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FDA seals canned Ma Ling in supermarkets

THE Food and Drug Administration in Region 12 continues to monitor and seal Ma Ling products in various supermarkets in Cotabato Province in southern Philippines, it said.

The agency inspected supermarkets and discovered that the banned luncheon meat from China was still being sold and was being kept in warehouses in Kidapawan City, FDA regional supervisor Nicanora D. Rabara said.

Supermarket owners must not open the sealed products which came from Davao City and were being kept in their warehouses, she added. Suppliers may seek permission from the FDA to pull out the items.

FDA inspections will continue in both grocery stores and in mom-and-pop stores, Ms. Rabara said.

The agency banned the imports, distribution and sale of processed pork meat products — including Ma Ling — from countries believed to be affected by the African swine fever virus. — Maya M. Padillo

Hog raisers receive piglets from local gov’t

COTABATO province gave away 125 piglets aged one to one-and-a-half months to hog raisers on Tuesday to help the local industry and show that it is not affected by African swine fever.

More than 2,000 piglets have been distributed in the nine months to September. The province is set to approve an ordinance banning the entry of live hogs and processed products from countries affected by the African swine fever virus.

The activity was capped by a lechon festival that featured whole roasted pigs cooked over charcoal.

Meanwhile, the province will build a P12-million quarantine facility with foot baths, wheel baths and sprays. The local government expects to finish the construction by year-end, provincial veterinarian Rufino C. Sorupia said. — Maya M. Padillo

Nationwide round-up

DoJ backs measures to decongest prisons


JUSTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra yesterday said he supports measures that seek to decongest jail facilities, including a Senate proposal to set up a separate prisons for convicts of heinous crimes.

But the Senate bill might have a difficult chance becoming a law given the state’s limited budget, he said in a mobile-phone message.

“It is a question of legislative priority given the competing claims of the more productive sectors like public works and education,” he said.

Three Senate committees approved a bill that seeks to set up separate jails for heinous crime convicts. Three maximum security penal institutions will be located in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The modernized jails will feature surveillance cameras and the latest security system that will monitor prisoners 24 hours a day.

Mr. Guevarra said the privatization of portions of the national jail in Muntinlupa City might be a good source of funding for the new jails.

“But this is subject to a comprehensive legal audit and feasibility study, not to mention the political will to do it,” he said.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte earlier fired his prison chief Nicanor E. Faeldon for allowing the illegal release of about 2,000 felons convicted of heinous crimes for good conduct. The convicts were ineligible to be release for good conduct under the law.

The DoJ and Department of the Interior and Local Government later revised the rules implementing the law on early release by disqualifying recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents and convicts of heinous crimes.

Mr. Duterte had given the convicts until Sept. 19 to surrender or they would be hunted down “dead or alive.”

DoJ Undersecretary Markk L. Perete on Monday said 2,221 convicts have surrendered. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Health dep’t lacks people for vaccines

FREEPIK.COM

THE Department of Health (DoH) yesterday said it lacks manpower to enforce a nationwide immunization program, after reports that a lower vaccine coverage of vaccines had led to outbreaks of certain diseases including polio.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Health medical specialist Anthony Calibo said the agency has lacked technical assistance in its immunization programs for the past few years.

“DoH should look beyond just procuring vaccines, it should also invest in the capacity of the local government units to improve in reaching every child,” he said.

Mr. Calibo said that the DoH had proposed to create an immunization unit to address the resurgence of diseases but this was disapproved. — Gillian M. Cortez

Manila port gets new X-ray machines

The Bureau of Customs has installed two out of the six new X-ray machines in the port of Manila to tighten security against smuggling, it said in a statement yesterday.

“The X-ray scanners are expected to further enhance the capability of BoC in detecting smuggled and anti-social goods,” the bureau said.

These include misdeclared items, undervalued and undeclared goods as well as illegal drugs in various ports nationwide, it added.

Nation at a Glance — (09/25/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (09/25/19)

SparkUp holds 6th SparkUp Series leg at Ateneo de Manila University

At the most recent stop of SparkUp’s Spark Series, Ateneo de Manila University, last Sept.12, a trio of talks helped illuminate who the Gen Zers are, the need for sustainability and important workplace values and skills.

Bianca Eyales, associate consultant at Acumen Strategy Consultants, opened the series with her presentation about her firm’s findings about generation Z, a cohort whose members – born roughly between the latter half of 1990s to the first half of 2010s – are often lumped in with the millennials. “Why is Gen Z relevant today? Because while many of us might think of them as children or students, the oldest Gen Zers are actually already entering the workforce and are emerging consumers. Hence, many organizations, many companies are trying to understand Generation Z,” she said.

Gen Zers, Acumen found, are quite heavy Internet users, going online to connect with family and friends and to be informed; when they’re offline, they get bored easily. They express themselves better online than in person, and recognize that they have a problem with connecting with others offline. They enjoy life and pursue new adventures, but they do so with a sense of responsibility. They care not only about financial rewards when it comes to looking for jobs, but also ethical reputation and growth opportunities.

Meanwhile, Jay Soriano, vice-president and head of integrated planning at Energy Development Corp., emphasized the need to shift to renewable energy away from coal, the continuous use of which only exacerbates climate change. “We believe that business, next to the government, has a pivotal role in protecting our planet from the disastrous effects of climate change and ensuring a sustainable future for our youth,” he said.

Mr. Soriano encouraged audience members to patronize the products of companies that have committed themselves to clean energy. He also said, “For those who are keen to embrace sustainability, there are green jobs and sustainable or environmentally responsible companies that you can apply for and build a career in.”

In her talk, Kay Mañebo, senior vice-president for wealth and investment management of Wells Fargo Enterprise Global Services Philippines, extolled the values of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. “It’s very important that we don’t discriminate against race, religion, political views, etc. Why is that? It’s because we need to have diverse thoughts. Only when we have diverse thoughts can we really grow as a company. Because if we think alike, we will never progress,” she said.

Stepping out of one’s comfort zone is another lesson Ms. Mañebo imparted to the attendees of the talks. She recounted how she had to move out of her own comfort zone when she transferred from one company to another, from one role to another. “You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” she said.

Ms. Mañebo also touched on what corporate culture is. “Corporate culture is nothing but a company’s vision, values and goals that everyone brings to life. How do you bring it to life? You can only bring it to life if you believe in it,” she said.

LANDBANK kicks off Financial Inclusion Caravan 2019

Continuing its commitment to promote greater financial inclusion, especially among the unbanked and underserved communities, the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) kicked off the fourth run of its Financial Inclusion Caravan with the theme “Ipon at Kabuhayan Para sa ating Kababayan.”

The first leg of this year’s caravan was held in Sto. Niño, Cagayan, which gathered more than 500 participants, including farmers, fishers, market vendors, and beneficiaries of the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer Program.

The half-day forum featured modules on financial literacy to introduce the participants to formal banking services, as well as business and livelihood opportunities. Also presented during the caravan were some of LANDBANK’s direct lending programs for farmers, including the Accessible Funds For Delivery to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (AFFORD-ARBs), the Expanded Rice Credit Assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ERCA-RCEF), and the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF).

“This year’s Financial Inclusion Caravan is more targeted because we made sure that at least 60% of the participants in each site is farmers and fishers. This is in line with our continuing efforts to intensify our support to agriculture sector, and to help our farmers and fishers improve their income and manage their finances,” LANDBANK President and Chief Executive Officer Cecilia C. Borromeo said.

The caravan was graced by Cagayan Governor Manuel N. Mamba and Sto. Niño Mayor Vicente G. Pagurayan, who both expressed their gratitude to LANDBANK for officiating such kind of event in the municipality of Sto. Niño.

As it pushes forward with its aggressive thrust to promote greater financial inclusion, the state-owned bank is also banking on solid partnerships and technology-driven strategies to bring financial services closer to Filipinos.

One of these is the implementation of the LANDBANK Agent Banking Program, which aims to broaden the bank’s reach through partnering with client cooperatives, associations, small and medium enterprises, and individuals, who can serve the public’s basic financial transactions in areas without LANDBANK presence.

In Cagayan, the LANDBANK Agent Banking Program was also launched during the caravan, with Sto. Niño Credit and Development Cooperative (SNCDC) as the pilot agent banking partner.

To encourage attendees to participate in the said program, LANDBANK provided them a free agent banking card with a load of P100. Live demonstration on how the card can be used was also shown, together with some of its features.

According to SNCDC Manager Robert Simeon, financial inclusion is what the residents of Sto. Niño in Cagayan need, given the fact they really lack access to financial institutions.

“Given our geographical location, we are bisected by rivers, the Cagayan River and Chico River, so it’s really very hard for the people to access financial services of any institutions. It’s good they launched this kind of program, bringing financial services to the people through the agent banking concept,” Mr. Simeon told BusinessWorld in an interview.

Moving forward, LANDBANK is actively looking for more partners to be part of its Agent Banking Program with the help of local branches. LANDBANK First Vice-President and Head of Card and e-Banking Group Randy Montesa said that the bank plans to deploy thousands of agent banking partners across the country. 

“Hopefully, within three years, malibot natin ang buong bansa (we reach the entire country),” Mr. Montesa told the local press on the sidelines of the event. 

Since LANDBANK’s Financial Inclusion Caravan was launched in 2016, a total of 25 third- to sixth-class municipalities and over 10,000 underserved Filipinos nationwide has reached and helped.

Other areas included in this year’s series of the Financial Inclusion Caravan include Rizal, Palawan; Libacao, Aklan; Aloguinsan, Cebu; Mayantoc, Tarlac; Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte; Claveria, Misamis Oriental; and Polillo Island, Quezon.

State spending picks up further in Aug.

STATE SPENDING picked up further in August, by its fastest pace in six months, but a slightly faster revenue growth pared the fiscal deficit in the same period, according to data released last night by the Treasury bureau.

SPENDING
Total expenditures grew 8.78% to P282.2 billion in August from P259.5 billion a year ago, with primary expenditures — net of interest payments and which include spending on infrastructure and other capital outlays — picking up by 13.61% to P262.6 billion from P231.2 billion.

The same comparative months saw interest payments fall 30.71% to P19.6 billion from P28.3 billion.

The Treasury noted that total state spending in August “marks the second-highest growth achieved for the year next to February 2019,” which recorded a 21% surge, “as expenditures were buoyed by higher subsidies” to government-owned and -controlled corporations and local government allotments.

August primary expenditures posted “the highest growth since the 2019 GAA (general appropriations act) was enacted in April, signaling that disbursements may have started to pick up.”

Year-to-date state spending edged up by 0.94% (it was 0.11% down in the seven months to July) to P2.212 trillion from P2.191 trillion spent in 2018’s comparable eight months, with primary spending edging up by 0.44% (compared to a 1.32% drop as of July) to P1.961 trillion from P1.953 trillion and interest payments growing 5.03% to P250.6 billion from P234.7 billion.

REVENUES
Total revenue collections grew by 8.9% (compared to July’s 9.25%) to P279.7 billion in August from P256.9 billion.

Tax collections increased by 9.25% (compared to July’s 8.81%) to P261.8 billion from P239.6 billion, as collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) surged by 11.07% to P205.6 billion from P185.1 billion and the Bureau of Customs raked in 3.04% more at P53.6 billion from P52 billion.

Non-tax revenues — composed largely of subsidies to cover tax on government transactions — increased by 4.05% to P18 billion from P17.3 billion, as the Treasury contributed 9.24% more at P5.9 billion from P5.4 billion.

August revenues took year-to-date collections 9.54% higher to P2.091 trillion, compared to the P1.909 trillion raked in during 2018’s comparable eight months.

The same comparative eight months saw tax revenues grow 9.79% to P1.88 trillion from P1.712 trillion, with the BIR increasing collections by 10.56% to P1.452 trillion from P1.314 trillion and Customs growing collections by 7.22% to P411.2 trillion from P383.5 trillion.

Non-tax revenues grew 7.43% to P211.7 billion from P197.1 billion, with the Treasury contributing 29.51% more at P107.9 billion from P83.3 billion.

The resulting fiscal balance amounted to a P2.5-billion deficit in August that was 3.83% smaller than the year-ago P2.6 billion, as well as a P120.4-billion year-to-date gap that was 57.29% less than the P282 billion recorded a year ago.

In a note, Robert Dan J. Roces, chief economist at Security Bank Corp., noted that “the government has been pushing for a wider budget gap to accommodate heightened infrastructure spending.”

But even with August’s increased spending, economic “growth of six percent for the third quarter and the second half… is proving to be increasingly challenging, if conditional upon the speed of project deliveries and spending,” Mr. Roces wrote. — Beatrice M. Laforga

No risk of inflation target change so far, BSP chief says

THE INFLATION TARGET and forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are in no immediate risk of increasing, judging from latest world oil price movements that have so far remained within acceptable bounds, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Monday.

“Wala (No change),” Mr. Diokno said after a Senate committee hearing — three days ahead of monetary authorities’ sixth policy review for the year on Thursday — when asked on any need to change the BSP’s current 2019 inflation forecasts and targets in the face of latest oil price movements after the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Aramco processing sites.

That strike slashed Saudi Arabia’s output by 5.7 million barrels a day — about half the kingdom’s and five percent of the world’s production.

The BSP has a 2-4% inflation target range for this year, as well as downgraded forecast full-year averages of 2.6% for 2019 and 2.9% for next year and 2021, as of July.

“The price of oil has to reach $90-95 per barrel (/bbl) bago maapektuhan ’yung forecast namin (before our forecast will be affected),” Mr. Diokno explained, up from the $85/bbl threshold he gave last week.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee itself has a $60-75/bbl assumption for 2019-2022 budgeting purposes.

Price of Dubai crude — the benchmark for Asian fuel pump prices — jumped to $63.86/bbl on the Monday after the Sept. 14 Saudi attack on from $58.24/bbl the preceding Friday, peaked at $67.55/bbl on Tuesday but has since been easing to reach $53.56/bbl yesterday.

“Bumabalik na e, nagno-normalize na. ‘Di ba sabi ng Saudi before the end of the month, normalize na di ba (Oil prices are normalizing, haven’t Saudi Arabia and Aramco said that production should be fully restored by the end of this month)?” Mr. Diokno said.

Reuters reported on Monday that Saudi Aramco has pushed back crude and refined product deliveries to customers by days following the attack.

NO NEED FOR INTERVENTION
Also on Monday, the Department of Energy (DoE) dismissed calls for it to intervene in the local pricing of petroleum products after oil companies announced a hefty increase in the price of gasoline, diesel and kerosene for the week.

“It’s not yet the situation,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi told reporters after a briefing in Cebu City during a regional conference attended by electricity supply entities. “When the time comes, we can intervene.”

“Nag-correct naman agad, immediately,” he said, referring to prices in the international market from which the Philippines sources bulk of its fuel supply

This week, oil companies advised a hefty price increase for gasoline, diesel and kerosene. Prices of gasoline products will rise by P2.35 per liter, the biggest hike so far this year. The cost of diesel and kerosene will increase by P1.80 and P1.75 per liter, respectively.

The Philippines imports about 96% of its crude oil requirements, of which 90% comes from the Middle East, mostly from Saudi Arabia.

Asked about his price projection next week, Mr. Cusi said: “Based on the indication ngayon, hopefully, praying it will go down.”

He also reacted to the rejection of oil companies of the DoE proposal to increase their inventory equivalent to 60 days. “It is something that is fluid. We are studying what is good for the country,” he said.

In a meeting with oil companies last week, the DoE said the discussions revolved around the strict implementation of the minimum inventory requirement (MIR), which is equivalent to stocks of 30 days for oil refiners, 15 days for bulk marketers, and seven days for liquefied petroleum gas players.

Representatives of oil companies said raising the MIR to 60 days would mean the immediate creation of additional infrastructure. They also said the added logistical demand might prove costly and detrimental to their existing operations.

At the Senate, the energy committee asked the DoE for “blow-by-blow” updates and for the contingency measure in place or will be in place “so that the public will be assured that there will be no supply disruptions to our transportation as well as our industries.”

“Pricing is also very important, considering that this is a deregulated industry, we’ve given a free hand to the private sector to do business, to import, to sell and to transact,” said Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian in his opening statement during a Senate inquiry on Monday.

“However, government needs to make sure that the public is protected and the public is not being abused by any shock or any aberration happening.”

Malacañang on Monday said it will “study” the possible issuance of an executive order to form an inter-agency task force that will address possible oil supply disruptions. “We will wait for their request, and the Palace, the Office of the President, will study it,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing at the Palace when asked to comment on DoE’s request for an EO to form the task force.

The task force, according to the DoE, “will formulate strategies to address supply disruptions” and implement the agency’s “Oil Contingency Plan.”

It will consist of the DoE as chair, with support from the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of National Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government , Department of Transportation, Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council. — Luz Wendy T. Noble, Victor V. Saulon with Arjay L. Balinbin

Senate presses on with Foreign Investment Act reform

THE SENATE Economic Affairs Committee is “catching up” in deliberations on proposed amendments to the decades-old Republic Act No. 7042, or the Foreign Investments Act (FIA) of 1991, the panel’s chairman said on Monday.

“As you know, the Senate is behind the calendar of the House. They’ve already passed it, we haven’t. The President is urging us to enter into a bicameral talks ASAP…,” Senator Imee R. Marcos, committee chairperson, said at Monday’s hearing.

The panel was tackling Senate Bill Nos. 418, 919 and 1024, which propose to amend the law primarily to allow foreigners to practice their professions in the Philippines and to make it easier for them to set up small businesses here.

Ms. Marcos said while President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not give a deadline, he had asked for approval of the proposed FIA amendments in his third and fourth State of the Nation speeches.

“Sa 17th Congress pa isinalang na ‘yan; tapos ‘yung Kongreso… two weeks ago pa, so talagang naghahabol tayo (That reform was introduced in the last Congress and was approved in the House of Representatives two weeks ago, so we are really pressed for time) I’m playing catch up…” Ms. Marcos told reporters after the hearing.

Asked if she sees approval by yearend, Ms. Marcos replied: “I hope so, it’s been done in the House, I don’t see why the Senate can’t do it.”

The House on Sept. 9 approved House Bill No. 300 on third and final reading. The House version excludes “practice of profession” from coverage of the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) that lists sectors reserved for Philippine nationals.

It also proposed to reduce the minimum employment requirement to 15 from 50 direct local hires for small- and medium-sized domestic enterprises that are established by foreign investors with paid-in capital of at least $100,000.

American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. Senior Adviser John D. Forbes, who represented the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) in yesterday’s hearing, supported the said provision, saying: “The concept of this is to continue to allow foreign investors to go into these sort of residual areas, smaller areas, but they can’t obviously afford 50 employees.”

“We would encourage the Senate version to also adopt that.”

None of the three Senate bills provided for the reduced minimum employment requirement.

Mr. Forbes said the JFC also backs annual review of the FINL, instead of once every two years. The 11th FINL was updated in October 2018, three years and five months since the preceding FINL was issued in May 2015.

This reform nearly made it out of the 17th Congress after securing third reading approval in the House last January, but failed to hurdle the Senate before the June 3 adjournment.

It is among the measures the Cabinet economic development cluster wants approved by the end of the first regular session of the 18th Congress on June 5 next year. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Corner of success

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2019 has concluded its search for the country’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, and the Philippine Stock Exchange. In the next few weeks, BusinessWorld will feature each of the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2019.

Jose Magsaysay, Jr.
Chairman Emeritus
Cinco Corp.

JOSE MAGSAYSAY JR. had scant corporate knowledge and experience when he started Potato Corner with his partners.

But through sheer determination and hard work, he built Potato Corner to one of the leading brands in the fast food industry.

His first foray into the industry began after he dropped out of college to work in a hamburger chain to help his mother with the household finances. In 1992, his brother-in-law suggested that they start a business selling flavored french fries to make money on the side.

They soon opened the first Potato Corner kiosk in one of Metro Manila’s biggest malls. This fledgling startup’s first office was his mother’s house and their first filing cabinet was her old oven.

It took considerable time and effort for Mr. Magsaysay and his partners to get the company off the ground. He recounts, “Most of us had no experience working in a corporate environment so it took us a long time to learn how to run a company. We had to learn the function of the board, shareholders and CEO.”

By learning through experience and experimenting with a franchising business model, he and his partners were able to open 120 Potato Corner stores by 1997.

As Potato Corner grew, Mr. Magsaysay eventually had to decide between his full-time job at the hamburger chain and Potato Corner.

Being a risk-taker, he chose the latter and left his stable job as a district manager.

To this day, he stands by his decision as he advises entrepreneurs that, “If you want to succeed in something you want to do, you better cut all your lifelines. If you have an option to always go back to something, you’ll never do your best.”

After five years, Mr. Magsaysay decided to try his hand at new things and left Potato Corner to become the general manager of a donut chain. He also returned to school and earned his master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). As he was about to graduate from the AIM, the Asian Financial Crisis hit and Potato Corner stores dropped from 120 to less than 40.

Refusing to give up on this venture, he returned to Potato Corner armed with a five-year multi-business plan where he rationalized operations and cut costs to preserve cash flow. His plan also included streamlining the company’s processes and operations by developing systems aimed to strengthen its supply chain. He worked with business consultants and third parties to create solutions for the company’s issues.

He also transformed the company’s culture into a more open and collaborative environment by boosting morale and fostering a sense of camaraderie among employees and management. He says that he strives to find a way to work with the people he hires and integrate them into the system of the company.

Potato Corner bounced back under Mr. Magsaysay’s leadership and became a staple fast-food kiosk in malls and schools. From the remaining 40 kiosks, they have opened over 1,000 stores in 11 foreign markets today.

Mr. Magsaysay credits the company’s success to its easy-to-get franchise model which makes business ownership accessible, creating a whole community of budding entrepreneurs. He claims that their franchisees get the best and highest net profit margin because they do not require royalty fees. At present, 80% of the company’s stores are franchises, including its foreign outlets.

Another example of a bold practice is their strategy of setting up stores overseas. Unlike their competitors, Potato Corner does not locate its stores abroad near Filipino communities because they believe that fries are a ubiquitous and well-loved snack. Through this approach, they have opened over 200 stores in Indonesia, Panama, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait and the United States.

Despite the company’s considerable success, Mr. Magsaysay and his team refuse to be complacent in today’s challenging business landscape. He explains, “As an entrepreneur, you’re always pivoting, on the edge, and playing a running game.”

One of the most significant challenges is being one company with one brand that sells one product. To address this challenge, Cinco Corp. is diversifying its brand lineup with different products through Halikinu, its subsidiary company, which sells products like shawarma, goto and barbecue that cater to different market segments.

Mr. Magsaysay has big plans for his micro-business as he envisions Cinco Corp. to be the leading kiosk operator in the world with 5,000 stores within the next five years.

What began as a venture to earn extra money has evolved into an enterprise which aims to create, develop and empower entrepreneurs. Not only does Mr. Magsaysay train his franchisees, he also mentors his employees and encourages them. “I want all of you to pass through and graduate from Potato Corner as my business partners.”

He is determined to continue this even after his retirement by investing in start-up businesses as a way of giving back and empowering aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mr. Magsaysay is a maverick and has broken and bended rules in the fast food industry and the best practices set by his competitors. His ability to think out-of-the-box has earned him several accolades such as the AIM Alumni Achievement Award, Asia CEO Awards Entrepreneur of the Year 2016, the Association of Filipino Franchisers Galing ng Pinoy! Award, PLDT-SME MVP Bossing Award and the Franchise Excellence Hall of Fame Award.

A true disruptor in his field, Mr. Magsaysay believes that completely dedicating time and effort to one’s craft can lead to success.

His advice to would-be entrepreneurs is to “Master one thing only and do not think about the money. As soon as you master your craft, people will want to be your partner.”

The official airline of the Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines 2019 is Philippine Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2019 will be announced on Oct. 15 in an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2020. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program is produced globally by Ernst & Young (EY).

Film fest focuses on idea of place

FOR ITS third year, the Tingin ASEAN Film Festival focuses on the “notion of place” as it presents 10 films from the Association of Southeast Nation member countries.

“[It’s about] how people and individuals make home places, how their places are disrupted or invaded, how they are displaced, and how they make new places out of inhospitable situations or fight for their places. All these are themes [that] resonate across Southeast Asia,” said Patrick Campos, festival director, in a statement.

The festival, which runs from Sept. 26 to 29 at the Red Carpet Cinema of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, formally opens with Graves Without a Name (2018) by Rithy Panh, a Cambodian documentary film which explores grief and loss under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

“Panh had lost most of his family under the violent regime, and in this film, he searches a path to peace,” the statement said.

In Aqerat (2017) by Malaysian director Edmund Yeo, we see a woman juggling odd jobs at the Thai-Malaysian border to survive, even if that means being a human trafficker. The film won Mr. Yeo the Best Director award at Tokyo International Film Festival. “The film presents a sweeping tale of displacement and morality in contemporary Malaysia,” the release said.

From the Philippines comes Baboy Halas (2016) by Bagane Fiola. The film shows the struggles of a Matigsalug indigenous family in resisting the pressure to adopt mainstream customs. The film won the NETPAC Jury Prize at the QCinema Film Festival and Best Cinematography from the Young Critics Circle.

By The River (2013) by Thai filmmaker Nontawat Numbenchapol is documentary about the Karen indigenous people in a village and their struggle against a mineral processing company.

Vietnamese film Love Man, Love Woman (2007) by Nguyen Trinh Thi is about a spirit medium in Hanoi and explores how effeminate and gay men in Vietnam have established connections and found a venue for expression under the tenets of the country’s popular Mother Goddess Religion.

Sokola Rimba (2013), a documentary by Indonesia’s Riri Riza, captures the struggles of the Orang Rimba people in protecting their way of life.

Another documentary, In Exile (2016), this time from Myanmar director Tin Win Naing, follows a refugee as he follows migrants who escaped from the Myanmar civil war towards the Thai border where they essentially work on plantations as slaves.

Sayang Disayang (2013) by Sanif Olek is said to be Singapore’s first locally made Malay-language film since its independence from Malaysia in 1965. The drama is about an Indonesian live-in nurse who works for a lonely and bitter Singaporean elder. To appease him, the nurse tries to replicate a sambal goreng dish the elder’s late wife used to cook for him.

From Laos comes The River Flows (2016) by Makoto Kumazawa. The Lao-Japanese co-production is about a woman who accidentally travels back in time to 1960s Laos and meets a Japanese man in Laos for a dam construction survey. The film was produced to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Lao-Japanese friendship.

Anggur in Pockland (2017) from Brunei is an arthouse film by Abdul Zainidi about strange magical grapes that visit those without purpose in life and transport them to the magical, worry-free realm of “Pockland.”

Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s Thy Womb (2012) will have a special screening. The film is about a woman who, failing to get pregnant a third time, embarks on a search for a second wife who can bear a child for her husband.

“Tingin is the country’s only film festival dedicated to Southeast Asian cinema. This year, indigenous peoples, who inhabit but the fringes of popular imagination, will take center stage. We hope that by immersing moviegoers in the stories of indigenous peoples, the festival contributes to surfacing the increasingly precarious plight of indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples are being discriminated against, and their ancestral domains are under siege from vested interests. We hope Tingin enriches the perspectives of moviegoers about indigenous cultures and wins their support for indigenous peoples,” said Maya Quirino, Tingin festival director.

Aside from the film screenings, the festival will also be holding lectures on the art of watching movies and on indigenous people and their representation in the Philippine cinema.

Tingin ASEAN Film Festival will run from Sept. 26 to 29 at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall Red Carpet Cinema. Admission is free. For the complete screening schedule follow Tingin ASEAN Film Festival on Facebook. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Game of Thrones, Fleabag take top Emmy honors on night of upsets

MEDIEVAL DRAMA Game of Thrones and British comedy Fleabag took top honors at the Emmy awards on Sunday on a night of upsets that often rewarded newcomers over old favorites.

Pose star Billy Porter, who is openly gay, was named best dramatic actor, while British newcomer Jodie Comer took the Emmy for her lead actress role as a psychotic assassin in quirky drama Killing Eve.

In an upset, Fleabag actress and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge also took the trophy for best comedy actress, beating frontrunners Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Veep and Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Waller-Bridge also won the Emmy for comedy writing on the Amazon Studios show.

Bill Hader won his second Emmy for playing a hitman who turns to acting in comedy Barry, while Peter Dinklage took home the only acting trophy for Game of Thrones for his supporting role as Tyrion Lannister.

Already the most-awarded series in Emmy history with 38 wins, HBO’s Game of Thrones went into Sunday’s awards show as the clear front runner, despite a fan uproar over the conclusion of the series.

In the closely contested limited series category, the Television Academy spread its honors among wrenching social justice drama When They See Us, Soviet nuclear accident tale Chernobyl, and Fosse/Verdon, starring Michelle Williams as Broadway singer and dancer Gwen Verdon.

Newcomer Jharrel Jerome was named best actor for When They See Us, the Netflix dramatization of the men known as the “Central Park Five” who were wrongly accused and imprisoned for rape in 1980s New York.

Jerome dedicated his honor to “the men we know as the exonerated five,” and the five men, seated in the audiences, stood and pumped their fists. — Reuters

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