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Get your adrenaline rush with the all-new Kia Forte GT’s 204 horses

“FORTE.” It is an expression of power, of strength; of an exceptional ability cutting above the rest. In music, it means to be louder, bolder, stronger — to feel the rush unleashed in a snap. In life, it’s reflected through the people with the desire for speed. The Kia Forte GT is a feisty echo of that ignited passion.

This car radiates power, with styling cues from the intimidating Kia Stinger. Its aggressive fascia with signature LEDs is complemented by a blacked-out “Tiger Nose Grill” with red accents. In the rear, there are dual exhaust pipes, a duck tail spoiler in black and again, a signature LED rear lighting. The Forte GT has a brawny beltline, giving it a well-proportioned shape.

Looking at it gives an immediate impression that’s in a sense, provocative. It’s a car with all the drive inside waiting to be let loose. And as in any Kia car bearing the GT badge, pushing the Start button makes all the difference.

Driving the Forte is like taking a speed-pill. It’s the most powerful compact sedan in its class; leaving its Japanese and even entry British rivals miles behind. Shifting it to “Sport Mode” means business. Doing so unleashes all of Forte GT’s 204 horses under the hood, thanks to its 1.6L Inline-4 Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection Engine. A maximum pull of 265Nm is on tap from around 1,500-4,500rpm, making this vehicle quick on overtakes. Even for a front-wheel drive, the feisty car on 7-speed dual clutch transmission makes the car more responsive and gives an overall adrenaline-pumped connection between car and driver… now if that isn’t provocative enough.

The Forte’s interior too, evokes the sensation of speed. The driver-focused cabin has sporty circular vents on both ends. Tactile connection between car and driver is evident with the layout of buttons and knobs under the 8” touchscreen infotainment system. As cool as it looks, the car also gives the optimal temperature with the Dual-zone climate control. Comfort is uncompromised, with powered leather seats with contrast stitching finished off with a special GT badge.

Up in the cockpit, the analogue gauges only add to the racing aura. Meanwhile, the steering wheel control buttons give access to the car’s dynamics and other functions such as cruise control and its flat bottom shape with a GT marque caps off the performance flare.

The Kia Forte GT is not for the fainthearted. It’s for people with the audacity to perform on and off the racetrack.

SRP for the Kia Forte GT starts at P1,650,000.

Now That’s a Kia!

The Kia Forte GT is an award-winning vehicle, gaining recognition as the highest ranked entry in the compact car segment for the US J.D. Power 2019 (APEAL) Study; and the Best-in-class for the 2019 Autopacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.

Kia offers the Power to Surprise with continuous innovation in product development and services. Kia is recognized as one of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2018. Kia Philippines, headquartered in Manila, continues to be one of the rising automotive brands in the country. Now under the Ayala Group of Companies, Kia is committed to provide quality vehicles with a wide dealer network and outstanding after-sales support.

For more information on Kia Philippines’ product lineup, log on to www.kia.com/ph/ or visit any of its dealerships nationwide.

African banana producers urge EU to maintain tariffs on LatAm

ABIDJAN Struggling African banana producers called on the European Union on Friday not to cut tariffs on imports from Latin America any further.

Exporters in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) have been losing market share since 2009, when the EU agreed to progressively cut tariffs on bananas from bigger growers in Latin America.

That reduced the advantage previously enjoyed by ACP growers in mostly former European colonies, who have tax-free access to European markets, although the EU agreed to provide them around 200 million euros ($220 million) in compensation.

At a convention in Abidjan, banana industry representatives from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana urged the EU not to cut tariffs on Latin American producers below 75 euros/tonne, the rate which will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

They cited recent trade discussions between the EU and Colombia, Ecuador and Peru that they fear could lead to even lower tariffs.

“The African, Caribbean and Pacific producers are worried about the constant weakening over the past few years of their access to the European market,” said Gervais Kacou, spokesman for an association representing African banana producers.

The African producers also called on the EU to continue to support their farmers when the current compensation scheme expires at the end of this year. — Reuters

Nike lines up drops for LeBron XVII, Air Force 1

THE FINAL QUARTER of the year will be a busy one for drops for Nike as it is set to release locally the latest sneaker of National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James and new takes on the classic Air Force 1.

Slated for an October release in the Philippines, the LeBron XVII lands ahead of the start of the new NBA season later next month, the 17th year that “King James” will be lacing his shoes in The Association.

The LeBron XVII, Nike said, worked on resolving the Los Angeles Lakers star’s “quest for speed and support in his footwear.”

“We had ‘the blueprint’ in mind for the 17, and we started from the ground up on everything, whether that was the construction of the knit or the way we could protect him underfoot with Air bags,” said Nike’s Jason Petrie, designer of the LeBron XVII, in a press release for the new shoe.

Adding, “The silhouette was a way to reset the mark for LeBron, and futuristically explore how we could help his game with the best that Nike offers.”

The new LeBron shoe is touted to have the Highest-Volume Heel Max Air Unit than any in Mr. James’s line of shoes, providing shock absorption for his explosive play. A soft foam pod directly under the Max Air units adds cushioning.

It also has two Independent Air Zoom Pods under the forefoot which allow for downhill speed response from point to point.

The LeBron XVII introduces Knitposite, combining lightweight Flyknit construction with heat-molded yarns that add structure and color. It makes the shoe durable and supportive and resists stretching.

The Lion and the silhouette of LeBron dunking, steady details in past iterations of the LeBrons, have been put onto the tongue in the 17, in combination with phrases and symbols like “I’m King,” “LJ,” and “23.”

The “Purple and Gold” colorway of the LeBron XVII drops on Oct. 10, followed by the “In The Arena colorway” (Oreo) on Oct. 20 and “Air Innovation” colorway (white/light grey) on Oct. 29. The shoe is available to the public for P9,895.

AIR FORCE 1 FOR WOMEN
Meanwhile, new seasonal treatments of the Air Force 1 will be launched from October to December.

Nike said each treatment is led from a female perspective, building from the strength of the 1s Reimagined and extending belief in continually shifting the paradigm of what it means to celebrate Nike classics.

“We know women are infinitely diverse. They want something unique, and they want to use sneakers as an expression of themselves and their wardrobes. They also have deep respect and love for the icon,” said Georgina James, Senior Creative Director, Nike Women’s Footwear, in a release.

First to be launched is the Air Force 1 Shadow, on Oct. 3. It will be augmented by the debut of two additional women’s Air Force 1s, namely the AF1 Shell and AF1 Reflective.

Nike said inspiration for the Shadow, which is characterized by double design details and layered pieces, comes from thinking about women who are setting examples in their communities as forces of change.

It features a slightly higher mid-sole providing a modern lift and core-outed outsole making the shoe lighter and more comfortable.

The AF1 Shadow is priced at P5,795.

The AF1 Shell, set for a November release, has its style predicated on lightweight protection from seasonal elements. Its design comes from a staple hard shell jacket and incorporates cording details that allow for an adjustable shape. A DWR spray helps repel damp and cold.

Meanwhile, the AF1 Reflective, to be released in December, mixes pebbled leather with 3M to create visibility in low winter light. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

BDO Network Bank to set up more branches

By Carmelito Q. Francisco
Correspondent

DAVAO CITY — BDO Network Bank, the rural bank of BDO Unibank Inc., is looking at doubling its branches and offices to 480 within the next four years as the bank intensifies its lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

Jesus Antonio S. Itchon, president of BDO Network Bank, which used to be One Network Bank, Inc., said the bank also aims to hit 300 branches and offices by end of the year, but stopped short of providing details.

Mr. Itchon said the bank will continue to concentrate on expanding in its base Mindanao, even as it has started penetrating Luzon and the Visayas following the buyout made by BDO in July 2015.

“We hope we can hit the target,” Mr. Itchon said. “Although we cannot say now how many branches will be put up in Mindanao in the next four years, rest assured that we will continue to look for areas to expand in the island.”

At present, the bank has 103 branches in Mindanao, 23 in the Visayas, and 24 in Luzon, while the rest are loan offices.

Karen L. Cua, BDO Network Bank senior vice president, said among the key areas the bank is concentrating on is growing its MSME loan portfolio. The bank offers a window where borrowers can obtain a loan of up to P500 thousand without collateral, depending on how viable the businesses are and how credit-worthy their owners are.

Ms. Chua said the bank’s MSME loan portfolio has reached about P2 billion since the bank opened this lending channel in October 2018 following clamor from both the government and small borrowers for access to funding for these kinds of businesses.

The average processing time for these types of loans, Ms. Chua said, is about three days, making the bank “competitive” with other providers.

“The reason commercial banks do not process micro loans is that for the same requirements, the amount involved is very small and the [processing] time is the same. So how can you provide small loans when you can only process so much for the same number of loans?” she added.

Both officials however said the financial and technical strength of its parent BDO has supported BDO Network Bank’s expansion.

The challenge for the bank in terms of technology, said Mr. Itchon, is that the “infrastructure in the countryside is very poor.”

Another challenge is that the country has yet to have a national identification system which will allow financial institutions to verify the identities of the persons trying to avail of their services.

“Until then, that would be the challenge in implementing credit checking,” he said.

He said these challenges have pushed the bank to continue expanding its footprints in rural areas as being present in communities helps it identify potential clients on its own, even when these borrowers, such as MSMEs, do not have credit ratings that could back their identities.

Smart maintains lead in speed, other metrics

SMART Communications, Inc. continues to enjoy the top spot for mobile network experience in the Philippines according to the latest report of Opensignal, but its fourth-generation (4G) download speed has seen a decline in recent months.

The United Kingdom-based wireless coverage mapping firm said in its Mobile Network Experience report, which covered data from May 1 to July 29, that Smart is still the leading telecommunications firm in the country in terms of video experience, download speed, upload speed and latency.

“In our latest look at the Philippines mobile network experience, it’s pretty clear that Smart remains the operator to beat,” it said, citing the operator’s lead in the four metrics it looked into, and a draw for 4G availability.

But the report noted rival Globe Telecom, Inc. has been advancing as well, as it saw “some impressive improvements in its Download Speed and Latency Experience scores to put the pressure on the leader.”

Opensignal conducts twice every year an analysis of mobile network experience based on the performance of a country’s telecommunications providers. It uses five metrics: 4G availability, video experience, download speed experience, upload speed experience and latency experience.

For the three-month period, the report said Smart and Globe tied in terms of 4G availability, or the proportion of time users can access a 4G connection with a 4G capable device. The wireless unit of PLDT, Inc. recorded a 74.3% 4G availability while the Ayala-led telco posted 75.3%

“The competition in this metric is heating up nicely as both Globe and Smart appear to be focusing their efforts on improving their 4G Availability, to the benefit of the whole Filipino mobile network experience,” Opensignal said.

In terms of video experience, Smart beat Globe with a score of 47.6 against 30.4, meaning Smart subscribers have a better experience watching videos with reasonable load times and minimal stalling despite low resolutions. As for Globe, the report said subscribers “will struggle to get anything close to an acceptable Video Experience.”

Smart again edged out its competitor in download and upload speeds, as its average download speed stood at 9.4 Megabits per second (Mbps) in August against Globe’s 6.5 Mbps, and average upload speed at 3.3 Mbps versus Globe’s 1.7 Mbps.

However, Opensignal noted Globe’s network improvement on download speed was bigger as it jumped 1 Mbps from 5.5 Mbps in March, and Smart only moved up 0.4 Mbps from 9.0 Mbps in the same month.

It also said Smart saw a slowdown in its 4G download speed to 12.7 Mbps last month from 13.6 Mbps five months prior, while Globe improved in the same criteria to 8.3 Mbps from 7.6 Mbps over the same period.

“Smart has kept hold of our Download Speed Experience award — but its rival is doing great work on closing the gap,” the report said.

Competition is also tighter in terms of latency, or the lag time when transmitting a command, but Smart remained on top of Globe with a faster latency experience of 61.9 milliseconds (ms) against its competitor’s 64.2 ms.

“Smart has won our Latency Experience award, but the gap between the Philippines’ two operators is much narrower than in our speed metrics,” it said. Globe improved its latency by 10 ms in the past six months while Smart improved by 7 ms.

“As the Filipino operators improve their users’ latency, we should see the effects filtering into our video and voice metrics in our next report,” Opensignal added.

The survey noted while the new major telco player Dito Telecommunity Corp. is yet to enter the market, it is already seeing a stable improvement in the performance of the two telcos.

“Even with just two operators, mobile network experience is continuing to improve in the Philippines, even if some people may think Smart could have benefitted from a lack of competition for our awards,” it said.

“But competition is set to increase, as the existing Philippines’ operators are set to be joined by a third national player — Mislatel’s DITO — expected to launch sometime in 2020….”

“Neither Globe or Smart have been complacent in recent years, and we’re still seeing some decent growth from both operators in many of our metrics.”

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez

Isuzu D-MAX LS-A makes Visayas debut with ‘Tough Enough’ drive demo

FRESH FROM the Manila launch of its stylish modern iteration of one of its most iconic diesel workhorses late last month, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) then headed to Cebu City — the “Queen City of the South” — to showcase to Visayans the new D-MAX LS-A pickup last weekend at the SM Cebu Seaside Mall.

The event also kicked off IPC’s “Tough Enough” lifestyle campaign for the D-MAX LS-A with the D-MAX 4×4 public test drive at the open parking grounds of the mall. The test drive demonstrated the durability, fuel efficiency, and overall value for money of the D-MAX LS-A 4×4 variant, highlighting the pickup’s complete package of features that cater to the modern Filipino lifestyle, which maximizes the best qualities of the urban professional and the weekend adventurer.

The formal launch of the D-MAX LS-A for the region was held later in the afternoon at the mall’s Mountain Wing Atrium. IPC President Hajime Koso described that, “the D-MAX LS-A represents nearly century of Isuzu’s experience and innovation in the design, engineering, and workmanship of diesel-powered utility vehicles. The D-MAX LS-A is infused, as well, with features that address the demands of a market that value both hard work and play, business with leisure.”

At the heart of the D-MAX LS-A is the powerful and fuel-efficient 4JJ1-TCX 3.0-liter 4-cylinder Blue Power Diesel engine with VGS turbo intercooler that generates 177ps and 380Nm of torque. Initially available as a 4×4 variant, Isuzu will also offer its 4×2 variants in the coming months. Both variants will have an option for either 6-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift or the 6-speed manual transmission with gearshift indicator.

The powerplant and drivetrain, however, are just the starting points for what makes the new D-MAX LS-A perfectly suited for the evolving modern demands of the market. Boasting modern exterior styling, the D-MAX LS-A has a dark gray front grille and bumper, coupled with side step board and rocker panel, cargo extender and roof rails.

For occupant comfort and convenience, the D-MAX LS-A is equipped with an automatic climate control air-conditioning system, passive entry/push start-stop system, a 12V accessory socket, three USB charging ports, 15 storage compartments, and 10 cupholders.

The new D-MAX LS-A comes in the following colors: Cosmic Black, Sapphire Blue, Titanium Silver, Red Spinel, Splash White, Silky Pearl White.

With all the added features on the D-MAX LS-A, IPC announced that there will be a more competitive pricing for this variant.

Dry weather a worry as EU sugar beet harvest starts

HAMBURG — Dry weather in some major European Union sugar-producing regions is causing concern as beet harvesting starts, experts said on Friday.

A combination of low prices and restrictions on insecticide use has turned some farmers away from sugar.

EU refined sugar output in the season now starting could fall 3.6% on the year to 17.7 million tonnes, said Timothe Masson, economist at French sugar growers’ group CGB.

Global sugar prices hit their lowest in 10 years in late 2018 amid heavy global oversupply, and have only stabilized at depressed levels in this year.

EU market liberalization means European producers are no longer protected from world price falls and several European sugar refiners have announced capacity cuts.

In the EU’s largest producer, France, the beet harvest that started last week will likely fall to 37.7 million tonnes from 39.9 million tonnes in the previous season, below the five-year average, the CGB estimates

Severe summer weather with prolonged hot and dry spells is expected to have damaged yields, it said.

“The low yields are due to a lack of water at crucial moments for the plant,” said Masson.

French farmers planted 451,000 hectares, down from 480,000 hectares last year, the CGB said.

In the second largest producer, Germany, farmers have cut sugar beet plantings by about 15,000 hectares from last season to 375,300 hectares, German sugar industry association WVZ estimates.

German farmers are suffering from bans on pesticides which have not been imposed by other European Union countries, said WVZ Chief Executive Guenter Tissen.

In the new season, 26.19 million tonnes of beets are expected to be harvested, up from 24.64 million tonnes last season when Germany’s sugar harvest suffered from a serious drought and heatwave.

Dryness is a also worry in Poland, said Rafal Strachota, director of Polish sugar beet growers’ association KZPBC.

Polish farmers have planted about 240,000 hectares, little changed from the last season, but only 13.7 million tonnes of beet are likely to be harvested versus 14.3 million a year before, he said.

“Drought in Poland for the second year in a row negatively affected sugar beet yields,” Strachota said.

“This year, we anticipate an even lower average yield than last year, which should amount to 57 tonnes a hectare, 13% less than the average for the last five years.”

The first sugar factories began processing beets in Poland on Aug. 31.

In Britain, this season’s campaign got underway on Tuesday with the first beet deliveries to two of British Sugar’s four factories. All four will be open for deliveries by Oct. 1.

Sugar production is expected to be higher than the previous season with an improvement in yields offsetting a reduction in the planted area, British Sugar’s parent Associated British Foods said.

“After last year’s very poor yields, this year we anticipate yields coming in somewhere above average,” said Michael Sly, who chairs the sugar board of the National Farmers Union (NFU).

Sly said the planted area was expected to be just under 100,000 hectares, down 10 percent from the previous season. — Reuters

Federal Reserve policy makers open to trimming benchmark rates again

FEDERAL RESERVE policy makers generally sound open to reducing interest rates again, though they’re far from committing to do so.

That’s the message gleaned from comments on Friday by US central bankers, including influential Vice Chairman Richard Clarida.

“They expressed willingness to move if need be,” said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC. “But if the data and the global environment allow them to stand pat, I think they will. I just wouldn’t bet on that.”

In an interview with CNBC television, Clarida extolled the performance of the US economy, calling it the “star pupil” in the world.

But he said the Fed needed to take account of the risks to that favorable outlook, particularly from slumping growth and disinflationary forces from abroad.

“The economy is in a good place but in the 11th year of an expansion there are also some risks,” he said.

A divided Fed cut interest rates for the second time in two months on Wednesday, reducing its federal funds target by a quarter percentage point to a range of 1.75% to 2%. Three regional Fed presidents dissented from the decision, with two wanting no change and another backing a half-point reduction.

The debate inside the Fed largely boils down to whether the US can withstand a global slowdown driven in part by uncertainties stemming from President Donald Trump’s “America First” trade policy.

While recent US economic indicators have mostly outperformed expectations, the world economy as a whole isn’t faring that well.

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said last week it sees the world economy sliding toward its slowest growth in a decade amid intensifying trade conflicts.

“In terms of global growth it is getting worse,” Clarida said.

Fed policy makers agree that the US economy is in good shape but differ in their assessments of the risks to the outlook, according to Clarida.

St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard said separately Friday that he pushed for a bigger rate cut last week to “provide insurance against further declines in expected inflation and a slowing economy.”

TRADE WAR
“I think the trade war is having a large impact outside the country and some impact inside the country,” including on the agriculture industry, he told Wharton Business Radio on Sirius XM.

In spite of supporting a bigger rate cut last week, Bullard said he “would reserve judgment” on whether another reduction is needed after last week’s quarter point move.

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said that he was willing to entertain the possibility of another rate cut this year, though he was not forecasting that outcome.

“I’m open minded but agnostic about whether there’s a need to do something more,” he told reporters Friday after giving a speech in Corpus Christi, Texas. “I’m going to be highly vigilant.”

Trade tensions have hurt manufacturing companies but consumer spending remains strong, said Kaplan, who is not a voting member on the policy making Federal Open Market Committee this year.

DISSENTING VOICE
It is domestic rather than foreign risks that Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren is focused on.

In explaining why he dissented against the cut last week, he saw perils in pushing rates down too far.

“Additional monetary stimulus is not needed for an economy where labor markets are already tight, and risks further inflating the prices of risky assets and encouraging households and firms to take on too much leverage,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Asked about Rosengren’s concerns, Clarida replied that the Federal Open Market Committee as a whole doesn’t consider financial stability risks to be elevated.

“The US economy is a resilient economy, ” he added in the CNBC interview. “But we don’t take it for granted.” — Bloomberg

Shares to rebound as market awaits BSP rate cut

By Arra B. Francia
Senior Reporter

SHARES MAY bounce back in the coming days after the main index sustained losses for most of last week, with investors’ eyes trained on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) policy decision and the passage of the 2020 national budget.

The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped 0.5% or 40.21 points to close at 7,871.11 last Friday. The main index fell 1.52% on a weekly basis as it declined for four consecutive sessions during the week.

Net foreign outflows averaged at about P350 million last week amid an average turnover of P6.24 billion.

“The next catalyst [this] week should now be the BSP’s policy decision. Consensus expects the central bank to cut by 25 basis points (bps),” Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail.

The BSP’s Monetary Board will review policy settings anew on Thursday. Economists widely expect the central bank to reduce rates by another 25 bps this week.

So far, the central bank has trimmed rates by a total of 50 bps this year — by 25 bps each last May 9 and Aug. 8 — to a range of 3.75% to 4.75%, partially dialing back the 175-bp cumulative hikes put in place last year to arrest multi-year high inflation.

Headline inflation slowed to 1.7% in August from the 2.4% print in July and the 6.4% pace logged in August 2018. Year-to-date, inflation averaged at 3%, which is within the BSP’s 2-4% target range for 2019, albeit still above the BSP’s 2.6% forecast for the year.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer E. Tan said investors will look at the rate cut in addition to expectations on the national budget’s progress in Congress.

“We think that investors might also consider the passage of the P4.1-trillion budget…since the passage of the bill will continue the infrastructure projects, as opposed to what happened in the first quarter of the year where we saw a huge drop in GDP (gross domestic product) as a result of the budget impasse,” Mr. Tan said via text message.

The analyst also pointed to developments abroad which may affect investor sentiment locally.

“Catalysts abroad, especially the US-China trade talks and the oil markets which disrupted global supply, can drive the market for this week.”

On the other hand, this week will also see the start of the offer period for Axelum Resources Corp.’s initial public offering. The coconut products manufacturer will offer a total of 800 million common shares at P5 each from Sept. 24 to 30, in a bid to raise P4 billion in fresh capital.

Villar-led AllHome Corp. will also finalize its offer price for its own IPO on Sept. 26. It will sell up to 1.293 billion common shares at up to P16 per share.

Philstocks’ Mr. Tan placed the PSEi’s support at 7,850, with resistance at 8,000.

Davao City retailer sets release of own credit card

DAVAO CITY — Homegrown retailing company New City Commercial Center is rolling out next month its credit card, NCCC Credit Card, its partnership with Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.

In a statement over the weekend, the retailer said its representatives, those of the bank and the solutions provider GHL Systems Philippines, Inc., signed the agreement in June for the release of the credit card.

It said the card will “provide its customers more payment options” and it will replace its NCCC Kanegosyo Rewards Card used by wholesalers and sari-sari store owners.”

“The regular Rewards card holders may also avail of the credit card,” it added even as it pointed out that the same card can be used in other merchants that are partners of the bank.

For those who will use the card in the company’s stores and other retail shops they will be given a point for spending P20 that can be redeemed with the company.

Its NCCC Rewards Club, its loyalty program that started in 1991, has about 270 members in here, in Tagum City in Davao del Norte and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

In May, Lafayette A. Lim, NCCC Group of Companies chief executive officer, said that the conglomerate, which also has a resort and a department store in Palawan, “is looking at ways to tap technology to benefit our customers.”

At that time, the company announced its partnership with TraXion Tech, Inc., to provide credit line to cooperatives and companies that their members and employees, respectively, can use in shopping in its supermarkets and other retail outlets. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Heart Evangelista expands into jewelry

GREAT JEWELRY matched with great women are matches made in heaven. We can look at the jewelry collections of actress Elizabeth Taylor, for example, and think about the great, noisy, roaring life that she lived.

Actress, socialite, and senatorial spouse Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero (screen name Heart Evangelista) joins the roster of bejewelled women with a collection done in collaboration with Royal Gem called “The Modern Muse.” The collection, consisting of rings, brooches, necklaces, and bracelets, kick off from Ms. Evangelista’s In Full Bloom exhibition of paintings. Images from the paintings are rendered in gold (printed on gold using a special technique from Italy), and carved as cameos on shells of the Queen Helmet conch, handmade by artisans.

“I feel that the Cameo collection is very unique because the pieces are extremely detailed. So much intricate work was put into creating each Cameo piece. Of course when making the collection, I had to make sure my designs would be timeless because these pieces of jewelry are the kind that you can keep forever,” Ms. Evangelista was quoted as saying in a release.

In an interview with BusinessWorld during the launch in BGC on Sept. 17 she said, “I love women in my paintings. I guess it also describes the emotions that I [went] through at that time. I feel that an image of a woman is relatable. It connects with the client.”

HER PERSONAL COLLECTIONS
Ms. Evangelista is known around the country for her amazing closets filled with designer handbags (even particularly rare ones), a collection of high heels, and of course, her jewelry and accessories. She told BusinessWorld that her favorites include rings from Van Cleef and Arpels, gold chain necklaces, and jewel studs. She also inherited a number of her mother’s pieces, which she mixed with newer pieces. “I love it how vintage pieces are coming back now.”

Ms. Evangelista has been seen at the front row of various fashion week events abroad, and had been featured on Harper’s Bazaar in a Crazy Rich Asians-themed shoot and story. She does however, have a secret: on her trips, well-documented on social media, she says, “When I travel, I usually bring all my fake jewelry.” She mixes costume pieces with real ones, and the costume jewelry are usually lookalikes of real pieces that she already owns.

In terms of investment, she says, “You don’t have to buy big diamonds. It’s really all about what connects with you.” — Joseph L. Garcia

How PSEi member stocks performed — September 20, 2019

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Friday, September 20, 2019.

 

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