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Rice prices rise, just shy of P23 per kilo — PSA

PRICES of the staple grain first broke all-time high records in May when it reached P21 per kg levels. It has since risen to new all-time highs in August and September. — PHILSTAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
AVERAGE farmgate prices for palay, or unhusked rice, nearly reached P23 per kilogram (kg), rising 17.36% year on year in the first week of September, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
Week on week, palay prices posted a 1.32% increase to P22.98 per kg. Prices of the staple grain first broke all-time high records in May when it reached P21 per kg levels.
It has since risen to P22 per kg in August, and again to just shy of P23 at the start of September.
Wholesale and retail prices of both well-milled and regular-milled rice similarly rose as lean season reaches its end.
Well-milled rice
• Average wholesale price of well-milled rice rose 15.80% year on year to P45.51 per kg. Week on week, this presents a 1.38% increase.
• Average retail price of well-milled rice grew 14.58% year on year and 1.94% week on week to P48.40 per kg.
Regular milled
• Average wholesale price of regular-milled rice, on the other hand, accelerated faster by 19.74% year on year to P42.59 per kg. This is also a 1.72% increase from the previous week.
• The average retail price of regular milled rice likewise jumped to P45.27 per kg, higher by 19.04% year on year and 2.44% week on week.

AGI sets P240-B capex up to 2020

By Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
LISTED investment holding firm Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI) said it will be allocating P240 billion in capital expenditures (capex) to be spent over three years until 2020.
In a disclosure to the Stock Market on Tuesday, the Andrew L. Tan-owned company will be using the bulk of its capex for expansion and development projects.
AGI plans to ramp up its leasing capacities in office buildings and lifestyle malls, as well as set up more branches for its local McDonald’s franchise.
Over the next three years, the company will also seek to improve its land banking, hotel, and integrated resorts operations.
Noting both domestic and global economic developments, AGI Chief Executive Officer Kevin L. Tan in a statement said that they “remain cognizant of the vast opportunities in the market; hence, our continued aggressive capital spending.”
“The bulk of our planned capex will be funded internally, leaving only a small portion that will need bank financing,” he said. “Be assured though that we will always maintain financial prudence and keep our gearing at reasonable level.”

Not all tax reforms approved by yearend

By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
and Charmaine A. Tadalan
Reporters
REMAINING TAX REFORMS targeted by the Executive will bag final approval in the House of Representatives this 17th Congress, a leader of the chamber assured on Monday, but not all will hurdle both legislative chambers by yearend as President Rodrigo R. Duterte (PRRD) requested in his third State of the Nation Address (SoNA) last July.
The Executive had submitted all tax reform packages to Congress in July in hopes of securing legislative approval by Dec. 14 — when lawmakers go on their Christmas break — since legislators are expected to increasingly be taken up with preparations for the May 2019 mid-term elections towards yearend.
Newly installed House Ways and Means panel Chairman Rep. Estrellita B. Suansing of Nueva Ecija’s first district told reporters on Monday that she is committed to securing final approval of all tax reforms “before my term ends and before Speaker’s (Gloria M. Arroyo’s) term will end” on June 7 next year, the last day of the 17th Congress.
“We have six bills pending, we have six months to go… at least one bill should be passed in the House (on) third and final reading every month,” Ms. Suansing said.
Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. sidestepped a question on Mr. Duterte’s request for yearend approval of all tax reform tranches, replying in a mobile phone message: “We’re very happy for the support the Committee gave to this administration initiative.”
Sought separately for comment, Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said only that “consistent with PRRD’s SoNA, we hope Congress can pass all tax reform packages ‘in succession’.”
Only the first package has been enacted so far: Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) that slashed personal income tax rates but increased or added taxes on a host of items besides scrapping value added tax exemptions.
Still awaiting plenary approval in the House is the second package — the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill — which reduces the corporate income tax rate gradually to 20% from 30% currently and removes redundant fiscal incentives that have been costing the economy billions of pesos in foregone revenues yearly, among other measures.
The other proposed reforms include a general tax amnesty, further increases in tobacco and alcohol excise tax rates, a bigger government take in mining revenues, adoption of a uniform valuation scheme for real property taxes at the local level and streamlining of taxes on passive income, among other measures.
NEW MINING TAX ‘PUNISHING’
The House on Monday began committee-level discussions on the tax bills designed to give government a bigger share in revenues of miners, who opposed both measures.
The Ways and Means committee started deliberations on the Department of Finance (DoF)-backed House Bill No. 7994, which seeks to impose a uniform royalty equivalent to five percent of miners’ gross output on top of all other national and local taxes.
It also discussed House Bill 422, which seeks to impose a 10% tax on miners’ gross revenues, or a 55% levy on their adjusted net mining revenue — defined as gross revenue less production and other deductible costs, but not to exceed 10% of direct mining, milling and processing costs — whichever is higher, in lieu of all national and local taxes except for taxes on real property, value added, capital gains, stock transactions, documentary stamps, donors, and other fees.
“We will get ‘yung magagandang (the good) provisions; we will consolidate the two bills,” she said. “We want to finish the technical working group (meetings) this week so that makalabas na kami ng (we can come up with the) committee report. If there is a committee report this week then baka in two weeks time nasa (the measure will be with the) plenary na.”
The DoF expects HB 7994 to generate a P1.83-billion incremental revenue in the first year of implementation.
Ms. Suansing said both bills address Executive Order No. 79, signed by Benigno S.C. Aquino III in 2012, as the new revenue-sharing scheme will allow the Executive to lift the moratorium on new mining contracts.
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) opposed both bills during the hearing, saying taxes on the industry are already “very heavy,” as levies on minerals have just been increased by TRAIN, which took effect last January.
“We were hoping that the four percent was enough… It would be too much of a burden and would make our country’s tax structure uncompetitive. The total tax will be punishing,” said CoMP Executive Director Ronald S. Recidoro in an interview after the hearing.
He cited a 2012 International Monetary Fund study that the Philippines’ current mining tax is “already too high to attract quality investments that we need.”
Mr. Recidoro said that he would prefer a tax on net revenues, as the tax on gross would be “regressive” for miners given large up-front costs on heavy machinery, power and labor.
“The tax structure must be progressive. Base the tax not on gross, but on profit, such that when profits increase, tax rates go up. It’s more equitable,” he explained. “If profits go up then we’re okay with an increased tax rate, but there should be a commensurate deduction in tax rates when profits are low.”
But Ms. Suansing said: “they are earning in some months, some months they are losing. Ganun talaga ang negosyo (That’s business).”
Walter W. Brown, president and chief executive officer of listed Apex Mining Company, Inc., said in the same hearing that “[t]he imposition of the same tax regime for all types of mines should be amended.”
“Before we tax mines we should take a look at the cost structure… underground miners’ cost structure is much higher versus nickel miners. It should be subject to much more definitive study.”

Overseas Filipinos’ cash remittances (July 2018)

CASH remittances recovered in July, the central bank reported on Monday, as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) likely took advantage of a weakening peso. Read the full story.
Overseas Filipinos’ cash remittances (July 2018)

Cash sent home by OFWs recovers

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez
Senior Reporter
CASH remittances recovered in July, the central bank reported on Monday, as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) likely took advantage of a weakening peso.
Money sent home by migrant workers reached $2.401 billion that month, growing 5.2% from the $2.283 billion received in July 2017 and turning around from a 4.5% decline posted in June, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
In a statement, the central bank attributed the rebound to a 4.5% increase in amounts sent by land-based OFWs which hit $1.9 billion. OFWs working at sea also sent bigger amounts totalling $511 million, up by 7.8% year-on-year.
By source, remittances mostly came from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Around 10 million OFWs provide for their families living in the Philippines.
In turn, these cash transfers fuel household consumption that contributes nearly 70% to gross domestic product (GDP).
HSBC Global Research as well as the Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) had expected July remittances to have grown by 5.1%.
With July’s inflows, year-to-date cash wired home by OFWs through banks reached $16.58 billion, three percent more than the $16.095 billion sent in 2017’s comparable seven months.
Sought for comment, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. chief economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said remittance flows grew as more Filipinos took advantage of a weaker peso-dollar rate.
“I really think the depreciating peso is the major driver of July remittances’ recovery. Our overseas workers are really encouraged to send money back home right away if they think their families will get more,” Mr. Asuncion said in an e-mail.
The local unit traded weaker than P53 against the greenback that month to average P53.4329, compared to the P50.6382 rate in July 2017.
In turn, July’s recovery in cash inflows should spur household spending this quarter, offsetting any GDP damper from damage by super typhoon Mangkhut which destroyed 250,730 metric tons of paddy rice as of latest count. While farm output has historically contributed less than 10% to GDP, rice has been a key contributor to multi-year-high inflation that averaged 4.8% in the seven months to August against the BSP’s 2-4% target band for 2018.
“Q3 consumption will definitely be higher with this July recovery, and with higher domestic demand, this would mean better overall growth prospects,” Mr. Asuncion said.
Philippine GDP expanded by a disappointing six percent in the second quarter due to slower growth in consumer spending that was offset by a surge in state spending and investments.
The BSP expects a fresh peak for remittances for 2018, projecting a four percent increase from last year’s record $28.06 billion.
Overseas Filipinos’ cash remittances (July 2018)

BSP signals ‘strong monetary action’ on Sept. 27

THE CENTRAL BANK on Monday reiterated signals of “strong” monetary response to surging inflation when its Monetary Board meets next week, even as its chief said it was too early to tell how much damage from super typhoon Mangkhut, locally known as Ompong, would affect prices of goods.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. said its Monetary Board will not hold an off-cycle policy review ahead of its Sept. 27 rate-setting meeting.
“We will follow the regular cycle on the 27th with strong monetary action,” Mr. Espenilla said on the sidelines of a signing ceremony held at the BSP headquarters in Manila.
The policy-setting Monetary Board reviews benchmark interest rates every six weeks.
Mr. Espenilla had committed to “take strong immediate action” in response to the faster-than-expected 6.4% inflation rate recorded in August. That pulled the eight-month average increase in prices to 4.8%, well above the 2-4% target band for 2018.
Market analysts expect another rate hike from the BSP this month, with bets that policy makers will respond with another 50 basis points (bp) to douse inflation expectations and temper sharp peso-dollar swings.
Mr. Espenilla has said inflation has lately been driven largely by supply factors — citing scarcity of cheap rice and elevated world crude oil prices — hinting that fiscal measures have a key role to play in the state’s response.
The BSP chief said on Monday that it was “too early to tell” how much the damage the typhoon, which struck northern Luzon last Saturday, would translate to increased prices especially for crops like rice. “Historically, typhoons cause disruptions in supply but the impact tends to be localized and transitory. So I don’t think it will create a problem on inflation for a longer horizon,” he said. “But for the main inflation problem we’re dealing with right now, several measures have already been announced — non-monetary and monetary measures — so we continue along with those.”
The BSP has said it expects inflation to peak this quarter before easing closer to target towards yearend. The BSP has increased policy interest rates by a cumulative 100 basis points so far this year with this objective in mind.
Also on Monday, the BSP signed an agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry to use the latter’s one-stop Negosyo Centers to link micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to formal, cheap financing channels. “MSMEs are unable to reach their full potential because of difficulty of credit and financial access,” Mr. Espenilla said, noting that barely a tenth of bank loans are extended to small businesses. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

AC expects delivery platform to boost logistics business

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
AYALA CORP. (AC) aims to grow its newly formed Entrego delivery platform into one of the leading third-party logistics players in the future, as the conglomerate further ramps up its investments in the country’s booming logistics sector.
The listed conglomerate disclosed earlier this month that its wholly owned subsidiary AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. will be forming an investment holding company with German firm Brillant 1257 GmbH & Co. Vierte Verwaltungs Kg — an affiliate of online fashion platform Zalora — to manage its logistics units.
AC Chief Finance Officer Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco said the new holding firm will carry the operations of logistics firm Entrego, which currently handles the last mile deliveries for Zalora.
“It’s a spin-off out of Zalora. We took the whole last mile operations of Zalora, we spun it off to a separate joint venture with our partners in Zalora where Ayala will now own 60%,” Mr. Limcaoco told reporters on the sidelines of the Advancing Business Communities Summit of the Aboitiz Group in Taguig City yesterday.
AC Infra will hold a 60% interest in the new firm, with the remaining 40% to be held by Brillant.
“Hopefully it will be one of the leading 3PL (third-party logistics) in the future, that’s the ambition,” he added.
Aside from Zalora, Entrego also serves external clients with logistics needs. The group is looking at further increasing Entrego’s capacity in order to expand beyond last mile deliveries.
“Entrego looks not only at last mile, they’ll do contract logistics, they’ll do fulfillment, and everything else, the full logistics value chain,” Mr. Limcaoco said.
Mr. Limcaoco said Entrego can also complement the other business units of the Ayala group, which has core investments in real estate, telecommunications, banking, water, automotives, health and education.
He said the success of a logistics business, especially last mile, is about improving delivery density.
“The more you can deliver in a certain area, the better. Zalora already provides a lot of density, and if you can get other businesses to come in, you can get Globe and BPI in,” he said, referring to AC’s telco player Globe Telecom, Inc. and banking unit Bank of the Philippine Islands.
Asked why the Ayala group is bullish on the logistics space, Mr. Limcaoco said the business is important in driving growth to other parts of the country.
“We think it’s an industry that needs to be transformed, it’s an industry that the country needs and has a lot of potential and underserved issues . . . This industry is ripe for disruption, which I think other conglomerates also see the opportunity,” Mr. Limcaoco said.
Other conglomerates have also been rushing to stamp their presence in logistics, including Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which has recently acquired logistics firm Air21 and the Sy-led SM Group which acquired integrated transport solutions provider 2GO Group, Inc.
AC’s net income attributable to the parent rose by seven percent to P16.1 billion in the first six months of 2018, after revenues jumped by a fifth to P148.7 billion during the same period.
Shares in AC gained 0.84% or P7.50 to close at P905.50 each at the stock exchange on Monday.

First Gen says power users to save P10B with PNOC gas offer

LOPEZ-LED First Gen Corp. said its offer to buy the government’s banked gas at $3.48 per gigajoules could result in savings for electricity users of close to P0.60 per kilowatt-hour (kWh)or a total of around P10 billion for the period starting next month and early 2024, the year when the Malampaya gas-to-power contract ends.
Jerome H. Cainglet, First Gen vice-president and head of the gas business unit, said his “rough estimate” of savings is the difference between the price the company offered to buy the 97.67 petajoules banked gas owned by state-led Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), and the price contracted by the 1,200 megawatt (MW) Ilijan power plant.
“[A consumer using] 500-kWh per month would mean mga (around) P350 per month ang matitipid (will be saved),” he said.
He qualified that the figure represents only the electricity sold by the company. Distribution utilities source energy from different sources, including the power produced by gas-fired plants like those owned by First Gen.
“Sa mga regular, ’yung mga malilit na consumers na 200 kWh per month it would equate to around P140 per month na mababawas sa binabayad nila,” he said.
(For regular or small consumers using 200 kWh per month, it would equate to a reduction of around P140 per month from their bills.)
Mr. Cainglet made the computations during a hearing at the House of Representatives, which inquired into the Malampaya banked gas.
Lawmakers sought answers whether the banked gas will be impaired if it remains unsold once Service Contract 38 held by the consortium that runs the offshore Palawan gas-to-power project expires on Feb. 23, 2024.
Sought for comment, PNOC President and Chief Executive Officer Reuben S. Lista said should he accept the price offered by First Gen of $3.48 per gigajoules, questions might be raised later since the listed company previously offered to buy at $4.50 per gigajoules.
He said several companies are interested in the banked gas, including the Ilijan power plant, which has a contract with the consortium that ends in 2022.
“This is the reason why PNOC is not worried that the banked gas will be stranded,” he said.
Mr. Lista earlier announced that PNOC would be negotiating the sale of the banked gas at a price lower than what it was willing to sell before, after the company twice invited buyers this year but none came forward with an offer.
He said he would be seeking authorization from the PNOC board to allow the company’s management to enter into “comprehensive discussions” or “negotiations” at a price lower than the $6.616 per gigajoules under the Ilijan gas-fired power plant’s gas sale and purchase agreement, or GSPA.
Under a negotiated deal, the Ilijan price will become PNOC’s price ceiling, he said, but declining to give a floor price. It was the minimum price the company was willing to sell before.
Mr. Lista disclosed that First Gen had offered to buy the gas at $4.50 per gigajoules during a verbal discussion. But he said when PNOC made a formal invitation, the Lopez-led group offered $3.48 per gigajoules. A petajoule is equal to a million gigajoules.
The gas, which was paid by the government for its future use, is banked in the reservoir of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project offshore Palawan. A PNOC unit is part of the consortium that developed and operates the project.
The banked gas was bought by PNOC from the Department of Energy in 2009, including all the rights, benefits and entitlements of the total 108.6 petajoules valued at P14.4 billion.
The corporation since then has been trying to sell the gas but was only able to sell 4.61 petajoules to Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. in 2013 for P937 million. Another portion at 6.324 petajoules was sold to Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. in 2015 for P2.5 billion.
Five gas-fired power plants in Batangas province, with a combined capacity of 3,211 MW, are the main customers of the Malampaya gas find. The offshore Palawan project is expected to start be depleted starting in 2022 to 2024, but PNOC said the gas find could be stretched until 2027. — Victor V. Saulon

Cine Europa starts outside Manila for the first time in 21 years


CINE EUROPA — one of the longest running film festivals in the country — opens its 21st year on Sept. 28 in Cebu, making it the first time the European film festival is opened outside of Metro Manila.
The decision to start the festival outside of Manila was to give people in others cities and regions a chance to see European films, said Franz Jessen, ambassador and head of delegation of the EU to the Philippines, during a press conference on Sept. 13 at the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) offices in Manila.
The festival will open in Sept. 28 in Cebu before going to other cities such as Naga in Camarines Sur, Iloilo City in Iloilo, Tacloban in Leyte, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Baguio in Benguet before ending in Metro Manila in December.
Whether this will be how the film festival runs from now on is still up for discussion but Mr. Jessen said it was “a good idea to start the festival in other cities” because “there are a lot of other Philippine cities [Cine Europa hasn’t reached yet].”
This year, the festival includes 28 films from 15 EU member states and Norway and focuses on “celebrating the European Year of Cultural Heritage” with a selection of classic and contemporary European movies, many of which tackle the topic of Europe during and after the Second World War.
Included in this year’s hefty 28-film slate are Austria’s Mademoiselle Paradis (2017), directed by Barbara Albert, about a blind piano virtuoso who regains her sight at the cost of her talent, Clara Stern’s Mathias (2017) about a transgender dealing with transition, Siegfried A. Fruhauf’s Fuddy Duddy (2016) about an event much like the Big Bang which brings both order and chaos, and Jannis Lenz’ Wannabe (2017) about a young YouTuber who wants to become famous.
Belgium presents three films: Allez, Eddy! (2012), directed by Gert Embrechts, about a butcher’s son who joins a cycling race, Upstream (2016), by Marion Hansel, about two men who recently discovered they were half-brother and who decide to sail a river to a waterfall in Croatia; and Germaine (2011), by Frank Van Mechelen, about an 18-year-old whose life changes the moment workers at a local factory, including her father, decide to go on strike.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic presents Closely Watched Trains (1966) by Jiri Menzel, about an apprentice train watcher who gets seduced into join the Resistance forces during the Second World War. The film won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 1968 Academy Awards. For it’s contemporary offering, the Czech Republic presents To See the Sea (2014) by Jiri Madl, about a ten-year-old boy who receives a video camera for his birthday and uncovers a big family secret.
Denmark’s Zentropa (1991), by Lars Von Trier, focuses on a young German American who gets embroiled between the power elite and Nazi terrorists gone underground after Germany’s surrender, while The Day Will Come (2016), by Jesper W. Nielsen, is set in the 1960s and tells the story of two brothers who are placed in a boy’s home where, armed with their imagination and hope, they struggle through the headmaster’s tyranny.
A Taste of Ink (2016) by Morgan Simon is one of France’s entries to this year’s film festival. It is about a singer who falls for his father’s new girlfriend. France will also present Crazy Pierrot (1965) by Jean-Luc Godard, about Pierrot and a girl named Angela leading an unorthodox life on the run.
Germany’s only entry, Windstorm and the Wild Horses (2017) by Katja von Garnier, is about a horse whisperer who wants to revive a wild horse race tradition in order to save an oasis for wild horses.
Hungary enters the festival with The Exam (2011) by Peter Bergendy. Set during the country’s 1956 revolution, a national security officer is tasked to gather information and whose secrets can destroy both his career and that of his superiors.
Italy comes to Cine Europa with an Italian-Filipino collaboration called The Lease (2018), directed by Paolo Betrola. It is about a Philippine-Italian family who live in the Philippines and discover that their newly leased villa in Tagaytay is haunted.
Another Italian film, Notti di Cabiria (1957) by Federico Fellini, is about a woman who was robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend. Rescued, she decides to resume her life and find happiness but her struggles are not yet over.
From the Netherlands comes Winter in Wartime (2008) by Martin Koolhoven, about a teenager who is tasked to care for a British pilot, a dangerous and disillusioning task which brings him to the realization of good and evil being intertwined in the times of war.
Norway, the only non-EU member state to join Cine Europa this year, presents 1001 Grams (2014) by Bent Hamer, about a scientist who attends a seminar in Paris on the actual weight of a kilo and spirals into the measurement of how much a human life truly weighs.
Another Norwegian entry is Operation Arctic (2014) by Grethe Boe-Waal, about three sisters who end up on a deserted island where they have to survive against the weather and animals, and face the problem of how to return.
Poland will present Marie Curie and the Blue Light (2016) by Marie Noelle, about the Nobel Prize winner who, after winning the prestigious prize has to deal with the death of her husband and being a widow and take care of her two daughters while continuing the work she began with her husband.
Romania’s Selfie 69 (2016) by Cristina Jacob is about three friends going through breakups who bet among themselves about who gets married first. Slovakia gets political with The Candidate (2013) by Jonas Karasek, about the background of a political campaign of a successful presidential candidate which includes manipulating voters.
From Spain comes the classic Bienvenido, Mister Marshall (1953) by Luis Garcia Berlanga, about a little village getting economic aid from the US after World War II and how it welcomes the aid with much fanfare; and Hache (1997) by Adolfo Aristarain, about an Argentinian film director living in Madrid with his family, sharing his life with passionate people but one who does not allow himself the luxury of feeling.
Meanwhile, Sweden presents two films: A Holy Mess (2015) by Helena Bergstrom, a comedy about a modern Swedish family and their continual struggle to “do things right,” and Eternal Summer (2015) by Andreas Ohman, a road movie about a couple who travel through the breathtaking landscape of Northern Sweden.
Finally, United Kingdom presents two films: Amy (2015) by Asif Kapadia, a documentary on the life of singer Amy Winehouse chronicling her troubled relationships and life which ended at age 27 due to alcohol poisoning; and My Generation (2017) by David Batty, which sees British actor Michael Caine narrating his personal journey through 1960s London. The film was assembled by Mr. Caine over the last six years.
Cine Europa will kick off in Cebu with screenings at the Ayala Center Cebu and Alliance Francaise Cebu from Sept. 28 to 30 before moving on to Tacloban from Oct. 2 to 7, with screenings at the University of the Philippines-Visayas. The film festival will then go to Iloilo where the films will be shown from Oct. 9 to 14 at the FDCP Cinematheque in Iloilo and SM Iloilo, then go on to the Visayas State University in Leyte from Oct. 16 to 21, before moving on to Palawan from Oct. 23 to 28, with screenings at the Palawan State University and Robinsons Place Puerto Princesa.
In November, the festival will move to the Ateneo de Naga University and SM Naga where it will run from Nov. 6 to 11. From Nov. 20 to 25, Cine Europa goes to Manila, with screenings at the FDCP Cinematheque Manila before moving to Baguio on Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, with screenings in the FDCP Cinematheque Baguio and SM Baguio. Finally, the film festival will return to Metro Manila for its closing run from Dec. 7 to 16 at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City.
For more information on the screening schedules, visit www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/philippines or its Facebook page at EU Delegation to the Philippines. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Tigerair Taiwan aims to start flying to Cebu in Dec.

BUDGET carrier Tigerair Taiwan Co., Ltd. is set to launch its first route connecting Taipei to the Philippines on Dec. 1, the Taiwan-based airline said.
“We are happy to let everyone know in the Philippines that we will soon be serving flights from Cebu to Taipei. Tigerair Taiwan’s presence in Cebu shall give Filipinos more access to fun, affordable, and memorable flights to Taipei. We look forward to this development before the year ends,” Tigerair Taiwan Commercial Director and Spokesperson Bernard Hsu said in the statement on Friday.
The Cebu-Taipei route of Tigerair Taiwan will take off and land at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
It said the carrier will offer four flights weekly to the Philippines once it launches. Flights from Taipei will leave every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; while flights from Cebu will leave every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
“The addition of the new route to Cebu boosts Tigerair Taiwan’s network to 20 destinations, with 27 routes to and from the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Macau, and Thailand,” it added.
Tigerair Taiwan filed an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) in July to start operations in the Philippines. According to a regulatory filing, Tigerair Taiwan is seeking to be granted a foreign air carrier’s permit to launch international flights from the country.
In 2014, Cebu Pacific operator Cebu Air, Inc. bought the company’s local unit Tigerair Philippines. A year after, Cebu Pacific rebranded the airline to become Cebgo. — Denise A. Valdez

Ayala Land accelerates development of Alviera

PROPERTY giant Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) is ramping up the development of Alviera in Pampanga, as it plans to focus on the project’s residential and leisure components in the next five years.
John R. Estacio, general manager of Alviera, said 250 hectares of the 1,800-hectare master-planned estate will be “activated” by the end of the year.
“In the next five years, the focus would be on residential and then on leisure component. Because we have started already, we’re done so far with the industrial and then the commercial,” he said in a press briefing last week.
Mr. Estacio said this is in accordance with ALI’s plan to bring all incorporate residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and entertainment projects within Alviera.
ALI partnered with Leonio Land Holdings, Inc. for the Alviera project.
New residential offerings in the estate will be unveiled by the end of the year.
Ayala Land Premier, ALI’s luxury brand, will launch its first project, while Alveo Land will introduce its second residential development in Alviera.
“There’s now, certainly, breadth and depth within our product offerings, from the high-end to the upscale, to the affordable line,” Mr. Estacio said.
The two residential projects, Montala and Avida Settings, were launched in 2014 and 97% has already been sold out. Since then, the land value has appreciated by 25%.
“We started selling at about P11,000 per square meter (sq.m.). Now, we’re selling at about P14,000 to P15,000 per sq.m.,” Mr. Estacio said.
Meanwhile, Alviera will also be adding new attractions in its six-hectare adventure playground – Sandbox – to lure local and foreign tourists. Mr. Estacio said airsoft and paintball fields will open in the first quarter of 2019.
Alviera will also start operating a country club in early 2019. Its facilities will include swimming pools, sports facilities, specialty restaurants and spacious function rooms.
Mr. Estacio said that the country club is currently 80% completed, and will be fully operational by March.
A 50-room boutique hotel, offering suites and deluxe rooms, is also in the pipeline. The project is scheduled to break ground also in early 2019.
Mr. Estacio said the hotel is ALI’s response to the clamor of the tourists who are looking for a place to stay when they visit the region.
Two educational institutions, namely Miriam College and Holy Angel University, will also rise in the estate and are expected to be operational in 2021.
Both institutions will each have a 10-hectare campus. Miriam College will offer courses in the fields of arts, design, management and technology, while the Holy Angel University will offer courses in the fields of engineering, architecture, animation and hotel and restaurant management. — Mark Louis F. Ferrolino

Upgrade for Spotify’s free users

LISTENING to music is a personal experience. A workout playlist, shower song on repeat, go-to track list while in transit, and a mellow playlist for relaxation in the evening are selected depending on one’s music taste.
In April, Spotify launched globally the ad-supported All-New Free on Spotify for Android and iOS to offer users a more personalized listening experience through playlists.
According to Benjamin Chelliah, Spotify Head of Communications for Asia, Spotify has more than 180 million active monthly users globally (paying and non-paying) and that their team has observed a trend of classifying songs into playlists among users.
“A playlist is a representation of a moment in our life,” Mr. Chelliah told the press at a Spotify event on Aug. 29, adding that users personalize the songs they listen to depending on their activities and the time of day.
“What we’ve done is we’ve always noticed what people are listening to just based on what you do on the app. We will take notice and make sure that the experience is enhanced for you. It’s seeing that people are gravitating towards playlists and realizing that a playlist today is important because it’s a representation of a moment,” he told BusinessWorld.
New users will be able to choose at least five artists upon signing in to the app through the Taste Onboarding process which will help with presenting music recommendations. The user will then be presented with 15 “personalized and curated” On-Demand playlists which are updated regularly depending on the artists and music the user frequently listens to. On-Demand playlists are streamed through Discover Weekly and Daily Mixes. Songs in the playlists are played in any order and the user is allowed unlimited skips.
Additional features such as the assisted playlisting allows the user to type song titles or song phrases then the app would begin recommending songs based on the users taste profile. Tapping the heart-shaped “like” button on songs or albums will automatically include them in the users “Your Favorites” playlist; while tapping the “hide” button will delete the song from the track selection. Spotify has also created Data Saver, a feature found on the app settings that allows the use of less mobile data.
Mr. Chelliah said that old free users need not undergo the Taste Onboarding step — instead their Spotify app will be updated and will be equipped with the All-New Free feature for the same experience.
“We take into consideration all the data (user’s activity) we’ve gotten, and we will give you the same experience of a personalized playlist,” he told BusinessWorld. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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