Restaurant Row (01/10/19)

January 10, 2019 | 12:01 am

Diamond Hotel’s January offers

AT THE Diamond Hotel, try Yurakuen’s Power Lunch or Dinner for P1,500 nett per person.

THE Diamond Hotel Philippines welcomes 2019 with new offers exclusive for the month of January. Spend some quality time with the family over a smorgasbord at the Corniche buffet restaurant and try its newest buffet theme night featuring the Flavors of China at P2,880 nett per person. Try Yurakuen’s Power Lunch or Dinner for P1,500 nett per person. Enjoy Filipino delicacies and snacks at the Lobby Lounge with its Merienda Buffet at P588 nett per person. Stop by the hotel’s sky-high bar, Bar27, and catch the beautiful Manila bay sunset. Get an inspiration to have a fresh start while sipping a refreshing Manila Sunset cocktail. Buy any signature cocktail and get the second glass at 50% off. Exclusive at onlineshopping.diamondhotel.com, one may purchase a P2,000 dining voucher for P1,000 until Jan. 18. The voucher can be used for any food and beverage at Corniche, Lobby Lounge or Bar27. For queries and reservations, call Diamond Hotel at 528-3000 ext. 1121. The hotel is located at Roxas Blvd. corner Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila.

Viva Mexicana at Vu’s Sky Bar

GET a platter of tacos and burritos along with some San Miguel Beer for P999 at Vu’s Sky Bar’s Mexican promotion.

SAMPLE Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge’s take on Mexican cuisine until Jan. 26. The Marco Polo Ortigas bar takes guests on a tasty trip with some well-deserved cerveza (in this case, San Miguel Beer) and a platter of gourmet tacos and burritos for P999. Viva Mexicana is on offer at Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge Wednesdays to Saturdays, 5 to 8 p.m., until Jan. 26. The sky bar opens daily from 5 p.m. to midnight Sundays to Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For details call 720-7720 or e-mail restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.

New Starbucks Reserve store

STARBUCKS shows its passion for coffee and craftsmanship as it opens its newest Starbucks Reserve store with a display of works by multi-talented Filipino artist Patrick Cabral. Mr. Cabral constantly reinvents himself and is curious about art in all its forms while staying true to his distinct maximalist style. One of his most recent ventures which gained him international acclaim was his Endangered Species collection, a series of multi-layered paper sculptures of 11 of the world’s threatened species. Mr. Cabral was chosen as one of the ambassadors for Starbucks’ “New Strong” campaign which “celebrated modern-day strengths while empowering individuals to break away from the mold and find their own definition of ‘strong’,” a press release says. He created a paper cut typography piece for the campaign. Starbucks partnered with him again for its newest Starbucks Reserve store at SM North Towers in Quezon City. The walls of this new Reserve store display intricate paper cuts of the animals symbolic to the coffee-growing regions — the Sumatran Tiger for Asia Pacific, the Kenyan Elephant for Africa, and the Guatemalan Quetzal Bird for Latin America — made through Mr. Cabral’s precise and perfect strokes. The Reserve uses a Black Eagle espresso machine, and offers recently launched Reserve ice cream and espresso beverages.

Fintech revolution still not here a year into ‘open banking’

January 10, 2019 | 12:01 am

WHEN EUROPEAN lawmakers ushered in the era of “open banking” for consumers one year ago, both lenders and financial technology startups expected a sea change. For the first time, banks would be required to share account data with competitors as long as customers gave their permission.
Politicians in the UK, where four banks control 75% of deposits, were particularly keen on the law’s goal of encouraging new entrants.
But since the European Union implemented the rules, dubbed Payment Services Directive 2, Jan. 13 last year, banking in the UK looks pretty much the same. HSBC Holdings Plc, Barclays Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Lloyds Banking Group Plc show few signs of losing significant market share on current accounts, business loans, and mortgages to the upstarts. Only four new banking licenses were issued in 2018, compared with 12 in 2017, according to the Financial Conduct Authority.
“The UK still hasn’t seen the hockey stick of growth in disruptive new players everybody was predicting,” said Anne Boden, the founder and chief executive officer of Starling Bank Ltd., a London-based digital bank with 400,000 account holders. “Everybody was expecting PSD2 to happen and all these companies would be fighting with each other to provide services to customers.”
Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc., as well as the longstanding lenders, continue to control the payment infrastructure. Indeed, these institutions are starting to go on the offensive by snapping up fintech firms. On Dec. 27, Visa’s international subsidiary agreed to buy London-based cross-border payments firm Earthport Plc for 198 million pounds ($252 million).
Even so, research released today shows that bankers at Barclays, RBS, and other lenders are anxious that in time the new payments law will shake up the industry. In a survey of 50 executives in Britain, a majority said the legislation will spur technology giants such as Amazon.com Inc. and Google to unveil their own retail banking services within the next five years.
More than 82% of those polled say their organizations are falling behind mobile banking players such as Monzo Bank Ltd., Starling Bank, and Revolut Ltd. The research was commissioned by Pepper, a mobile bank owned by Tel-Aviv-based Bank Leumi Le-Israel Ltd.
In September, European regulators are scheduled to complete new technical standards that will set out precisely how banks must link their technology platforms to outsiders. The hope is this process will truly cement open banking into place, said Starling’s Boden.
“What big banks have been asked to do is very difficult — they don’t necessarily have a commercial reason to do this, they’re being forced to by a regulatory big stick,” said Boden. “But I do believe PSD2 and open banking will revolutionize the relationship between consumers and lenders. It just won’t happen quickly.” — Bloomberg

GDP growth projections for select East Asia and Pacific economies

January 10, 2019 | 12:00 am

How PSEi member stocks performed — January 9, 2019

January 10, 2019 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, January 9, 2019.

Philippine Stock Exchange’s most active stocks by value turnover — January 9, 2019.

Mining firms ‘guarded’ about 2019 amid trade war fears

January 9, 2019 | 9:16 pm

MINING COMPANIES expressed “guarded optimism” about their prospects in 2019 as global metal prices stabilize due to balanced supply and demand, though the equilibrium could be disrupted by a worsening of the trade war between the United States and China, proposed tax laws for the Philippine mining industry, as well as ban on open pit mining.
“CoMP (Chamber of Mines of the Philippines) views 2019 with guarded optimism. Global metal prices are expected to be generally stable, reflecting the assumption of balanced supply and demand conditions. However, China remains the major force behind the metals and mining industry worldwide. Any fluctuations will likely be related to developments in this market and its ongoing trade war with the US,” Rocky G. Dimaculangan, VicePresident for Communications of CoMP, told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Wednesday.
“The bigger cause for concern for the Philippine mining industry is the ongoing moratorium on mining permits under Executive Order (EO) 79 and the ban on open pit mining under DENR Administrative Order 2018-19. EO 79 states that the moratorium will not be lifted until a new mining tax regime is legislated, but despite the doubling of mining excise tax from 2% to 4% of gross output, the moratorium remains in place,” Mr. Dimaculangan told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Wednesday.
Mr. Dimaculangan said that CoMP believes that a profit-based royalty and windfall profits tax structure wherein rates are tied to operating margins, a bill outlining which has passed in the House of Representatives, is the most equitable way to increasing mining taxes.
Mr. Dimaculangan said that CoMP hopes a similar bill will be passed in the Senate to encourage quality investment, as well as help existing mining companies.
“The Chamber hopes this same structure will be approved by the Senate to help sustain existing mining operations, encourage quality investments in the hugely untapped Philippine minerals sector, and finally lift the moratorium on mining permits,” Mr. Dimaculangan said.
Last month, in a year-end news conference, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that it has a positive outlook for the mining industry in 2019 under the new fiscal regime which is to be implemented in the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) 2 bill.
“We see a positive outlook for the mining industry. What the MICC (Mining Industry Coordinating Council) is saying was the new fiscal regime will happen once the second package of the TRAIN Law is passed and that will really provide a more advantageous package for the government,” DENR Undersecretary Analiza A. Rebuelta-Teh said last Dec. 20.
“In that case, although there is the current version of the pending bill where there will be a decrease in the royalty tax for the mineral reservations, it can be offset in other forms in the new fiscal regime,” Ms. Teh added.
Mr. Dimaculangan, however, noted that with the order issued by DENR to close and suspend 26 mining companies “has caused a significant loss of potential export receipts, tax revenues, and social progress unless the open pit issue is resolved.” The order was made by former DENR Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez, and was continued by current Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.
Mr. Dimaculangan said that the Tampakan Copper Project, the King-King Gold-Copper Project, and the Silangan Gold Copper Project are on hold due to the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2018-19 signed on Aug. 17, 2018.
The DAO sets a maximum area of extraction of ore at any given time depending on the scale of mining, which are: 50 hectares for one million metric tons (MT) or less; 60 hectares for more than one million MT but less than three million; 70 hectares for three million MT but less than five million; 80 hectares for five million MT but less than seven million; 90 hectares for seven million MT but less than nine million; and 100 hectares for nine million and up.
Mr. Dimaculangan said that a total of P303 billion worth of national government revenue and P47.6 billion next export commitment are the potential losses due to the suspension of these open pit mining projects.
Mr. Dimaculangan said that open pit mining is “an internationally accepted, environmentally safe method of extracting minerals.” — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Boracay reopening to lift 2019 outlook for tourism

January 9, 2019 | 9:14 pm

THE OUTLOOK for tourist arrivals in 2019 is more positive now that the industry has put the Boracay closure behind it and as airlines add connections to the Philippines, industry officials said.
“2019 looks brighter… now that we’ve opened Boracay, and [airlines] adding frequencies in the Philippines, that’s really an avenue for growth as far as tourism arrivals are concerned,” Jose Ma. Renard Gregory B. Tuaño, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) told reporters in a briefing on the Travel Trade Expo yesterday.
The expo which will be held from Feb. 8-10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, will have 372 exhibitors from airlines, cruise lines and travel operators and agencies. The association is expecting to exceed its 2018 foot traffic level of 135,000.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), announced on Jan. 8 that it will be flying to Phnom Penh, Hanoi and New Delhi early this year.
In December, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced that 2018 international tourism arrivals totaled 7.2 million, short of the 7.4 million target.
One the country’s top beach destinations, Boracay Island, was ordered closed for six months to allow for a cleanup and a review of environmental compliance among the establishments there.
The closure ended on Oct. 26. In 2017, Boracay attracted 2.2 million visitors.
Discovery Shores Boracay manager Erwin Lopez said losses incurred during the closure could take about a year to recoup.
“I’m really not seeing a strong comeback, I think it will take about — the quickest — 12 months for us to be able to [recover] because the wholesalers and people who travel from China and South Korea, their first quarter is already planned out so it will take a while. Hopefully the local market will take up the slack,” Mr. Lopez told reporters in December.
Mr. Tuaño said the recovery period could be shorter, driven in part by pent-up demand from domestic travelers.
“There’s more opportunity for them to actually recover. I’m positive that their forecast of them recovering within a year will be met or even shortened now that Boracay is once again talk of the town,” he said before adding that the island will benefit from the strong local tourism market.
Mr. Tuaño said one of the biggest hurdles of the industry are visa requirements for certain nationalities.
“Visas are always the first hurdle for foreigners to come to the Philippines. We are not yet fully enjoying the potential because they are required visas,” Ryan Uy, vice-president for sales at PAL said at the PTAA briefing.
Mr. Tuaño said the PTAA asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to consider waiving visa requirements for countries like China and India.
“We have to look at, as a matter of priority, where the numbers are — China was specifically mentioned because of the volume of potential tourists,” he said.
Thailand granted visa-on-arrival fee exemptions to Chinese nationals in Nov. 15 and Xinhua reported in January that Thailand saw a 173% increase for foreign tourists asking for visa-on-arrival in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport 45 days after implementation and as much as 246% in Chiang Mai airport.
“I wouldn’t say a good response, but we’re still working on it… it’s easier said than done… it takes a lot of dialog between two countries,” Mr. Tuaño said of the government’s response to the industry’s position.
“We’re always optimistic. We don’t know when it will happen. We hope it’s soon but we will continue to lobby and push for it,” he added. — Zsarlene B. Chua

Food Terminal to be revived in Taguig, other sites

January 9, 2019 | 9:14 pm

THE Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), a Marcos-era project, is expected to be revived by the Department of Agriculture (DA) this year at a 36-hectare site in Taguig City.
“The Marcos-era program of a food supply consolidation center will be revived this year with the reopening of the Food Terminal Inc, in Taguig, Metro Manila,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The FTI, which is now under DA, still has a 25-hectare area in Taguig to be used as the site of the new food terminal and another 11 hectares occupied by informal settlers,” Mr. Piñol added.
Mr. Piñol said that the new FTI, once completed, will have receiving and processing facilities for farm and fisheries produce to be sold to consumers and vendors associations in Metro Manila.
“Using modern communication technology, the new FTI will give out daily advisories on the buying prices of products such as chicken and hogs. It will be equipped with processing and cold storage facilities,” Mr. Piñol said.
He added that the FTI will also have logistics equipment to transport the goods from the regional food terminals to the markets. A total of six food terminals will be constructed nationwide during the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Mr. Piñol said, citing FTI Chairman Raymundo B. Ferrer.
“These food terminals will serve as the consolidated areas for agricultural and fisheries products,” Mr. Piñol said.
The old FTI site was bought by Ayala Land Inc (ALI) in 2012 for P24.3 billion, with proceeds from the redeveloped site’s retail, dining and entertainment establishments to help fund programs of the DA and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The ALI development is known as Arca South. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

CTA upholds P26.07-M VAT refund for P&G

January 9, 2019 | 9:14 pm

THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) affirmed a P26.07-million partial tax refund it awarded to Procter and Gamble Asia, Pte. Ltd. (P&G) for its unutilized excess input value-added tax (VAT) attributable to zero-rated sales for the second half of 2005.
In a Jan. 3 resolution, the CTA special second division denied the motion for partial reconsideration of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for lack of merit.
In its motion, BIR claimed that the documentary exhibits, invoices official receipts, credit notes, certifications of inward remittances, Business Service Agreements and other documents it presented for a tax refund are “hearsay evidence,” claiming the witnesses who identified the documentary evidence “allegedly had no personal knowledge and participation in the participation and execution of the same.”
However, the court said the BIR only raised the argument in its supplemental memorandum whereas it should have objected to the documentary evidence of P&G within 15 days upon receipt of formal evidence as stated in the Rules of Court. “However, despite notice, respondent filed no comment or opposition to petitioner’s formal offer of evidence.”
Assuming that the BIR registered its opposition in a timely manner, the CTA noted that the witnesses of the petitioners “were able to sufficiently identify the documents alleged by respondent to be hearsay evidence.”
“Hence, the Court finds no cogent reason to modify or reverse the assailed Amended Decision,” the court said.
The BIR also claimed P&G’s invoices and official receipts failed to comply with the mandatory invoicing requirements under the Tax Code as they did not indicate in full the required information and therefore lacked “probative value and must be treated as immaterial and irrelevant.”
“At the outset, the Court notes that respondent’s motion shows that it merely repeats the arguments found in his supplemental memorandum. Moreover, he did not specifically indicate the invoices and official receipts which allegedly failed to comply with the mandatory invoicing requirements,” the court said.
P&G initially claimed unutilized input VAT due to zero-rated sales amounting to P53.62-million for the periods July to October 2005 and October to December 2005.
However, the CTA special second division in an amended decision on Sept. 6 partially granted the refund claim as P&G only substantiated its entitlement of refund claim in the amount of P26.07-million.
According to the Tax Code, claimants for zero-rated sales must be VAT-registered, the input taxes were not applied to any output VAT liability, and the claims were filed within the prescribed period of two years after the close of the quarter.
Sales of services that are zero-rated according to the Tax Code should be other than processing, manufacturing or repackaging of goods, must be paid for in an acceptable foreign currency and delivered to businesses outside the Philippines. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Rice tariffication improving PHL’s WTO standing

January 9, 2019 | 9:13 pm

THE Philippines’ decision not to extend quantitative restrictions on rice has improved its position with potential trading partners, its World Trade Organization (WTO) representative said.
“Our view is that the perception of the Philippines as a trading partner has improved after the current administration’s declared policy of ending its quantitative restriction on the importation of rice and our making progress towards tariffication,” Representative to the Philippine Mission to the WTO Ambassador Manuel A. J. Teehankee said in an e-mail interview.
The Philippines has been receiving queries from WTO-members about its obligation to move away from a QR regime, which were brought up frequently during the country’s trade policy review last year.
The QR is a non-tariff measure imposed by a member of the WTO to limit the volume of a particular commodity entering its borders.
Annex 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture which was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade allowed members to apply for special treatment in certain products by complying with certain provisions under the deal.
Rice is the only commodity in the Philippines that enjoys special treatment, granted to the country upon acceding to the WTO in 1995.
With the QR, the Philippines sought more time to achieve self-sufficiency in the staple grain, to counter the impact of the expected influx of cheap rice imports.
The waiver’s validity ended a decade later but was further extend by seven years after the Philippines lobbied for an extension which was granted in 2007.
This continued until its 2012 expiry after which the country negotiated for another extension, again to buy more time to prepare farmers for liberalized trade. The second request for an extension was granted in 2014 and ended June 30, 2017.
However, the country failed to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, and replace the quantitative restriction on rice imports, in time for the waiver’s expiry.
The waiver was nevertheless extended up until the country passed the law.
In November, Senate Bill No. 1998, Act Replacing the Quantitative Import Restrictions on Rice with Tariffs, Lifting the Quantitative Export Restrictions, made it past the chamber’s plenary.
Under the measure, the country will apply a 35% tariff for rice shipments from ASEAN member states, in recognition of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement. For non-ASEAN member states, a 50% tariff equivalent will be applied.
Rice tariffication has raised concerns that rice farmers may lose their livelihoods because of their inability to compete with cheaper imported rice.
Mr. Teehankee said that “the interests of our rice producing farmers and sectors are safeguarded while assisting them in becoming competitive and also be able to avail of the benefits of higher value-added rice production that can be exported.”
The Senate bill as approved proposes the creation of a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund which will be funded from tariffs.
It will receive a minimum P10 billion every year for six years, after which period all duties collected from the importation of rice are expected to have replaced the allocated funds.
The fund will provide assistance to rice farmers, helping them develop inbred rice seeds, farming equipment and upgrade their rice-growing skills. — Janina C. Lim

Government studying 2020-2022 salary hikes for civil servants

January 9, 2019 | 9:12 pm

THE GOVERNMENT has formed a task force to study the extent of future salary adjustments for civil servants, calling the pay hikes certain though the degree of the adjustment is yet to be determined.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the government’s civilian workers will receive salary increases from 2020 to 2022, continuing annual increases that began in 2016.
“I have already organized a task force to study. We hired a third party to study the wage structure right now at this time for the 2020 to 2022 salary adjustment,” Mr. Diokno said.
“There will be, it’s not just a possibility. But by how much is not yet certain,” he added.
“2019 is already covered so what we’re doing right now is to determine the salary structure of the private sector, and we will compare our salary structure. And that study is ongoing right now,” he added.
The fourth tranche of the salary standardization law is programmed for this year, pending the passage of the 2019 General Appropriations Act. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

DTI hoping to ramp up halal certifications for SEA Games

January 9, 2019 | 9:11 pm

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing to boost halal certification in the restaurant industry ahead of the 30^th Southeast Asian Games late this year.
“We are expecting more than 48,000 athlete-visitors. Some 50% will be from our Muslim neighbors in Southeast Asia… We need to be proactive in serving their dining needs,” DTI Undersecretary for Special Concerns Abdulgani M. Macatoman told reporters on the sidelines of the Muslims Entrepreneurs Forum held in San Juan City on Wednesday.
Mr. Macatoman said the lack of halal-certified restaurants is a common complaint from Muslim tourists.
He said the Philippines lags Asian neighbors like Thailand, Singapore and South Korea in positioning itself as a Muslim-friendly country.
Mr. Macatoman said the lack of expertise in Halal-approved butchering and food preparation is the central problem that keeps Muslim Filipinos from expanding the industry.
“The Philippines has a Muslim population of about 10 million.
The government is also hoping to capture a piece of the $3.2 trillion global halal market.
The government has also been launching a series of workshops to help educate and promote opportunities in the halal industry across the globe while clinching deals with Muslim states that will help local businesses penetrate foreign markets.
Republic Act 10817 or the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016 tasks the DTI with strengthening the country’s ability to service global demand for quality halal products and services. — Janina C. Lim

Crop insurance payments worth P160M due next week for victims of Usman

January 9, 2019 | 9:10 pm

A TOTAL of P160 million worth of insurance payments will be released next week by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to farmers affected by tropical depression Usman, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said on Wednesday.
“PCIC President Jovy C. Bernabe reported that checks covering insurance payments worth P160-M are now being prepared for release next week,” Mr. Piñol said in a Facebook post.
“Bernabe said around 14,200 farmers in Bicol region would get a total of P116 million while 4,300 farmers in the provinces of Northern and Eastern Samar would be paid P32.5 million. Farmers numbering around 1,503 in Quezon and Oriental Mindoro will receive P11.9 million,” Mr. Piñol added.
The Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) is now also preparing the listing and validation of farmers and fishermen who will be lent up to P25,000 for no collateral at zero interest on a per-family basis, under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loaning Program of DA, according to Mr. Piñol.
The DA’s Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) program meanwhile is also available at no collateral, and 6% annual interest, for farmers and fishermen.
“Last week, I promised President Duterte that the release of the support and interventions will be done quickly so farmers can still catch up with the planting season in the first quarter of 2019,” Mr. Piñol said.
The DA earlier reported that agricultural damage caused by Usman amounted to P1.18 billion with an estimated volume loss of 25,240 metric tons (MT). The affected area was 62,231 hectares and involved 56,108 farmers and fisherfolk. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio