year-end Business Economics Briefing.
The economics expert said Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 6.8% in 2019, faster than the 6.5% expected this year although still short of the government’s 7-8% target.
The Philippine economy has so far grown by 6.3% from January-September.
Growth will remain investment-led while manufacturing and exports have also recovered over the past few months, Mr. Abola added. An expected rebound in the mining sector may also support greater domestic activity, following the recent decision of Environment Secretary Roy L. Cimatu to reopen some mine sites shut down in 2017.
Household spending will likewise lend a boost to overall growth after easing in the face of higher prices of consumer goods. Mr. Abola said inflation has peaked at 6.7% in September and October, and will drop sharply particularly during the second half of 2019.
From 5.2% this year, UA&P sees inflation lower at 4.3% in 2019, although still above the central bank’s 2-4% target band.
Food prices have stabilized or fallen, while oil prices are down by roughly 25% percent from October’s peak. An appreciating peso would also give peace to importers, and will support positive investor sentiment towards the Philippines.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
UA&P economists said loosening restrictions on foreign ownership and keeping tax incentives for companies are needed to keep investments coming in.
“My proposal is don’t scare investors. Do it on tax administration, and use the political power of President Duterte to scare off [tax evaders],” Mr. Abola said, referring to the second tax reform package proposed by the Department of Finance (DoF).
Awaiting Senate action is the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in September.
The measure seeks to gradually reduce the corporate income tax rate to 20% from the current 30% by two percentage points every other year starting 2021, while fiscal perks will be revamped to a one-size-fits-all scheme for incentives capped at a certain number of years. This is to plug over P300 billion in annual foregone revenues, the DoF said.
“If it were true that our tax incentives are so attractive and we’re giving away so much, how come we are not getting foreign investors in troves? We have high costs, and we have to offset that by incentives,” Mr. Abola added.
Economist and Constitutional framer Bernardo M. Villegas said the bill is dead in the water due to little time left for Congress sessions and as lawmakers are cool to the measure.
In the same forum, World Bank senior economist Rong Qian said easing foreign ownership limits will improve competition and productivity, which in turn will support faster GDP growth.
The economy needs to grow by at least 6.5% annually over the next 22 years to realize the government’s goal of ending poverty by 2040, Ms. Qian added.
Mr. Villegas noted that this is doable for the Philippines, drawing confidence from the speedy rollout of infrastructure projects. He noted that big-ticket projects initiated by local governments could even boost GDP growth beyond the state’s 7-8% annual goal.
For financial markets, the economists expect the peso to end at P52.80 versus the dollar this year and to weaken to P54.20 in 2019. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index is also projected to recover to the 8,100 level in 2019, up 12% from the expected 7,300 level this year.

Ikea allots P7B for Philippine store

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-editor
IKEA has allocated an initial investment of P7 billion to set up its first Philippine store, which at a leased area of 65,000 square meters is described by the Swedish furniture retailer as its largest in the world.
Christian Rojkjaer, managing director Ikea Southeast Asia, said the store would have around 9,000 well-designed, functional home furnishing products, and could be the brand’s first stop before expanding outside Metro Manila.
“Everything is open right now. But I could imagine there will be some more stores in Manila and then we’re going further out potentially with e-commerce first, but I think we’re going to focus on Manila for a while,” he said in an interview during the launch of Ikea’s pre-opening website Ikea.ph at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City ahead of the store opening in end-2020.
Asked about the potential other stores, he said: “We don’t know. We are looking into it.”
“The world is changing so fast — big stores, small stores, e-commerce. We are looking at the totality, but we will expand in the Philippines,” he said.
Mr. Rojkjaer said the company, which owns the Ikea stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, plans to hire around 500 Filipino workers and would create hundreds of spin-off jobs and business opportunities.
Those business opportunities include local partners to support operations in areas such as logistics, food supply, transport, waste management and security.
“Some of them we have found. But we are still looking for clearing all those contracts here. Lots of contracts. There will be lots and lots,” he said.
The Ikea store will be located between Mall of Asia Arena and SMX Convention Center in an area as big as the size of 150 basketball courts. Company officials said the local store will be almost double the size of a typical Ikea big blue-box.
The shop floor will be similar to other Ikea stores but the building will also house a call center and a supersized warehouse to accommodate e-commerce operations in the Philippines. The store opening will also allow shoppers to shop online and get their orders delivered.
Georg Platzer, Ikea Southeast Asia market development manager, told reporters he would be managing the company’s first store in the Philippines.
“In two years from now, I would love to have opened already. Let’s stick to end of 2020 because it’s quite a complex project. You’ll never know what’s going to happen like it’s a big construction site,” he said.
He said P7 billion is the investment for the retail side, which also covers fitting out, stocking, marketing, and staffing the first store for its opening.
“For us it’s always important that we get as close as possible to the places where many people live. We want to be accessible,” Mr. Platzer said, adding that the store should be about a 60-minute driving distance from its target market.
“Metro Manila is quite dense area already,” he said. “There are not so many open spaces like we found here [Mall of Asia] a perfect block, but we’re still positive that we’re gonna find some more and open more touch points in the future throughout Metro Manila, but also why not the whole Philippines.”
A typical IKEA store has more than 55 inspirational room settings. The self-serve warehouse has flat-packed products ready to be taken home. A supervised playroom for kids is available as well as a restaurant.
Sought for comment, Sweden’s Ambassador to the Philippines Harald Fries, said: “Ikea is probably the Swedish company that builds the most on the Swedish brand, on Swedishness. So whenever Ikea comes into a new country it means a lot for strengthening the image of Sweden in that country in a very positive way.”
Separately, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. said it was set to build another mixed-use building in the Mall of Asia complex that will be its first lifestyle city development in Pasay City. The project will house Ikea’s first store in the country, it added.
SM Prime President Jeffrey C. Lim said in a statement that the addition of the mixed-use facility, and the entry of Ikea, “complements the integrated lifestyle we dreamt” for the Mall of Asia complex.

Avida eyes P4-B sales from 2nd Cloverleaf tower

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
AVIDA LAND Corp. looks to generate P4 billion in sales from the second tower of Avida Towers Cloverleaf in Quezon City, about double the revenues posted from the project’s first tower due to the appreciation of property prices in the area.
The mid-income market segment of Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) launched the second phase of the three-tower development last September, located inside ALI’s 11-hectare mixed use estate Cloverleaf in Balintawak, Quezon City.
The second tower consists of 848 units ranging from studio at 23 square meters (sq.m.), junior one-bedroom (23 sq.m.), one-bedroom (33-37 sq.m.), and two-bedroom layouts (52 sq.m.).
Prices of units at the 36-storey building range from P4.1 to P9.9 million, or about P180,000 per sq.m.
This compares to the average selling price of P95,000 per sq.m. in the first tower, which has delivered P2.2 billion in sales since its launch in July 2015.
“Over the years, there has been an escalation in the prices of our property, and there is a high resale value. And there’s also potential for rental income,” Avida Land Estate Development Group Manager Caren Rose R. Rosales said in a press briefing in Makati yesterday.
Tower 1 offers 744 residential units with the same unit layouts. About 99% of units in the 28-storey building have already been sold, with turnover scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.
“Most of our buyers are aged 25 to 49 years old. 80% are Filipinos, 34% are coming from Quezon City, but there are also buyers from Caloocan, Manila, Malabon, and Navotas, and 36% of our buyers come from socioeconomic class B, and majority bought for end-use,” Ms. Rosales said.
Avida Land is targeting the same market for the second tower. It is banking on the project’s accessibility through the North Luzon Expressway, as well as its proximity to the Balintawak Station of LRT 1, to attract more buyers.
The company has allotted P4.5 billion to develop the three-tower Avida Towers Cloverleaf. The towers will rise on a shared parking podium, standing on a 14,214-sq.m. property. Amenities include a clubhouse, swimming pool, children’s playground, indoor gym, landscaped spaces, and serenity gardens.
Avida Towers Cloverleaf is the first residential project to rise in the mixed-use estate which will also house two phases of Ayala Malls with floors for office spaces and a retail strip. The company said 99% of Ayala Malls Cloverleaf Phase 1 has been leased out.
ALI has so far spent P15 billion to develop Cloverleaf, out of its P23-billion budget for the estate. It has completed around 42% of the developable area, including road networks.

MPIC unit teams up with Dole PHL for P1-B waste-to-energy project

METRO PACIFIC Investments Corp. (MPIC) has partnered with fruit products manufacturer Dole Philippines, Inc. (DPI) for a P1-billion waste-to-energy project, marking its foray into the bio-energy sector.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Tuesday, the infrastructure conglomerate said its wholly owned subsidiary Metpower Venture Partners Holdings, Inc. (MVPHI) through Surallah Biogas Ventures Corp. (SBVC) has finalized the deal to design, construct, and operate a biogas facility for DPI.
The facility will convert organic fruit waste from DPI’s Surallah and Polomolok factories in South Cotabato. This is expected to produce about 50,000 megawatt-hour of clean energy annually, which DPI will use for power generation and as an alternative to fossil fuels.
“Both MPI and DPI believe that this long-term project is an innovative, environment-friendly, and sustainable waste management solution consistent with, and further elevates the business tradition of DPI. Further, the project positively impacts climate change through CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission reduction by approximately 100,000 tons per year,” MPIC said.
The company said it will use internally-generated funds to finance the project.
The facility marks MPIC’s entry in the bio-energy sector, as part of MVPHI’s plan to build a scalable waste-to-energy platform in the country.
MPIC, in a consortium with Covanta Energy LLC and Macquarie Group Ltd., has also partnered with the local government of Quezon City for an integrated solid waste management facility. The facility will have the capacity to convert up to 3,000 metric tons a day from Quezon City’s municipal waste to 42 megawatts, which can power around 60,000 to 90,000 homes.
The P15-billion project will undergo Swiss Challenge next year, which the company looks to implement shorty after.
In a separate disclosure, MPIC also said it has signed a 10-year term loan worth P5 billion with Union Bank of the Philippines carrying a fixed interest rate. The proceeds will be used for the firm’s investment in “various projects and for other general corporate purposes.”
MPIC booked a core net income of P12.2 billion in the first nine months of 2018, 8% higher year-on-year, after system-wide revenues also grew 8% to P302.9 billion mainly due to the growth of its power generation, railway, and water units.
The company is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc. — a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. — maintains interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.
Shares in MPIC slipped 0.65% or three centavos to close at P4.62 each at the stock exchange on Tuesday. — Arra B. Francia

Young artists’ perspectives


THE FIGURE of a suffocated god of harvest; a self-portrait of an artist; the picture of a blindfolded man; and an upside down reflection of a woman all triumphed at the 51st Shell National Student Art Competition (NSAC).
“Appreciation for the visual arts in the country has grown over the years, with more people being drawn into art collection. This landscape is promising for budding Filipino visual artists who now have a thriving market for their artworks. As a platform for launching the careers of local artists, the Shell National Student Art Competition (NSAC) promotes the cultivation of the Filipino youth’s creativity and skill to world-class standards,” Cesar G. Romero, country chairman of Shell companies in the Philippines, wrote in the competition catalogue.
Pilipinas Shell launched the Shell National Student Art Competition (NSAC) in 1951 as a search for art for a calendar. It grew to become one of the most anticipated art competitions as through the years it launched the careers of some of the country’s top artists including those of National Artists Jose Joya, Ang Kiukok, and Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera.
THE WINNING PIECES
On its 51st year, the art competition — with the theme “Perspective” — received 987 entries from 46 participating schools. The young artists expressed their visions and aspirations for the future in their works. The competition has four categories: digital fine arts, sculpture, oil/acrylic painting, and watercolor.
Patricia M. Mangahas from Far Eastern University, the first place winner in the digital fine arts category, drew a self-portrait titled I.C.U. in which her face was partially covered by shards. Ms. Mangahas said that it is reflective of her self-perception. “I only see the perspective of others,” she told BusinessWorld of her work shortly after the awarding ceremonies on Nov. 12 at the Ayala Museum. She said that it was a challenge for her to create a perspective of herself and her surroundings.
Lorebert M. Comision’s LODI, a figure of a bulul (an Ifugao granary god) wearing an oxygen mask and carrying the burden of a city at the back of its head, won first place in the sculpture category. “Many people have the idea of a city as a sign of progress. But while the city progresses, many suffer of the effects it has on nature,” the Adventist University of the Philippines student explained in a mixture of English and Filipino.
Almario D. Tangalin’s Upside Down won first place in the oil/acrylic painting category. The piece by the Navotas Polytechnic College student depicts an upside reflection of a woman. “Sometimes our society depends on the physical aspect of the person only,” he said of his work, adding that it also reflects how he tries to look at things fairly.
Michael Jay D. Ramos of Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, took first place in watercolor for Retrospective, an image of a young man’s head blindfolded by a ribbon with foliage growing out of the side of his neck.
The second and third place winning pieces are: Coming by Charles Bryan A. Alba and The Barkada Never Goes Away by Azriel T. Domingo in the digital fine arts category; Building One Nation by Harlem C. Sunga and Infinity by Joegan G. Espina in the sculpture category; Magkakaiba Pero Magkakapareha by Joshua D. Villena and Hopscotch for Life by Bernice Michaella M. Cruz in the watercolor category; and The Grid of Progress by Gyles Maverick O. Abac and Tomorrow’s Fool by John Michael E. Pujante in the oil/acrylic category.
“It has been an honor and privilege for Shell in the Philippines to provide these great talents a channel to harness their creative excellence and contribute in establishing a rewarding career in arts. Inspired by these achievements, Shell continues to look forward to fueling the development of student artists from all over the country by enabling them to express their insights and viewpoints through brilliant masterpieces,” Mr. Romero wrote. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

DICT, China Telecom sign deal for submarine cable

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Tuesday signed a letter of intent with China Telecommunications Corp. that will allow it to use the government’s cable landing facilities to roll out its submarine cable, which is expected to help improve internet speeds in the country.
DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. said in a phone call after the signing ceremony that the project is expected to benefit the government’s national broadband plan and free Wi-Fi project.
“The letter of intent is on how China Telecom can come up with its submarine cable. There’ll be cable landing facilities in the Philippines. Initially we’re thinking of using the cable landing station that we have an agreement with Facebook, so they can start (testing) the feasibility of using that, or whether they will make their own cable landing station. This will help our national broadband plan and of course our free Wi-Fi,” he said.
Mr. Rio noted the signing of the letter of intent is just one of the phases it will have to go through before they sign a memorandum of agreement.
China Telecom is part of the Mislatel Consortium which was named new major telco player on Monday, joined by Dennis A. Uy’s Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., and their franchise holder Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company, Inc. (Mislatel).
The group said in a statement China Telecom’s international submarine cable facility will use optical fiber technology capable of handling signal, digital data, telephone and internet traffic. This underwater cable will directly connect the Philippines to Hong Kong and United States.
“With this submarine broadband infrastructure, DICT in cooperation with China Telecommunications hopes to ease up traffic and speed up internet connectivity, making it more accessible, reliable and affordable for more Filipinos,” it said.
Aside from the letter of intent the DICT signed with China Telecom, the Philippine government is also signing a memorandum of agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) — DICT’s counterpart agency in China. Mr. Rio said the deal will be for the cooperation and exchange in the fields of ICT and telecommunications in general.
FOURTH TELCO?
Meanwhile, DICT Undersecretary Monchito B. Ibrahim said on Tuesday that bidding for another major telco to compete with PLDT, Inc. and Globe Telecom, Inc. is still “a possibility.”
“We’re not limiting it to the third telco. The only thing that’s limiting us is actually the amount of frequencies that we have available… We have learned our lessons from how we did it before, where we ended up with just two players. We don’t want a repeat of that,” he said during a luncheon meeting with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
The DICT, through its attached agency National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has allotted radio frequency bands of 700 megahertz (MHz), 2100 MHz, 2000 MHz, 2.5 gigahertz (GHz), 3.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz for the new major telco player.
Mr. Ibrahim said the DICT expects to take back more frequencies soon as it currently mulls the acquisition of unused and underused frequencies owned by small telco players.
“If we have enough frequencies, we’ll allow a fourth telco, a fifth telco. We will do that. We intend to also come up with a policy that will tell the existing frequency holders who are hoarding these frequencies… that if they’re not able to use it in the next five years, government will take it back,” he said.
Mr. Rio had told reporters before that they are studying increasing the spectrum user fee to push telco operators that do not maximize their frequency bands to turn it over to the government.

Imelda will be invited to the CCP’s 50th anniversary

IF IMELDA MARCOS is still not behind bars next year, she will probably be attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), a project she initiated.
During a press conference on Nov. 16, CCP chairperson Margie Moran-Floirendo answered “yes” when asked if she’d invited Mrs. Marcos to the celebration, adding that the institution would invite her and the other founding members as well.
The CCP has a jam-packed calendar of activities lined up for the anniversary in 2019. Among these is the opening of the Blackbox Theater — its official name is Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez — which supposed to open last year but whose opening was postponed. The theater — the first edifice to be built in the CCP Complex in years — will have a soft opening some time in February or March and will finally officially open on Oct. 4.
CCP artistic director Chris Millado explained that the postponement was caused by permit security issues and the realization that one needs the right connections to expedite the project.
The Blackbox Theater will show experimental and contemporary shows for “adventurous ideas, adventurous collaboration, and adventurous audiences,” said Mr. Millado during the press conference at the CCP Lobby.
The Blackbox will also boost the CCP’s numbers for audience attendance and shows. For 2017-2018, CCP presented 980 shows onsite, off-site, and on online/live stream media.
Although the data is still incomplete, Mr. Millado said that 480,000 people attended events which is only 60% of the potential target audience. Ms. Floreindo said the CCP is “expanding its reach to embrace a larger part of the metropolis” and with hope reach one million attendees.
Through Ms. Floreindo’s initiative and connections, the CCP has been talking to the Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board to include the CCP and its cultural activities as part of the country’s tourism itineraries, both for local and international visitors.
The annual Cinemalaya and Virgin Labfest, meanwhile, will also expand their scope to reach audiences in the provinces. Virgin Labfest will be staged in Cagayan de Oro in 2019 and in Siliman, Dumaguete in 2020. Cinemalaya hopes to follow suit.
For the 50th anniversary, the institution will also have “CCP Libre: 50 free shows at the CCP” to encourage people to come and see the arts. There has been no announcement yet on what the shows are.
As a reaction to the times, the CCP will hold for the first time an “Arts and Social Media Festival” in October where bloggers, traditional media, influencers, and public relation specialists will converge to talk and exchange thoughts about the arts. Two anniversary shows will bookend the 50th anniversary celebrations, with gala fund-raising shows in September 2019 and 2020. There was no announcement on what the shows will be.
The CCP will also publish anniversary publications including a photographic almanac about the history and contributions of the CCP in the Philippine history.
With many activities in the pipeline, the CCP was given a “milestone budget” to fund its events next year, but in the long run, the CCP will engage in more private partnerships to sustain the plans, said Mr. Millado. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

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