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Over half of organizations with cybersecurity strategies fail to test them

Last month, IBM Security announced the results of a global study exploring organizations preparedness when it comes to withstanding and recovering from a cyberattack. The study, conducted by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM Resilient, found that a vast majority of organizations are still unprepared to properly respond to cybersecurity incidents, with 77 percent of respondents indicating they do not have a cybersecurity incident response plan applied consistently across the enterprise.

While studies show that companies who can respond quickly and efficiently to contain a cyberattack within 30 days save over US$1 million on the total cost of a data breach on average, shortfalls in proper cybersecurity incident response planning have remained consistent over the past four years of the study. Of the organizations that do have a plan in place, more than half (54 percent) do not test their plans regularly, leaving them less prepared to effectively manage the complex processes and coordination that must take place in the wake of an attack.

The continued difficulty cybersecurity teams are facing in implementing a cyber security incident response plan has also impacted businesses compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Nearly half of respondents (46 percent) say their organization has yet to realize full compliance with GDPR, even as the one-year anniversary of the legislation quickly approaches.

“Failing to plan is a plan to fail when it comes to responding to a cybersecurity incident. These plans need to be stress tested regularly and need full support from the board to invest in the necessary people, processes and technologies to sustain such a program,” said Ted Julian, VP of Product Management and Co-Founder, IBM Resilient. “When proper planning is paired with investments in automation, we see companies able to save millions of dollars during a breach.”

Other takeaways from the study include:

Automation in Response Still Emerging – less than one quarter of the respondents said their organization significantly uses automation technologies, such as identity management and authentication, incident response platforms and security information and event management (SIEM) tools, in their response process.
Skills Still not Paying the Bills – only 30 percent of respondents reported that staffing for cybersecurity is sufficient to achieve a high level of cyber resilience.
Privacy and Cybersecurity Tied at Hip – 62 percent of respondents indicated that aligning privacy and cybersecurity roles is essential or very important to achieving cyber resilience within their organizations.

Automation Still Emerging

For the first time, this year’s study measured the impact of automation on cyber resilience. In the context of this research, automation refers to enabling security technologies that augment or replace human intervention in the identification and containment of cyber exploits or breaches. These technologies depend upon artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics and orchestration.

When asked if their organization leveraged automation, only 23 percent said they were significant users, whereas 77 percent reported their organizations only use automation moderately, insignificantly or not at all. Organizations with the extensive use of automation rate their ability to prevent (69 percent vs. 53 percent), detect (76 percent vs. 53 percent), respond (68 percent vs. 53 percent) and contain (74 percent vs. 49 percent) a cyberattack as higher than the overall sample of respondents.

The use of automation is a missed opportunity to strengthen cyber resilience as organizations that fully deploy security automation save US$1.55 million on the total cost of a data breach, contrasted with organizations that do not leverage automation and realize a much higher total cost of a data breach, according to the 2018 Cost of a Data Breach Study.

Skills Gap Still Impacting Cyber Resilience

The cybersecurity skills gap is further undermining cyber resilience, as organizations are understaffed and unable to properly manage resources and needs. Survey participants stated they lack the headcount to properly maintain and test their incident response plans and are facing 10 to 20 open seats on cybersecurity teams. In fact, only 30 percent of respondents reported that staffing for cybersecurity is sufficient to achieve a high level of cyber resilience. Furthermore, 75 percent of respondents rate their difficulty in hiring and retaining skilled cybersecurity personnel as moderately high to high.

Adding to skills gap, nearly half of respondents (48 percent) admitted their organization deploys too many separate security tools, ultimately increasing operational complexity and reducing visibility into overall security posture.

Privacy Growing as a Priority

Organizations are finally acknowledging that collaboration between privacy and cybersecurity improves cyber resilience, with 62 percent indicating that aligning teams is essential to achieving resilience. Most respondents believe the privacy role is becoming increasingly important, especially with the emergence of new regulations like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act, and are prioritizing data protection when making IT buying decisions.

When asked what the top factor was in justifying cybersecurity spend, 56 percent of respondents said information loss or theft. This rings especially true as consumers are demanding businesses do more to actively protect their data. According to a recent survey by IBM, 78 percent of respondents say a company’s ability to keep their data private is extremely important, and only 20 percent completely trust organizations they interact with to maintain the privacy of their data.

In addition, most respondents also reported having a privacy leader employed, with 73 percent stating they have a Chief Privacy Officer, further proving that data privacy has become a top priority in organizations.

Registering your business and starting your startup right

Startup and business founders are often so forward-thinking or even visionary that they often overlook key details. One example is with business registration, especially in the Philippines. After founders get their big idea, they may be in such a rush to acquire users or customers that they forget to complete their necessary business permits and requirements.

This gung-ho mentality will always backfire – it’s only a matter of when. Founders need to remember that their business is at its heart a startup: They need to start properly, if they wish to achieve the scale that they one day dream of reaching.

Here are three reasons why you should have your business permits and other requirements in order as you start your company:

You will lose business without the proper permits. Some founders may feel validated when they’re able to win a few contracts without the necessary paperwork. But you will inevitably hit a wall. The vast majority of established enterprises will need your certificate of registration and official receipts or invoices in order to enter into any business relationship with you.

There’s also no work-around here. If you don’t have the proper requirements, the enterprise will work with someone that does. This loss is thus compounding: You not only lose out on potential clients, but those clients will end up working with your competition. Your loss in market share will be your competitor’s gain.

You will have little legal grounds in the event of a dispute. Even without proper business documents, some founders will create ad-hoc contracts for potential clients to sign. The legality of these documents is dubious. How can a business that does not officially exist in the Philippines have business dealings?

The dubious legality of these business contracts will only hurt you in the end. In the event of a dispute, such as the client refusing to pay you, you will have little recourse to enforce the terms of the contract. You have set your company up to be on the losing end of any disagreement with clients, suppliers, or partners.

You will have obstacles to scale. The best venture capital firms across the world typically have shared services that include everything from public relations to human resources. Invariably they also have legal and admin professionals who help portfolio companies get the proper business permits in their respective countries.

Why would a venture capital firm – who is ostensibly focused on generating a return – spend resources to help investee companies file their business permits? It’s because venture capitalists understand that you need to start right if your goal is to end right. To eventually IPO as a company or be acquired by a much larger enterprise, you need to demonstrate a rare kind of operational excellence, which begins with having the necessary documentation from the start.

Business registration is not an opportunity cost.

Even in consideration of these reasons, some founders may still balk at the idea of having to go through the motions of registering their business. The requirements are extensive, after all. They will need to gather many documents and other items. They will need to interface with many different agencies. They will need to stand in line.

Founders are no strangers to inconvenience, of course, but they’ll inevitably think of all the other brand- or business-building activities that they could be doing during this time. They think of business registration, in short, as an opportunity cost.

This view is short-sighted. Over the life of their company, they will need to choose business functions that will be done in-house, and decide on others that should be outsourced. Business registration is no different. There are plenty of reputable organizations that can help you process your necessary requirements.

At FullSuite, for example, we’ve processed thousands of business registrations for individuals, sole proprietorships, and corporate partnerships, and we are just one fraction of the entire industry. Point being: There is no excuse for not registering your business, as there are plenty of options available to you.

However founders ultimately decide to handle their business registration, they must first have an attitude change. Things like business and product development are sexy. Things like processing payments are definitely not sexy. But as a founder you must realize there are many business details that are unexciting that are no less important to your overall success – your business registration is only the first of many items in this category. Such items will not grace the front-page headlines, but they will help you trace your path to there.

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Maggie Po is the chief strategist for Full Suite, a finance concierge for Singapore’s top companies catering to their fundraising, runway management, and mergers and acquisitions needs.

Kezar Innovations brings latest tech to Filipino firms (and homes)

Technology has become an indispensable tool for human beings. The more it innovates over the passage of time, the more it becomes specialized, and the more it infiltrates different aspects of one’s life.

Kezar Innovations seeks to be at the forefront of these innovations. Founded in 2017 by Edward Solicito, CEO and Paul Galacan, CFO, the startup firm is propelled by the goal of providing technology for all kinds of industries in the Philippines. To date, the Batangas-based company has projects in the works for agriculture, cosmetics, and transportation, among others.

While those new technologies are in the works, check out their four current products designed to improve your lifestyle.

Trakaro: Travel, but make it responsible

Traveling is a lot of fun, but it’s also hard to ignore the food and hospitality industries’ massive carbon footprints. Thankfully, there’s an app that helps find a happy medium for concerned tourists without sacrificing their experience.

Trakaro rates the sustainability of local hotels, restaurants, and tour operators by analyzing their food source network, manpower proximity, and customer experience. Bookings and inquiries can be sent directly on the app as well, cutting down time looking for contact details.

Kezar Atlas: Making your business smarter

Mobile and web apps, when used right, can be highly lucrative for a business. But for those without a tech background, development and maintenance may be a challenge.

Through Kezar Atlas, businesses can choose a package suitable to their needs and anticipate the app launch in 60 days. For those who won’t need an app anytime soon, products such as inventory management systems, customer relationship management systems, and QR-based, terminal-free loyalty reward programs can also be availed to further improve services.

Kezar3D: Boosting the 3D printing industry

3D printing offers different benefits for several industries, such as cheaper costs and shorter production turnarounds. But while bigger companies may already be enjoying these benefits, the ordinary Filipino may be missing out due to its general inaccessibility.

Kezar3D aims to address this problem by opening their 3D printing services to the public. All interested clients have to do is send their design via email.

And for those thinking of interesting gifts or souvenirs, 3D Memory prints out a 3D version of a photo. The finished product can be shipped nationwide for free.

StudyPlay: Mixing learning with play

Aside from helping develop imagination and social competence, merging learning and play with children has been found to help them learn about concepts through representations that they can engage with.

For example, they can get a headstart on 3D printing through AirDoodle, a 3D printing pen starter kit. By creating their own toys, they’ll also be able to learn about dimensions which may not be possible with the likes of 2D drawing.

Meanwhile, Kezar’s BopBugz is an electronic toy with multiple play modes. By integrating motion detectors and infrared sensors, kids can develop their hand-eye coordination.

International CSR Summit 2019 calls for business leaders to take a stand

Enterprise Asia, Asia’s leading non-governmental organization for responsible entrepreneurship will host its annual International CSR Summit (ICS) in Taipei on 24 and 25 May 2019.

Held for the fifth time, the ICS 2019 will take place at Hilton Taipei Sinban Hotel, and will gather over 300 top Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) experts, leaders, speakers, and practitioners from across Asia to engage in the most stirring conversations in CSR today, and in deliberating innovative forward thinking solutions to society issues.

Themed “Take a Stand, Delivering on the Global Goals”, the ICS 2019 will challenge participants to reflect upon the journey that the CSR community has embarked over the past decade, and the results and impact the initiatives have garnered. The Summit also calls for business decision makers to mobilize their resources and to aggressively deliver on the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Highlights of the Summit include rethinking business models to deliver positive social and climate impact; establishing impactful partnerships to combat against sustainability issues; setting science-based targets to de-carbonize supply chains; and discovering leading innovations, smart technologies and renewables which are driving a low carbon and sustainable future. A full day workshop on Circular Economy will also encourage participants to embrace circular thinking across their businesses to achieve a clean and smart future.

“CSR is a niche area that needs to be aggressively addressed and implemented considerately within organizations. As the heads of global businesses and conglomerates, we must develop new models for collaboration and collectively tackle complex sustainability challenges of our times. It is time to step up and take responsibility for sustainability, and to create a sustainable future for our society”, says Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.

The Summit will feature a full suite of CSR experts and practitioners who have spearheaded some remarkable initiatives in the region. The line-up of speakers for ICS 2019 include Dr. Eugene Chien, Ambassador-at-Large of Republic of China, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Environment, Taiwan; Dr Niven Huang, Regional Leader of KPMG Sustainability Services Asia Pacific, Taiwan; Erdal Elver, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens, Taiwan; Michael McComb, Vice President, Communications and Sustainability, SAP Greater China; and Shalom Chen, Corporate Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs Director of L’Oreal Taiwan.

In conjunction with the Summit, the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2019 which is Asia’s most prestigious and largest CSR recognition program, will also be held at Hilton Taipei Sinban Hotel. The Awards ceremony will witness over 300 attendees, including C-Suite executives, local and international media, diplomatic representatives, and CSR practitioners from 16 countries.

Tickets for ICS 2019 may be purchased via https://enterpriseasia.org/area/ics/. For further enquiries about the Summit, please email info@enterpriseasia.org.

Media Contact
Ms Koo Tse Chien
Enterprise Asia
(60) 3 7803 0312
tsechien@enterpriseasia.org

About Enterprise Asia
Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development within a world of economic equality. Its two pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship. Enterprise Asia works with governments, NGOs and other organizations to promote competitiveness and entrepreneurial development, in uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation and courage for the future generation. Please visit https://www.enterpriseasia.org/ for more information.

About ICS event
ICS is a series of annual regional events in Asia which gathers top CSR leaders and practitioners to strengthen ties, share experiences and insights, as well as identify regional challenges and opportunities to shape Asia towards a more responsible, sustainable and progressive socio-economic market. Please visit https://enterpriseasia.org/area/ics/ for more information.

Fresh reform impetus seen in poll results

By Charmaine A. Tadalan
Reporter

DOMINATION of the Senate race by bets endorsed by or associated with President Rodrigo R. Duterte promises to revive the impetus for reforms in his last three years in office, analysts agreed on Tuesday, and Malacañang lost no time in listing prompt approval of the P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget and a shift to a federal form of government among its priorities for the 18th Congress that opens its first regular session on July 22.

“We will leave it to the winning senatorial candidates,” Mr. Panelo said in a briefing in Malacañan Palace on Tuesday when asked for the Executive’s legislative list, even as he added: “‘yung federalism is one of them.”

He added that “siguro, hopefully, wala nang stalemate sa budget,” referring to a spat between the House of Representatives (HoR) with the Executive first on a shift to a stricter budget framework in a bid to ensure state offices spend funds they get, and then with the Senate over realignments that resulted in a four-month delay in enactment of the 2019 national appropriations, which were slashed by P95.3 billion to P3.662 trillion.

A May 14 Nomura Global Markets Research note, authored by senior economist for Southeast Asia Euben Paracuelles, said the “unsurprising” results of the Senate race — marked by “dominant performance” of administration bets — are “likely supportive of political stability and the government’s reform agenda.”

“Fiscal reform, which has been delayed and has lost some visibility, is likely back on the radar screen as a result of Duterte’s stronger support base in Congress after the mid-terms,” the note read.

“Specifically, we believe the next package on fiscal incentive rationalization combined with corporate income tax cuts may now have a more realistic chance of enactment than not within this year.”

Asked on remaining tax reforms, starting with the plan to slash corporate income tax rates and remove redundant fiscal incentives, Mr. Panelo was less definite, saying: “If the senatorial candidates who will be proclaimed believe that it’s for the benefit of the people, then they should.”

For Mr. Paracuelles, however, the emerging mix in the 24-man Senate “now shows that Duterte may have about 17-19 seats, by our estimate, that will likely be supportive of fiscal reforms, based on how the existing 12 senators voted for Package 1 [which slashed personal income tax rates and raised or added taxes on several goods and services]…”

“We think passing fiscal reforms remains crucial, as these are designed to help fund an ambitious infrastructure program while at the same time maintaining fiscal sustainability.”

Unofficial, partial Senate election results as of 4:50 p.m., covering 97.4% of clustered precincts, sowed nine of the 12 seats up for grabs going to Mr. Duterte’s allies. The top 12 were led by reelectionists Cynthia A. Villar (24,497,560) and Grace Poe-Llamanzares (21,415,299), who were followed by former special assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” T. Go (19,864,849), Taguig City 2nd District Rep. Pilar Julianna “Pia” S. Cayetano (19,147,818), former Philippine National Police and Corrections chief Ronald “Bato” M. Dela Rosa (18,255,363), reelectionist Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara (17,612,084), former senator and actor Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid (16,468,345), former Ilocos Norte Gov. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos (15,370,053), former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis N. Tolentino (14,951,045), former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. (14,161,021), reelectionists Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel III (14,149,497) and Maria Lourdes “Nancy” S. Binay (14,123,874).

Jostling in 13th-15th spots were reelectionists Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito (13,876,548), Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV (13,764,593) and former senator Jinggoy E. Estrada (11,026,189).

The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) said the emerging lineup should make it “easier” to push Mr. Duterte’s legislative agenda, although support is not completely guaranteed.

“Well, I think, on the whole, it would mean it will be much easier for him to have his legislative agenda passed; on the other hand, senators — they say they’re an independent republic — so although it augurs well for the agenda of the President, doesn’t mean to say he will get what he wants,” FEF President Calixto V. Chikiamco said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

Asked on remaining tax reforms, considering the first package and an amnesty that was enacted in February were watered down, Mr. Chikiamco replied: “Yes I think it will pass but, of course, it will be a result of compromise and I don’t think the version passed by the Department of Finance will pass as is.”

“There will certainly be compromises. In fact they have to start from scratch because we have a new Congress and they have to refile it in the lower house and then it goes to the senate. So I think they will probably pass that, but there will have to be changes or compromises along the way.”

Security Bank chief economist Robert Dan J. Roces, in an e-mail to reporters, said “with a Senate likely to be composed of admin bets, future budget proposals may most likely be passed within the time frame and the tax reform program will likely be revived.”

“On the other hand, the Senate is just one-half of a co-equal Congress, and it will be interesting to see the leanings of the incoming House of Representatives as well.”

For University of Santo Tomas Political Science Department chairperson Dennis C. Coronacion, it is still unlikely the chamber will be a “rubber stamp.”

“I doubt if our senators, including the President’s allies, would give the same full support for the less popular measures such as the restoration capital punishment. We shouldn’t be quick in concluding that a Senate dominated by the President’s allies would become a rubber stamp,” Mr. Coronacion said in a mobile phone message, Tuesday.

“These senators, when they decide whether to support the President’s proposed measures, always take into consideration and prioritize their political ambitions and individual interests. If these factors come into play, we’re going to see more complex dynamics between the executive and the legislative branches.”

Ateneo Policy Center senior research fellow Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, meanwhile, said the complexity of remaining tax reforms and of the shift to a federal government form will force 18th Congress lawmakers to choose between the two.

“If President Duterte decides to push charter change, that will put Congress in a quandary. The leaders of each chamber will have to decide whether to continue the comprehensive fiscal reforms that they have already begun during the first half of the President’s term or to pursue charter change as directed by the President. Because the reality is our lawmakers cannot be relied upon to do both,” Mr. Yusingco said via e-mail.

“For now I would not bet on the success of these fiscal reform initiatives until I hear the President clearly and strongly express his directive to Congress to continue with his fiscal and economic reform agenda. Without an unequivocal mandate from the President, the HOR (House of Representatives) and the Senate may instead focus on other urgent matters such as the water crisis and the reform of the agriculture sector.”

Choosing to focus on the shift to a federal form of government, however, could introduce political uncertainty, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., warned via text, adding that“the uncertainty will take a toll on FDIs (foreign direct investments) and expansion programs.”

For Integrated Development Studies Institute Director George Siy, the emerging election results show stronger support for Mr. Duterte, which was otherwise expected to weaken in the second half of a president’s term. “I think this puts some level of continuity and confidence. Normally the second half of the presidential [term sees] power… weakening, so this is an indication that reforms,… major projects, have a good chance of being continued,” he said by phone. — with Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Arjay L. Balinbin and Janina C. Lim

‘Panda’ offer next after successful euro bond sale — Treasury official

DAYS after the government raised €750 million ($842.33 million) in eight-year euro-denominated bonds, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said the planned yuan-denominated “panda” bonds could be issued within the week, even as the government monitors market conditions abroad.

“As the [National] Treasurer [Rosalia V. De Leon] has mentioned, we may go ahead this week if there’s an opportunity. But we’re still looking at the market,” Deputy Treasurer Erwin D. Sta. Ana told reporters on Tuesday. “There’s no pressure for us, but rather we’re looking for that sweet spot.”

The government plans to issue 2.5 billion yuan ($363.63 million) in panda bonds “most likely in May,” its second such offer. Ms. De Leon had said early in April that those notes could be sold with three- or five-year tenors, but Mr. Sta. Ana said yesterday they will have “just one tenor” even as he declined to elaborate.

Last week, Ms. De Leon said the Treasury had already secured approvals from the People’s Bank of China as well as National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors, and that it was just waiting for “the right market conditions before selling.”

“We are in the middle of retaliatory action between the US and China,” Mr. Sta. Ana said, referring to the latest trade war escalation that saw the United States last Friday raising tariff rates to 25% from 10% previously on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and Beijing saying it would take “necessary countermeasures”.

“We will closely monitor what’s happening as it affects the Chinese interbank market,” he added. “We’ll see how the benchmark moves in the next couple of hours or days.”

The planned yuan-denominated debt sale would be bigger than 1.46-billion renminbi ($230 million) bonds sold by the government in March last year that marking its first foray into China’s capital market. The three-year papers fetched a five percent coupon.

Tuesday’s update on planned “panda” bond sale comes days after the government returned to the European market in more than a decade, raising €750 million in eight-year global bonds with coupon of 0.875% and priced 70 basis points over benchmark.

The Philippines, one of Asia’s most active sovereign bond issuers, plans to borrow P1.189 trillion this year, 75% of which will be sourced domestically while the balance will be from foreign creditors.

This will be used to fund a budget deficit programmed at P624.4 billion, equivalent to 3.2% of gross domestic product, and support increased government spending programmed at P3.774 trillion.

In January, the Philippines sold $1.5 billion in 10-year offshore dollar bonds.

The government is also looking at offering “samurai” bonds amounting to $1-1.5 billion in yen equivalent some time next semester, as well as another round of offshore dollar bonds. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Car sales flat in April

AUTO SALES in April roughly steadied from a year ago, even as they dipped from the preceding month, according to latest data which the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association sent to reporters on Tuesday.

The data showed car sales edging up by a mere 0.8% to 25,799 vehicles in April from 25,583 units a year ago, even as the latest tally was 19.8% less than March’s 32,173 units.

The latest count brought year-to-date sales to 111,187 units, sliding 0.4% from 111,620 vehicles sold in 2018’s first four months.

April alone saw passenger car sales, which contributed 29.69% to the total, drop 22.7% to 7,661 vehicles from the 9,910 units sold a year ago, and by 16.85% from March’s 9,214 vehicles.

Commercial vehicle sales, which accounted for 70.31% of April’s total, rose 15.7% to 18,183 vehicles from 15,673 units a year ago, even as they were 21% less than the 22,959 vehicles sold in March. Under this category, sales of Asian utility vehicles totaled 2,178 units, down 36.70% from 3,439 a year ago, while sales of light commercial vehicles rose 35.4% in sales to 14,954 vehicles from 11,045 units a year ago.

Year-to-date, passenger car sales dropped 12.8% to 33,833 vehicles from 38,817 units in 2018’s first four months, while sales of commercial vehicles rose 6.3% to 77,354 units from 72,803 units.

The auto industry expects to grow sales by a tenth this year from 357,410 vehicles in 2018 that saw a 16% drop — the first fall in seven years, as new auto excise taxes and inflation’s surge dampened market appetite.

In an e-mail to reporters yesterday, CAMPI President Rommel R. Gutierrez said that although sales have been “erratic” on a monthly basis, the group expects a “positive growth trend on a yearly basis will continue to improve in the coming months.”

Year-to-date, Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. continued to top other manufacturers with a 40.47% market share with 44,997 vehciles sold, 4.9% less than 47,307 units sold a year ago. — Janina C. Lim

DoF: IPPAs, electricity co-ops owe PSALM P59.23B in unpaid bills

By Victor V. Saulon
Sub-Editor

SOUTH PREMIERE Power Corp. (SPPC), a unit of listed conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), topped the list of entities with the biggest unpaid loans to the government agency tasked to privatize state energy assets, the Finance department said on Tuesday.

SPPC and other independent power producer administrators (IPPA), along with electricity cooperatives, dominate the list of corporate entities with long overdue accounts with the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) amounting to a combined P59.23 billion as of December 2018, the Department of Finance (DoF) said in a statement.

The overdue debts of the SMC subsidiary amounts to P19.75 billion, it said. A representative of the company said the issue surrounding the supposed unpaid debts is still in the court. The representative also said SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang was out of the country, but a response is being prepared.

A report by PSALM to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, who chairs the firm’s board of directors, showed that several IPPAs have unpaid accounts of P28.46 billion as of end-2018, the DoF statement said. It said some of the IPPAs are contesting the amounts due in courts or in arbitral tribunals.

Many of the accounts were transferred by the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to PSALM when Republic Act No. 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), was enacted.

IPPAs are qualified private entities that manage output from the energy conversion and power purchase agreements that Napocor entered into with the independent power producers. They are appointed through public biddings conducted by PSALM.

SPPC led by Elenita G. Go, its president, administers the 1,277-megawatt Ilijan gas-fired power plant in Batangas City. PSALM earlier terminated the IPPA, but the move was enjoined by the courts.

“Due to these overdue accounts, the government through PSALM is constrained to resort to borrowings that the national government guarantees, in order for PSALM to timely fulfill its mandate of liquidating the financial obligations of [Napocor],” said Irene Joy B. Garcia, PSALM president and chief executive officer.

She said last year, the firm borrowed about P23 billion to pay its maturing obligations, and that it is set to borrow $1.1 billion for obligations maturing by the end of May. As a result, it had to pay interest, guarantee fees and other finance charges of about P2.62 billion a year. Had the IPPAs and electric cooperatives paid, PSALM would not incur the additional costs, she added.

In the statement, Mr. Dominguez said “all these borrowing costs could have otherwise been utilized by the government for the construction of public school classrooms or to build roads and bridges.” It added that he instructed PSALM to “relentlessly” pursue collection efforts against the IPPAs and use all available remedies to protect the rights of the government and the Filipino people.”

DoE said Vivant-Sta. Clara Northern Renewables Generation Corp. (Vivant-Sta. Clara), formerly owned by Vivant Energy and Sta. Clara Power Corp., owes P3.86 billion to PSALM, which awarded it an IPPA contract for the Bakun Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ilocos Sur. It also said Vivant-Sta. Clara filed a petition for rehabilitation.

The renewable energy company was bought by North Renewable Energy Corp. in October last year, but the DoF said despite the change in ownership, no payment had been made to PSALM for its overdue accounts.

Sought for comment, Shem Jose W. Garcia, Vivant assistant vice-president for corporate communication, said the debts piled up because of the combination of low prices at the wholesale electricity spot market, and the dry weather. The hydro project is reliant on the flow of water, he added.

“We knew that was an issue when we sold it so the new buyers were aware,” Mr. Garcia said by phone.

The DoF said Good Friends Hydro Resources Corp. of Lucio Lim Jr. has yet to pay PSALM P1.16 billion, while FDC Utilities, Inc. led by Juan Eugenio Roxas as its president-CEO and a subsidiary of Filinvest Development Corp., owes P1.12 billion. Both IPPAs were involved with the contract to administer the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants.

A Filinvest Utilities subsidiary, the FDC Misamis Power Corp., a subsidiary of FDC Utilities, also owes PSALM P2.56 billion, as the previous IPPA for the Mindanao I and II geothermal power plants, it added.

The PSALM report also listed 10 electric cooperatives and industries with unpaid obligation to PSALM at a combined total of P28.74 billion as of end-2018. The Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco) has the highest and longest overdue account at P9.63 billion that dates back 16 years, the report said.

Edgardo R. Masongsong, administrator of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), said in a text message that as far as electric cooperatives are concerned, only PSALM has the data and is familiar with what is due it.

He said in most cases, those in distress, as listed by the DoF, encounter difficulties in settling their obligations with the company.

He said in the case of Lasureco, what it owes came from a principal amount of P3 billion.

“The P6 billion or thereabouts can be attributed to interests and surcharges compounded thru the years,” Mr. Masongsong said.

“Although Lasureco owes that much to PSALM, it has no intentions of reneging on its obligations and recognizes that these were long overdue. We at NEA believe that all these electric cooperatives need are proper assistance and enough capacitation which the present NEA extends to rehabilitate ECs so that in the near future, these indebtedness to PSALM can finally be settled.”

Janeene D. Colingan, executive director and general manager of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., did not respond to a query via text or phone on Tuesday.

Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Redentor E. Delola, who was recently in Mindanao to oversee an issue on an electric cooperative, also did not respond.

PSALM said Public Utilities Department of Olongapo City, although no longer a client, still owes P6.07 billion in obligations, representing more than nine years of overdue power bills, over 10 years of unpaid value-added tax (VAT) payments, and five years of penalties and interest.

It is second on the list of the top 10 entities consisting of electricity cooperatives and industries with long overdue accounts with PSALM.

PICOP Resources Corp., a defunct company previously owned by TP Holdings, Inc. is third with pending overdue accounts since 2008, which now amounts to P2.96 billion.

Albay Electric Cooperative, Inc. has P2.61 billion of unpaid power bills, VAT and interest and penalties. Its unpaid account dates back to 2006. It is no longer PSALM’s customer and is now known as the Albay Power Energy Corp.

Others on the list are Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc., which has P1.76 billion in unpaid obligations of more than 10 years of overdue power bills; Global Steelworks International, Inc., now known as Global Steel Philippines, a subsidiary of Global Steel Holdings Ltd., with an unpaid account since 2009 and overdue power bills amounting to P1.68 billion.

In seventh place is Pampanga III Electric Cooperative Inc., with P1.27 billion in unpaid obligations, with at least four years overdue in its restructured account and more than two years of interest and penalties. The cooperative has requested for a restructuring of its account, PSALM said.

Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. is next with P1.24 billion in overdue obligations. PSALM said negotiations are ongoing on the coops overdue restructured account and power bills.

The rest are the defunct Magellan Cogeneration, Inc., which used to be controlled by Covanta Energy and has P750.86 million in unpaid obligations; followed by the former Bacnotan Steel Corp., now known as Union Galvasteel Corp. of the Phinma Corp., with P743.68 million.

PSALM said that besides the Lanao del Sur cooperative and the other electric cooperatives on the top 10 list, five other electric cooperatives were among the firms with the largest pending obligations.

These are Northern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. with P742.13 million in overdue line rentals, restructured account, power bills and VAT. A revised restructuring scheme was signed with the coop in November last year, PSALM said.

Also on the list is Sorsogon II Electric Cooperative Inc. with P510.15 million in overdue power bills, restructured account, VAT and interest and penalties. Samar I Electric Cooperative Inc. with P303.04 million in unpaid restructured account, power bills, VAT and line rentals. A revised restructuring scheme was signed by the coop with PSALM last Nov. 29, the report said.

Zamboanga del Sur II Electric Cooperative Inc. has an overdue account since 2017 that now amounts to P275.69 million. Sorsogon I Electric Cooperative has unpaid obligations of P206.23 million to PSALM with overdue restructured account. PSALM said it has negotiations with the coop for the settlement of its outstanding obligations.

GT Capital earnings slide in Q1

By Arra B. Francia, Senior Reporter

GT Capital Holdings, Inc.’s attributable profit slumped by eight percent in the first quarter of 2019, following lower sales from its auto and property segments.

In a regulatory filing, the listed conglomerate said net income attributable to the parent went down to P3.42 billion from the P3.74 billion it delivered in the same period a year ago.

“The decline was principally due to slow revenue growth from real estate sales and automotive operations,” the company said.

Revenues went up by three percent to P47.02 billion, driven by higher contributions from its banking and insurance businesses.

Automotive operations through Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) recorded flat revenue growth to P33.8 billion, resulting to a 25% drop in net income to P1.8 billion. TMP’s retail sales volume reached 33,554 units during the quarter, three percent lower than the 34,440 units it sold in the same period a year ago.

With this, TMP’s market share declined to 34.6% by end-March, versus 35.5% last year. TMP remains to be the dominant auto maker in the Philippine market despite the drop.

GT Capital President Carmelo Maria Luza Bautista noted that the first-quarter results are already showing signs of improvement, given that they saw a 12% volume decline last year following the implementation of the tax reform law that increased excise taxes on new vehicles.

“This for us is a sign of recovery. It’s a good indicator showing easing inflation and the rebound in consumer sentiment,” Mr. Bautista said in a media and analysts’ briefing for first-quarter results in Taguig, Tuesday.

“We’re quite confident that as inflation stays benign and as consumer confidence starts to normalize at its previous levels, the volume sales will catch up in the rest of the year,” Mr. Bautista said.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (Metrobank) grew its net income by 15% to P6.8 billion, boosted by loan growth and margin expansion and higher fee-based income. Metrobank’s loan portfolio was up by nine percent to P1.4 trillion for the quarter, while deposits reached P1.6 trillion.

Consolidated assets for the listed lender hit P2.3 trillion, while equity stood at P288.7 billion.

Its property segment through Federal Land, Inc. and Property Company of Friends, Inc. (Pro-Friends) generated a combined profit of P431.1 million in the first quarter, from a six percent increase in consolidated revenues to P4.6 billion.

GT Capital disclosed last week that it is divesting its 51% stake in Pro-Friends, in exchange for P20 billion worth of land covering 702 hectares mostly in Cavite. The divestment comes four years after GT Capital first acquired a 22.68% stake in Pro-Friends back in 2015, and a 28.3% stake in 2016.

Mr. Bautista said the 702-hectare land bank under Pro-Friends is no longer suited for affordable housing projects, which was the purpose for investing in the company in the first place.

“The investment rationale at that point was really to gain a foothold in affordable, we saw it as a good complement to our existing property development arm which was Federal Land being in mid- to high-end condominium all in Metro Manila,” Mr. Bautista said.

Meanwhile, GT Capital’s affiliate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. registered a core net income of P3.7 billion, three percent higher year on year. The infrastructure conglomerate’s performance was supported by higher earnings from the Manila Electric Company, volume growth from Maynilad Water Services, Inc., and the higher number of patients in its hospital unit.

Insurance provider AXA Philippines posted a 46% increase in consolidated net income to P808.4 million.

Shares in GT Capital plunged 4.12% or P35 to close at P815 each at the stock exchange on Tuesday.

Airline, property units lift JG Summit Q1 profit

JG SUMMIT Holdings, Inc. saw its attributable profit surge 54% in the first quarter of 2019, following the double-digit expansion of its airline and real estate businesses.

In a regulatory filing, the Gokongwei-led conglomerate reported a net income attributable to the parent of P7.44 billion, versus P4.82 billion in the first quarter of 2018.

“Increase is mainly due to the double-digit income growth in our airline and real estate businesses, partially offset by the income decline in petrochemicals business and coupled by the foreign exchange translation gains and market valuation gains on the Group’s financial assets during the period,” the company said.

Consolidated revenues also went up 8.7% to P76.26 billion. The company attributed the higher top line to the performance of its core subsidiaries, namely Universal Robina Corp. (URC), Cebu Air, Inc., and Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC).

URC’s revenues went up 8.7% to P33.32 billion, thanks to the improvement in sales across domestic branded consumer foods, feeds, and commodity foods. The listed food and beverage manufacturer then increased its attributable profit by 2.9% to P3.04 billion.

Meanwhile, the operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific delivered a 138.4% surge in net income to P3.43 billion, after a 16% growth in gross revenues to P21.18 billion.

Cebu Air tallied a 14.6% increase in passenger revenues to P15.68 billion for the period, after passenger volume went up 8.5% to 5.29 million. The company further benefited from a 5.7% increase in average fares to P2,965 for the period.

For RLC, attributable profit rose 19% to P1.83 billion after revenues also added seven percent to P6.78 billion. The commercial centers division posted revenues of P3.14 billion, as the listed property developer got a lift from newly opened malls including Robinsons Place Ormoc, Robinsons Place Pavia, Robinsons North Tuguegarao, and Robinsons Place Valencia.

The strength of RLC’s commercial centers business offset the lower revenues booked by its residential arm, which saw a seven percent drop in top line contribution to P1.97 billion.

The petrochemicals group, composed of JG Summit Petrochemicals Corp. and JG Summit Olefins Corp., generated gross revenues of P9.57 billion, 8.3% lower year on year due to lower average selling prices for its products.

Higher costs also weighed on the petrochemical group, which swung to a net loss of P730.40 million against a net income of P826.30 million in the same period a year ago.

Robinsons Bank Corp. also posted a 57.5% decline in earnings to P42.53 million, despite a 40% jump in banking revenues to P1.89 billion.

At the same time, JG Summit realized P2.74 billion from equity in net earnings of associated companies and joint ventures, 11% higher year on year. The company has investments in Singapore’s United Industrial Corp., the Manila Electric Company, and Global Business Power Corp.

Shares in JG Summit fell 3.25% or P2 to close at P59.50 each at the stock exchange on Tuesday. — Arra B. Francia

Semirara Mining income falls 49% in 1st quarter

By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor

SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) reported a 49% drop in first-quarter net income to P2.33 billion from P4.57 billion as the selling prices of coal and power, the company’s sources of revenues, decreased during the period.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, the Consunji-led company said the coal segment of the business, net of eliminations, and energy subsidiary Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. (SLPGC) contributed P2.13 billion and P226.10 million, respectively. SMPC unit Sem-Calaca Power Corp. (SCPC) posted a net loss of P22.37 million in the first quarter.

The listed integrated energy company said coal production slipped by nearly 2% to 4.06 million tons from 4.12 million tons in the same period last year, with the 37% increase in the strip ratio to 12.53 from 9.12 a year ago.

Export sales rose, lifting total coal sales by 4% to 3.55 million tons compared with 3.42 million tons previously. The drop in global coal prices resulted in an 18% decrease in the average selling price of coal to P2,272 per ton from P2,786 per ton a year ago.

Junalina S. Tabor, SMPC chief finance officer, said this year’s prospects for coal would depend on the China market, which dictates prices.

“Mahirap talaga siya i-predict so much so that our exports is based on spot [prices], depende ’yun sa China market, China traders kung ano talaga what they are offering to us,” she said in a chance interview before the release of the quarterly figures.

“So ’yung Newcastle index is just used as our reference point so alam namin where can we negotiate up to how high, how low,” she said. “But it’s really dictated by China market for the export.”

Energy sales of SCPC and SLPGC increased by 11% to 638 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the first quarter from 575 GWh in the same period last year. Softer global coal prices also affected power average selling price, which declined by 19% to P4.32 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P5.35 per kWh a year ago.

Total power generation during the quarter fell to 508 GWh from 642 GWh, the listed company said. SCPC’s unit 1 is on a six-month life extension program (LEP) since Dec. 30, 2018.

“LEP is a cost-effective strategy to maintain and upgrade operations of existing facilities beyond its traditional lifetime, at the same time to limit environmental complications and financial risks,” the company said.

SCPC’s unit 2 will also undergo LEP as soon as unit 1 becomes commercially available. The plant’s outages and deration during the quarter were due to boiler tube leaks and repair of condenser.

SLPGC’s unit 3 was also down for a total of 29 days in the first quarter, mostly due to boiler issues. Its unit 4 was placed on maintenance shutdown after experiencing tube leaks in mid-January. The incident advanced the planned maintenance shutdown for the middle of the year. There are no other planned outages for the unit for the rest of the year, the company said.

The power segment incurred a total loss of P95 million for purchases of replacement power totaling to 216 GWh in first quarter.

Ms. Tabor said the prospects are better this year because of the higher prices at the spot market, to which the company sells its excess power capacity.

On Tuesday, shares in SMPC closed higher by 3% to close at P22.35 each.

Shakey’s earnings up 2.5% in Q1

SHAKEY’S Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. (SPAVI) saw earnings rise 2.5% in the first three months of the year, thanks to higher number of stores and steady margins despite the seasonally slow quarter.

In a regulatory filing, the listed full-service restaurant operator said net income was up 2.5% to P188 million from January to March, compared to P184 million in the same period a year ago.

Systemwide sales climbed 5.5% to P2.34 billion, against P2.21 billion in the same period a year ago. This resulted to a four percent increase in revenues to P1.84 billion.

“The first three months was a slow start to the year, typical of the post-holiday season, but also reflective of continued weakness in consumer sentiment with last year’s inflationary pressures,” SPAVI President and Chief Executive Officer Vicente P. Gregorio said in a statement.

“Growth was also affected by the timing of Holy Week, a strong sales period for our business which falls in the second quarter of this year versus the first quarter in the last. Finally, we are seeing continued entry of new players and aggressive promotional activity in the industry,” he added.

Despite tighter competition in the industry, SPAVI maintained its net income margin of 10%, while return on equity stood at 19%.

SPAVI is keeping its double-digit profit growth guidance for the year, as it hopes to recover in the next nine months.

The company opened one new store in the Philippines and one abroad, bringing its store count to 229 in the country and three overseas.

It is scheduled to open seven more stores in the second quarter, as part of plans to have 20 new stores for a total of 248 outlets nationwide by end-2019.

SPAVI also looks to have at least 20 outlets overseas in the next few years, as it already has two international area development agreements.

Apart from its Shakey’s store expansion, the company has also started bringing in other brands to its portfolio. The company is on track to close its acquisition of Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken this June.

“We are looking forward to better performance for the balance of the year, with the addition of the Peri brand to our platform and seasonally stronger sales in the second half…Overall, we continue to remain positive in the long-term growth prospects of the casual dining space,” Mr. Gregorio said.

Shares in SPAVI fell 4.05% or 54 centavos to close at P12.80 each on Tuesday. — Arra B. Francia

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