WOMEN earned roughly half the income of men in the United States over a 15-year period, taking into account time off for family or child care, according to a report released on Wednesday, which found the pay gap is far greater than has commonly been assumed.
In an examination of women’s income from 2001 to 2015, the Washington-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that women’s income was 51 percent less than men’s earnings, which includes time with no income.
“Much ink has been spilled debating whether the commonly cited measure of the wage gap — that women earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man — is an exaggeration due to occupational differences or so-called ‘women’s choices,’” Heidi Hartmann, president of the institute and a co-author of the study, said in a statement. ADVERTISING
“But our analysis finds that we have actually been underestimating the extent of pay inequality in the labor market,” Hartmann said.
The study, “Still a Man’s Labor Market,” showed that the wage gap has narrowed since 1968, with women’s inflation-adjusted income rising to an average of $29,000 for the period from 2001 to 2015, compared with $14,000 from 1968 to 1982.
But women are nearly twice as likely as men to take at least one year off work, and they pay a high price for it. Women who left the workforce for a year earned, during their years on the job, an average of 39 percent less than men, the study found.
Companies are likely to pay their employees less, regardless of gender, if they leave their jobs at some point. But women are more often hurt by that pay cut, the study found, because they are more likely to take time off.
With paid family and medical leave and affordable child care, women are more likely to stay in the workforce and earn higher pay, according to the study. — Reuters
By Noel Vera Video Review Wichita
Directed by Jacques Tourneur (Yet another film on the soon-to-vanish [Nov. 29] Filmstruck — in this case easily found on other venues [Google Play and iTunes] but difficult to find in Cinemascope; even Turner Classic Movies has resorted to showing the cropped pan-and-scan version. Filmstruck presents the film in its original aspect ratio, and if ever the term “quietly glorious” applied to a picture it applies to this. Again the plea: make the site [or one like it] available again — and make it available to other countries!)
SAY THE name “Jacques Tourneur” and the first word come to mind for most folks is “horror” (the second is possibly “cat”). Tourneur had been directing since 1931, mainly shorts, finally made a splash early ’40s working for producer Val Lewton in Cat People (low budget, eerily beautiful) and I Walked With a Zombie (despite the pulpy title, my favorite adaptation of Jane Eyre). Say “Tourneur” and the word “westerns” rarely pops up — but some of his westerns do in fact represent his finest work. Wichita is late period Tourneur, halfway through a decade when he went freelance (before this he was with RKO, working his way up from B pictures like Cat People to A projects like Out of the Past). It was his first film in Cinemascope which, unlike other filmmakers, he embraced: Cinemascope “reproduces approximately our field of vision” he notes, adding that the format, because of the expanse of space on display, “makes it necessary to compose.”
Tourneur composed all right, but not in the flashy manner of a Welles or a Hitchcock. Critic Pauline Kael sniffed that his films with Lewton “aren’t really very good,” suggesting they’re afflicted with good taste; I submit they’re more understated than anything — a distinct dark sensibility subtly suggested.
In Cat and Zombie and in the classic noir Out of the Past, Tourneur used shadows to great effect, evoking a claustrophobic twilight world of perverse lust, supernatural transformations, and the undead. In Wichita, Tourneur worked in color, where shadows are less pronounced, and in widescreen, where shadows are less effective at evoking confinement — which compels one to wonder: what can Tourneur evoke, in a world of bright hues and vistas?
Tourneur answers the question in his opening sequence: a cattle drive led by one Clint Wallace (Walter Sande) stops for the day, to allow the animals to feed and fatten up prior to selling them at their destination; suddenly a speck is spotted moving across the low hills of the horizon. The cowboys gaze at the speck warily, wondering if it was alone or friend or foe; eventually one of the hands is assigned to ride out and settle the issue.
What do vast spaces evoke? Why fear — the sense of constant vulnerability. Anything can come at you in those spaces, from any direction; and thanks to guns (which all the folks in the plains carry) anyone can strike you where you’re standing. From evoking claustrophobia in Cat People and Out of the Past, Tourneur, in his one major Cinemascope effort, teaches us to appreciate the different but equally fine terrors of agoraphobia.
The speck grows into a buffalo hunter named Wyatt Earp (Joel Mcrea), who’s traveling in the same direction as the drive, hoping to establish a business in Wichita. He’s guardedly offered dinner (Tourneur has Earp on his horse in the background looking down on the cowboys as they’re arrayed in a row facing him: while he’s perched high up and they’re crosslegged on the ground, their shadowy implacable backs radiate cautious hospitality); later two of the men, brothers Hal (Rayford Barnes) and Gyp (Lloyd Bridges) Clements attempt to rob him, an attempt which he easily rebuffs. Turns out Wallace’s earlier speculation was right after all: the man does represent a threat, but not in an immediate straightforward way.
When Earp does arrive in Wichita, the camera ranges easily indoors and out; the buildings (painted an intriguing combination of warm wood, mint green, lemon yellow, burnt red, and the like) keep out the craze-inducing horizon, giving the impression of sheltered greenery in the midst of the Great Plains. Earp is soon offered not a business proposition but a job: the fast-growing town is about to receive an influx of cowboys (Wallace’s crew, earlier encountered) and is about to be torn up in a fit of drunken exuberance. Would Earp consider being marshal, to help keep the peace?
Earp turns the offer down; the cowboys arrive, bringing with them the wildness of the plains they spent months crossing. In a wide high-angle shot Tourneur records the teeming chaos of men running riot, a street lamp standing useless guard to the left corner; suddenly a cowboy on horseback rides across the screen, smashing the lamp’s bulb.
Tragedy strikes (Tourneur’s abrupt staging — a sustained buildup, a clutching of a small chest — underlines the randomness of that tragedy) and Earp feels compelled to pin on the tin star and be sworn in to duty. In the same sense of quiet but implacable authority with which he subdued the Clement brothers, bank robbers, now the wild-partying cowpunchers, Earp declares a gun ban in Wichita.
Does the film support gun control (and since when was gun control a serious issue in 1955?)? Yes, basically — Daniel B. Ullman’s script and Tourneur’s way of causing one’s skin to crawl whenever walls fall away and the ground stretches out for over a mile — make their stance clear. But there are ambiguities: it takes guns to enforce Earp’s ban, plus a double load of buckshot (as Earp points out “I figure I can take out about five of you at this range.”). It also takes — as the NRA often asserts — a “good man with a gun” to keep the ban effective. Granted Earp was backed into taking the position of marshal and that he’s a duly sworn lawman — how many Joel McCreas can you count on to ride into town and keep the peace?
Where other actors radiate charisma or sexuality, McCrea comes across as decent — not exactly a quality you look for in a Hollywood star. But McCrea is decent in a believable way, charming and perhaps a little clueless on any subject outside of his immediate occupation, whether journalism (Foreign Correspondent) or small-town spirituality (Stars in My Crown) or this film — he’s so damned likeable you can be forgiven when he declares martial (marshal?) law and you let him get away with it.
That’s perhaps the price Tourneur is willing to pay to tell this story: McCrea’s Earp, like the present president of the Philippines, is willing to wage a ruthless war on guns (as opposed to drugs — but it could be any issue) but is also willing to do so judiciously, responsibly. No careless killings (several times he had the chance and refused), no delegating the task to incompetents (at most he hands a firearm over to the soon-to-be-equally-famous Bat Masterson [Keith Larsen] who acts as his deputy), no “collateral damage” among civilians, at least none directly through his actions. Earp, unlike Duterte, is a genuinely good man with a gun, “good” in the sense that he not only means well, he’s effective at his job.
And it’s not just Earp as the good man; Tourneur carefully sketches the members of the community and the folks outside that community. Businessmen Sam McCoy (Walter Coy) and Doc Black (Edgar Buchanan) are the kind of elderly white men who control the town, who like Earp’s lawman integrity, who are dismayed when his integrity runs roughshod over their business interests. Tourneur often shoots them in groups conferring and plotting on how they would handle Earp, and when they surround him to try reason with him your skin crawls yet again — they’re like wary wolves surrounding a bull, looking for a weak spot. You want to hiss at Wallace and his hands, but when the cattleman learns of a second tragedy he has the decency to express regrets — besides the unlikeliness of Earp, yet another element that feels so fairy-tale in this day and age: people aren’t hypocritical when they express regret over a gun death. They pause and look for change.
If Tourneur ultimately relegates the film to the realm of fable (the real Earp was a mere police officer, not the town marshal, and left because he had gotten into a fistfight with his boss’ political enemy and was dismissed), at least the director gives us this particular fable: modestly scaled, gracefully told, honest in the way its characters respond to the shocks and disruptions of Tourneur’s world. He gives us — no, he reminds us — of how a legal and effective gun ban might look like, and considering the conditions of either the country of my birth or the country that has adopted me, that world with its strict ban looks better and better by the day.
SENATOR Sherwin T. Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to establish a regulatory framework for the development of Islamic banks in the Philippines.
Senate Bill No. 2105 filed on Nov. 21 gives the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) regulatory powers and supervision over the Islamic banks operations. The agency is also mandated to issue implementing rules and regulations on Islamic banking, taking into consideration its “peculiar characteristics.”
It also empowers the BSP’s policy-setting Monetary Board to authorize the establishment of Islamic banks and to allow conventional banks to engage in Islamic banking arrangements through a designated Islamic banking unit within the bank. The Monetary Board may also regulate the number of participants in the Islamic banking system.
The Monetary Board may also prescribe and authorize foreign Islamic banks to operate in the Philippines under any modes of entry as provided under Republic Act No. 7271 or the law liberalizing the banking industry.
The bill likewise mandates Islamic banks to constitute a Shari’ah Advisory Council, which will be composed of experts in Shari’ah, banking, finance, law and other related disciplines. The council is tasked to provide advice and to review applications of Shari’ah principles. The council is not allowed to be directly involved in Islamic banks operations.
Under the proposed measure, Islamic banks will be allowed to perform banking services, such as accepting or creating current, savings accounts and investment accounts, accepting foreign currency deposits, as well as acting as correspondent banks and institutions, among others.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Gatchalian said the proposed measure provides opportunities for the country’s Muslim population, especially entrepreneurs to have access to banking and financial services that are compliant with the Shari’ah principles or Islamic laws.
He added that it will also help the government in developing the Bangsamoro region.
“It will likewise enable the country to tap into the growing pool of Islamic investors across Middle East and Southeast Asia,” Mr. Gatchalian said.
“With this bill, we are recognizing the vital role of Islamic banking and finance in creating opportunities for greater financial inclusion, especially for the underserved Muslim population,” he added.
The Al-Alamah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines, created through Republic Act No. 6848, is the only bank in the Philippines authorized to offer Islamic banking services. It has eight branches in Mindanao.
The House of Representatives approved on second reading last month House Bill 8281 or An Act Providing for the Regulation and Organization of Islamic Banks. — Camille A. Aguinaldo
By Richard Roeper Movie Review Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney
With How the Grinch Stole Christmas
In Nineteen Fifty-Seven
Dr. Seuss made such a splash
We were all in Whoville Heaven!
For years and years and years
The book remained a hit
So they made a cartoon special
And folks liked THAT quite a bit!
A man named Boris Karloff
Who starred in Frankenstein
Was the voice of the mean green Grinch
And he did much better than just fine!
The highlight of the TV show
Was a very funny tune
With words and phrases so very gross
If you were eating you’d put down your spoon!
Mr. Grinch was called a foul one with termites in his smile
With all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile
His heart was a “dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots”
His soul was “rubbish … mangled up in tangled-up knots”
We moaned and groaned and moaned and groaned
At this very garbage-y song
But we loved it every year
And sang it all night long!
The years passed by and by
But the Grinch was still quite groovy
So in the year 2000
They gave him a full-length movie!
Jim Carrey played the Grinch
And he was pretty funny
The movie was not great
But it made a lot of money!
(One problem with the movie
Was the residents of Whoville
Their makeup was so creepy
They could have been from Boo-ville)
Here’s a bit of Grinch-ian lore
You might find somewhat news-ical
It’s even been a Broadway play
That’s right, a full-fledged musical!
The kids who read The Grinch at first
Have children fully grown
And some of THOSE children
Have squiggly wiggly kids of their own!
So now comes a new take on the tale,
And this is quite a match:
The Grinch is voiced — just wait for it —
By the man called Cumberbatch!
It’s an animated, full-length adaptation-interpretation
And while it’s kind of sweet, it’s not really a sensation.
The thing about this Grinch, from the moment he’s onscreen
He’s mostly lost and lonely, and really not so mean
Even when he’s scheming to completely foul things up
We see he’s just a softie, when it comes to Max the pup.
Cumberbatch is fancy, like Eggs Benedict
I’m a fan of his, I am, I am, I am
But I wish his voice work as the Grinch
Had contained more Green Eggs and Ham
(Sorry!)
We get lots of slapstick chases
As they try to stretch the story
But all that does is make us think:
Sometimes LESS is more-y.
Rashida Jones adds a warm touch as Donna Lou Who
Cameron Seely sparkles as little Cindy Lou
And even though it feels as if the movie is overlong
Kenan Thompson provides some laughs as the cheerful Bricklebaum.
There’s a new take on “You’re a Mean One …” from Tyler, the Creator
And yes, that’s Pharrell Williams stepping in as the narrator
Two great talents! I was hoping to feel glee!
But in both cases, the work was fine but too low-key …
From time to time you’ll laugh and maybe shed a tear
But this isn’t the kind of Grinch you’ll want to see each year.
— Chicago Sun-Times/Andrews McMeel Syndicaiton
Rating: ★★
MTRCB Rating: PG
LONDON — Oscar winning filmmaker Peter Jackson is returning to the big screen with adventure fantasy Mortal Engines, a post-apolcalyptic tale of survival in his first feature film project since his award-winning adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. The New Zealand-born director, known for his The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, produced and co-wrote the script for the film, based on the young adult book series by Philip Reeve. Oscar-winning visual effects artist Christian Rivers, who worked with Mr. Jackson on the Tolkien adaptations as well as 2005’s King Kong makes his directorial in the film, set hundreds of years after a catastrophic event wipes out civilizations. “Once The Hobbit was done, we were looking forward to getting this made,” Mr. Jackson told Reuters at the film’s premiere in London on Tuesday. “I didn’t want (Mr. Rivers) to make his first feature with somebody else… I wanted to be part of helping him get his feature film career off the ground… He’s done an amazing job.” In the film, humans live in gigantic moving cities which devour smaller towns. A group made up of an outlaw, outcast and mysterious woman lead a rebellion against one such predator city, London. “It was the fear of saying yes because I knew how much work it would be and it was also a fear of saying no, if I said no and someone else made it and it wasn’t any good, I’d be kicking myself,” Mr. Rivers said about directing Mortal Engines. “It was a freight train, it was a big film that came in and I had to jump on and take the ride.” On top of his work in the art department, Mr. Rivers was a second unit director on the last two Hobbit films, the last of which came out in 2014. Since then, Mr. Jackson directed World War One documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, released this month. Mortal Engines features a young cast led by Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar. Matrix and The Hobbit actor Hugo Weaving also stars in the film. — Reuters
By Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong
MOST GAMERS are familiar with the modern dungeon crawler, with the likes of Diablo III, Torchlight II, and Path of Exile proving to be critical and commercial successes. That’s not to say that every release in the category follows the same formula; such notables as Class of Heroes, The Dark Spire, and The Lost Child are superb takes on turn-based exploration and fighting in elaborate milieus. They’re not for everyone, though; while compelling, they generally rely on the slow burn of an interesting story to keep players hooked, and their often-complicated battle systems can be a doozy to navigate through, especially for newcomers to the genre.
If nothing else, however, Nippon Ichi Software has exhibited remarkable proficiency in making quirky, otherwise-niche offerings hold mass appeal. Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk, originally released on the PlayStation Vita in 2016, is one such example, and it’s thus not surprising to see it now find its way to the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Personal Computer in all its uniquely captivating glory. Featuring old-school dungeon crawling mechanics combined with a distinct anime art style, it promises to hook in players from either end of the video game spectrum. Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk follows the story of the witch Dronya and her apprentice Luca, who trek to Refrain with the intent to explore its — what else? — labyrinth upon the request of the town’s current dispensation. As the area of interest is filled with poisonous miasma, she is fortunate to have in her possession the Tractatus de Monstrum, a book inhabited by the soul of the single being who just so happened to have already wandered through and out of it. It is through this tome that players navigate through the narrative and control a myriad of puppet soldiers, each with their distinct look, class, and feel, in an effort to unearth the secrets held by the village depths.
At first glance, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk’s plot seems fairly standard. As with most other NIS titles, though, it is anything but, and the way it’s unveiled and how its characters are introduced and fleshed out make it stand out from among the genre’s dregs. It tackles dark themes with a boatload of charm and humor, not to mention presented in an art style that can be unsettling early on, but compelling in time. Parenthetically, it benefits from the evident imprints of Tenpei Sato and Takehito Harada, with an audio-visual feel that should be familiar to Disgaea fans.
To be sure, charm isn’t the only thing that gives Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk legs. It makes use of, and presents, the standard sets of stats, skills, and classes, but to effective excess. Moreover, the manner in which parties are laid out in “covens” allows players to manage groups of up to 15 at any given time. And there’s no lack of depth and customization in its mechanics. In fact, there’s an initially frightening and intimidating amount; everything from constitution to positioning to weapon choice to numbers can dictate how effective parties are — imposingly at first, and then crucially moving forward.
Indeed, the seeming complexity of Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk can serve as a barrier to entry. Going into it blind can prove overwhelming even for those who have previously partaken of Japanese role-playing games. Likewise, it requires no small measure of grinding, with the use of atypically large numbers for stat lines and the bevy of choices available all but enjoining players to buff up their characters to acute levels. Simply put, there are just some points in the journey where they’ll think they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.
Thankfully, there’s a silver lining to staying engaged, and Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk manages to reward the patient, and how. It distinguishes itself in its painstaking desire to reinvent a formulaic genre, and despite some of its flaws. And it succeeds for the most part, keeping players engrossed with an original and entertaining interface clothed in unfamiliar but comforting garb. Boasting of a beguiling storyline and true gameplay depth that never outstays its welcome, it’s an easy recommend for all and sundry.
Needless to say, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is best played on the PC, where it is graphically and aurally at its finest. Console-wise, the PS4 Pro comes close, running at a steady 60 frames per second and offering outstanding controls. That said, those angling for maximum portability would do well to pick up its Switch version; even undocked and with a busy screen, it suffers from no hiccups and provides no noticeable lags in feedback. In any case, it’s proof positive that, in this day and age of instant gratification, timeless gems driven by equal parts narrative and gameplay can command interest. Arguably the best DRPG on any platform to date, it’s well worth its list price of $49.99 and, most importantly, the 80 or so hours it takes to finish. POSTSCRIPT: Black Clover: Quartet Knights (PS4) — In early 2015, Hungry Joker creator Yuki Tabata launched Black Clover in Japan via Weekly Shonen Jump, a manga periodical that has male teens as its principal demographic. Focusing on orphans Asta and Yuno as they strive to survive and subsequently thrive in the magic-filled Clover Kingdom, the title has been met with extremely positive reception. Its success has led to the production of a one-off video and a television series, with the latter currently on its second season and likewise localized for English audiences.
Considering the richness of the narrative, the expansion of Black Clover’s reach comes as no surprise. It tells of Asta’s intent to become the Wizard King, the second most powerful figure in Clover Kingdom, despite his utter lack of magical powers. Needless to say, the dream is shared by Yuno, whose natural abilities include control of wind magic. Even as they join The Order of the Magic Knights in pursuit of their objective, they find themselves confronting The Eye of the Midnight Sun, a rival organization out to destroy the kingdom.
Creditably, Black Clover: Quartet Knights stays true to its source material. Developed by Ilinx of Gundam Breaker fame, it has Asta and Black Bull Squad captain Yami Sukehiro trying to stop the designs for revenge of noblewoman Karna Freese. The tale is filled with potential, hence the decision to release a manga based on it early this month. It’s at heart a magic fighting game, however, and so the Story, Training, and Challenge Modes serve mostly as a tutorial for players to learn and master the mechanics of where its real value lies.
Indeed, Black Clover: Quartet Knights is set up to be best appreciated as a medium for four-on-four online matches. And, in this regard, it’s designed to give plenty of bang for the buck. Familiar characters from the series possess unique strengths that can be used in support of team victories. Among the multiplayer offerings: Zone Control, which requires taking and keeping control of a specified area in the battle arena; Treasure Hunt, which has protagonists fighting for a key to be used to open a treasure chest; and Crystal Carry, which compels the transport of a spawned crystal to a final location.
In Black Clover: Quartet Knights, choice is critical to success. The right characters support the right strategy for the right team to meet the right objectives. Players can go for ranged magic, up-close combat, healing, or support, and the ideal mix varies depending on the mode at play. Meanwhile, coordination promises to be critical to victory. And, in this regard, the assumption is that of a thriving online community where matchmaking is a breeze.
Unfortunately, this is where Black Clover: Quartet Knights falters. Not enough players seem to be available online at any given time, thus forcing the game to populate the majority of teams with characters controlled by artificial intelligence. Invariably, the required adjustments, in theory conveyed through proper and timely communication, aren’t made, leading to less-than-desirable results. And, with the game already a month old, the problem is more likely to be exacerbated than solved.
The good news is that Black Clover: Quartet Knights proudly exhibits its visual roots. It boasts of a sharp, colorful art style consistent with that of its Weekly Shonen Jump sibling. Ditto with its sound and dialogue tracks, which feature the same vibrant rhythms and voice acting as those of the television series. Animated cutscenes are smoothly rendered, but backgrounds are often static and frame rates can drop depending on the severity of the action on screen.
Taken as a whole, Black Clover: Quartet Knights should please fans of the franchise. It’s a veritable godsend for followers of the manga and anime series, offering a plethora of cosmetic and attribute customization options for familiar characters. Parenthetically, it provides a solid foundation for its multiplayer offerings. On the flipside, it suffers from the lack of online practitioners. And because servers are sparsely populated, forming teams becomes an uneven exercise at best.
Which, in essence, places Black Clover: Quartet Knights in a Catch-22 situation. It has the potential to go beyond its niche, but needs critical mass first to do so — and vice versa. Hopefully, the next console release, which is a matter of when and not if, fares better. 6.5/10
Video Game Review
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
PlayStation 4/Nintendo Switch/Microsoft Windows THE GOOD:
We would like to establish an employee disciplinary policy for our new restaurant. We are growing fast with employees being hired leftand right. The trouble is that, employee discipline issues have also increased. It ranges from habitual absences and tardiness to estafa and theft. Now, we have learned our lesson for starting out without any employee policy. Anyway, how do we start from scratch? — Needing Guidance.
A news reporter was interviewing an African safari guide. He asked: “Is it true that wild animals won’t harm you if you carry a torch?” The guide replied: “That depends on how fast you carry it.”
Sometimes, people in their desire to expand and grow their businesses often ignore the most basic things, including those that relate to people management. Many of them believe that management as the “torch bearer” has the absolute prerogative to hire and fire, which is true up to a certain extent, until they realize later on that forgetting the systems and procedures could result in so many employee issues resulting in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in losses.
Of course, if you have no recourse but to delay the formulation of a code of conduct, you can always refer to the provisions of the Labor Code, starting from Article 278 on post-employment. However, such a provision is too broad and needs support from other laws, like the criminal provisions governing theft, among other offenses.
This reason alone should prod you to “run as fast as you can with the torch” or the code of conduct. Don’t delay the creation of such a policy as it is intended to cover many specific offenses, including absenteeism, tardiness up to serious offenses like theft. Also, the code of conduct provides graduated penalties that include warnings, suspensions and dismissal.
If your code of conduct includes the applicable penalties, it will be easy for management to apply them when the time comes. There should be no guess work or discretion to do. Also, you protect your management from unfair criticism that it is not objective. The following are some pointers on how to create the code of conduct and deal with the pesky problem of employee discipline: One, list down the most common employee violations. Do a quick survey among department heads and note down the recurring issues. Without waiting for the completion of the code of conduct, your management may issue a circular defining all offenses in clear, unequivocal terms. Don’t give the employees an excuse of not understanding the policy.
Publish all policies on your intranet, if not in the bulletin boards where even old policies and penalties can be readily accessed by employees. This is a temporary solution that should be discontinued the moment that you complete the code of conduct. Two, benchmark on the best practices in your industry. Take the initiative to get acquainted with active practitioners from human resource departments of other companies. Start by looking at the policies and practices of small companies as you may encounter difficulties in getting ideas from major players, unless you can find ways of getting hold of an actual, printed policy manual.
Start small with other HR managers from other companies, but be ready to reciprocate as soon as circumstances warrant it. Benchmarking is always a two-way street. It is not meant to benefit only the one asking favor. The best approach is to create conditions where other HR managers would be constrained to help you because of your generosity in the past. If you can and subject to the approval of your management, organize or be a part of an industry association where monthly meetings and seminars are organized for purposes of getting new ideas from other similarly-situated establishments. Three, be original with the provisions of your code of conduct. It’s too tempting, but just the same, don’t commit the mistake of plagiarizing the policy and procedures of other companies in your industry or elsewhere. Also, the Internet offers an ocean of information on how to create employee policies. Don’t copy-and-paste from what you can get from other companies. Chances are, they’ve been there for quite some time and may have been copied thousands of times.
There are many free software programs that detect plagiarism. If it was easy to copy, it is also easy for you to be discovered by the original authors. If they do, the result could be disastrous for your career and your organization. This is not to mention that their policies may not apply to your business. Last, hire an external management consultant to do the job. Researching and writing a code of conduct for your organization is too tedious, time-consuming and stressful. Convince your top management to approve a budget for it, rather than you taking the time to do it while neglecting your day-to-day tasks.
If you’re successful and are granted a budget, ensure that your consultant guarantees that the draft policy is free from any plagiarism and other such concerns, all provisions are compliant with labor laws and social legislation, and that it has a clear, step-by-step procedure on how to observe due process, including how to write the Notice to Explain and other forms. ELBONOMICS: You can’t go wrong if you practice fairness, not favoritism.
REVOLUTION Precrafted continues its global expansion, this time partnering with a Scandinavian development company to develop projects in the Northern European market.
In a statement, Revolution Precrafted said it inked a cooperation agreement with Alvardag, starting with a mid-rise development in the eastern part of Helsinki, Finland.
The company expects the deal to pave the way for projects in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia and other markets in central Europe.
With the deal with Alvardag, Revolution Precrafted will also have access to Nordic ecological wooden construction technologies. The two firms will also exchange designs that will be incorporated in both existing and new projects.
“Revolution is our ideal design and supplier partner. Our team is already working on the biggest wooden high rise residential area development of Europe in Finland… The Northern European market is booming and with a strong partner like Revolution, our project pipeline can be promptly fulfilled and made even more extensive internationally,” Alvardag CEO David Vatka said in a statement.
Revolution Precrafted is expected to supply prefabricated units in at last two sites in Finland.
“I am looking forward to developing and expanding to the Northern European markets with our world-class technology, production, brand and designs. Over the coming years we are looking forward to developing millions of square meters of unique spaces in the European markets,” Revolution Precrafted CEO Jose Roberto “Robbie” R. Antonio said.
4 films to see on the week of November 30 — December 7, 2018
Creed II
A SEQUEL to Creed and the 8th film in the Rocky franchise, Creed II sees Adonis Creed facing Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago, the boxer who killed his father in the ring. Directed by Steven Caple, Jr., the film stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad. Empire’s Ian Freer writes, “While Creed made Adonis’ life in Philadelphia authentic, Creed II doesn’t bring telling specificity to Adonis’ new world as a champ: it’s just a tired litany of spacious apartments, lovemaking montages to R‘n’B and interactions with the smallest entourage in boxing history.” MTRCB Rating: PG
The School
WHEN A doctor’s son suddenly goes missing, she goes in search for him, ending up in an abandoned school filled with supernatural beings that she must fight in order to find her son. Directed by Storm Ashwood, this Australian movie stars Nicholas Hope, Milly Alcock, Will McDonald, and Megan Drury. “The School is the perfect blend of otherworldly fantasy and creepy horror which makes it one of the most unique Australian films we’ve seen in years,” writes Matthew Eeles of CinemaAustralia. MTRCB Rating: R-13
Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap
IN the fictional Barangay Husay in Tondo, Manila, Eman teams up with Toto and Carlo who take every opportunity to attempt small-time scams. When newbie Nicoy joins the team upon Eman’s father’s insistence, Nicoy and the rest of the team continue to dream of the ultimate scam. Directed by Marius Talampas, the film stars Pepe Herrera, Jerald Napoles, Jelson Bay, and Paolo Contis. MTRCB Rating: R-16
Three Words to Forever
AFTER 25 years of marriage, Ricky and Cristy have decided to separate, but decide to delay their separation so as not to be a burden to their daughter Tin and her boyfriend Kyle. Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, the film stars Kathryn Bernardo, Sharon Cuneta, and Richard Gomez. MTRCB Rating: PG
FOR MORE than a decade, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) has been giving due recognition to outstanding achievements in the financial sector. These awards are doubly significant this year, since 2018 is the golden anniversary of the country’s premier professional organization for finance practitioners.
In the field of business education, the most prestigious accolade is the Deloitte-FINEX Outstanding Financial Educator (OFE) Awards. It started in academic year 2007-2008 with Citibank N.A.’s Manila Branch as the original co-presentor, while Deloitte Philippines/Navarro Amper & Co. Partners took over as major sponsor starting 2011-2012.
Last Oct. 3, the 2018-2019 OFE awarding ceremony was held at the Fairmont Hotel Makati, with Dr. Sheevun Di Guliman of Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology emerging as the Most Outstanding Finance Educator of the Year.
OFE-Luzon winner was Dr. Maria Delia Poot of De La Salle Lipa, while Dr. Ma. Grace Baysa of Ateneo de Davao University obtained the OFE-Mindanao award. Semi-finalists were Romano Angelico Ebron of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas and Ed Mark Rustico of University of St. La Salle-Bacolod.
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, who also chairs the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, was the keynote speaker at the awarding rites organized by FINEX Foundation’s Business Education Committee chaired by Dr. Rhoderick Santos. SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT FOR A DOZEN YEARS
In 2006, FINEX initiated a worthy tradition to honor the Philippines’ top CFO through the ING FINEX CFO of the Year Award — an honor made more momentous and purposeful as it is rendered by one’s peers in the finance profession.
The annual Search for CFO of the Year was launched in 2007 through a partnership between FINEX and Dutch financial giant ING Bank N.V. From the beginning, this permanent partnership between these two important institutions would herald a legacy for future generations of Filipino financial executives.
Now on its 12th year, the award was bestowed to Ferdinand Constantino of San Miguel Corporation as CFO of the Year 2018. Google Philippines Country Head Kenneth Lingan keynoted the awarding ceremony last Nov. 12 at the New World Hotel Makati.
Institute of Corporate Directors CEO Alfredo Pascual chaired the board of judges, while Sterling Bank of Asia President Cecilio Paul San Pedro headed the overall award committee.
Winners in previous years included Delfin Gonzalez of Globe Telecom, Sherisa Nuesa of Manila Water, Jose Sio of SM Investments, Ysmael Baysa of Jollibee Foods, Jaime Ysmael of Ayala Land, Jeffrey Lim of SM Prime Holdings, Felipe Yalong of GMA Network, Jose Jerome Pascual III of Shell Exploration, Luis Juan Oreta of Manila Water, Danny Yu of Philex Mining, and Jose Teodoro Limcaoco of Ayala Corp.
A toast to the best CFOs of the land during the Golden Jubilee Year of FINEX!
J. Albert Gamboa is CFO of the Asian Center for Legal Excellence and Chairman of the FINEX Media Affairs Committee’s Golden Jubilee Book Project.
MORISSETTE will be performing with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra at various Robinsons malls in December.
ENJOY a series of musical performances featuring a certified birit queen and one of the country’s leading orchestras. Award-winning vocalist Morissette will be sharing the stage with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra on Dec. 1 at Robinsons Place Manila; Dec. 8 at Robinsons Galleria; and Dec. 15 at Robinsons Magnolia. All shows are at 6 p.m.
McDonald’s Stripes Run 2018
MCDONALD’s will be holding its annual Stripes Run on Dec. 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. Each registration for this year’s Stripes Run will help in donating reading kits to Grades 1 and 2 public school children through Ronald McDonald Read to Learn, a beginning reading program of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). RMHC’s Read to Learn program, which started in 2002, is a partnership with the Department of Education that aims to improve the literacy skills of Filipino students while they are at the early stage of learning. Game booths and activities await the entire family and barkada at McDonald’s Stripes Run 2018. For more information and to view the list of McDonald’s stores for registration, visit mcdostripesrun.com.ph or follow McDonald’s Philippines’ Facebook page, facebook.com/McDo.ph.
Nick Joaquin parody
THE Benilde Arts and Culture Cluster’s Theater Arts Program presents Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a), a parody of Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, done in celebration of the centenary of National Artist Nick Joaquin. Written and directed by Nonon Padilla, it features Alan Bautista, Sherry Lara, Stella Cañete-Mendoza, Mosang, Bembol Roco, and Jaime Yambao plus the Theater Arts Batch 2015. Performances are on Nov. 28, 29, and Dec. 1, at 1 and 7 p.m., at the SDA Theater, DLS-CSB, 950 Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila.
Cinderella
BALLET MANILA restages Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s first full-length choreographic work, Cinderella, at the Aliw Theater in the CCP Complex on Dec. 1 and 2. For details visit www.balletmanila.com.ph.
Waitress
ATLANTIS Theatrical Entertainment Group presents Waitress, a musical about a waitress at a diner who decides to join a pie baking contest which she hopes would give her a chance to live a new life, with performances until Dec. 2, 8 p.m., at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City. Directed by Bobby Garcia, it stars Joanna Ampil, Bituin Escalante, and Maronne Cruz. For tickets and schedules, contact TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
Rep’s Rapunzel
REPERTORY’s Theater for Young Audiences presents Rapunzel: A Very Hairy Fairy Tale until Jan. 27 at Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Makati. For tickets and schedules, contact TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).
Santinatornkul in Manila
INTERNATIONAL Thai actor Chanon Santinatornkul — star of Bad Genius — is set to visit Manila for his first solo fan meeting entitled Breaktime! on Nov. 30 at the SM Sky Dome at SM North EDSA. There will be singing, dancing, and a chance to get to know more about the actor at the fan meet. Discounted rates are available on TravelBook.ph (https://www.travelbook.ph/tour/70000436/) with ticket prices and fan perks ranging from General Admission (inclusive of hi-touch, school kit, official poster, and ID card) for P2,120.00 instead of P2,500 to MVP (inclusive of fan sign, group photo by 20s, hi-touch, school kit, official poster, and ID card) for P5,088 instead of P6,000.
Exhibit on escapism
BALLET MANILA’s Cinderella goes onstage this weekend.
THE Photography Program students from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde open their four-day exhibition entitled Stranger Worlds on Nov. 30, at the Nova Gallery Manila in Makati City. The student-artists aimed to interpret escapism through their photographic abilities, personal styles, and art processes. The exhibit is on view until Dec. 3, at the Nova Gallery Manila, La Fuerza Plaza II, 2241 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
Christmas at Pixar Playtown
BONIFACIO Global City (BGC) and The Walt Disney Company Philippines have come together to bring the magic of Pixar’s timeless stories and characters to Filipinos this Christmas season with “Pixar Playtown,” featuring installations of Pixar characters from Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, and Toy Story. Gateway signage, lamp-posts, select office entrances, and even traffic lights along major roads are also dressed up Pixar-style this Christmas. BGC’s jam-packed holiday calendar includes Reimagine the Magic: A Festival of Lights, a lights show with a Disney soundtracks that comes on every 30 minutes from 6-10 p.m. until January 6 at Bonifacio High Street Park. Meanwhile, BGC Passionfest: Festivals of the World will be held on Dec. 1 and 2, with food, games, art, culture, and live music. Polar Express: Christmas Rush is a Holiday Fair at Bonifacio High Street Central that will be held on Dec. 15 and 16. Dec. 15 is also when the Disney Quiz Night will be held. The Anticipated Community Simbang Gabi will be held from Dec. 16 to 25, 6:30 p.m., at the Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater. Meanwhile, Meet & Greet Santa every Sunday, 4 p.m. at One Bonifacio High Street beginning Dec. 8. BGC welcomes the new year with BGC X TAGUIG PULSE 2019, a year-end countdown, in partnership with Think Big Taguig, on Dec. 31, at 5th Ave., Bonifacio High Street. There will be food, games, a fireworks display, and live performances from KZ Tandingan, Jessica Sanchez and more.
PPO outreach in Antique
THE Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) will hold outreach concerts in Antique province, performing at the Tario Lim Campus of University of Antique in the Capitol of Tibiao on Nov. 30, 6 p.m., and at the People’s Plaza in Capitolyo, San Jose on Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. The concerts are free to the public. The PPO will perform familiar classic music such as all-time favorite Filipino pieces and well-known pop songs including “Usahay” and a Beyonce medley.
Reel to Real at SM Cinema
THE SM Cinema Blockbuster Weekend will be held at the SM Mall of Asia from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. Movies such as Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it-Ralph 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Pokemon: The Power of Us will be featured at the three-day interactive exhibit, giving guests the opportunity to experience the featured movies. There will be Wreck-It-Ralph inspired exhibits such as Vanellope’s Sugar Rush World, Mr. Litwak’s Arcade and Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it-Ralph 2 360° Photobooth; visitors can also experience the world of Spider-Man at the Upside Down Room and become a real-life Pokemon trainer through the mini-Pokemon Center. There will be a Wreck-It-Ralph quiz night on Nov. 30. Spider-Man is the focus on Dec. 1, with a demonstration of the hit Playstation 4 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man; Spider-Man cosplayers; and the screening of an exclusive clip for the upcoming Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Pokemon is the focus on Dec. 2 with a Pokemon hunting game and a special meet and greet with Pikachu.
NETFLIX INC. said on Tuesday it will adapt celebrated British children’s author Roald Dahl’s books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda as animation series.
The streaming company said it signed an agreement with the Roald Dahl Story Co., but did not disclose the financial terms.
The other titles include The BFG, The Twits, and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Netflix said here in a statement, adding that the production will begin in 2019.
The company, which had kept aside $8 billion to create original content in 2018, has already spent $6.9 billion on TV shows and movies by the end of its third quarter.
Netflix had 137 million subscribers to its movie and TV streaming service worldwide as of September end. — Reuters
