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Cebu Pacific reviewing VisMin market profile for new Cebu and Davao flights

CEBU PACIFIC Air (Cebu Air, Inc.) is undertaking an assessment of passengers’ profile to and from the Visayas and Mindanao as the budget carrier draws up plans for new flights from the airports in Cebu and Davao. “If we talk about passengers within VisMin, we see the increasing trend and we know there is passenger growth between Visayas and Mindanao, inter-islands,” Cebu Pacific Director for Marketing Blessie L. Cruz told BusinessWorld in an interview in Cebu City. Ms. Cruz said with the country’s gateway in Metro Manila already “saturated… the focus now is to really grow our hubs outside Manila and that includes Davao.” She cited that one of the markets that they have been able to get a slice of are travelers using buses and ferries within the Visayas and Mindanao islands. For international flights, Mr. Cruz said they are more conservative in launching new routes because they want to cover those that are sustainable. “We have Davao-Singapore, the only international flight (to and from Davao), and the thing with us is if we introduce a new route, as much as possible we want to sustain it. That is why it takes us a little time to actually introduce a new route. Davao to Singapore has been operating for the last three or four years,” she said. — Maya M. Padillo

UST suspends frats, sororities after hazing death last year

THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) has declared that it will no longer officially recognize fraternities, sororities, and other similar organizations in an anti-hazing move following the death of law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo III, according to a memorandum signed by Office for Student Affairs (OSA) Director Ma. Socorro S. Guan Hing.
”In light of the recent incident involving the hazing death of a law student and in keeping with the duty of the University to take proactive steps to protect the students from the danger of participating in activities that will involve hazing, the University has decided to suspend the recognition of all Fraternities, Sororities, or similar organizations effective at the start of A.Y. (Academic Year) 2018-2019 until further notice,” read the memorandum dated May 21 and released to media on Wednesday.
”Accordingly, all fraternities, sororities or similar organizations are directed to cease and desist from recruiting students or engaging in any kind of activities,” the statement read.
The memorandum also told students “not to join fraternities, sororities, or any unrecognized student organizations.”
The 22-year-old Mr. Castillo was brought lifeless by his fellow members of the Aegis Juris fraternity to the Chinese General Hospital on Sept. 17, 2017, after he became unconscious from participating in the group’s initiation rite.
UST expelled eight law students for violating the university’s Code of Conduct and Discipline last Feb. 18.
Ten of Mr. Castillo’s alleged killers and fraternity brothers surrendered themselves to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on March 23.
Citing safety concerns, accused Min Wei Chan, Jose Miguel Salamat, John Robin G. Ramos, Marcelino Bagtang, Jr., Arvin A. Balag, Ralph Trangia, Axel Munro Hipe, Oliver Onofre, Joshua Joriel Macabali and Hans Matthew Rodrigo requested to be put under the custody of the NBI and not the Manila Police District (MPD.)
The judge holding their case, Presiding Judge Alfredo D. Ampuan of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 20, however, denied their request and ordered the NBI to transfer them to the Manila City Jail (MCJ) on Tuesday, May 22.
On the same day, their scheduled arraignment was moved to July 24 to allow the petitions of review submitted by some of the accused to be processed.
They were handed over by the NBI to the warden of the MCJ on Wednesday afternoon.
When asked if they were given any preferential treatment during their stay at the NBI detention center, agency spokesperson Nicanor V. Suarez told BusinessWorld, “definitely none.” — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

Former illegal fishers lead eco-tourism in Masbate marine sanctuary

FISHERFOLK WHO used to engage in illegal methods are now at the forefront of eco-tourism operations at a marine sanctuary in Masbate City. The Samahang Mangingisda sa Puro-Sinalikway, Inc.) (SAMAPUSI), a group of fishing community residents, provide organized services such as boat rental, kayaking, scuba diving gear rental, snorkeling, reef guiding, and island-hopping at the Buntod Marine Sanctuary and Sandbar. Buntod, one of the city’s two marine protected areas (MPA), covers 20 hectares (ha) of strictly-protected zone, and a 100-ha buffer zone. It has corals, seagrass beds, mangroves, and various species such as helmet shells, locally known as budyong. The MPA is co-managed by SAMAPUSI, the Masbate City government, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region V (Bicol).

Malagos hails farmers anew as it bags 5 awards at 2018 Academy of Chocolates in London

BW FILE PHOTO

MALAGOS AGRI-Ventures, Corp., maker of the Malagos cacao and chocolate products, now has 15 international awards under its belt after recently bringing home five recognitions from the 2018 Academy of Chocolates in London. The five awards are: silver for the Malagos 85% Dark Chocolate, and a bronze each for the Malagos 100% Unsweetened Chocolate and Malagos 72% Dark Chocolate under the drinking chocolate category; and a bronze each for the Malagos 72% Dark Chocolate and Malagos 85% Dark Chocolate under the tree-to-bar category. In a statement, Rex Victor P. Puentespina, the company’s “chocolate-maker” and considers himself a “proud farmer,” said, “We honor all the hardworking farmers in the country with these latest awards. Mabuhay ang magsasakang Pilipino (Hail to the Filipino farmer)!”

Gov’t appeals for patience in Marawi rehabilitation

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT officials appealed for patience from local residents during the commemoration of the first anniversary of the Marawi City siege on Wednesday, May 23, saying there is “no magic formula” for the city’s rehabilitation and that it “cannot be done overnight.”
“Please be patient. There is no magic formula. [There is no] reconstruction that happens overnight,” Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza said during a press briefing by Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) at the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol.
Mr. Dureza stressed that the government is doing its best “to restore as much as possible what was destroyed.”
For his part, Assistant Secretary Felix Castro, Jr., TFBM field office manager, said they do not want to rush things and end up having a plan that the beneficiaries would not approve of.
According to Mr. Castro, the government targets to start the rehabilitation word “in the middle of June” this year if the “timeline” will be followed.
In an interview with CNN, TFBM Spokesperson Kristoffer James E. Purisima said the total cost of the “Marawi rehabilitation is estimated at P75 billion.”
”We need to identify areas for temporary and permanent housing… [and] repair of slightly damaged buildings [will] be done in short term,” he added.
Also during the briefing, Lanao del Sur 1st District Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong said the local government understands the frustration of the residents over the slow-paced rehabilitation of the city.
”We do not question but rather we understand the frustration of the people,” he said.
On “LIBERATION” day meanwhile, President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not show up in Marawi for the commemoration event.
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence T. Go, in a text message to Palace reporters, explained that the President would be present during the “liberation” day celebration.
Sa liberation ng Marawi kami pupunta, not sa start ng siege. Why honor(?),” Mr. Go wrote.
Mr. Duterte declared Marawi “liberated from terrorist influence” on Oct. 17 last year, the day when Maute Group leaders Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon were killed.
Military spokesman Colonel Edgard A. Arevalo explained that yesterday’s commemoration rite is in remembrance of the infamous siege.
“But we are celebrating the determination and perseverance of all who have been victims of the Maute-ISIS Group who continue with their strife to rebuild their lives through the help of government agencies and other benevolent groups and individuals,” Mr. Arevalo said.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año also said, “What we want to celebrate actually is the liberation of the complete destruction of the enemy that led to the liberation of Marawi. That is October 17, but nevertheless it is very important to take note of this date because it would actually remind people from all walks of life, different agencies, and government departments that this kind of crisis should not have happened at all if everyone has been doing its share in our fight against terror.”
Meanwhile, various human rights groups called on the government to lift martial law in Mindanao, which was declared on May 23 last year and extended until the end of 2018.
“No one wants to have martial law. The Palace would like to assure the public that the moment the need for martial law [decreases], it will be lifted,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said when sought for comment. — with a report from Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Shariah-compliant e-cards to be distributed to displaced Marawi residents to help in recovery program

PREPAID ELECTRONIC cards (e-cards) will be distributed on Thursday, May 24, to displaced residents of war-town Marawi City as part of a program to help in recovery and rehabilitation efforts through financial inclusion. The I-AFFORD cards, with 15,000 families seen to benefit initially, will provide access to financial products and services, as well as assistance from the government, non-government and private sector. The card distribution will come after a forum on Islamic Financing, an Option for the Economic Recovery and Development of Marawi conflict affected areas, to be held in neighboring Iligan City. The People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network, Inc. (PDRRN) and Oxfam, with support from the United Nations Development Program, will present the results of an Islamic Finance research. “The event aims to increase public awareness and understanding on Islamic Finance as an alternative financial system that would address economic recovery caused by conflict and the long-time financial exclusion of the Bangsamoro people,” reads a statement released by Oxfam, noting that about 90% of the Bangsamoro is unbanked. “Over P17 billion in property damage and opportunities lost in the siege, the displaced population who are mostly traders, are still struggling to recover their livelihoods,” it said.

Peso declines on trade war fears

THE PESO plunged anew against the dollar on Wednesday due to President Donald J. Trump’s statement on the trade talks between Washington and China.
The local unit closed at P52.47 versus the greenback, 27.5 centavos weaker than its P52.195-per-dollar finish on Tuesday. This was the peso’s weakest finish in nearly 12 years since July 19, 2006, when it closed at P52.745.
The peso traded weaker the whole day, opening the session at P52.27 against the US currency. It slipped to a P52.48 low, while its best showing stood at P52.26.
Dollars traded declined to $529.9 million from the $750.65 million that switched hands during the previous session.
A trader said that the peso moved lower due to a risk-off sentiment among investors.
“Market currencies are being sold off, including the peso,” the trader said in a phone interview. “The emerging markets’ currencies such as the peso are being sold in favor of haven currencies…”
The trader said the comments of Mr. Trump that its trade talks with China are not going as well as expected caused investors to move to safe haven currencies.
Meanwhile, another trader said the peso depreciated to new lows “on market positioning ahead of likely hawkish Fed (US Federal Reserve) policy meeting minutes.”
For today, the first trader sees the peso to move between P52.15 and P52.50, adding that market players will wait for the minutes of the May meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee.
Meanwhile, the other trader sees the peso to move within the P52.30-P52.60 range.
“The local currency might further depreciate tomorrow as players will likely seek for hawkish cues from the recent policy minutes towards possible future Fed moves for the year,” the second trader noted. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Shares slide on uncertainty over US-China deal

STOCKS FELL for the sixth consecutive session on Wednesday amid renewed geopolitical woes due to US President Donald J. Trump’s comments on trade talks with China.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gave up 1.12% or 85.73 points to close at 7,560.47 yesterday.
The broader all-shares index likewise edged lower by 0.87% or 40.46 points to 4,612.
“Investors are still in risk-off mode particularly foreign funds who have been steadily liquidating since February. To date, net foreign selling has amounted to P47.8 billion for the year, almost reversing the net buy of P55 billion for the entire 2017,” PNB Securities, Inc. President Manuel Antonio G. Lisbona said in a text message.
Net foreign outflows for the day reached P649.85 million, higher than the previous session’s P628.52 million. This is the sixth day of net selling for the market.
“On the whole, foreign investors seem to be cashing in and adopting a risk-averse stance amid renewed concerns on trade between the US and China,” Mr. Lisbona said.
Mr. Trump said the US government did not arrive at a deal with China for its trade dispute, despite top US officials saying earlier they have agreed on a framework and have put the trade war on hold.
Wall Street also ended in the red following these developments. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 0.72% or 178.88 points to 24,834.41. The S&P 500 index went down 0.31% or 8.57 points to 2,724.44, while the Nasdaq Composite index dipped 0.21% or 15.58 points to 7,378.46.
Most Southeast Asian stock markets likewise fell sharply on Wednesday as Mr. Trump tempered optimism over trade talks between Washington and Beijing, with Malaysia extending losses amid uncertainty over the size of debt its previous government had left behind.
Broader Asian stocks outside Japan were down 0.40% after Mr. Trump said he was not pleased with recent US-China trade talks, renewing uncertainty.
China Bank Securities Corp. Research Director Garie G. Ouano, meanwhile, attributed the PSEi’s decline to technicalities.
“Probably due to technical factors since there were no major market-moving developments today and the index has so far formed a trading range around 7800-7500,” Mr. Ouano said.
All sectoral indices closed in negative territory, led by holding firms with a 1.75% drop or 132.17 points to 7,381.05. Financials shed 1.52% or 28.65 points to 1,851.86, while services slipped 0.59% or 9.10 points to 1,514.29. Industrials went down 0.38% or 41.96 points to 10,905.02; mining and oil lost 0.28% or 28.27 points to 9,958.01; while property declined 0.07% or 3 points to 3,801.78.
A total of 1.86 billion issues switched hands resulting in a turnover of P5.88 billion, up from Tuesday’s P4.78 billion.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 116 to 66, while 55 issues remained unchanged. — Arra B. Francia with Reuters

Nation at a Glance — (05/24/18)

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

The taste of childhood

Young chef Miko Aspiras channeled memories of childhood playgrounds in the Philippines to create a special dessert for his presentation during Madrid Fusion Manila 2016.

For many Filipinos, playtime would consist of playing in the hot sun on a swing set. Aspiras gathers these elements together, creating a story from sensory memory: the taste of sweat, rust, and santan flowers. “It’s a memory of when I was a child, through flavors that I didn’t really intend to taste, but I’ve tasted… it’s part curiosity in my head.”

Parks and gardens around the country have santan bushes growing in them, filled with bunches of its tiny flowers. Many people’s childhood memories include plucking out a tiny flower and sucking out the sweet tiny drop of nectar from within its long hollow stem. Aspiras gathered a humungous bunch of these flowers and extracted the nectar to use in his dessert.

As for sweat and rust, the chef relied on the help of an “extraction system,” a machine which enables one to get the approximation of a flavor of something. Aspiras placed in a sample of his own sweat, and a sample of rust in the machine. “It’s… something that I can remember all the time,” he said, talking about the sensory memory of childhood sweat, which he says tastes like alkaline and salt. With this in mind, he added this to salted caramel, which he then distilled, leading to a clearer consistency. “It’s perfect for my dish, because it looks like sweat,” he said.

Aspiras is currently involved in restaurants under the Tasteless Food Group, which includes the French-Japanese bistro Le Petit Souffle.

He started out learning about bread and pastries under chef Sau del Rosario in 2007, going on to refine his skills while working in the pastry sections of top hotels including Fairmont, Raffles, Edsa Shangri-La, and Resorts World Manila where he worked with Cyrilly Soenen.

The young chef has received a slew of awards in his short career, including awards and citations from the Philippine Culinary Cup, World Association of Chefs Societies Congress, and the Hong Kong Culinary Classics.

According to the souvenir book for Madrid Fusion 2016, Mr. Aspiras has used, or has tried to use, ingredients such as pig’s blood and rotten milk to achieve his sensory goals.

At a press conference after his presentation, he was asked whether he knew that the odd ingredients and the odd techniques he likes to use would become hits, especially in the Philippines, where slices of cake can be more than enough to satisfy most people’s sweet tooth.

“I didn’t know. I really didn’t know. It’s just that I’m pursuing my dreams… I’m really happy that a lot of people are appreciating it.”


First published in BusinessWorld on April 14, 2016.

Information-sharing among sectors key to beefing up cyber defenses

By Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo, Reporter
Coordination and action among different sectors can help companies beef up their cyber defenses, representatives from various sectors said.
“The criminals are well-coordinated. But the good guys, they try to go above one another, and say ‘I’m better than you’,” said Angel Redoble, chief information officer of PLDT Enterprise, during the Australia Innovation Summit held in Makati City on May 22.
Mr. Redoble said that companies and organizations must work hand-in-hand and share information to have a stronger defense.
Cybersecurity is a cross-border challenge that affects all industries, but the problem is the cyber criminals are winning because of their coordination while the affected sectors act a little too late, and that the issue of cybersecurity is left to the information technology (IT) personnel.
Mr. Redoble added that the current trend is to do predictive security, and not just act before and after incidents. Threats must be anticipated, he said.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security Allan S. Cabanlong said that the DICT has brought this issue at the regional level in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for information sharing between and among member nations, and that the member states of the region are working towards a cyber security framework.
“We have discussed this at ASEAN last year, but countries have not yet agreed on a final framework,” Mr. Cabanlong said.
On the part of educators, information technology (IT) education provider AMA said it developed a curriculum for a degree in cybersecurity to produce cybersecurity professionals in the country.
Demeke Bayyou, research director at AMA University, said that they have formulated a curriculum with the DICT for a degree in cybersecurity.
National Privacy Commission (NPC) Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro said that all departments of a company or organization must be involved in cybersecurity.
“Cyber security is relegated to the IT guys, but that should not be the case. Everyone from different departments of a company must be involved,” Mr. Liboro said.
The world has been hit with well-coordinated transnational cyberattacks, including the “WannaCry” ransomware attack in May last year, which spread in over 70 countries and has victimized individuals, businesses and foreign government institutions, including hospitals and the police. “WannaCry” ransomware locks up files in the affected computer and demands payment to regain access to the encrypted files.

AC Energy moves to buy 50% stake in UPC Renewables Australia

AC Energy Holdings, Inc. is investing $230 million to acquire a 50% stake in the Australian business of UPC Renewables and provide funding for the latter’s renewable energy projects, its parent firm told the stock exchange on Wednesday, May 23.
AC Energy, a subsidiary of Ayala Corp., said its entry into the Australian renewables market is through a joint venture with the international renewable energy developer.
“AC Energy is very excited to invest into UPC Renewables Australia as it complements AC Energy’s goal to exceed 5,000 MW (megawatts) by 2025. The UPC Renewables Australia platform is focused on large scale projects and is managed by a high-quality management team,” said AC Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Eric T. Francia in a statement.
The overseas expansion will require an investment of $30 million for a 50% stake in UPC Renewables’ Australian business. The Ayala-led company will also provide a $200-million facility to fund project equity.
AC Energy said UPC Renewables Australia is developing the 1,000-MW Robbins Island and Jims Plain projects in North West Tasmania, and the 600-MW New England Solar Farm near Uralla in New South Wales.
“The Robbins Island project itself is a very large site and together with Jim’s Plains have some of the best proven wind resources in the world, and the New England Solar project has excellent solar resource within close proximity to Transmission,” Mr. Francia said.
UPC Renewables Australia also has a further development portfolio of another 3,000 MW located in NSW, Tasmania and Victoria, AC Energy said.
It quoted Anton Rohner, chief executive of UPC Renewables Australia, as saying: “AC Energy investment into UPC Renewables Australia will enable us to accelerate projects in Australia. We are making progress on the Robbins Island and Jims Plain project in North West Tasmania and we endorse the Prime Minister’s recent comment about how wind and hydro are highly complementary.”
“We expect our projects in North West Tasmania to have capacity factors in the order of 50% with the turbines producing power nearly 95% of the time,” Mr. Rohner added.
He said the Robbins Island and Jims Plain projects, together with Tasmania’s hydro assets and other new renewable energy projects, “will assist in making the interconnectors between Tasmania and Victoria, a dispatchable and significant renewable energy generator into the National Electricity Market.”
In July last year, AC Energy disclosed that it had entered into a development funding arrangement with UPC Renewables Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd. and UPC Renewables Asia I Limited — collectively, UPC Renewables — for the development of small island power projects in Indonesia. — Victor V. Saulon