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PETA’s season final is anthology that tackles stories of HIV/AIDS

THE ARTS can influence our thoughts and actions in the face of a disease.

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA)is closing its 52nd theater season with Rody Vera’s anthology drama Under My Skin, from Feb. 7 to March 22 at the PETA Theater Center as part of its Acting on HIV campaign. The show is done in partnership with LoveYourself and The Red Whistle.

UNAIDS country director Dr. Louie Ocampo stressed that the Philippines is the country with the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. UNAIDS said the Philippines had an estimate of 70,000 cases at the end of 2018.

“We have always believed in the power of theater to convey important messages to the audience. Theater is a platform that can spark conversation and reflective thinking and action,” PETA Executive Director Beng Santos-Cabangon said at the press launch on Dec. 2 at the PETA Theater Center.

“In the past, PETA has been successful in tackling sensitive topics through theater. Since the early 2000s, PETA has been active in mobilizing and forging strategic partnerships to help further advocacy work,” PETA Artistic Director Maribel Legarda was quoted as saying in a press release. “We believe that theater can be another approach to HIV awareness, be an effective means of public engagement, introspection, and action.”

THE PLAY
Under My Skin is an anthology of stories about Filipinos living with HIV. The stories were based and gathered from the playwright’s friends and relatives, HIV advocates, existing studies on HIV, doctors, and health practitioners.

Playwright Rody Vera intended for the story “to address the misconceptions, the fears, as well as the opportunities for correcting these.”

In a press release, he is quoted as saying “I decided to write in multiple stories that will somehow mirror the overwhelming increase of HIV cases. And yet nobody seems to be as alarmed, thinking that it’s just a ‘gay’ disease.”

The story centers around Dr. Gemma Almonte, an epidemiologist at the Department of Health, who is studying the spread of HIV in the Philippines and hopes to change public perception of the disease and increase society’s compassion for those who have it.

The cases she discusses are those of Dino, a DOTA player who is diagnosed HIV positive after he contracts tuberculosis; Mary Rose, who discovers that her young son contacted a gastro-intestinal infection from the HIV that she passed on to him, after she herself was infected by her husband; and a gay beauty parlor employee who sues his employer for discriminating against those with HIV.

“Under My Skin addresses not only the nature of the disease but also how society views it, their perceived carriers, and the patients,” Mr. Vera says in the release. “It covers medical, political, social and economic factors. It even covers religious and moral issues. Dealing with HIV is not just about dealing with the virus alone.”

Directed by Melvin Lee, the play stars Cherry Pie Picache and Roselyn Perez who alternate in the role of Dr. Almonte. Also performing are Eko Baquial, Miguel Almendras, Mike Liwag Gio Gahol, Anthony Falcon, Gold Villar-Lim, She Maala, Mico Esquivel, Bene Manaois, Lotlot Bustamante, Kitsi Pagaspas, Dylan Talon, Ekis Gimenez, Erold Enriquez, Jarred Jaicten, Joseph Madriaga, Jason Barcial, and Dudz Teraña; with Rachelle Gimpes, Reggie Ondevilla, Roy Dahildahil, and Csai Habla in the ensemble.

There will be discussions with HIV doctors, health practitioners, and representatives from LoveYourself and The Red Whistle after the shows.

“One strength of the material we wish to emphasize is the spectrum of the age and gender that is affected by the epidemic. It demystifies the preconceived notions [about it],” director Mr. Lee said in a mixture of English and Filipino.

OTHER ACTIVITIES
On the days of the performances, audience members can avail of free HIV screening at the theater lobby, and view the Under My Skin photo exhibit by The Red Whistle, done in collaboration with photographer Niccolo Cosme of the Project Headshot Clinic. The exhibit features 200 portraits of people from the theater industry who are HIV/AIDS advocates. Meanwhile, PETA’s official Facebook page will feature a series of informative videos called EduSeries about stories of people living with HIV.

“It’s really essential that education and awareness is supported and pushed because that’s where we begin to find the solution to the problem,” PETA Artistic Director Maribel Legarda said.

“Fear always happens when we don’t know what’s happening. But once we do, we are then armed with a way to deal with the issues in front of us.”

There will be performances from February 7 to March 22 (Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdaysand Sundays at 3 and 8 p.m.) at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, Brgy. Kristong Hari, New Manila, Quezon City.

For tickets and show buying inquiries, contact PETA at petatheater@gmail.com, or TicketWorld at www.ticketworld.com.ph and 891-9999. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Hans Sy, Angel Locsin named ‘heroes of philanthropy’

TWO Filipinos have been included by Forbes Asia in its list of 30 outstanding altruists in the region — Hans T. Sy of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and award-winning actress Angel Locsin, joining the likes of China’s Jack Ma, India’s Azim Premji and South Korea’s Suh Kyung-bae.

Forbes Asia released on Tuesday its “Heroes Of Philanthropy: Catalysts For Change” list, where billionaires, entrepreneurs and celebrities were honored for their efforts in “solving some of the most pressing issues” in the region.

For the list, Forbes Asia said it wanted to identify those that are using their personal money and not their company’s cash for philanthropic work. It also looked at each person’s “depth of involvement” and the “reach” of their efforts and how it supports a “long-term vision.”

Forbes Asia acknowledged Mr. Sy, SM Prime’s 64-year-old executive committee chairman and director, for his work at Child Haus, a center for cancer-stricken patients located in Quezon City. It said Mr. Sy spent around $2 million in 2015 to buy the lot and build the facility as part of his 60th birthday celebration. To date, the heir of the country’s richest family continues to support the facility by taking care of its operating expenses.

For Ms. Locsin, Forbes Asia took note of the 34-year-old actress’ work to support victims of violence, natural disasters and the conflict in Mindanao. It cited several instances where Ms. Locsin helped in times of crisis, such as when she donated P1 million in October to distribute relief goods to victims of the Mindanao quake, when she joined the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in 2017 to assist displaced victims of the Marawi siege, and when she made donations during Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009, Typhoon Habagat in 2012 and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

It noted Ms. Locsin has shelled out about P15 million over the past 10 years for advocacies supporting education, indigenous people’s rights and ending violence against women and children.

Forbes Asia said India’s Mr. Premji made history this year for being the most generous philanthropist in Asia. It said he donated $7.6-billion worth of his shares in Wipro Ltd. — an information technology firm he founded and chairs — to his education-oriented organization Azim Premji Foundation.

China’s Mr. Ma was also acknowledged for focusing on philanthropic work after stepping down as executive chairman of tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

South Korea’s Mr. Suh, who chairs skin care firm Amorepacific Group, was likewise honored for donating $9 million to four South Korean scientists to support their research in improving neuroscience and genetics.

Other notable names in the Forbes Asia philanthropy list are South Korean singer and actress IU (Lee Ji Eun), Japanese leader of band “X Japan” Yoshiki Hayashi, Australian billionaire Judith Nelson and Indonesian mining and agribusiness tycoon Theodore Rachmat. — Denise A. Valdez

Monthly flag ceremony honors modern-day heroes

AS NOTED singer Bayan Barrios sang the National Anthem in the cool morning air on Monday, a giant Philippine flag was raised up the 150-foot tall Independence Flagpole — the highest in the country — in Manila’s Rizal Park.

It was the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) in partnership with the Salute to a Clean Flag Movement’s third Stop and Salute flag-raising ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Manila City, and served as a tribute to the late artist, tour guide, and cultural activist Carlos Celdran. The ceremony also honored OFWS and the national hero Jose P. Rizal.

This year, the Stop and Salute flag-raising ceremony has honored the heroes of Marawi and teachers in line with World Teachers Day in October, and celebrated National Children’s Month in November.

The audience on Dec. 2 — which included representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Education, Bureau of Fire Protection, The Philippine Navy, The Philippine Army, Philippine Marines / Marine Security Escort Group, Philippine Coast Guard Auxilliary, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Maritime Industry Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Manila City Hall, Intramuros Administration, National Library, National Museum, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Nayong Pilipino Foundation, Order of the Knights of Rizal, The Manila Hotel, Rizal Park Hotel, Baranggay 666, Sentro Rizal, Family and Friends of the late Carlos Celdran, Descendants of Jose Rizal and Association Of Philippine Volunteer Fire Brigades, Inc.— then joined together to recite the Panatang Makabayan Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat ng Pilipinas.

MAKING THE FILIPINO PROUD
The Salute to a Clean Flag Movement was founded by Monique C. Pronove of Pronove Tai International Property Consultants.

It is a non-political project “with the mission of making the Filipino proud of the Philippine Flag once again and making it [important] to the Filipino of today,” Ms. Pronove said in her speech after the 8 a.m. flag raising. It honors “modern-day Filipinos who make us a prouder country for the excellence the have shown in their field of endeavor.”

The Stop and Salute Monthly Flag Raising Ceremony is held at the Rizal Monument every first Monday of the month. The ceremony is open to the public.

“We want to promote nationalism. Everyone is equal under the flag so everyone is welcome to come,” Department of Tourism National Parks Development Committee executive director Cecille L. Romero told BusinessWorld after the ceremony.

Although the Philippine flag at the Independence Flagpole in Rizal Park is permanently hoisted day and night throughout the year, there are official flag raisings done twice a year — on Independence Day on June 12 and on Rizal Day every Dec. 30. So the monthly activity strengthens the value of the flag and our sense of patriotism, said Ms. Romero.

“Sa araw na ito, nais ko kayong imbitahan na pag-isipan ang halaga ng mga bayani sa kasalukuyang panahon (On this day, I invite you to think of the importance of our modern-day heroes),” Ms. Romero said in her speech. “Ang pagmamahal sa bayan ang nasa kaibututuran ng isang bayani. At bukod sa pagmamahal na ito, nakakayanan niyang ibukod ang sariling interes para sa nakararami at sa bayan (Love for country is at the core of every hero. Aside from this love, they can set aside self-interest for the majority and for the country).”

CARLOS CELDRAN
“We, the Salute to a Clean Flag Movement, and the Filipino people pay tribute to the life’s work of the late Carlos Celdran whose overwhelming passion to the Philippines and to the Filipino people had made a remarkable difference in making our history relevant, colorful, and interesting once again to the Filipinos of today,” Ms. Pronove said.

Celdran, who died in Madrid on Oct. 8 this year, was best known for his performance art Walk this Way tours of Intramuros, which he conducted for 17 years; his Livin’ La Vida Imelda one-man show, which was an entertaining but pointed examination of the Marcos years; and for mounting the first edition of the Manila Biennale art festival in the Walled City in 2018. He also was also known for his 2010 “Damaso” one-man protest against the Catholic Church’s meddling with a woman’s right to birth control, for which he was later convicted of “offending religious feelings.”

In her speech accepting the honor granted to her late husband, Tesa J. Celdran quoted from an essay he wrote explaining how he became involved in the preservation of Philippine culture, particularly focusing on Manila’s walled city, Intramuros.

“I had always felt a very strong conviction about the preservation and development of Philippine arts and culture. In [upper] school I lamented the destruction of the grander houses in Malate and Ermita, and volunteering was a way of directly involving myself to help solve this matter,” the then 36-year-old Carlos Celdran wrote. “The… encounters [that followed], which sometimes turned emotional, opened my eyes not only to the volatility of Philippine arts and culture but also the passion that could arise from it.

“…Years later, I became the Intramuros Tour Guy. Visitors through Manila using the city as my stage, performance art, my medium, and Philippine Arts and Culture, both as built heritage and, preservation and development, my message.”

Teresita Herbosa — a descendant of Jose Rizal and great-grand niece of Delfina Herbosa, who, along with Marcela Agoncillo and her daughter Lorenza, sewed the first Philippine flag — noted in her speech that like the national hero and Mr. Celdran, we should stand up for what you believe in. “We should always stand up for what we believe in, no matter if it is against the majority.”

After all the speeches, the Salute to a Clean Flag Movement together with NHCP Acting Executive Director Carminda Arevalo presented a flag to Ms. Celdran.

“Manila made my husband, and he made Manila his mission,” said Ms. Celdran in her speech. “In his younger years, Carlos believed art could transform the world. As we all know, that world always in flux. And as it does, Carlos would add to that formula of art as refinement to include love and gratitude as life.

“Maybe this way we can make his dreams for Manila, this city that he loved, not only live on, come true, but also, to dream a better dream.” — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Palay prices firm in third week of November

THE average farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, rose 0.5% week-on-week in the third week of November to P15.52 per kilogram (kg), reversing an unbroken months-long streak of declines since rice imports were liberalized.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in its weekly palay and corn price update that the average wholesale price of well-milled rice fell 0.2% to P37.33 per kg week-on-week. Retail prices also fell 0.2% to P41.53.

The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice decreased 0.2% to P33.22 per kg, week-on-week, while retail prices dropped 0.1% to P36.70.

Rice prices at the consumer level are a major component of inflation because food is heavily weighted in the inflation baskets of developing countries. The government passed the Rice Tariffication Law, or Republic Act No. 11203, in March as an inflation-control measure, easing restrictions on the entry of Southeast Asian grain while charging shipments from those markets a 35% tariff.

At the farmgate level, where the key commodity is palay, the form in which farmers sell their crop, prices have been collapsing because private traders must weigh the cost of carrying domestic rice in inventory against cheaper foreign grain. According to reports, traders in some provinces have been offering single-digit prices to buy palay, well below the National Food Authority’s (NFA) support price of P19 per kilo.

Year-on-year, the farmgate price of palay is down 22.6%.

The NFA steps into the market as the buyer of last resort to maintain its minimum buffer stock, but it cannot purchase the entire harvest because of budgetary and storage constraints, leaving farmers to contend with private traders.

To compensate, the government has been trying to organize direct-purchasing programs via local government units to offer farmers a “fair” price. Legislators have also set into motion measures to increase the budget for farmer aid, including emergency loans and conditional cash transfers.

Rice farmers are pushing for the repeal of the law, claiming lost income for 2019 of as much as P140 billion.

The Agriculture department’s Field Programs Operational Planning Division Director Christopher V. Morales said the average increase in palay prices may not be true for all regions, with some also likely to be seeing declines.

“Dapat tingnan saan yung regions o provinces na tumaas. Di ko masasagot specifically yan kasi di naman true to all areas. Dapat i-analyze mo province by province (We need to look at the regions where the price increased. I cannot answer specifically because that is not true for all areas. An analysis should be performed province by province),” he said in a text message.

The farmgate price of yellow corn grain averaged P11.96 per kg, up 0.1% week-on-week. The average wholesale price increased 0.2% to P21.02. The retail price was stable at P25.66.

The average farmgate price of white corn grain fell 0.1% to P13.34 per kg, week-on-week. The average wholesale price increased 1% to P17.10, as did the average retail price, which rose 0.3% to P26.78. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Rural banks looking to digitize operations to boost efficiency

RURAL BANKS are joining their larger peers as they go into digitizing their operations to improve efficiency and to ramp up their push for financial inclusion.

Without going into details, Fexco Philippines Chief Executive Officer Cathal Brendan Foley said a rural bank will launch its mobile app by January.

Aside from this, Mr. Foley added that the small countryside financial side institutions are also delving more into introducing cash-out schemes.

“And as I see it for know, we see a huge take up in the cash-out type products because there’s pretty much no ATMs (automated teller machines) [in rural areas],” Mr. Foley told BusinessWorld in an interview on the sidelines of their media briefing held at Makati last Thursday.

Fexco is an Ireland-headquartered financial technology firm which has processed about $15 billion worth of transactions in Asia.

It was established in the Philippines in 2015 and has officially launched its services for partner institutions in 2017.

Among its offerings is the EasyDebit launched in December 2017, which facilitates transactions that include cash-outs with convenience fees that average P30 from touchpoints with small merchants including groceries, sari-sari stores, and pawnshops.

“To date, EasyDebit processed P3.5 billion in terms of cash-out and transaction value and has seen 200% year-on-year growth in transactions,” Mr. Foley said, noting that one of the main things that buoy its growth are cash-outs from conditional cash transfers.

Moreover, Fexco is developing a bank app that can be white-labeled by lenders.

The firm is working with lenders particularly rural banks such as the Rural Bank of Rizal, Cantillan Bank and Al-Amanah Islamic Bank and is also in touch with 1,300 merchants in the country through cash-in and cash-out transactions.

Aside from cash-out schemes, Mr. Foley also sees the potential of business in bills payment, loan applications.

“There’s currently about 11,000 bank branches in the Philippines for 110 million Filipinos. There is never going to be a penetration of brick-and-mortar. I think banks will allow agents to operate on their behalf,” Mr. Foley said.

For 2020, the fintech will launch its Springpoint venture which is a combination of solutions meant for nonbank financial players that would want to delve into cash-ins, bills payments, loans, and accounts opening. — L.W.T. Noble

PHL firms seen to hike salaries by 6% in 2020

PHILIPPINE companies are forecast to increase salaries by 6% next year, as they focus more on retaining current employees, according to a survey conducted by Mercer.

In its 2019 Philippines Total Remuneration Survey, Mercer said next year’s salary increase is higher than the 5.5% in 2019, as inflation is expected to ease.

The survey also showed consumer goods, energy and high tech industries are forecast to have the biggest salary increases at 6%.

Mercer noted that 45% of organizations surveyed will add new hires, lower than the 50% this year.

“While the country’s population is young with a median age of 24 years, workplaces are increasingly becoming multigenerational… At the same time, the rise of the gig economy is growing demand for flexible work arrangements. These emerging realities challenge companies to have more compelling and differentiated value propositions, increase pay transparency, and rethink pay for performance, so they can attract, retain, and manage talent,” Mercer Career Business Leader for the Philippines Floriza Molon said in a statement.

Based on the survey results, Ms. Molon said 55% of Philippine companies are reviewing their benefits package, with 43% looking to raise the budget for employee salaries and 21% hiking the budget for employee benefits.

Retention remains a concern for many companies. For the first six months of 2019, Mercer noted voluntary and involuntary attrition rates were at 6.2%, and 1.9%, respectively.

“While the top reasons cited for employees leaving their organization in Asia varies by age group and gender, the top three reasons for employees leaving their organization are competitive pay, manager interaction, and a lack of clear career path and job security,” Mercer said. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

After $1 billion theft, German museum turns out not to have insurance

AFTER burglars made off with priceless jewels from a German museum on Nov. 23, pressure is growing on police to find the culprits. One big reason: The diamond-encrusted dagger, pearl necklace, and dozens of other glittering artifacts — estimated to be worth more than $1 billion by the local press — were uninsured.

The German state of Saxony, the owner of the Green Vault museum in the eastern city of Dresden, carried no insurance on the jewels, standard practice because the premiums typically exceed potential damages in the long-term, the state Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

While public museums usually insure works of art that are loaned to other institutions, they often don’t take out policies on their permanent collections, according to Julia Ries, head of fine art and jewelry at insurer Ergo Group AG.

“The budgets of public museums are limited,” Ries said. “You can’t replace such a collection from a monetary or art-historic value. If the jewels aren’t recovered, this part of the collection will be lost forever.”

The insurance shortfall was revealed as more details of the theft became clear. Police believe the burglars set a fire nearby to create a power outage, then broke a window to enter the museum. Though the total number of culprits is unknown, two people quickly smashed a display case, snatched the loot, and fled.

The whole thing took “just a few minutes,” police said.

Here’s how the robbery went down that Monday:

Shortly before 5 a.m.: Streetlights in the area go dark after someone sets fire to an electrical junction box.

About the same time: Thieves cut through a metal grate covering a window and break the glass to enter the museum.

4:57-4:58 a.m.: Two people enter the Green Vault’s jewelry room. One, wearing a headlamp, shatters the display case with an ax to remove the gems.

4:59 a.m.: The two security officers on duty spot the burglars on camera and call the cops.

5:04 a.m.: Police arrive at the scene, but there’s no trace of the thieves.

5:09 a.m.: Sixteen police cars are dispatched throughout Dresden to look for the getaway car — believed to be an Audi A6 sedan.

Around 5:15 a.m.: Police are notified that an Audi A6 is burning in a nearby underground garage.

Monday morning: After the fire is extinguished, Dresden police search the museum and garage for further clues, but haven’t apprehended the criminals.

Bild, a daily tabloid, reported that the jewels are worth about €1 billion ($1.1 billion), without saying where it got the estimate. Museum officials have said the collection includes unique ensembles of diamonds that are of priceless art-historic value, declining to give a financial value.

Even as the scale of the loss became clear, some good news emerged: The thieves weren’t able to rip out all of the jewelry, some of which was sewn onto fabric lining the display cases. And one of the museum’s best-known treasures, the 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond, is on loan to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. — Bloomberg

Palace could issue EO to break Congress deadlock on land use bill

AN executive order (EO) could precede the passage of the proposed National Land Use Act, which has been declared a government priority by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Salvador S. Panelo said the EO was discussed during the 44th Cabinet Meeting on Monday. Mr. Duterte called on legislators to pass the proposed National Land Use Act, but pending passage the President could issue the order.

“(T)he President approved the suggestion that the administration first come up with an executive order for the purpose,” Mr. Panelo said in a statement Tuesday.

The EO could establish a body to oversee the classification of land by their appropriate use. Mr. Duterte has declared such legislation urgent in his state of the nation addresses (SONAs), with his 2019 SONA requesting passage by the end of the year.

Congress has yet to approve the National Land Use measure after more than two decades, with bills in both chambers awaiting committee approval.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, has not given a statement on when the committee will tackle the bills. Ms. Villar has said that deciding on land use should be left to the discretion of Local Government Units (LGUs).

Representative Eduardo R. Gullas of the first district of Cebu, who chairs the House Land Use committee had also not replied to requests for comment at deadline time on when the House will tackle its own bill.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) had been ordered to draft a National Land Use Law and was able to present key provisions of the draft at the meeting, Mr. Panelo said.

“National Economic and Development Authority Director General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro shared the salient points of the draft bill,” he said.

Another subject discussed during the Monday Cabinet meeting was automating documentary transactions for businesses, which was approved by Mr. Duterte.

Mr. Panelo said that Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez called on government agencies “to streamline and automate their processes” in order to improve the Philippines standing in the World Bank next ease of doing business report. In the last report, the Philippines was 95th, up from 124th a year earlier.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) oversees the National Business One-Stop Shop (NBOSS) program, which is currently being pilot-tested. NBOSS hopes to reduce registration for businesses to five steps over a transaction period of five to six days. The DTI hopes to launch the e-registration system next year.

Mr. Lopez has said that the e-registration portal will partially launch next year, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Social Security System (SSS) already on board. The department in discussions with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to also join in the end-to-end system for business registration. — Gillian M. Cortez

RBA holds rates as it weighs past cuts

SYDNEY — Australia’s central bank left interest rates at record lows on Tuesday as it waits for the three cuts already delivered to gain traction in a sluggish economy, though markets are wagering more easing will ultimately be needed.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) ended its last board meeting of the year by leaving the door open to another cut in its 0.75% cash rate.

“The Board is prepared to ease monetary policy further if needed to support sustainable growth in the economy,” said RBA Governor Philip Lowe in a brief statement.

“The Board also agreed that due to both global and domestic factors, it was reasonable to expect that an extended period of low interest rates will be required in Australia.”

Markets are almost fully priced for a move to 0.5% by April, with a real chance of reaching 0.25% or even a drastic shift to quantitative easing via buying government bonds.

The decision comes a day before government data is expected to show the economy expanded by 0.5% in the September quarter, the third straight quarter of middling outcomes.

Annual growth is forecast to pick up to 1.7% from a decade low of 1.4%, which, while pedestrian by past performances, would still support the RBA’s hopes for a gradual turnaround.

Lower borrowing costs have certainly worked to reignite home prices, which enjoyed their strongest month in 16 years in November, led by boom-like gains in Sydney and Melbourne.

Yet they have had far less luck in reviving consumers struggling with stagnant wage growth and sky-high debts. A weekly survey from ANZ showed confidence near four-year lows with the rate cuts themselves blamed for spooking consumers.

“Annual GDP (gross domestic product) growth may accelerate a touch, but this hardly points to an economy that is undergoing more than a gentle turn, one that is unlikely to be enough to stop unemployment moving higher,” said ANZ head of Australian economics David Plank.

“Sentiment looks set to be challenged for a while yet.”

Some sectors of the economy were doing well, notably exports. Data out Tuesday showed the country’s current account surplus swelled to a record A$7.9 billion ($5.36 billion) in the September quarter, only the second surplus since 1975.

It’s an influx of cash that fattens company profits and boosts the government’s tax take, but fails to percolate down to households.

The major resource companies are majority owned by foreigners, so much of the profits they earn flows offshore. Neither are miners splashing out on their staff, with annual wage growth in the sector stuck at a miserly 2%.

Government spending was helping, having added around 0.3 percentage points to growth in the third quarter.

Yet the conservative government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has so far rebuffed calls for a major injection of fiscal stimulus, choosing instead to stay wedded to a political pledge to return the budget to surplus. — Reuters

More gold medals for PHL as ‘Tisoy’ forces SEAG to adjust

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

AMID THE STRONG typhoon that battered parts of Luzon island, gold medals continued to flow for the Philippines on Day Three of the competition in the 30th Southeast Games on Tuesday.

Wushu, arnis and gymnastics gave Team Philippines, which started the day with 38 gold medals, more top hardware just as typhoon “Tisoy” (international name: Kammuri) was making its presence felt in Southern and Central Luzon and the National Capital Region which forced Games organizers to make adjustments to the schedules of events.

Agatha Wong, 21, who won a gold medal for the country on Day One on Sunday, added another by winning the taolu taijijian event in wushu competitions held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Ms. Wong scored 9.65 in winning the event ahead of Thi Minh Huyen Tran (9.63) of Vietnam, who claimed silver, Basma Lachkar (9.62) of Brunei, who took bronze.

The College of Saint Benilde product won silver in the same event two years ago in the Kuala Lumpur Games.

It was her second gold medal in the ongoing Games after successfully defending her taolu taijiquan title on Dec. 1.

Following the pace set by Ms. Wong, sanda fighters Divine Wally, Jessie Aligaga, Arnel Mandal, Francisco Solis and Clemente Tabugara, Jr. also delivered gold medals.

Ms. Wally, who won bronze in last year’s Asian Games, emerged on top in the women’s 48-kg category.

Messrs. Aligaga and Mandal topped the men’s 48-kg and 52-kg divisions, respectively.

Winners in the men’s 56-kg and 65-kg divisions, meanwhile, were Mr. Solis and Tabugara.

Arnis, which proved to be a deep source of gold medals in this edition of the SEA Games, added gold medals 13 and 14 after Crisamuel Delfin and Mary Allin Aldeguer ruled their respective divisions at the Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga.

Mr. Delfin topped the men’s anyo non-traditional arnis while Ms. Aldeguer did the same in the distaff side.

Mr. Delfin beat Vietnam’s Van Huynh Ngo for gold with Cambodia’s Sila Chhem and Myanmar’s Yar Zar Tun winning bronze.

Ms. Aldeguer topped Vietnam’s Thi Hoai Trieu in the gold medal game while Naing L Sheilar of Myanmar and Soumala Eng wound up with the bronze medal.

Olympics-bound gymnast Caloy Yulo, meanwhile, added another gold in the men’s floor exercise, in addition to his gold in the men’s artistic gymnastics individual all-around on Day One.

Nineteen-year-old Yulo chalked up a score of 14.700, from a difficulty score of 6.200 and execution score of 8.500.

In billiards, Filipino cue artists Carlo Biado and Johann Chua opened their bid in the men’s 9-ball doubles competition on a bright note on Tuesday, scoring a 9-2 victory over Malaysians Kok Jken Yung and Muhammad Almie at the Manila Hotel Tent.

A few hours later, Jeffrey Ignacio and Warren Kiamco blasted Malaysia’s Darryl Chia Soo Yew and Ibrahim Bin Amir 9-3 to join Messrs. Biado and Chua in the win column.

SOME SEA GAMES EVENTS POSTPONED
Meanwhile, due to the inclement weather brought about by typhoon Tisoy, some events were postponed.

As of 12 noon on Monday, postponed, as confirmed by the technical delegate and competition managers were the benchrest event in shooting (Metro Manila), skateboarding, underwater hockey and polo (Southern Luzon), petanque (Clark), and sepak takraw, canoe/kayak/traditional boat race, muay and surfing (Subic).

The organizers said updated schedules of postponed events will be released and shared to all concerned soon.

In a statement, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) said it was closely monitoring the movement of Tisoy and expressed readiness to handle the situation by taking the necessary precautionary measures to secure the safety of all guests and athletes.

Nokia in discussions to provide 5G technology to 2-3 firms in Philippines

By Arjay L. Balinbin
Reporter

NOKIA on Tuesday said it is currently in talks with “two to three” firms in the country to provide fifth-generation (5G) technology solutions for their operations.

In a media briefing in Makati City on Tuesday, Nokia Philippines Country Head Andrew Cope said the company is currently in talks to partner with “two to three” Philippine firms from “big industries” on 5G technology.

“Some will be rolled out next year. How big and how far, I really cannot comment. It might be very small, it might be significant,” he said.

Mr. Cope said the company is looking at companies from several industries, such as “mining, ports, anything that requires personal or public safety, automation industries, and factories.”

He said the Philippines could be a major market for 5G as “it is like a gateway to the rest of the world.”

“What works here moves to Thailand, moves to India, and moves to Bangladesh,” he explained.

In his presentation, Kai Sahala, head of Nokia 5G sales for Asia Pacific and Japan, said the 5G technology is seen to contribute $2.2 trillion to the global economic growth in the next 15 years. For the Asia and the Pacific region alone, he said 5G will contribute $890 million.

Mr. Cope stressed that Nokia has a “strong commitment” to deliver next generation communication technology to the “leading operators” in the Philippines.

He said Nokia, which currently has a team of 1,100, has previously partnered with Smart Communications, Inc. and the Philippine Red Cross to apply innovative technology for its disaster relief efforts.

Nokia, Mr. Cope added, has also partnered with Globe Telecom, Inc. to bring cloud-native business services to the country.

He said Nokia’s vision this time is develop 5G end-to-end infrastructure to “support economic growth, and improve lives.”

Nokia also aims to build enterprise-use cases to digitalize industries, he added.

DTI expects new CITIRA Senate draft by year’s end

THE tax reform bill lowering corporate income tax and rationalizing fiscal incentives will be filed with the Senate by the end of December, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told reporters Tuesday, incorporating input from its investor constituencies that could provide for longer transition periods away from older incentive schemes.

Mr. Lopez said that the new version of the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), representing the second package of the government’s comprehensive tax program, will address the “specific needs and interests of stakeholders.”

He added that input from the Department of Finance (DoF), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the private sector have been considered.

The transition period for exiting old incentive schemes and terms of new investment incentives continue to be contentious, he said.

“There are provisions being worked so that we can improve the support for the new projects,” he said.

The DoF supports the two to five-year transition period in the bill approved by the House of Representatives, while the DTI is pushing for a five to seven-year transition period in general and a seven to 10-year transition for companies that employ over 3,000 people.

“It will be subject to further deliberation in the Senate,” Mr. Lopez said.

“You can expect due consideration concerns raised in preliminary senate committee hearings — you can expect consideration on these positions,” Mr. Lopez said.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri in September said that the Senate is considering a longer transition period while increasing the gross income earned rate to seven percent from five percent. — Jenina P. Ibañez

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