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Slaughter looks to get more rhythm heading into playoffs

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
BACK in action after being sidelined for a while because of injury, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings big man Greg Slaughter looks to get more rhythm in his game as the playoffs approach and help his team in its quest to win a third straight Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup title.
Played his first game back from ankle injury on Oct. 28 in their “Manila Clasico” match with the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok, Mr. Slaughter finished with a near double-double of 11 points and nine rebounds as they beat their rivals, 93-86.
The victory improved the defending champions Kings to 8-2 in the standings, in a position to finish on top with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Having splashed back into action after some time, Mr. Slaughter is angling to make up for lost time and help his team.
“Happy we got the win. I think that guarantees us a top four and at the start of the tournament that was our goal. We have one more week before we play our last game in the eliminations and it’s enough time for me to find my rhythm with the team,” said Mr. Slaughter after their victory over Magnolia.
“I feel good but I also feel I can be better. So I’m taking it one game at a time. We are keeping our goal in mind and take this championship,” he added.
While his focus is on helping the Kings go for a three-peat of the season-ending PBA title, Mr. Slaughter also bared that at the back of his mind he is hoping to be able to play for Team Philippines in the next window of FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers that would happen in late November.
Because of the injury he had, Mr. Slaughter missed the opportunity to play in the fourth window in September, something he was disappointed about.
“At that back of my mind, yes [I’m hoping to play with Gilas Pilipinas in the fifth window]. I was bummed out not being able to play last time around. But I learned a lot being with the guys and Coach Yeng. Hopefully I’ll be able to play in the next window,” he said.
Mr. Slaughter and the Kings play their last game of the elimination round on Sunday, Nov. 4, against the TNT KaTropa.
The PBA is currently on a brief break to give way to the All Soul’s holiday. Action resumes on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where the NLEX Road Warriors will play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 4:30 p.m. and the San Miguel Beermen taking on the Meralco Bolts at 6:45 p.m.

Johnson draws inspiration from friend Fernandes in ONE move

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
FORMER pound-for-pound king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson had decided to take his talent to ONE Championship after years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was a decision that he said was partly because of how well things have panned out for his friend and reigning ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes since the latter moved to Asia’s biggest sports media property early in this decade.
Officially landed with ONE last weekend after the deal that sent him to the group in exchange for undefeated ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren pushed through, Mr. Johnson (27-3-1) said he is very happy for Mr. Fernandes and that he is looking forward to experiencing the same things now that he is part ONE.
“Uh, I would say, if Bibiano had an impact on this decision, I’d think it’s right before he signed with ONE Championship and he had the opportunity to go to another organization. He was like, ‘You know, long term for me, Asia has always been good to me. I’m a martial artist about respect, honor, discipline and I feel that Asia was the best move for me.’ And he told me ‘I told you DJ, it’s gonna be good for you. Just watch. Just watch’,” shared Mr. Johnson in a global conference call on Monday.
“Obviously, me and Bibiano are very close. Family men, training partners, I’m a student of his so with that being said, it was a big decision,” he added.
Mr. Johnson said he will not be in the corner of Mr. Fernandes for his unification bout with interim world champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in Singapore on Nov. 9, but if he is asked to help he would.
“I will not be in his corner, he has his team for that. I will be out there in Singapore if he needs my help. I told him I’ll be there to help him,” said Mr. Johnson, who was last seen fighting in August, losing his UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo by way of split decision.
Now part of ONE, he could well vie for the flyweight belt now held by Filipino Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio. He, however, said he is willing to work his way up and take on whoever is put in front of him.
“I’ve actually watched Geje and Adriano Moraes [of Brazil]. Their last fight, I actually watched that one, too. So they’re fantastic competitors and I can’t wait to be able to mix it up with those guys. I truly believe that their stand-up is legit. These guys have been doing it since they were young. You know in America you don’t start doing martial arts unless you parents put you in martial arts and karate when you’re 4-5. I joined wrestling just because, when I was in high school and I was like ‘Yeah, I’m gonna wrestle’. Then I started mixed martial arts when I was 18 so these guys have more training in martial arts than I’ve ever had so I’m looking to see how I fare against them,” he said.
The next event for ONE Championship is “ONE: Heart of the Lion” on Nov. 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, headlined by the women’s strawweight championship fight between champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China and challenger Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee of Singapore and also the reigning women’s atomweight champion.
Co-headlining is Fernandes versus Belingon.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant named FIBA World Cup 2019 global ambassador

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
THE FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 happening in China added another face after it was revealed that National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant will serve as global ambassador for the awaited event.
In a formal announcement made on Wednesday (Manila time), FIBA said as global ambassador Mr. Bryant will help promote the World Cup and take part in activities on the Road to China 2019 as well as at the first-ever 32-team edition of FIBA’s flagship competition.
In a statement, FIBA President Horacio Muratore said they are very excited and honored to have five-time NBA champion and Olympic champ Bryant on board for the 2019 World Cup.
“We’re thrilled and honored to have a basketball and sporting legend of Kobe Bryant’s caliber join us in building up to next year’s World Cup. This speaks to the impressive stature of our flagship competition. With a record number of participating teams and as the culmination of the ongoing Qualifiers, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China will be a truly unique event and the sporting fixture of 2019,” said Mr. Muratore.
“Kobe has proudly represented the USA on the world’s biggest stages, where he’s achieved the highest successes. As such, it’s only fitting to have him take on this role ahead of our biggest-ever competition,” he added.
On the part of Mr. Bryant, who played all of his 20 years in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, to be given the chance to promote basketball in such a global scale is an opportunity he just could not pass up on.
“Growing up in Italy and spending many years visiting China, I have always appreciated the global impact that basketball has had on the positive development of young people. I’m honored FIBA has invited me to serve as an ambassador for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. I hope my participation inspires and motivates the best players from the 32 participating teams to represent their respective country on the world’s biggest stage. I look forward to seeing who will lift the trophy next year,” Mr. Bryant said.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 tips off on Aug. 31, but before that there are activities and milestones that will take place, including the launch of the Trophy Tour and the competition’s draw on March 16, in Shenzhen.
Among those vying for a spot in the World Cup is the Philippines, which is right smack in the middle of the qualifiers.
Team Philippines will get back into action for the fifth window of the Asian Qualifiers later in November.

Hello, hallyu: The meteoric rise of K-pop

Ghia Lim, 22, is a die-hard K-pop fan. She streams her favorite idols’ music videos to help them win in Korean music shows. She creates original fan content and even hosts local K-pop events. For the college student and PR specialist, K-pop has always been a part of her life. “I’ve been into K-pop for as long as I can remember,” she said, listing off names of Korean supergroups. “My mom was a fan of BoA, and I naturally got started on getting into the male groups of SM Entertainment, like DBSK and Super Junior.”
While graduate student Mary De los Santos only got into K-pop during a trip to South Korea in February, it has already infiltrated her daily routine. When the 24-year old gets into her car, the first thing she does is crank up the speakers and blast her favorite songs. “Even when I study or work out, my ears are listening to K-pop nonstop… This is on a daily basis and honestly, I haven’t listened to English or Western songs in months.”

A global success story

Ghia and Mary are among the millions of Filipinos who have been swept by hallyu, or the phenomenal spread of Korean culture around the world. It made its introduction during the latter part of the 2000s, when acts like Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Big Bang, and Girls Generation released a string of hits that made it on international charts. It was in 2012, however, that K-pop made its grand entrance into the mainstream with solo artist PSY redefining vitality with his unprecedented hit, “Gangnam Style”. It was the first video on YouTube to hit a billion views. Today, those numbers sit well over three billion. PSY took Korean music out of the peninsula, and onto the global stage, making appearances everywhere from the American Music Awards to Ellen.
One can argue that K-pop has never been as big as it is today. Girl group Black Pink’s “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” music video debut became the most-viewed on YouTube, garnering 36.2 million views in only 24 hours. Global sensation BTS released two albums in 2018 which both debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, a first for any K-pop act. Just recently, Spotify revealed that more than 14.2 billion K-pop tracks have been streamed globally, translating to a total of 46 billion minutes of listening since 2015. “[T]he hallyu wave is truly an Asian success story. For a genre that’s in a different language and from a very different culture, it is inspiring to see how K-pop is making its mark on the global stage.” said Eve Tan, Team Lead of Shows & Editorial under Spotify Southeast Asia.
This success story is very much felt here in the Philippines. Anne Curtis-Smith, a lover of Korean culture, performed a medley of K-pop hits in an afternoon variety show for her 21st anniversary in show business. There’s even a newly-launched online reality series, Hello K-Idol, where aspiring male Filipinos are trained for 10 weeks in the hopes of becoming a K-pop idol.

Figures and fandom

SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment, the “Big 3” of the South Korean entertainment industry, were valued at USD 772 million, USD 516 million, and USD 498 million respectively in January 2018. Clever marketing strategies might be one of the biggest factors behind K-Pop’s massive success. Embracing its global audience, songs are often released in different languages (such as the Mandarin, Spanish, and English versions of GOT7’s “Lullaby”), and groups like NCT are divided into sub-units to appeal to different age groups and demographics.

But marketing strategies are meaningless without the participation of consumers, and K-pop fans are a dedicated bunch. Ivanne, a 25-year old restaurant manager, owns 13 BTOB and three Super Junior albums, each costing P750 to P1,000. She has the official light sticks of both groups, which can cost up to P2,050. Ivanne has also attended several concerts, one of which is a BTOB concert in Jakarta. She shared, “A K-pop concert is one of the most magical events I’ve been to… It’s a phenomenon one should experience to be able to understand and comprehend.”
Ghia Lim, who professed to have “bought almost everything from albums to official tissue packets”, once flew to South Korea just to purchase Wanna One merchandise. Aside from the group’s official lightstick (the release of which she timed with her visit), she also bought their Lens Nine contact lens, Miniso figurines, Lotteria calendars, and even Ghana and Yohi chocolates. “If I put together everything that I’ve bought in the course of my life… I’d be able to send a few people to a private college,” she said.

For most, this all might sound a little absurd. But for these K-pop fans, it’s a way to give back to their idols. “I am willing to spend because I find true happiness, not only because of the albums and posters but because of these people [that] we idolize.” shared 14-year old high school student Dani*. “Fans go through a lot, and to us, our idols are our safe place, the ones that are there to make us happy even with just one video.”
And with that shared love comes a sense of community among fans. “When I first entered K-pop, it was an unfamiliar territory, but the fandom that I am in made that transition easy,” Ivanne said. “It’s one of the wonders of K-Pop actually, it’s truly a community. Despite the language barriers, at the end of the day we’re all like family.”

Continuous expansion

The swell of K-pop continues to expand, and the West is taking notice. Collaborations like Black Pink and Dua Lipa’s “Kiss and Make Up”, and Wendy (of Red Velvet) and John Legend’s “Written in the Stars” are testaments to the global recognition of K-pop’s unstoppable appeal. And artists are leveraging that appeal beyond YouTube and Spotify, with supergroup BTS recently speaking at the UN General Assembly and landing on the cover of Time Magazine as “Next Generation Leaders”.
While these are exciting times for the K-pop industry, many remain uncertain if hallyu will be a permanent fixture in the cultural zeitgeist. As with any fad, its staying power is only as strong as its fanbase. To that end, K-pop’s superfans are a strong indicator that the world won’t be saying goodbye to hallyu anytime soon.

Editor’s note: Some names in this article have been changed at their request.

On the upgrade

The transportation and logistics industry of the Philippines is in the midst of a much-needed transformation, thanks in large part to the aggressive push for infrastructure development of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration through its “Build, Build, Build” program.

“The country’s transport network has struggled to keep pace with rising levels of urbanization driven by robust economic growth; traffic congestion has become a national issue and roads and ports are over capacity,” Oxford Business Group (OBG), a publisher of investment and economic reports, says in an article.

“To address this situation, the government has set about accelerating infrastructure investment, focusing on projects to integrate the archipelago’s islands and stimulate development, including major upgrades to road, railway and port systems.”

In a paper released in March of this year by the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), it was noted that a combination of the archipelagic nature of the country and the “burdensome, and sometimes inconsistent, regulations” has led to the Philippines having “the highest logistics cost among the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”

“Despite this, the Philippine logistics market has still managed to grow as a result of the country’s strong economic growth, growing outsourcing sector, and rising globalization,” Jose Tongzon, author of the aforementioned PIDS article, wrote.

Both Mr. Tongzon and OBG made mention of the 2016 edition of the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the World Bank, which is based on a worldwide survey of operators on the ground — global freight forwarders and express carriers — that provide feedback on the logistics “friendliness” of the countries in which they operate and those with which they trade.

The Philippines ranked 71st out of 160 countries, with an LPI score of 2.86. It was behind Singapore (5th), Malaysia (32nd), Thailand (45th), Indonesia (63rd), Vietnam (64th) and Brunei (70th).

In the 2018 LPI, the country fared a bit better, getting an LPI score of 2.90 and placing 60th out of 160 countries. Still, Singapore (7th), Thailand (32nd), Vietnam (39th), Malaysia (41st) and Indonesia (46th) were ahead of it.

OBG also brought attention to how the quality of the country’s overall infrastructure stacked up against those of its Southeast Asian neighbors in the World Economic Forum’s “Global Competitiveness Report” for 2017-18.

“[T]he Philippines ranked 113th out of 137 countries in terms of its quality of overall infrastructure, with its roads ranking 104th, railways (91st), seaports (114th) and airports (124th). Conversely, the country’s ASEAN counterparts Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand ranked second, 21st and 76th, respectively,” OBG said.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2018 showed that the Philippines had made remarkable strides. The country scored 59.4 points in the infrastructure pillar, ranking 92nd out of 140 countries. It lagged way behind Singapore (1st), Malaysia (32nd), Brunei (54th), Thailand (60th), Indonesia (71st), and Vietnam (75th), though.

The Philippines also ranked 129th in the road connectivity index, 88th in the quality of roads, 87th in railroad density, 100th in efficiency of train services, 26th in airport connectivity, 92nd in efficiency of air transport services, 61st in the liner shipping connectivity index, and 84th in efficiency of seaport services.

Multiple infrastructure projects under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program are now being undertaken across the country. Early this year, it was reported that 75 projects worth a combined $36 billion in investments were being rolled out. Among those projects were three bus rapid transits, four seaports, six airports, nine railways and 32 roads and bridges.

In a news release last January from the Department of Finance (DoF), Grace Karen Singson, an undersecretary of DoF, was quoted as saying during an infrastructure forum that the enactment into law of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act or TRAIN, coupled with prudent fiscal management and declining debt service payments would make the infrastructure buildup of the government feasible.

“Though ambitious, every penny is worth spending for. The ‘Build, Build, Build’ program will create 1.7 million jobs by 2022 as well as secure our country’s fast-paced growth in the medium term,” Ms. Singson said.

She noted that the administration intends to spend around $158 billion over the next five years for its “Build, Build, Build” program so that the infrastructure spending would reach 7.3% of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of Mr. Duterte’s term, in 2022.

In June, DoF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III noted in a news release that the program would also be financed, besides TRAIN, through the following: increased Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows from Japan and China, which have committed $9 billion worth of investments and ODA each, and Korea, which has pledged up to $1 billion; investments from multilateral institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; floating bonds at investment-grade rates; and hybrid public-private partnerships, in which the government undertakes the projects and the completed ones are passed on to private partners for management or acquisition.

In the same news release, Mr. Dominguez said 35, or almost half, of the 75 high-impact infrastructure projects under “Build, Build, Build” had gone through the approval process and were ready to be carried out.

Just this month, during his meeting with top executives of Standard Chartered Bank, in Bali, Indonesia, Mr. Dominguez said the administration would continue the program in the face of global headwinds facing the Philippine economy. In a DoF news release, Mr. Dominguez cited the rising prices of oil in the world market, the trade dispute between the United States and China, and the stance of the United States’ Federal Reserve on monetary policy normalization by means of hiking interest rates.

“[T]he ‘Build, Build, Build’ program is doing very well,” Mr. Dominguez reportedly told the Standard Chartered Bank executives, Karby Leggett, managing director for Asia and public sector head, and Paul Skelton, global head for global banking and institutional banking head, adding that the current administration was expanding its inventory of big-ticket assets that succeeding administrations could privatize so that they could raise funds for their own priority programs.

Shaping the transport and logistics sector

The transport and logistics industry is facing an era of unprecedented change. Emerging technologies are enabling greater efficiency and more systematized operating models in the supply chain, allowing industry players to connect and collaborate on transport, storage and management of goods and services across borders with less costs and errors. In the years to come, new and more innovations are poised to bring a huge impact in the industry.

“The development of technology has led to greater rivalry between businesses worldwide as they compete to stay ahead of each other and in order to be the leader of the sector in which they operate. The same can be said about the logistics and transportation industry,” CNS IT Ltd., an IT services provider, said on its Web site.

The IT company explained that businesses within the logistics industry these days depend on technology systems in order to control daily operations accurately, including tracking of goods and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Technology has also contributed to the way in which materials are delivered to customers, CNS said. For instance, drivers are able to deliver the materials to customers within an allocated timeframe with the aid of GPS mapping software. It allows drivers to receive information on traffic and road incidents or closures along their scheduled route, enabling them to take an alternative way so they can reach their destination on time.

“It is clear that in this era, companies simply cannot operate efficiently without the use of technology,” CNS said.

One of the major technology advances that is shaping the transport and logistics industry today is the shipment tracking system.

Previously, customers booked shipments and wait until the goods were delivered. They needed to make a phone call to determine the status of the shipment.

At present, with the help of Internet and software advances, customers can access shipping and tracking systems 24/7 to monitor and manage their shipments. The systems feature shipment notifications and messages, customizable reporting, and customer accounts with information specific to the cargo destined to them.

According to global logistics firm Samuel Shapiro & Company, Inc. (Shapiro), this development not only enhances users’ experience, but also helps operating companies to save time and money.

Internet of Things (IoT) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are also bringing significant changes in the industry, opening up many opportunities for transport and logistics firms, such as reducing costs and delays.

“Sensors are built into cabs, cargo ships, trains, etc., and connect to an alarm system or dispatcher that is monitoring and tracking. These sensors process and transmit the information to the crew who then gains insight into hidden risks and knowledge,” Shapiro said, explaining how IoT works on supply chain management.

Although IoT isn’t an entirely new technology, it continues to impact the future of logistics that allow for a more accurate in-transit visibility and delivery of goods, it added.

The RFID technology, on the other hand, is a popular labor-saving way that helps companies track their inventory.

“A tag or sensor is placed on the product and radio waves are sent out. The data is then received and processed by the company. Similar to RFID tags are barcodes, but the superior speed of information delivery and data processing of RFIDs is more appealing to businesses and the way technology is moving,” Shapiro explained.

Many companies are using RFID tags in their distribution warehouses to monitor containers. The technology is also being utilized in other industries, including apparel and major theme parks.

Robots are also changing the face of transport and logistics. Large companies are starting to spend big in robotic technology to increase supply chain efficiency. Some logistics firms use robots to work autonomously alongside workers, handling tasks on warehouse delivery, picking and packing.

According to LynnCo Supply Chain Solutions, a firm based in United States that enhances performance of complex supply chains, robots have been able to help humans perform heavy and complicated tasks.

“This evolution of task delegation results in fewer human injures from lifting and reaching and fewer products damaged,” LynnCo Supply Chain Solutions said.

Meanwhile, the power of social media is also optimizing the operations within the industry as a whole. Shapiro said that platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google + are becoming the easiest and most efficient way for companies to communicate with customers, conveying urgent information, industry news, and customer responses quickly.

Indeed, the evolution of technology is pushing transport and logistics firms to do business beyond their boundaries. Thus, keeping up with the latest technology is a must to remain competitive and enhance efficiency, Shapiro said.

“The logistics industry is benefiting immensely from the latest technology and will continue to grow as more advances are made. The breakthroughs in technology will continue to push the boundaries for years to come,” the firm added. — Mark Louis F. Ferrolino

The drivers of change in global logistics

As an industry mostly concerned with speed, global logistics, which comprises of a wide range of business from container shipping, courier companies, port operators, and air freight, is naturally well-suited for rapid change. The industrial machine that moves things from one place to another is that which powers the continual growth of the world economy. Any improvement to its operation is an indirect improvement to all, which why progress in the industry is so integral to any country’s growth.

The arrival of the digital economy, advancements in technology, and international market trends are pushing the limits of logistics further, demanding sweeping changes and continuous growth.

The World Economic Forum predicted that as populations grow over the following decades, such demands will grow even more rigid. The logistics industry must not only find a means of addressing the needs of an estimated nine billion people in 2050, but also connect remote areas of the world together as new economies emerge.

“With an ever-larger global middle class and expanded Internet access, increased demand for e-commerce will require logistics providers to deliver to remote locations in emerging economies for the first time. Air freight in emerging markets is predicted to increase by more than one million metric tons by 2018, with the fastest growth on routes between the Middle East and Asia,” the World Economic Forum wrote in a report on its Web site.

According to the report, the rise of ‘megacities’ will also pose a challenge to logistics companies.

“By 2030, it has been predicted that there will be 41 ‘megacities’ with populations of more than 10 million people. Megacities will provide a stiff challenge for firms tasked with making deliveries swiftly in a gridlocked metropolis.”

This is compounded by the exponential growth of e-commerce through the prevalence of smartphones. The World Economic Forum predicts the number of smartphone subscriptions in the world to reach four billion by 2025, with nearly all of the growth coming from emerging markets.

As more consumers are empowered with the ability to purchase products from anywhere in the world, the companies making the deliveries must compete to meet rising standards in the quality of service of other industries.

“No longer is it enough for logistics firms to deliver a consignment on time, they now also need to offer a multiplatform service to both personal and business customers,” the organization wrote.

Meanwhile, the price of oil, trade harmonization, and environmental concerns could impact the operations of logistics companies on a fundamental level. The industry as a whole is vulnerable to spikes in the price of oil, and with the world at large slowly shifting towards more sustainable and more environmentally-friendly sources of fuel, logistics must soon change its methods of transportation for both more practical and more sustainable ones.

Developments in international trade, especially those concerning economic unions like NAFTA, the EU, and ASEAN, could either help or hamper the industry with shifting regulations.

“Economic unions, such as NAFTA, the EU and ASEAN, have made progress toward trade harmonization within their borders. These free-trade areas have reduced the expense of processing trade documentation but increased the cost of complying with a growing body of regulations,” the World Economic Forum wrote.

The global logistics industry has come a long way since the crash it witnessed with the 2008 financial crisis. But if progress were to continue, the industry must be willing to implement a swift transformation that can adapt to such issues on a massive scale. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran

Sta. Lucia Mall: A leisure icon

Sta. Lucia Land, Inc. is generally known as a developer with an impressive portfolio of thoughtfully developed residential estates and towers, as well as golf and country clubs, in different parts of the country.

But in portions of Cainta, Rizal and Marikina City, it is also recognized as a developer of a leisure icon — the Sta. Lucia Mall, a huge shopping complex near the intersection of Marcos Highway and Felix Avenue that has become a central part of life for many people living and working nearby.

The mall, which opened its doors in 1991, comprises four buildings, with the fourth called il CENTRO. This particular structure is located within the developer’s residential towers collectively known as Sta. Lucia’s Residenze.

Sta. Lucia Mall is home to a wide array of stores — clothing, electronics, food, you name it. It has its own department store, which is at par with most other department stores found in other malls. Early this month, Sta. Lucia Department Store was recently awarded the Bagwis Gold Seal of Excellence by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Rizal. Under the DTI-Bagwis program, establishments that uphold the rights of consumers while practicing responsible business are given recognition.

The Bagwis Gold Seal of Excellence that Sta. Lucia Department Store received is a proof that the establishment is compliant with fair trade laws, has set up a consumer welfare desk or an equivalent customer relations office, is socially responsible and has met quality management system requirements set out by ISO 9001.

It is the goal of the mall’s management to make shoppers feel satisfied. One of the ways it achieves this is by having a team that the shoppers can turn to whenever they need assistance.

The management also organizes different events. “We make sure that our shoppers feel home whenever they visit our mall by holding special events that are family friendly because we believe that we don’t just draw customers,” Sta. Lucia Mall’s management said. “Who we serve are part of our family.”

There’s also an annual program for the elderly. “We also have our annual corporate social responsibility program for our lolos and lolas — “Grandparent’s Day” celebration — wherein we honor our senior citizens all over Rizal by giving them free services and gifts with renewal of vows as highlight of the program,” the management said.

Besides the heart-warming renewal of wedding vows, shoppers of Sta. Lucia Mall witness a more solemn religious event every year — the Senakulo, the dramatization of the life, sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, which the mall organizes.

Showing that it is attuned to the latest cultural obsessions, especially of the millennials, the management of the mall started ArtEAST last year. The management’s visual display department puts up three-dimensional art installations that shoppers can not only interact with but also take a selfie with.

In addition to making the shopping experience at Sta. Lucia Mall as fun and as pleasant as possible, the management makes sure that the shoppers feel safe and secure.

“We have a 24-hour security and a fast response to any issues and matters that may arise,” the management said, adding that closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are installed in strategic spots around the mall.

“We also hold quarterly fire and earthquake drills in which shoppers participate,” the management said.

The mall’s security and emergency response team undergoes regular training in how to attend to different contingency and emergency incidents that require medical solutions. The management added that all newly hired security personnel go through a basic security orientation training that aims to familiarize them with the hazards that may threaten the mall and its shoppers and other basic guarding concepts.

“On a daily basis, before security personnel are dispatched to their respective assignments, they are given thorough instructions and guidelines,” the management said. And in cases of emergency, there are ambulance units, stretchers and wheelchairs that are readily available.

Soon, denizens of Davao City will have their own Sta. Lucia Mall. “A second Sta. Lucia Mall is rising in Ponte Verde, Davao City. This mall will be more modern to cope with the fast-changing generation of shoppers,” the management said.

“But rest assured that it will still be supportive of the arts, family-friendly and ecologically amiable.”

Where do Filipinos go

When asked where they spend their leisure time, Filipinos rarely answer with anything other than the mall or their own homes. An adventurous few might say they go to nightclubs, or museums, or even venture outside the city to swim in beaches and scale mountains. But you would be hard-pressed to find a Manileño who doesn’t go to the mall a handful of times every month.

This hardly comes as a surprise for anyone who has ever set foot in Metro Manila, but quite a shock for everyone else. Research published by the international research and advocacy-focused Transnational Institute (TNI) showed that malls across the world are experiencing a slow and painful death, with studies predicting that malls in the United States and China will continue to dwindle in the coming years.

“Currently, only 1,000 malls remain in the US, and it is projected that by 2030, half of the country’s remaining malls will be replaced by community colleges, business offices, and healthcare facilities,” Jore-Annie Rico and Kim Robert C. de Leon wrote in their TNI paper titled, “Mall culture and consumerism in the Philippines.”

“Mall closures and bankruptcy are not just happening in the United States. The New South China Mall, said to be the world’s largest, opened in 2005 but has remained 99% vacant. Further, 138 department stores, 262 supermarkets and 6,209 sports stores closed between 2012 to 2015, according to the Beijing Technology and Business University.”

In Metro Manila, the malls are part of the city itself. Woven into the public transportation systems, offering free air-conditioning to the public, the massive commercial structures have integrated with Filipino culture by serving as a one-stop shop for all of life’s necessities, and many of its pleasures. Malls in Metro Manila, two of which are among the 10 largest in the world, offer anything from groceries, government services, cinema complexes, churches, medical clinics, food courts, restaurant hubs, shopping strips, gaming arcades, bowling alleys, and ice skating rinks for those with the cash to spare.

As the country has transformed to become one of the fast-growing economies in Asia, there is a lot of cash to go around. “The flourishing of malls is indicative of the country’s strong economic position, with the Philippines emerging as a ‘world leader and trendsetter in shopping malls’,” the paper said.

“The construction of malls cannot even keep up with the skyrocketing demand. In fact, it was projected that a record-high 724,620 square meters of new retail space was to be constructed in the Philippines in 2016, according to Colliers International.”

Ms. Rico and Mr. de Leon wrote that the Filipino fascination with large marketplaces had been intrinsic as early as the 19th century, when Spanish observers made note of the Filipino’s propensity for bartering. But much of what eventually became the mall culture of today came with the Americans.

“While the US mall boom started in the 1950s, the Philippines had its own as early as 1932. It was during the US colonial period when the first enclosed shopping establishment, the Crystal Arcade, was built in Manila. The Crystal Arcade became the capital’s most modern structure, even resembling the arcades of Paris, with covered walkways, window displays and cafés and other specialty shops,” the paper said.

“Aside from being an architectural feat, the Crystal Arcade ushered in an era of a ‘national culture centered on commodity.’ Although it was ravaged in the Second World War, the Crystal Arcade became the predecessor of modern malls in the country. Fifty years later, malls have become permanent fixtures in the Philippines.”

Malls have since effectively replaced parks as the de facto public space in the metropolis. This, however, is largely an issue of space rather than choice. Metro Manila is the most densely populated in the world — at around 12,000 per square kilometer, or twice the density of New York City. Property developers are making an effort to address the lack of green spaces by introducing eco-friendly programs and green architecture, but they reasonably have other considerations.

In writing for the Cities section of The Guardian, Colin Marshall pointed out how malls served as physical representations of the ideals of the country’s rising middle class.

Malls, Mr. Marshall wrote, “seem to target Manila’s emerging, young, more or less middle class, an enticing demographic represented by, for instance, the many employees of foreign companies who have in recent decades outsourced certain operations to the Philippines, easing the economy’s dependence on remittances from overseas foreign workers”.

“The de facto public space of the malls of Manila offer the best vantage point from which to observe the more ambitious, more demanding and more internationally connected Philippines that is now on the rise, coming up by whatever means it can,” he wrote.

Mr. Marshall noted that this ideal was even made more apparent in the prevalent advertisements coloring the cityscape, ads that prominently feature pale-skinned, fashion-conscious, English-speaking celebrities.

Ms. Rico and Mr. de Leon suggested that malls in the Philippines serve not only as entertainment, but as avenues of escapism for Filipinos. In essence, the rapid development of the country’s malls are a simulacrum of Philippine society, its culture, history, and pursuits, writ small.

“Malls provide a mirage of comfort, security and affluence. Indeed, their ubiquitousness in the Philippines is proof that they have become the core of the country’s urban life,” they wrote. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran

A new era of shopping

Shopping malls all over the globe are constantly evolving in response to a number of global trends coming together at the same time. Malls, which initially served as a place for communities to shop and eat, have now transformed into a destination composed of diverse mixes: specialty stores, art and cultural institutions, recreational and leisure spaces, one-stop payment centers, educational and transport hubs, and even government offices.

“Mall are becoming increasingly differentiated, with store mix, location, entertainment, and food and beverage (F&B) offerings being tailor-made to suit the mall’s target audience. Mall developers, having recognized such differentiation, are now diversifying their portfolio of mall offerings,” KMPG said in a report titled “What’s the deal? The evolution of malls and their value proposition,” published in October of last year.

According to KPMG, today’s malls can be broadly categorized into community, regional and destination malls where community malls target local residents, while super malls attract visitors from all over the world with its unique offerings.

Such differentiation is expected to be seen in the future. “However, another key aspect will be the considerable extent to which technology is expected to pervade each type of mall,” KPMG said.

Last May, Phillips Edison & Company (Phillips Edison), one of the largest owners and operators of grocery-anchored shopping centers in United States, identified the most promising and significant retail trends breaking out shopping centers today. These include food halls, pop-up shops, fast-casual dining, showrooms and experiential retail.

According to Phillips Edison, communal dining is not a fleeting trend; it’s here to stay. Thus, growth in the “micro food hall” concept, a food center with footprints in the range of 2,500 square feet that allow customers to order from various concepts with one shared kitchen, is expected to grow.

“These establishments will continue to find ways to give consumers unique real-life interactions while offering entrepreneurs relatively low barriers to entry,” the firm said.

To generate brand exposure, test new products and concepts, and create positive engagements with consumers, retailers are also taking advantage of the pop-up shop movement. Phillips Edison said that retail landlords are also embracing the said trend with dedicated programs and physical areas in their centers devoted exclusively to temporary concepts.

Meanwhile, fast-casual dining, a concept that combines elements of quick service with casual dining for an experience that is relatively low in cost, is gaining popularity as consumers crave expedience and quality.

“Recognizing this trend, many property owners are starting to hire dedicated executives to seek out the top emerging food concepts as this category takes larger shares of their portfolios,” Phillips Edison said.

Another emerging trend in retail shopping today is the use of showrooms. The firm noted that showrooms have become a powerful way for brands to create meaningful interactions with consumers.

It explained that while retailers seek to meet consumers’ demands for convenience, they also recognize the power of real-life contact with staff and products in generating a positive, long-lasting relationship. And this can be achieved by having a showroom, where consumers can talk to sales staff while taking a look at goods before buying them.

Aside from new products and services offerings, consumers are looking for experiences that engage and excite them. The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world’s largest retail association, said in one of its published reports that consumers are being driven more by brand experience as retail becomes commoditized and the competitive gaps in price and selection shrink.

“Shoppers want convenience, a unique customer experience and events that offer a compelling reason for store visits. They also demand personalization and strong digitally enabled customer service,” the NRF said.

A number of retailers are trying to respond to this trend by implementing interactive elements in their locations, such as using virtual and augmented reality, and 3D immersion technology.

“While we’ve seen hyperbolic headlines the last few years surrounding the state of retail and the role e-commerce is playing in it, those of us operating in this space know that e-commerce has actually led to exciting and innovative developments in brick-and-mortar retail formats,” Mike Conway, vice-president of National Accounts and Retailer Partnerships for Phillips Edison, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Mr. Conway said that the retail industry has shown true resilience in the face of disruption as brands have gone back to the drawing board to reimagine the entire physical retail model, which resulted to some amazing creative concepts.

“Overall, we’re confident that the future for retail is bright, and we can’t wait to see how these trends continue to unfold,” he added. — Mark Louis F. Ferrolino

What a retail store should be in an omnichannel world

In an omnichannel world, according to Fractal Analytics, which provides analytics solutions to some Fortune 500 companies, retailers are ought to be a combination of store retail and non-store retail, integrating the online and offline advantages to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience across channels.

“As prices and inventory availability become more transparent, retailers will not survive just by being ‘pass through’ sellers of national brands. They will have to give consumers a reason to choose their stores over competitors,” Fractal Analytics says in a 2018 paper titled “Evolving the role of the retail store in an omnichannel world.”

“No longer will consumers shop at a retailer simply because it happens to be where a product is distributed. Retailers will need to offer deep product expertise and a unique product education.”

There isn’t just one, infallible way to bring new experiences to consumers; there are, in the words of Fractal Analytics, “enormous possibilities.” The company offers some scenarios: Customer making an online purchase but returning the product at the physical store; access to an in-store interactive screen that customers can use to browse through various products, read reviews of them and pick them up from the shelf; and in-store assistants carrying tablets with information about each customer and personalizing the shopping experience for that customer.

Some of the real-life examples Fractal Analytics gives include Amazon Go, a chain of grocery stores in the US that employs a so-called “Just Walk Out” technology, allowing customers to bypass queues, and Oasis, a UK fashion retailer which has stores where sales associates are armed with iPads, available to give anyone on-the-spot, accurate and up-to-date product information.

“The iPad also acts as a cash register, making it easy for associates to ring you up from anywhere in the store. And the cherry on top? If it appears that something is out of stock, the staff can instantly place an online order for you to have the item shipped directly to  your home. This is true seamless customer experience,” Fractal Analytics says.

The company argues that for many retailers, future store layouts will have to foster greater customer learning and experimentation, with technology fully integrated into how stores and employees engage customers, blurring the lines between the physical and the digital.

Its paper spotlights something called store remodeling, which it defines as a process of producing an incremental change in a store’s physical design to enhance customer experience.

“It is very difficult to accurately predict whether a store remodeling exercise will generate returns,” Fractal Analytics cautions. “The best way to know this for certain is to test the change in a subset of stores and based on the assessment, make a decision on whether it should be rolled out.”

It cites an unnamed US retailer that went on a remodeling experiment involving 27 of its stores, in which customer experiences lounges were introduced, changes to exterior signage were made and existing light systems were made “smart.”

The results were as follows: “22 stores generated a positive lift. Few experienced lifts more than 15% in sales. In addition, breakeven for large stores (sales greater than $10 million) was expected within 2.5 years whereas that for small stores (sales less than $5 million) was expected in 5-7 years. Based on the results, the retailer decided to prioritize remodeling for large stores.”

“The role of the retail store remains essential for today’s consumers. Retailers that use technology to transform the in-store experience can capture new opportunities to create true omnichannel customer experiences,” Fractal Analytics says. However, creating seamless digital and in-store experiences require retailers to be innovative, digital-savvy, and be willing to experiment.

“As in the case of the retailer that successfully remodeled its stores, those that take an intelligent approach to experimentation, powered by measurement and data, will drive real results, while minimizing risk. The opportunity is ripe for retailers that take smart action and strive to innovate. The leaders have already started. For those that haven’t, the time is now,” Fractal Analytics says.

Transportify continues opening affordable provincial routes

Transportify, Manila’s largest app-based logistics platform, expand their services to even more provincial cities to support the growing economy and requests from its customers, primarily businesses. Transportify began operating in the Philippines back in July 2016 serving only the greater Metro Manila area. The company has gone a long way since then. Now they are supporting deliveries from Manila to most key cities in Luzon via its “Long Haul” service.

Routes from Metro Manila to Batangas, Dagupan, Pampanga and Baguio have been open since August of this year and routes from Metro Manila to Lipa, Tarlac, San Pablo, Subic/Olongapo, Lucena and Cabanatuan have just been opened at affordable rates as low as P3,000.

Over the last two years, businesses and individuals in Metro Manila have benefitted from affordable rates and flexible serve options enabled Transportify’s platform. With continuous improvements on its mobile and Web app and active management of drivers on their platform, Transportify further augments the customer experience and ensures high-quality service.

Noel Abelardo, Transportify’s director of sales, shares how customers in Manila are clamoring for expanded services from the platform, “increasing demand for our service allowed us to better understand our customers and help with their challenges in logistics. Through our innovative technology and disruptive business model, we constantly provide solutions to serve their requirements to deliver from Manila to other provincial cities in Luzon without breaking the bank.”

While traditional logistics vendors offer similar services, Transportify’s marketplace model is supported by thousands of well-managed delivery vehicles and drivers equipped with advanced app-based technology enabling digital booking, GPS tracking, and electronic documentation. In this period of rising prices, in large part due to higher inflation rates, the company’s timing with regard to this expansion of services is seen as a relief for Filipino SMEs, enabling business owners to scale easily outside of Metro Manila while saving them up to 40% on logistics costs, according to Transportify’s senior operations manager, Kelvin Caro.

Together with affordable prices, businesses will experience a new service standard for provincial city-to-city deliveries with Transportify enabled by:

• Drivers accredited and actively managed by Transportify via technology

• 24/7 service center support… and yes, they respond fast

• Full service loading and unloading, from pickup to destination

• Affordable, transparent fixed rates

Visit www.transportify.com.ph/long-haul to access the long haul price calculator to check the company’s low pricing.

Interested in using your trucks to serve Transportify customers and make earn extra income? Visit www.transportify.com.ph/drivers.

More about Transportify

Transportify is a logistics marketplace powered by mobile and Web app technology that allows business to book and manage ground transportation of goods, cargo, merchandise, and almost anything else. Its marketplace connects businesses to drivers with a wide range of vehicles who provide safe, reliable and affordable transport anywhere in Metro Manila and surrounding areas. Transportify is part of Deliveree Group, which operates in ASEAN and has raised $14.5 million in a series A funding round led by Gobi Ventures last October 2017.

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