Home Blog Page 11542

An acquired taste

By Alexander O. Cuaycong
and Anthony L. Cuaycong

TEAM ICO’S Shadow of the Colossus on the PlayStation 2 was nothing short of a grand spectacle. Originally released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus, the game was praised as being innovative, immersive, and exciting. Garnering critical acclaim and quickly becoming a fan favorite, it remains among the most beloved titles from the 128-bit era. Little wonder, then, that high-definition remakes were released in 2011 (as a bundle with spiritual successor Ico for the PS3) and earlier this month for the PS4.

Shadow of the Colossus has a simple premise. It has players guiding Wander, a brave and stalwart adventurer, on a journey to defeat colossi, towering giants impervious to most forms of damage. The only way for Wander to vanquish them is to hit them at their weak spots, first disabling them with arrows or sword strikes, and then climbing up their bodies to find key points on which to deal fatal blows. Once a colossus is brought down, Wander must then look for another. And so on.

Admittedly, there’s a plainness to the gameplay of Shadow of the Colossus that can’t be understated. The game revolves entirely around the idea of killing colossi and little else. There are no towns to visit, no traders to barter with, no dungeons to explore on the side. This is its entirety, and it hardly strays from what it has players set out to do.

On the other hand, there’s a striking appeal as to the way Shadow of the Colossus manages to execute its ideas flawlessly. Wander is easy to control, and is both athletic and responsive, able to latch on to walls and surfaces with surprising temerity, and even roll out of danger if needed. Colossi combat revolves around patience, with players needing to choose their spots and know when and where to strike. Normal attacks don’t hurt a colossus, and even when striking at weak spots in various parts of its anatomy, they must balance charging their strikes and holding on for when the colossus starts to groan and rumble in an effort to shake them off. (And if they’re up for a challenge, there’s a Time Attack mode that allows them to battle colossi under a time limit, with rewards in the form of items being given out once a certain number of colossi have been defeated.)

Parenthetically, Shadow of the Colossus offers a unique atmosphere. The story is told in vague and cryptic cutscenes, and the journey to each colossus changes by way of atmosphere and soundtrack. It allows players to bask in the loneliness of Wander’s journey, as well as marvel at the giant beasts he calls foes. These colossi aren’t just tall; they’re gigantic and dwarf him several times over. Gazing up in awe at what he has to slay is both humbling and empowering, especially as he begins to ascend the beast to seek its vulnerable spots.

To be sure, Shadow of the Colossus isn’t for everyone. For one thing, it’s a bit lacking in terms of content and variety. While the world is fairly open, the path to each colossus and how to beat it is rather linear. And while it’s easy to soak in the atmosphere and its almost oppressive nature, it also gives players an incentive to just meander about and enjoy how good everything looks, adding to the intrinsically slow pace. It’s a story-driven game that feels distant and cryptic, a linear experience with empty but open areas to explore, featuring boss hunts that, while exhilarating, can drag longer than necessary.

Certainly, Shadow of the Colossus deserves major props for being great at what it does and what it sets out to do. It’s beautiful and plays well. The remastered graphics on the PS4 are gorgeous and stunning, and it runs very smoothy and with no stutters, even when players customize the game with various filters to modify how it looks and feels. Nonetheless, it’s an acquired taste, offering players a strange, linear experience of adventure and excitement.

Taken as a whole, Shadow of the Colossus doesn’t hold back on its vision. It’s eminently enjoyable, but players should be aware of what they’re getting into lest they be fooled by its pretty appearance and large scope. And once it is accepted for what it is and isn’t, it proves its worth as a venerable title that, with help from technology, figures to stand the test of time.

Dies in darkness

By Noel Vera

Movie Review
The Post
Directed by Steven Spielberg

STEVEN SPIELBERG’s latest film may be — thanks to the timing and historical context in which it appears — the most important of his career.

If only the film were better. Spielberg seems to struggle nowadays even in genres he’s familiar with (The BFG, War Horse). Where he once weaved enchantment with the greatest of ease, now he seems to strain mightily, calling forth all the lighting magic, digital effects, and John Williams music at his command.

The movie begins with military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) hearing the truth about the Vietnam War from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) right before the Secretary turns around to lie about said war to the general public; the movie ends with a security guard reporting a break-in at the Watergate Hotel. Understand the thought behind this kind of handholding — Spielberg assumes much of America has forgotten the circumstances that drove Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers, and the ultimate consequence of his indiscretion — but Spielberg’s connect-the-dots style of chronicling leaves one feeling patronized: no sir, we are not kids; no sir, this is not E.T. or Raiders of the Lost Ark. We’d like to be addressed as reasonably intelligent adults, with some grasp of recent history.

We’d also like a little less of that important-movie feel: the bluish lighting inside famous buildings (the Supreme Court, the Capitol), the slavish recreation of the Post newsroom — infinitely less persuasive than Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 film set, partly because the Watergate scandal had ended only two years before, partly because Pakula didn’t think to have John Williams slather momentous music over everything like so much pancake syrup.

Yes, All the President’s Men had music composed by David Shire, who at first questioned the need for any — but Pakula insisted and Shire submitted an understated score. You have to listen for it but it’s there, and when played (Spielberg’s sense of when to apply and not apply music is easily his greatest weaknesses) it’s powerful.

Pretty much sums up the difference between the two films: President’s Men tends towards persuasive understatement where The Post tends towards bugle-blat. It’s not bad bugling — Spielberg rarely turns out a poorly shot and edited film (though Hook may be a notable exception) — but you may want to slap palms to ears to protect them.

Unfortunately President’s Men was made some 40 plus years ago and audiences nowadays hardly bother to see old films; unfortunately, audiences nowadays can’t possibly remember when the press ever functioned as an important check against the powers that be, and we need that reminder in this age of “fake news” (the press needs reminding too, but that’s a whole other issue for a whole other movie). Spielberg, for all his obviousness and sentimentality, may be right after all with his choice of material, even method of attack — this is a new generation that needs to see what dedication to truth looks like, or at least a reasonable facsimile of the same; they probably even need the few pages of Cliff Notes appended to either end of the picture.

If anyone incarnates Spielberg’s ideas about cinematic comfort food it’s Tom Hanks — he’s not only played lead in several of the director’s recent features, he epitomizes the kind of hero Spielberg seems to admire: the decent hardworking professional, good at his job and good in his intentions (in this movie Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee). He’s charming, he’s popular, and, boy, do I want to walk past the ticket counter into the nearest bar every time I see his name on a movie poster: there’s no danger in his performance anymore (I keep thinking of the self-regarding asshole he once essayed in Punchline), no real personal investment. Or (here’s a worse thought) there is personal investment and it happens to be 100% goodness and light — in effect, what you see is what you get and what you get is soporifically deadly.

The real surprise — and real reason to see the movie, besides reminding yourself of priorities in life — is Meryl Streep’s Katharine Graham. Listened to Graham in a few interviews and Streep captures that cultured pearl dropping delivery of hers — but that’s not important; what’s important is that Streep manages to create a character that grows from rich matron in over her head to steely owner of the Post which, with this breaking story, is finally a national as opposed to local paper (Okay, the New York Times broke the story first and played a larger role — but we’re talking character arc not historical record). Not the biggest fan in the world of Streep — I think she’s livelier and more effective in comedies — but here as a character actor I submit she’s the real thing.

MTRCB Rating: PG

Star Wars Mark Hamill to present award at Oscars

LOS ANGELES — Mark Hamill — Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars saga — will present an Oscar at the upcoming Academy Awards before getting his Walk of Fame star.

Hamill will attend the Oscars, March 4, four days before he is honored personally with his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

The actor, now 66, joked on Twitter: “Note to self: 1) Talk fast enough so the orchestra doesn’t try to play me off. 2) No ‘R2-Me Too’ jokes. 3) After opening the envelope, don’t say ‘La La Land.’”

The last quip references last year’s unprecedented Best Picture mix up, when that movie was read out instead of the real winner Moonlight.

Other presenters on the big day at the Dolby theater include Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Eva Marie Saint, Wes Studi, Kelly Marie Tran and Zendaya.

As for that star of Hamill’s: “Star Wars fans from around the world and a galaxy far, far away will be excited to hear that legendary actor Mark Hamill will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“We are proud to add this extraordinary talent to the historic Hollywood monument,” said Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies.

Hamill will receive star number 2,630. — AFP

Uber settles P41-M tax deficiency

UBER SYSTEMS, Inc. (Uber Philippines) has paid P41.15 million to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), settling its value added tax (VAT) deficiency for the second half of 2017 and avoiding possible suspension or closure of its operations.

“The payment, and the imminent closure under the Oplan Kandado Program of the BIR that was avoided, was the culmination of the audit of Uber’s VAT compliance for the period July 1 to Dec. 31, 2016,” the tax collection agency said in a statement.

The audit was conducted by Revenue District Office (RDO) No. 47 of Makati City.

Based on the records of the investigation, the BIR said Uber is registered as a transportation network company with the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) with a pool of Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) operators and drivers.

“As such TNC, all of Uber’s earnings are derived from the transportation services made by its TNVS operators and drivers within the Philippines. Hence, its gross receipts from such sale of services is subject to the 12% VAT and not to the 3% common carrier’s tax,” the BIR said.

While Uber filed VAT returns, the BIR said the company declared sale of services in the Philippines, which stood at P413.85 million, as “zero-rated sales.”

The agency noted that Uber’s decision to declare sale of services as zero-rated and its failure to pay VAT on this “is a clear violation of the Tax Code which is one of the grounds for its suspension or temporary closure.”

Under Section 115 of the Tax Code, the BIR   can suspend or close the business operations of a taxpayer for a period of not less than five days for failure to: (1) register; (2) issue VAT official receipts or sales invoices; (3) file correct VAT returns; or (4) pay the correct VAT.

In August 2017, the LTFRB slapped Uber with a one-month suspension for disregarding an order to stop accepting new driver applications. Uber later paid a P190-million fine to be have its suspension lifted.

Dannon defector to Chobani ignites yogurt trade secrets battle

THE WAR between established yogurt makers and upstarts intensified when Dannon Co. sued a former senior vice-president for allegedly taking confidential information and trade secrets to his new job at Chobani LLC.

Federico Muyshondt is accused of stealing details of Dannon’s business strategies, plans for future products and customer lists before resigning in January to take a position with Chobani, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in White Plains, New York.

The suit illustrates how competitive the yogurt business has become and highlights the proliferation in the corporate world of non-compete clauses in workers’ contracts that restrain them from going to work for rival employers. Just last week, International Business Machines Corp. called foul on Microsoft Corp.’s hiring of its former chief diversity officer in a case that elevated the recruiting and promotion of a diverse work force to the level of protecting proprietary technology.

Muyshondt started working in 2010 for Dannon, a unit of Paris-based Danone SA, as a manager in the sales department and was promoted last year to senior vice-president in charge of sales for the eastern US and Kroger supermarkets, according to the suit. Dannon says he began forwarding documents to his personal e-mail account starting in August 2017 and downloaded thousands of files containing trade secrets and confidential information, including details on the salaries of sales employees and their non-competition agreements.

“The only logical explanation for why Muyshondt would have obtained the latter information is that he wanted to assist his new employer in luring away Dannon’s other valued members of its sales teams,” Dannon said in the complaint.

Chobani, which wasn’t named as a defendant in the suit, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Muyshondt couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

The case is Dannon Co. v. Muyshondt, 18-cv-01567, US District Court, Southern District of New York (White Plains). — Bloomberg

Dealing with a credit-grabbing boss

My boss gives me impossible work assignments and when I achieve them, he simply thanks me as if my achievements were very easy to do. But what’s worse is that he continues to be an incurable credit-grabber by representing my work as his own when he’s with top management. How do I handle the situation? — Pissed Off.

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” The crow answered: “Sure! Why not?” So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, rested, until he fell asleep. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it. Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up and make sure you don’t fall from where you are.

My point, therefore is this — grin and bear it until you’ve reached the same status as your boss. There’s not much you can do as long as you continue working for him and the organization. Probably, the only consolation you can have is the fact that he knows where all the impressive accomplishments are coming from. And he knows where to get it. Whatever happens, don’t judge him too quickly as we don’t know the real situation.

For one, maybe he’s in trouble with the big boss and he needs all the credit that he can get from everyone. If this is true, then you may want to support him on that. Be positive. Hope and pray that he can overcome the situation. But don’t ever think of sabotaging his efforts as there’s always a chance that you will be discovered. If this happens, it could be much worse than you can imagine as your boss can use that as an excuse to terminate your employment.

There’s no other way but to remain confident, helpful and optimistic that everything will turn out for the better for you and your current boss. Even if he resigns and a new boss comes in, your constructive attitude in work life may help you recover from a credit-less situation. Now, here are some techniques to help you maintain a positive outlook with a credit-grabbing boss:

One, seek constant two-way communication with the boss. Try to understand his situation so that it would be easy for you to help him. It’s difficult but it’s worth the effort than remain perpetually bitter, close-minded and emotional all the time. The best way is to have a regular eyeball-to-eyeball meeting with the boss and document everything in an e-mail for record purposes, every step of the way.

Two, follow up on all projects that you’ve submitted to him. Take the opportunity to see if he needs clarification or more information. Chances are, no matter how slim they are, that he may realize his shortcomings. After all, the usual acknowledgment in an unguarded moment is always in the form of a “thank you,” regardless of whether it’s sincere or not.

Third, stand your ground if the boss puts the blame on you. If your boss’s style is to bully people around him, then be brave enough to confront him without necessarily putting up a fight or arguing with him. Remain cool as always, but make it known to him that you can’t be easily intimidated. Remember this — bullies tend to concentrate their efforts on those who can be easily manipulated with anger.

Fourth, take your time well and think of more tasks to please the boss. If you decide to stay with that company, then your only recourse is to be on the safe side. Whatever happens, don’t criticize your boss to everyone as there’s no assurance that it will not come back to haunt you. There are very few people who can win a fight with a boss, even if he has fallen from the graces of top management.

Last, know the best opportunity to interact with the boss. And do it often as possible. Even miserable people have their lucid intervals and occasional good moments. Be an expert on this. Look for days and the right time when things have been going on well for your boss to approach him on something that is not controversial. If you know the best time, bring out certain topics of mutual interest to you.

You can’t change instantly the personality of an ingrate and incompetent boss. And it’s only a matter of time before your boss resigns or is replaced for whatever reason. If this happens, you’ll be glad that you cooperated well with the boss in the most difficult times.

Just the same, the ability to keep your boss and other top-level executives satisfied with your performance depends much on how well you do your job. There’s no other way, but this means exceeding the expectations of management on a regular basis. Therefore, grumbling against an ingrate and incompetent boss won’t help you fatten your pay check or secure a promotion. Still, there’s no other way but to consistently score good points with your boss even if he doesn’t deserve it.

ELBONOMICS: Doing an impossible task means that it will soon be part of your job description.

 

Check out one of our popular programs called “Cracking Leadership Challenge in the Workplace” that is best suited as an exclusive learning event for supervisors and managers in your organization. Contact Ricky Mendoza at (02) 846-8951 or mobile 0915-406-3039 or send e-mail to inquiry@kairos.com.ph or elbonomics@gmail.com.

elbonomics@gmail.com

Responding to disasters and emergencies

THE continuing unrest of Mayon Volcano has to date affected nearly 22,000 families, accounting for over 83,600 persons from 61 barangays in nine municipalities and cities of Albay province. Although the feared hazardous eruption has thankfully yet to occur, weeks of lava and lahar flow and ash fall have resulted in almost P165 billion in agricultural damage as well as the suspension of classes in many areas of the province. About 69,000 affected residents are currently staying inside 69 designated evacuation centers, while almost 10,000 persons are being served outside the evacuation centers.

Due to massive evacuations, the government has committed P50 million worth of assistance in addition to funds coming the Departments of Social Welfare and Development and Health, and the Office of Civil Defense, among others. Bigger and sustained relief initiatives are needed to address the growing requirements of the thousands of affected Albay residents.

Last week, a team from the PHAPCares Foundation traveled to Legazpi City and distributed 3,500 masks and 1,000 food packs for families temporarily staying at the Bagumbayan Elementary School. In coordination with the men and women of the Social Action Center, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya, and the Albay Provincial Health Office, close to 4,200 evacuees were served by this collective effort. Following this, a medical mission with volunteer doctors will be held to complement national and local government initiatives.

Through its medicines donation program, PHAPCares works with government agencies and NGOs to enhance peoples’ access to essential and life-saving medicines. Through the years, it has actively carried out humanitarian support whenever the country is struck by natural and man-made calamities. In November 2013, PHAPCares and its members donated P110 million worth of medicines and relief items to families affected by supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Earlier that year, more than P5 million worth of medicines and relief assistance was dispatched to Zamboanga City, to aid families affected by the armed conflict. In another armed conflict, an initial P1 million worth of essential medicines and relief items were provided to families displaced by the siege of Marawi City.

There is recognition that apart from government forces and combatants, civilians suffer the most during complex emergencies like armed conflicts. The health of evacuees is often compromised, especially those belonging to vulnerable groups such as children, women, and the elderly. As observed in various countries, pre-existing health conditions may be exacerbated or diseases may emerge following natural or man-made disasters.

In efforts to build resiliency, the Foundation has partnered with the Metro Manila Development Authority for the cascade of the Earthquake and Landslide Search and Rescue Orientation Course (ELSAROC) and initiated various fora on the public health impact of disasters and armed conflicts.

Now on its 15th year, PHAPCares is committed more than ever to fulfill its mission of promoting public health and the welfare of Filipinos, particularly the underprivileged and those affected by natural and man-made disasters.

The author is the executive director of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). Medicine Cabinet is a column that aims to promote awareness on public health and health care-related issues. PHAP and its member companies represent the research-based pharmaceutical and health care industry. For comments and inquiries, e-mail the author at medicinecabinet@phap.org.ph.

Bank of America commits to London despite Brexit

BANK OF AMERICA Corp. is the latest overseas bank to commit its long-term future to the United Kingdom even as the country prepares for Brexit.

The US lender has extended the lease on its London headquarters by 10 years to 2032, according to a spokesman. That’s well beyond the UK’s planned departure from the European Union.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Financial Centre at 2 King Edward Street in the City of London, which has about 585,000 square feet (54,300 square meters) of office space, is owned by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. A spokeswoman for the wealth fund declined to comment.

WILD CARD
“The big wild card is how Brexit will fall out,” Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in December. “I think it is a negative, but I don’t think it is a strong negative.”

Another US company, Northern Trust Corp., is searching for a new London base after its current lease expires in 2022, two people with knowledge of the plan said. The asset manager has hired CBRE Group Inc. to draw up a list of options if it chooses to leave its current building in the Canary Wharf district, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plan is private.

“We have engaged CBRE in a planning effort to determine how best to maximize our space requirements,” spokeswoman Camilla Greene said in an e-mail. London will continue to be the company’s regional headquarters for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, she said.

The UK is due to leave the European Union in March 2019.

The government is negotiating a transition period to come into effect after this date to ensure that businesses don’t face a sudden change in regulations. — Bloomberg

Cinema Rehiyon comes to Manila next week

AS PART of the celebration of the National Arts Month this February, the 10th edition of the Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival and Forum of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will be held on Feb. 25-28 in Metro Manila.

Dubbed as “Cinema Rehiyon X: One Country. One Cinema. One Future,” the festival aims to be the platform for critical conversations for shaping the future of Philippine Cinema and to highlight the value of cultivating regional cinema and its contributions to the development of national cinema.

For four days, the festival will bring together delegates and participants from all over the country for a series of film screenings, forums, workshops and activities. The festival is expected to be attended by around 200-300 participants from all over the country and is free of charge.

Day 2 (Feb. 26) of the festival will be held and co-hosted by the DLSU-Department of Communication at the Natividad Fajardo Auditorium of Br Andrew Gonzales Hall, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m..

The full festival program is available from Cinema Rehiyon’s Facebook page.

Panelists for the forum will include film makers from the region whose films will be screened during the festival, as well as DLSU Department of Communication Faculty and advocates of regional and independent cinema: Prof Clodualdo Del Mundo, Dr. Miguel Rapatan and Ed Cabagnot.

What to see this week

3 films to see on the week of February 23-March 2, 2018

Every Day


Based on David Levithan’s New York Times best-selling novel of the same title, Every Day centers on 16-year-old Rhiannon who falls in love with “A,” a mysterious soul who assumes different bodies every day. Directed by Michael Sucsy, it stars Angourie Rice, Maria Bello, Debby Ryan, Jacob Batalon, Justice Smith, and Owen Teague.

MTRCB Rating: PG

The 15:17 to Paris


The film is based on a true story about an incident on Aug. 21, 2015 where three Americans — Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and US Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone (who play themselves in the film) — prevented a man carrying an AK-47 pistol from wounding and killing passengers on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it also stars Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer, and Thomas Lennon. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a measly 24% rating. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes, “The film keeps telling us that what took place aboard that train was the fulfillment of something, but neither the event nor the three people re-enacting it seem entirely real. They seem like pieces of reality trapped in a movie.”

MTRCB Rating: PG

The Significant Other


EDWARD, a cosmetic surgeon, and Maxene, a fashion model, are happily married. However, their relationship is challenged when Edward commits adulterous acts with his patient Nicole. Directed by Joel Lamangan, it stars Erich Gonzales, Lovi Poe, and Tom Rodriguez.

MTRCB Rating: R-13

LRMC taps Voith to repair trains

LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC) has signed a P450-million agreement with Voith Digital Solutions Austria GmBH and Co KG for the rehabilitation and upgrade of Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) generation-2 trains.

In a statement, the operator and maintenance provider of the LRT-1 system said   the Austrian company will re-engineer the 24 light rail vehicles (LRVs) of six train sets in the next two years.

“The rehabilitation of the 24 LRVs will expand capacity which should result in faster travel time because of reduced train headway and queueing time,” LRMC President Juan F. Alfonso said in a statement.

The project will be the first overhaul of the Generation 2 fleet’s propulsion system since the government bought the generation-2 trains from Hyundai and Adtranz Sweden in 1999, said LRMC.

The current fleet of LRT-1 includes 51 generation-1 LRVs bought in 1984, eight generation-2 LRVs bought in 1999, and 44 generation-3 LRVs bought in 2007. The Department of Transportation (DoTr) last month signed the procurement of 120 new LRVs for delivery in 2020.

LRMC has already completed the P1-billion rehabilitation of Generation 1 LRVs, which expanded the fleet, from 77 to 109 LRVs, and the number of daily trips from 498 to 554.

LRMC is the consortium of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.

Metro Pacific Investment Corp. is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

How PSEi member stocks performed — February 22, 2018

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Thursday, February 22, 2018.